For those of you not familiar with Google+, let me bring you up to speed. Google+ launched in June of 2011 as the invitation-only social networking platform powered by Google that was going to give Facebook a run for its money by creating an opportunity to make more genuine connections and share with specific “circles” versus a sea of “friends.”

Since last summer, its membership has grown significantly and includes everyone from young professionals, to CEOs and yes, even “Mr. Facebook” Mark Zuckerberg, himself. But how can businesses capitalize on Google+? Is it even worth it? Yes. According to Jason Cormier, writer for Search Engine Watch, businesses need to be active in Google+ for one simple reason: The quality and corresponding engagement around your search engine visibility stands to either noticeably improve or gradually decline.

As a marketer in the B2B space, I must admit that I’m not surprised by this assessment. In talking with many of our clients and colleagues in the industry, we’ve heard them echo this same sentiment. These days, companies need marketing and PR materials that talk benefits and address customer needs, rather than focus on the latest product features and functionality. Don’t get me wrong, “speeds and feeds” are important, but only later in the buying cycle.

As a B2B PR and marketing agency, we represent clients from a number of industries who share one common thread — they are all in the technology space. As a result, we look for writers who can write in a number of different styles and on a variety of topics. When in the market for writing talent, here are a few tips we suggest you keep in mind:

• It takes a slightly different skill set to write for marketing than it does for PR. Marketing is persuasive. PR is factual.
• Ask the job interviewee how he or she would refresh your website. If the person starts out wanting to talk about your company first, as opposed to your customers’ needs, you probably want to keep interviewing.
• Ask to see short writing samples. The shortest writing assignments are the toughest because they must be concise. Look for copy that introduces the problem first, followed by a value statement, then additional details (if needed) and finally a call-to-action in the closing. If the writer is good, all of the above can be accomplished in 200 words (or less!).
• Consider giving a potential new hire a writing test on site.

One last tip to take into account if you are looking to improve the quality of your marketing content: writing is a skill part learned and part talent. Meaning, high school English teachers can only do so much; writing is a talent not everyone shares. Therefore, once you find someone who can write relevant, personalized, high-quality content for each of your audiences (customers, employees, shareholders, etc.), hold onto that person. In today’s market, people with this skill are hard to come by.

The research finds multi-national client marketers are seeking strategic contributions (57 percent) and business value created (56 percent) from their marketing agencies. Other key considerations include:

• Agency efficiency and effectiveness (50 percent)
• Market impact and success of campaigns (42 percent), and
• Creative excellence (42 percent).

Another finding of note included that the top technique for improving client-agency collaboration, output and performance is the religious work to keep all teams fully aligned and in-sync with objectives and deliverables.

In addition, marketers said fresh ideas, analytics and perspectives were what they value the most from outside agencies.  For more on this study check out the great blog post from Marketing Charts or download the entire report from the CMO Counsel.

As a firm, Arketians collected with boxed and canned goods for the Atlanta Community Food Bank during its annual Arketi Turkey Day Food Drive. Employees filled up bags and the donation barrel to the rim during October and November. The food bank then distributed the groceries to low-income families in Metro Atlanta and throughout North Georgia.

Arketi also gathered snacks, toiletries, baby wipes and other items to send to troops at FOB Shank located in the Loghar Province of Afghanistan.

Another way employees helped out is by contributing to Hands of Love – an organization that improves the lives of children and their families affected by the humanitarian crisis in Uganda. Arketi “adopted” three children there and provided each of them with school supplies, clothes and a Christmas gift.

In 2011, Arketi gave “in-kind” offerings to several non-profit organizations, such as High Tech Ministries and HealthMPowers. Arketi provided public relations, event coordination support, design services and more.

Arketians supported clients with their community service programs, as well. For instance, Arketi staffers joined Knowlagent at the MUST Toy Shop, operated by MUST Ministries – a local non-profit organization that provides shelter and services to persons in crisis.

MUST’s store gave parents an opportunity to “shop” for items for their children with a volunteer personal shopper. Thanks to the MUST Toy Shop and volunteers, approximately 4,500 children delighted in opening presents on Christmas morning.

Arketi has been able to give back to the community in these several ways to help make the past year brighter for so many deserving people. Visit Arketi’s Community page to read more about its outreach programs.

But reports of the death of email may have been greatly exaggerated – at least in the BtoB marketing arena. A recent article in BtoB Magazine states that email marketing is alive and well with open rates trending upwards. The article, which includes survey results from a study conducted by a marketing company and the Direct Marketing Association, states that email open rates increased by nearly 8 percent in Q3 2011 – a fairly significant jump in a mature market space.

The article also includes information from a second survey in which 60 percent of respondents stated they plan to increase email marketing budgets. In the same survey only 55 percent of respondents stated that they planned to boost social media marketing budgets.

Even with the increased popularity of email marketing campaigns, communications professionals need to know and exercise best practices to ensure campaigns are effective and successfully engaging with customers and prospects. To start, know your audience (preferably with specific industry data) and, moreover, the audience’s collective tolerance level for email. The mass move to mobile means many recipients are viewing emails on tablets and other devices and marketers need to keep this in mind when developing content and determining offers.

To see the complete BtoB article, headlined Email Trends: Spotlight on Strengths, Challenges, click here.

According to the survey, content marketing, which is viewed as one of the hottest trends in publishing in 2011, is poised to continue its market dominance in the upcoming year. In fact, 60 percent of surveyed business-to-business marketing personnel plan to increase content market spending in 2012. On average, the surveyed marketing personnel allocate 26 percent of their total budget to content marketing initiatives.

According to CMI’s findings, BtoB marketers use an average of 8 content marketing tactics to achieve their goals. Article posting ranks the highest with 79 percent usage; social media (other than blogs) is used by 74 percent of survey respondents. Blogs, enewsletters and case studies rounded out the top 5 with 65 percent, 63 percent and 58 percent of the vote.  See below for full ranking.

In the social media sector, Twitter reigns supreme. Twitter use increased by 35 percent to 74 percent in 2011, with Facebook use up 30 percent from 2010 numbers to 70 percent. Joe Pulizzi, founder of the CMI, noted that, “Twitter, from a listing standpoint and niche content standpoint, is easier to use in a niche business rather than a large consumer. You’re focused on hashtags and different searches that are focused on content sets. Twitter is our most effective broadcasting tool: less social media, more broadcasting.”

“Twitter is closer to what they [marketers] are doing now, as opposed to Facebook, where you really have to interact,” he stated.

YouTube and LinkedIn shared double digit jumps with increased usage of 47% and 39% respectively, while blog and video use leaped 27 percent in 2011 from 2010.

In 2011, we posted a B2B Marketing Minute that summarized our own content marketing tend findings from our Annual CMO Roundtable. We learned that 90% of BtoB organizations are now engaged in content marketing. In addition, more than a quarter of BtoB organizations’ marketing budgets would be used on content marketing alone in 2011.

Stay tuned to find out the latest findings and predictions for 2012, as we’ll reveal our 5th Annual Roundtable findings for both the Atlanta office and our new North Carolina branch.

1.  Leveraging social media
You recognize the importance of social media and may even have a LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter account. But are you actively mining your social media channels for opportunities and leads? According to a recent study by Pardot Marketing Automation, 52.5 percent of marketers are spending 10 percent of their marketing budgets on social media activities, with nearly as many stating that 10 percent of their leads come from social media channels. Connecting and engaging in the conversation is key in truly maximizing this channel.

2.  Doing the little things

Want to set yourself apart from your peers and impress others? It really is the little things that make a difference here. Do more than is expected of you internally and externally to set a great example. Show up to your meetings on time or even a few minutes early. Send your business partners an email after hours to let them know you are always thinking about their business. Practice the art of listening, both online and offline and practice repeating what you heard.

3.  Employ the KISS method
In an era of information deluge, it is increasingly difficult to follow the maxim, Keep it Simple Stupid (KISS). Do not call meetings unless you have defined an express purpose and outcome. Following the KISS method means streamlining your interactions and ultimately, giving yourself time to focus.

It’s true that today’s automation and analytic engines are offering marketers tools and capabilities that we could only wish for a decade or two ago. However, I think it would be a mistake, and would set BtoB marketing back significantly, if these new tools resulted in anything less than a strong and equally deployed mix of right brain and left brain skills.

I would say that most successful marketers realize that, to be effective, marketing requires both creative and analytic thinking. Certainly, killer creative can at times overcome flaws in mix or deployment strategy. And ending up on the right side of a killer opt-in list built from relentless analysis of personas and prospect actions can make up for a bit of pedestrian creative. But when a strong, relevant creative message is paired with a well thought out campaign strategy built on solid analytic models, true magic can occur.

As point of fact, two of the more successful and creative campaigns I’ve been associated with recently had to do with an Indiana Jones type multimedia campaign and a zombie-based video and trade show support plan. Both leveraged analytic tools to validate results and both required a lot of left brain thinking. But I’d say it was the combination of both the pre and post campaign analysis and strong creative that made the efforts a success.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zwrm8X2T4s

It is true that today’s comprehensive business intelligence and marketing automation solutions have made delivery against performance metrics a regular part of a marketers success criteria. And this goes well beyond the time-worn ROI numbers we’ve all used for decades.  Today, lifetime value, lead to revenue and pipeline conversion results rule. And marketers are more than ever held accountable for their decisions.

In addition to post-campaign analytics, today’s BtoB marketers can take advantage of a myriad of testing tools that enable A/B and multivariate testing of every conceivable campaign element before hitting a “Go” button. But I still believe that the best marketers are leveraging those tests to find the best of a series of strong creative elements pulled from the deep resources of their right brain.

Hopefully we don’t ever lose that.

Over the weekend, the Arketi team celebrated the holidays together at Ray’s on the River with delicious food, drinks and company. Celebrating their first winter holiday with Arketi were several new team members along with Arketi veterans, family and friends.

As tradition, Arketians brought a wrapped gift and participated in “bad santa”  by opening and/or stealing a present.

After all the stealing, we then confess to which funny, useful, or pampering present we brought.

Check out more holiday photos on Arketi’s Picasa album. From our team to yours, have a wonderful holiday season and an exciting new year!

Oftentimes, we are asked by our clients to think outside the budget, to plan as if there was no budget in place. Rather, they want us to build a plan that will execute at a level that ensures the goal is reached. Having gone through this exercise a number of times, the outcomes tend to fall into one of two scenarios:

1.  The budget is truly fixed, and the thinking and strategy to determine what was really necessary to make the objective happen was a theoretical exercise and a waste of time, or
2. The exercise was strategic and sincere. The CEO takes the feedback and goes to the board for approval to expand the marketing budget and take the market by force.

It might not surprise you to know that scenario #1 plays out much more often than scenario #2… maybe this is why so many marketers look upon the budgeting process with disdain, thinking it is “fixed” or a game in of itself.

Maybe it is time that marketers challenged the process and asked the strategic question, “What are we truly trying to achieve this year, and will we invest appropriately to make it happen?” For example, if we want to double sales, but will only increase the marketing budget by 5%, is that truly realistic?

Perhaps marketers should worry less about following the budgeting process and more about leading the strategic discussion.  Maybe then, the budgeting process will become strategic.

This post was also featured on TAG Think.

At first glance, a line like that seems ridiculous and unbelievable. So why do we, as PR professionals, continue to try to sell both journalists and audiences with the same clichés over and over?

I recently attended a writing workshop for PR and marketing professionals moderated by industry expert Janet Reed, who offered fundamental tips to avoid the repetitive, overinflated writing traps that, as much as we try to avoid, we tend to fall into. According to Reed, writers get in trouble by adding too many details when selling a reporter on a pitch or a consumer on a product and lose the message in the process. Most times, short, sweet and to the point does much better than an abundance of detail.

In honor of the holiday season, here are a few basic practices to ensure your next press release or byline is sharp, concise and captivating. In other words, make sure your write plate is not “stuffed.”

Cut Your Calories
When sitting with your loved ones at the Thanksgiving table, would you ever say, “Can you please circulate the tryptophan-laced, bi-colored poultry that is adhered to its porcelain mechanism?” when “Pass the turkey” will get the message across with less effort?

We’re all guilty of adding inflated, convoluted terms to sentences, convinced that some fancy words will give our writing more conviction and pop. In reality, this expansion gets confusing and buries the message rather than highlighting it.

Reed mentioned that sentences grow dangerous when longer than 14-16 words. Using this practice can help us reach the message faster. Try to write your release or pitch as if you are selling a 10-year old, or your grandmother. Avoiding highly technical speak can get your message across faster, too.

Also, keep the smartphone culture in mind when writing. A reporter or reader is not going to scroll through lengthy, seemingly endless paragraphs when checking email on a mobile phone. Get your most important details across early and use bullets and subheads as support rather than additional lines.

Try a New Recipe…
Every Thanksgiving dinner has its staples – turkey, potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce and “whatever’s in that bowl over there.” While we all love the traditional items, how many times has the most memorable dish on the table been something new that your family has never had before? Maybe a fresh marinade for the turkey? Or spice for the potatoes?

Along those same lines, we should challenge ourselves to add some seasoning to our writing. According to Reed, there’s a fine line between “killer words” and “words that kill” – while “killer words” can make your audiences want to read more, “words that kill” (like the ones in the opening line of this blog) will do just that to any possible interest.

Maintaining an active voice and relying on strong, exciting verbs add refreshing flavor to your writing. Choose your words wisely, but don’t be afraid to add in a phrase or term you have never used before. Every so often, I’ll hear a term or phrase on a television show and think, “I like that. I’m going to use that in my next case study.” If it was memorable once, it may be equally memorable to your readers.

…But Don’t Forget the Basics
The growth in social media and text messages made “the casual” acceptable in most PR circles. And, with surmounting deadlines across several clients, we don’t have as much time as we would like to check the AP style guide for every single word in our writing. As a result, we tend to stray from the basic principles.

Being lazy can weaken any attempt at strong writing. For starters, make sure your subjects, verbs and pronouns all agree (hint: someone, each and everybody are all singular!) If you would use it in a text message, even though your audience will understand it, it should not go in your press release. And while we are all scrapped for time, even 15 minutes of proofreading can make the difference between an effective piece and a mistake that could harm the reputations of both your client and yourself.

Enjoy the Leftovers
While the amount of effort that goes into preparing the perfect Thanksgiving meal can be troublesome, we do it because we want to provide something memorable for our guests. Much in that way, PR professionals put a great deal of effort into writing in hopes of not only generating “delicious” results for their clients, but also to challenge themselves to make every authored piece better than the one before.

Returning to basics can add that memorable zing to your writing. Removing a few of the “excess ingredients” will better highlight what’s really at the core of your message in a clear, concise and complete fashion – and make your audience want to go back for seconds!

As a PR agency, we’ve been part of numerous market events over the years where we’ve played a variety of roles — from strategizing market messaging and positioning to getting the word out to the press. If you are a marketer who has found yourself going through such an activity for the first time, you should be prepared for a fast pace and long days because once the ink on the deal is dry, you must be ready to pull the trigger on your go-to-market strategy.

Whether you are the company doing the acquiring or the company being acquired, here are a few tips to keep in mind as your company starts down the acquisition path.

• Time is of the essence. Completing an acquisition is like riding a roller coaster. You should expect some ups and downs, as well as a few curves. Sometimes you’ll be moving really, really fast, and other times you’ll be waiting, and waiting and waiting. Then there are those times you feel like you are going to fall right out of your seat. Despite all this, one thing is certain: the ride will eventually come to an end. Once this happens, you need to be prepared for how you are going to communicate to anyone who will be affected by this acquisition news. This includes your customers, prospects, partners, the press, industry analysts and employees.

• Stand up and take the lead. The process of acquiring a company usually involves a lot of people, especially if each company has a PR firm. For this reason, the senior marketer at the acquiring company should be at the center of all activities, directing all marketing strategy and tactics for the acquisition. By having one point person at the center of all activities, it will ensure things continue to move and balls are not dropped.

• Develop a plan. There are a lot of moving parts to an acquisition, and the tiniest details must be planned — everything from updating the company websites and contacting current and prospective customers to developing spokesperson talking points and preparing to onboard new employees. Therefore, it is critical you immediately map out (1) how you want to communicate with each key audience and (2) what tools will need to be developed and/or updated. From there, you can develop a more detailed production schedule that assigns a deadline to every activity you need completed before the deal is official.

• Understand your new strategy and story. There’s a reason why this acquisition is taking place, and now’s the time to sketch out the value proposition so that all audiences understand why they should care about your news. As part of the process, make sure you develop customized messaging for each audience, if necessary, and weave it into your communications.

• Stay in the loop. As the company doing the acquiring, you need to make sure you know where each team stands with their assignments. At a minimum, setup weekly calls where everyone comes together to provide status updates on their activities. Be sure to include key players from the company you are acquiring too. That way, everyone knows what’s going on and can be held accountable to the same expectations.

• Conduct a post mortem. Feedback is key to ensuring you grow as a marketer. Once the buzz surrounding the acquisition has died down, hold a team post mortem to understand areas of success and improvement for the future. Whether you go through another acquisition or not, you can always apply any lessons learned to future marketing activities.

Keep in mind that these tips just scratch the surface in everything you need to do to prepare for a market event. If you need more assistance in preparing for a market event, we are always happy to help.

This award recognizes well-known individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Georgia marketing community. Sami has been at the forefront of using technology to achieve marketing results and deserve recognition for their outstanding achievements.

Sami on the big screen

Sami’s career began in computer science, giving him a technology understanding to help clients “cut through the clutter” and create a compelling customer-centric value proposition. His career spans almost every aspect of creating great companies, but the greatest portion of his career has been spent in marketing, business development, and entrepreneurship – ranging from IBM to co-founding two start-ups.

Sami is very involved within the technology community serving on the boards of the Technology Association of Georgia, the Technology Executives Roundtable, the TAG Marketing society, and the GRA/TAG Business Launch and Excalibur events. Sami is also very active in High Tech Ministries. Sami has an MBA from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a BS in Computer Science from University of California, Berkeley.

Sami's acceptance speech

The 2011 TAG Tech Marketing Awards was held November 17, 2011 at the Defoor Centre where Atlanta’s tech marketing community gathers to celebrate the past year, and to recognize certain individuals and their accomplishments.

Getting recognized at the 2011 Tag Tech Marketing Awards

1. You don’t own your page.
2. You’re trying too hard.
3. You don’t get it.
4. You’re boring.
5. You’re a control freak.

I have to admit, reason number four kind of stings. Ouch. Don’t take these personally, though. Instead, remember what social media is all about. Engage your fans and get to know them. Don’t be overbearing. Social media allows you to be more flexible with your content and responses. Although you cannot control the conversation, you can definitely monitor and contribute to it. By contributing, you can alter the direction of the conversation.

People are going to talk about your brand online. Wouldn’t you rather they include you in the conversation by tweeting your company directly or posting on your Facebook wall?

In a June 2011 post, I outlined a few additional reasons why your social media friends and followers aren’t following you back. Take a look for yourself and feel free to add to the list.

Follow Meredith on Twitter at @MeredithMobley. Follow Arketi on Twitter @Arketi.

When asked about frequency of viewing collateral materials, 30 percent of respondents said they consume mobile content on a weekly basis, while 34 percent estimated several times a week and 23 percent said several times a month.

Although business executives have joined the mobile revolution, the traditional desktop remains the popular choice. In fact, respondents stated that they are reading the following at their desktops:

• 56 percent of white papers
• 58 percent of case studies
• 53 percent of product brochures/data sheets

Another factor of note, downloading and printing was also more widely reported than mobile viewing. So, even though mobile technology has transformed the world, business leaders still need and want to see hard data on a desktop versus a screen that’s the size of a deck of cards.

Make no mistake about it. Mobile technology has definitely made certain tasks easier and more convenient for business owners and consumers alike; however, in the business world, people can’t afford to make an error because the screen posed a viewing challenge, or their fingers moved too quickly while dashing off a quick approval and juggling a phone call.

But as B2B technology companies, how do we marry the practicality of the desktop with society’s increasing love of mobile technology?  Please share your comments and real-life experiences of the perfect B2B tech marriage with us.

Learn more about the survey findings here.

Recently in Atlanta, new toll-based lanes were introduced on a stretch of highway that had been free since the road was created decades ago. Now, drivers would have the option to use the toll lane (at a fee) to whiz by all of the other drivers. It was marketed as a convenient time saver.  The new toll lane was launched with great fanfare and marketing communications – we heard about it through direct mail, e-mail, radio and television.

The big day came, and a 9-10 mile stretch of highway was priced at more than $5 to use the toll lane. Can you guess what happened? If you said, “No one used it and the entire traffic pattern changed to a deathly crawl.“ you would be correct. Drivers were in an uproar. The governor had to get involved and cut the price in half.  Next week, same result. So, they decreased the price again by 40%. Right now, it sits at about $1.50 for that same stretch – still too expensive for most people, but some are using it.

Is the Peach Pass priced right?

This type of pricing debacle is not limited to our government. Netflix has recently gone through its own PR nightmare dealing with its packaging and pricing changes.

Marketers need to understand the true pricing dynamics of their marketplace and what they are trying to achieve. Is the goal market share? Is it customer adoption? For Microsoft, price has often been used quite strategically to gain tremendous share in a number of markets. For Apple, market share has never been a consideration, as they are happy to have the elite, differentiated position, and that means their products are more expensive.

We have encountered numerous examples where price could have been used as a strategic tool to gain adoption, and then price could be raised later (albeit slowly) for profitability. Oftentimes, organizations start out too high and are forced to lower it only after upsetting customers or having an unfavorable win-loss ratio. Clearly, these scenarios are losing pricing strategies.

Unfortunately for those of us in Atlanta, many of us still have to drive home on the same stretch of highway. Unfortunately for Netflix, there are many alternatives, and it is easy for customers to switch.

Don’t be like these organizations. Get it right the first time – take your pricing seriously!

2011 PRSA Georgia Phoenix Awards winners

• PRSA|GA Phoenix Marketing Business to Business Program – Seeing Green at Black Hat (Arketi Group with Stonesoft)

Heather Pritchett from Stonesoft with Meredith Mobley from Arketi Group

 

• PRSA|GA Phoenix Direct Mail/Direct Response Project – RelayHealth Rides Wave to Lead Awareness (Arketi Group with RelayHealth)

Tamyra Hyatt from RelayHeath

 

• PRSA|GA Phoenix Writing – Trade/Business News Release –The Network Announces Quarterly Corporate Fraud Index (Arketi Group with The Network)

Mary Rose Macaranas and Jamie Cwalinski from Arketi Group

 

• PRSA|GA Certificate of Excellence Technical Writing Trade/Business Media –Brand Velocity the “Go To” IT Transformation Expert for CIO Magazine (Arketi Group with Brand Velocity)

In my new house, there are no fingerprints on the banister or door jams. It’s not a scientific cleaning breakthrough. It’s that my husband got a color Nook, so his New York Times obsession no longer has wall-based residue.  Having him join me in the world of online delivery of key content reflects where much of the population is headed.

More Digital/More Content

Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard recently published a study noting that digital reading continues on the upswing. That’s not because of newsprint fingerprints – apparently moving from print to digital subscription of the New York Times, for example, can save readers $330 per year. If it’s saving me a car payment, what does it do for the publisher? And what does that mean for PR and marketing?

Most in the US agree that a free press is critical to democracy. It is critical for business as well. Those of us in PR are anxious for the next wave of digital content developments, as we search for what will save publications. In the age of pay walls and open doors, aggregation and curation may be the key. It’s much cheaper to repurpose great content than to originate 10x what you can afford today. The trick is finding the best content to repurpose.

More/Better/Cheaper Content

Repurposing – republishing – curating… somehow, they all raise questions of discovery. With so much content on this enormous Web, I’m not sure what articles I want to see – so, who gets to be ‘my’ editor? I’ve already made some decisions about who I trust – Americans decide every day whether they rely more on MSNBC, FOX or NPR, for example. You know where you go for information you believe, whether it’s on the debt ceiling or the latest Silicon Valley escapades.

As we face increased consolidation in newsroom operations, we’ll see consolidation on the digital pages of these publications, too.  Great journalism can now appear where the reader is – not necessarily where it originated. It’s obviously great for the consumer, but it’s also a good thing for publishers — and even journalists. Although the change may require some new thinking.

• For publishing: The cost of acquiring content is a major consideration, both in hard dollars and in the time to negotiate agreements. People have always recommended articles, with social networks increasing this trend. Because really – who has time or patience to deal with the Google factor (search, sort of find, search again for something better, repeat)?

• For Journalism: If publishers find a way to get profitable again, good journalists will have a steady flow of opportunity. Expensive journalism – such as covering international affairs or investigative reporting – will become more affordable when additional income is produced from other websites paying to run that story

It’s a hot topic, with much to watch. The key is to expand engagement, and continue to engender reader loyalty. Certainly, the ‘wall’ that separates publications from one another is getting thinner. That’s being driven by the economy, where operational cutting is likely to continue as news organizations deal with continuing unprofitability.

Keep your eyes open – big changes in news and information discovery and consumption are coming your way. Quickly.

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1.       Influencing Sales

While an analyst firm is not likely to recommend or advocate for a particular technology solution, they may include your organization on a short list of companies or give an honest, informed assessment of your offering to interested prospects.

2.       Providing Validation and Advice

Analysts are paid to deliver expert advice—it is, after all, their raison d’etre. However, scheduling a briefing tends to generate discussion, which translates to free advice. From offering advice on presentation structure and content to thoughts on positioning and messaging, analysts can lend validation to your organization’s vision and strategy.

3.       Providing Intelligence
Want to know what your competition is working on? Analysts are one of the great, untapped resources of competitive intelligence because they are also talking with your competition. Of course, this is a catch 22. The same information you share can also be shared with your competition–so be cautious not to share your secret sauce.

Maximize the Interaction

When you’ve successfully secured a briefing with an influential industry analyst firm, the next step is ensuring your spokespeople are prepared to make the best use of everyone’s time. Typically, analysts will request a slide deck 48 hours in advance of the briefing that clearly defines your organization’s value proposition. Most briefings will be 30 minutes to one hour in length, and proper preparation will result in a lively discussion.

With this timeframe in mind, it is crucial to use restraint when developing your presentation—both in the number of slides and the number of words on each slide.  Whenever possible, go with graphics versus text. You want the analysts focused on what you are saying, rather than reading your presentation.

Be Prepared for the Pitch
While an analyst briefing provides an opportunity for an organization to pitch their services, it also is expected that the analyst firm will do the same. Budget five minutes in the discussion for their salesperson to explain their offerings. There is no expectation that an organization briefing with an analyst will engage in a paid relationship, but it is polite to hear them out.

Once the relationship has been established, it is beneficial to keep the analysts informed of any relevant company or service updates. Because analysts lack the equivalent of an editorial calendar, it is helpful to find out what their research agenda looks like going forward—and if your organization may fit into any of the upcoming research topics.

But, technology in the form of tablets is bringing a silver lining to the cloud that has surrounded the newspaper industry for the past several years. According to Juniper Research, annual revenue from newspapers delivered electronically to mobile devices will surpass $1.1 billion by 2016. The Juniper report, titled “The Mobile Publishing Briefing,” credits much of this increase in digital subscription revenue to iPad adoption.

Juniper also predicts there will be 5 million consumers accessing eNewspapers over tablets and/or eReaders by the end of this year.

Newspapers are even tapping into the tablet craze by offering their own tablets bundled with digital subscriptions.

Earlier this year, Philadelphia Media Network began offering an Android tablet bundled with digital newspaper subscription content. The company, which publishes the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News is selling the tablet, and today it’s available starting at $99.

That’s good news for tablet owners and, of course, newspaper publishers which will still be required to set digital subscription prices lower than print to reach mass adoption. But, for those of us, I mean you, who borrow newspapers from the office library or neighborhood coffee house, we may be out of luck until this phrase becomes part of our lexicon, “You have yesterday’s tablet in your office?”

So, what’s the secret of relevant content? Maybe it’s time to take a step back and really ask the tough question: Do we really know as much about our prospects as we need to in order to create a steady stream of relevant content that will get them to take action?  How much more do you know about the individual buying habits and motivations of your prospects than the baseline demographics of company size, industry vertical and job title?

If the answer is “not much,” maybe it’s time to bite the bullet and start digging deeper into your prospects’ psyche.  Make a commitment to building the true persona of potential buyers that can take you well past the demographic data and give you real insight –on a one on one basis – into what your prospects really care about, what causes them angst and why, for example, they see the need to buy from an industry leader as more important than innovation in the product or service.

One way to help with that deeper dive is through implementation of a consistent win-loss survey program. Sales and Marketing organizations have historically used win/loss analysis to uncover deficiencies in the Sales process and identify product shortcomings. But interviewing prospects shortly after the final buy decision is made can also produce critical information that takes you well past the often superficial information collected on online surveys.  Face to face or telephone interviews with recent buyers (or non-buyers) also provides fresh information about the buy decision process that isn’t colored by long-term interaction with sales and support teams.

Persona experts talk about the need to capture deep information through use of an unscripted interview, conducted by someone outside the Sales process, allowing for discovery of information that goes beyond what the Marketing team expects to hear.

A series of solid win/loss interviews can provide the objective and detailed information to help content developers uncover the issues and needs that will have prospects clicking to download content and subscribing to newsletters and updates.

• Measure heavily
• Analyze frequently
• Acting to refine and improve close ratio

Why do dilemmas about stretching the boundaries of truth always seem to hold us captive, when it is, after all, supposed to set us free?

I recently attended a public relations networking meeting featuring a speaker from the Arthur Page Society, which creates advanced learning and development opportunities for senior PR and corporate communications professionals. The meeting served as my first exposure to the “Arthur Page Principles” –seven tenets designed to guide decision-making and management within any area of communications.

The first principle – TELL THE TRUTH!

In staring that line down, it seems so obvious. Mama always said to never lie and always be honest, which now applies when dealing with colleagues, clients or the public. But in a professional environment so full of crazy schedules, client confidentiality and on-the-fly adjustments, what does it really mean for PR professionals to “tell the truth” today?

Tell the Truth When Addressing the Public
Investor and business guru Warren Buffett once said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation, but only five minutes to ruin it. If you lose me money, I will forgive you, but if you lose a shred of reputation, I will be ruthless.”

As PR professionals, we hold the reputations of our clients in our hands. Advise them right, and consumers will speak favorably about them and build greater trust with their brand. Advise them wrong, and customers could become dissatisfied and possibly abandon their brand altogether.

Today’s social media, instant-news world places greater scrutiny on companies and executives. It is our job to help them maneuver through all situations – the good, the bad and the ugly – by being as honest, forthright and dependable as possible. As different scenarios arise, PR professionals should work with clients on the most open and truthful approach to address both the media and customers. You can better control reactions by being open and honest than by saying nothing at all.

For your clients, telling the truth also means delivering on their promises. Clients who make statements or offers should be prepared to answer those claims, or risk being viewed as untrustworthy by the public. For example, if your client unveils a new product, ensure that every service and benefit of that product you promote to the media actually works. If your client promotes a webinar that offers the top business management tips and a copy of a white paper to explain more, ensure that all attendees walk away with business management tips and a copy of a white paper.

For PR professionals, honesty to the public and media is as much about being able to deliver on what you say as it is about what you say.

Tell the Truth When Managing Clients
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that PR professionals don’t want to have the people paying the bills to view them as sketchy.

Much like the media or customers, telling the truth to clients is also about being able to deliver on promises, and being proactive when things go off schedule. Everything will not always work out as your plans and budgets dictate – in those cases, it’s our job to make sure there are no surprises for clients. If you anticipate your project will run over budget, or if random happenings occur that delay that project’s completion, let the client know as early as possible and work to find the best solution. While your client might not always be happy, chances are they will appreciate your honesty and willingness to correct the problem much more than receiving a high bill at the end of the month or missing a key deadline.

Telling the truth with clients also means being “the bad cop”. As PR professionals, we won’t always agree with our clients’ ideas, and it will sometimes require a fight to convince them that a course of action is the best one. In reality, this counsel is what they are paying for – they turn to our expertise and advice to make sure they are making the best decisions. If they wanted to hear how great everything is, they would never hire a PR team!

Tell the Truth When Managing Yourself
In trying to manage busy schedules, tight deadlines and workloads that can sometimes seem endless, we all wish we could have a few more minutes to stop and think – whether for proofing a project or for simply managing to-dos.

On a daily basis, you know your limitations and judgment. Being honest with your colleagues and asking for their honesty in return can save you and your clients from potential headaches.

Should a client ask you a tough question, and you are unsure of the best answer, reply that you will look into it and get back to them. Much like in training for the media, it is better to make sure you have worked out the best plan rather than giving rash advice that could lead the client to take a dangerous action.

Likewise, if you are facing a deadline and know that your workload may not allow you to complete that project, be honest with your colleagues. Instead of worrying about the perception that not being able to meet a deadline could render you incapable, work with your teammates to determine the best response rather than rushing the job or missing it altogether.

Trust is the foundation of effective public relations, and it is a challenge for professionals today to balance what is right with what is possible. As the Arthur Page Principles will tell you, some of the most important words behind effective communications won’t be learned in a textbook, or on Twitter.

Trust what mama said – always tell the truth.

Many are managed by customer service/customer relations, sales/marketing, information technology or even human resources. But, Ragan’s PR Daily recently made the case for communications to facilitate online conversations in its article “13 Reasons Why PR Should Lead Social Media Efforts.”

Among Ragan’s reasons are that PR pros are natural storytellers, we know how to earn-and keep-attention, we think strategically and we know to connect with others.

I agree that an internal PR team should ultimately own social media outreach because it’s a method of communication. But, I also believe it should be a coordinated collaboration between various departments.

Representatives from key business units and departments should meet weekly. The discussions could plan Facebook, Twitter and blog topics, frequency of posts, and create responses to customers’ comments (if applicable). For instance, find out what questions customer service is hearing most and how they are responding.

Based on everyone’s input PR can then craft those messages and post them on the appropriate site. PR practitioners create the company’s overall messaging, which should always be included in social media outlets.

PR folks also develop communications plans for various projects and departments, and they should include social media efforts as a tactic.

Social media is simply another channel companies use to reach their publics. These tactics should be developed, planned for the long term and managed by public relations professionals.