Tips to enhance B2B digital strategies by Natalie Dold via Econsultancy 

‘Don’t get me wrong—some in the B2B sector really get it, such as Dell, American Express, GE, among others.

But why is it that so many B2B executives feel that digital marketing won’t help them take their business to new levels? 

To answer that question, surveying the B2B entities I work with, it’s because some execs still feel that their products or services “are so niche that [digital] won’t work” or “our target audiences aren’t on social,” etc. But these thoughts don’t reflect what’s been shown to work for similar entities.’

Jurnid publishing platform allows journalists to set their own paywall by @AlastairReid3 via journalism.co.uk

‘Jurnid, a publishing platform inspired by a Knight Foundation challenge, offers journalists the chance to set a paywall on their work while also providing a mentoring community between journalists and professionals.

Created by website designer Andrew Quarrie, who has strong ties to the Miami journalistic community, Jurnid is intended as a platform for students and professionals to showcase their talents and build an audience.’

The journalist’s tool box: essential skills for wannabe hacks by @George_Berridge via WANNABE HACKS

‘Now is one of the hardest times to get a foot on the journalism career ladder. Budget cuts mean that there are fewer jobs and that those already in work are clinging to their desks by the fingernails. A wannabe hack needs to be fully prepared when entering the job market, which is where this journalist’s ‘tool box’ comes in.’ 

Data shows smartphones and tablets now account for 17% of UK network transactions by JOHN GLENDAY via The Drum 

‘Online marketing services provider Rakuten LinkShare has revealed that tablet and mobile sales have now reached 17 per cent of overall network transactions in the UK, highlighting the growing role of mobile shopping in the wider digital market.’

How PR can use Flipboard to create magazines by @stuartbruce via A PR GUY’S MUSINGS

‘Flipboard is one of the new generation of news readers that provide a slick app to let you subscribe to news and topics on media websites, blogs and other social media and social networks.’

Why should people read your blog?
The Bode Boutique is a beauty blog with a splash of fashion and a dash of lifestyle. If you are looking for in-depth honest reviews, features on my favourite products and seasonal articles, then look no further. The Bode Boutique is perfect for the beauty obsessed who love to dabble in fashion.

What is the focus of your blog?
The primary focus of my blog is beauty and I love to write about lipsticks and creating different eye looks. I would say the most important issue with regard to my blog is to be yourself and wear the looks that you want. I am a great believer in being yourself and I like to express this and my personality throughout the blog.

What’s your favourite blog and why?
My favourite blog seems to change. However my current favourite is without a doubt Sophia Meola as her reviews are so informative and I always feel like I have read an honest review, which is very important to me. Also, I absolutely love the quality of her photos, the layout and design of her blog and the way her personality seems to shine through in her writing.

How often do you aim to post?
I aim to post at least twice a week, however if time allows I try to post more. Scheduling posts is a complete lifesaver and it allows me to have my full-time job and enjoy other aspects of my life without feeling pressure from my blog. Organisation is the key with my blog as my busy life means that without scheduling, my blog would potentially suffer. I like to put aside one day a week to write my blog posts and film my videos.

How do you feel about guest posts?
I think guest posts are a great thing to feature on your blog. I have featured a good number of guest posts on my blog previously and think they are a great way to help showcase other blogger’s or companies’ talents. I think they are also so handy if you are going on holiday or going through a busy period, as there is less pressure for you to get blog posts written. I love the variety it adds to a blog.

How does a good PR work with you?
I think a good PR company always keeps the bloggers they work with in the loop and up to date with any interesting or exciting opportunities relevant to that individual. I also think that keeping them up to date with any new releases or news relevant to the blog and individual is key. For me, communication between a PR company and myself is vital.

What do PRs do that’s bad?
I find that often, many PR companies simply focus on the ‘bigger’ more established bloggers rather than trying to help showcase new bloggers’ talents. The blogging community is massive now and I think it is important for PR companies to help newer bloggers and get them involved with any events or releases.

Editorial information on The Bode Boutique, Jessie Bode and thousands of other media outlets and contacts can be found in the CisionPoint Media Database. 

The Times and Sky News lead the field, each with 10 nominations. The Times will be looking to continue its success from The Press Awards for 2012.

The entries were judged by an international team of 21 international industry experts, with the nominees covering a cross section of global and regional titles.

The nominees for the coveted Online Editor of the Year award include last year’s winner Carla Buzasi:

• Anna Doble, Head of Online, Channel 4 News

• Carla Buzasi, Editor in Chief, The Huffington Post UK

• Jessica Vince, Digital Editor, Grazia Daily

• Julian Kossoff, Online Editor, International Business Times UK

• Julia White, omg! Editor, Yahoo!

• Phil Webster, Editor, Times Digital Editions

Other categories include Outstanding Digital Team, Best Video Journalism, Best Commentary/Blogging and Best Use of Crowd Sourcing or Citizen Journalism.

Digital plays an increasingly important part in the UK media landscape and 2013’s winners will be seen as industry trendsetters. 

A full list of the nominations can be found on the Online Media Awards website. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on 12 June at the Emirates Stadium.  

Why should people read your blog?
It provides a read and an update on the economy which is always accessible to non-specialists.

The most important issue in your blogosphere is… whether economies like Britain’s can recover from their post-crisis hangover, and whether the government is doing the right thing to achieve that.

What’s your favourite blog and why?
There are a lot of blogs I follow but most are connected with newspapers, rather than freestanding, so for example Chris Giles’s FT blog, or Jeremy Warner’s Telegraph blog.

How often do you aim to post?
Between three and five times a week.

How do you feel about guest posts?
I publish some independent research but not yet guest posts.

How does a good PR work with you?
By demonstrating that they know what the blog is all about, and by suggesting things that are relevant to it.

What do PRs do that’s bad?
Suggesting things that are not relevant and, worst of all, suggesting you might like to write the same story again but with quotes from their client.

Editorial information on David Smith, EconomicsUK.com and thousands of other media outlets and contacts can be found in the CisionPoint Media Database. 

Francisca Kellett is the travel editor at Tatler magazine and is unsurprisingly invited on many press trips. Every journalist would prefer exclusivity so if it’s a trip with a group of other journalists, Francisca can’t offer her readership the unique content they desire. For short spa reviews, groups of no more than six are fine but for feature articles, the more exclusive the trip the better.

Laetitia Wajnapel is the author of the Mademoiselle Robot blog and a consultant. She shared her views on Twitter, a social network she believes is for personal use, not professional pitches. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t connect with PRs; it is the perfect platform for informal discussions. The issue occurs when brands try to pitch or sell to her in replies to tweets. Use email as an official channel and if you want to collaborate go through Laetitia’s agent.

Dina Behrman works both as a PR and journalist, freelancing for many of the top national newspapers. She discussed the future direction of her career and how she expects the PR side to grow as the communications and journalism professions converge. The two disciplines are increasingly similar and with the development of digital media and the opportunities of owned content, Dina will be part of a new industry.

The three also discussed schedules, pitch tips, bad examples of PR (including a ‘fashionable’ purple car and forgetting to BCC) and the best ways and times to contact them. 

A video recording of the full Cision Breakfast Club will be available shortly. Profiles of Francisca, Laetitia and Dina as well as their outlets are available on CisionPoint’s Media Database.

How journalists are using Facebook’s new live Q&A feature by @SarahMarshall3 via journalism.co.uk

‘Facebook recently launched a new feature which has been used by a number or high-profile journalists in order to host conversations.

The feature is currently being rolled out, and all Facebook pages will get the option by 10 July, as will all individual accounts where the person has more than 10,000 followers.

In a similar way to a Reddit AMA (ask me anything), a person or page can take questions in real-time.’

Facebook to launch video ads in July by @gordonmacmillan via The Wall

‘Facebook is launching video advertising in its newsfeed in July, in an effort to capture some of the growing online video and television ad markets that are worth billions of pounds globally.

Like online video ads on other sites the new Facebook newsfeed video ads will begin playing automatically, but without sound with the option of turning audio on left to the user. When audio is activated the ad will play from the beginning.’

Six examples of B2B companies that shine on Twitter by Phil Osgood via Econsultancy

‘Many commenters mentioned that it would be useful to see a similar post focusing on B2B examples and I was obviously happy to oblige. 

Twitter is a difficult medium for B2B companies as it’s all too easy to simply view the platform as a broadcast medium and churn out dull corporate messages.

But here are six examples of businesses that have managed to buck the trend and create interesting or useful Twitter feeds…’

The latest media consumer findings & what they mean for digital marketers by @lauracrimmons via BRANDED3

‘Deloitte has released the results of its seventh annual Media Consumer survey and it certainly makes  for some interesting reading, here we delve into the findings and what they mean for digital marketers.

Deloitte has also produced this interactive graphic highlighting some of the findings and demonstrating the year-on-year change.’

80% of 18-24 year olds have never clicked on a Facebook ad on mobile by @Ishbel_Macleod via The Drum

‘Despite Facebook’s announcement that a third of its advertising revenue in Q1 came through mobile, research by Haygarth has found that 80 per cent of 18-24 year olds have never clicked on a Facebook ad on mobile, while almost half say they don’t look at brand Facebook pages.’

The news followed speculation and rumour which culminated last night in a series of articles across news sites.

It was the Telegraph’s: ‘Sir Alex Ferguson must leave Manchester United completely when he decides to retire’ by Jim White that seems to have sparked the rumour mill. The article discussed the possibility of retirement and included a poll for Ferguson’s successor.

As it stands, the Telegraph poll has today’s favourite José Mourinho out in front, followed by previous favourite David Moyes and Borussia Dortmund manager Jürgen Klopp. Using Cision Social Media to create a conversation cloud, we can see that the three are also part of the social network discussion about Ferguson’s replacement.
The timeline of the replacement mentions is much more revealing, with Moyes surfacing several times yesterday as the favourite and peaking ahead of Mourinho today.
These three obviously aren’t the only choices; Cision’s own Mital Patel has put David Beckham’s name into consideration and Twitter has thrown up other ex-players. 

Forget Mourinho… it’s gotta be Babyface Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to replace Ferguson. #Fergieretires #MUFC

— Corey Stephenson (@MrCorey) May 8, 2013

Cantona should replace Sir Alex. We need a no nonsense Manager who’s not afraid to blackout the media / FA if need be. Legend.

— Gabriel Oguda (@gabrieloguda) May 8, 2013

Whoever gets the job, they’ll have big boots to fill. Ferguson has won 38 trophies with the club including two Champion’s League titles and five FA Cups. His legendary status among his fans is clear across all social media.

The hashtag #thankyousiralex has been trending for most of the morning, and joins ‘legend’, ‘thank’, ‘greatest’ and ‘best’ in the largely positive conversation cloud.

If you’re a fan of football, you’ll likely have an opinion on Sir Alex Ferguson, but whether you loved him or hated him, it is clear that he made a huge impact on English football as we know it today.  

Social media analysis, including data and graphs, was achieved using Cision Social Media via CisionPoint. 

We will soon launch our media requests social media platform Seek or Shout in the UK and are taking on beta testers.

Watch the video and if you would like to join our beta group then email me on sabina[dot]rosander[at]cision[dot]com.

As the early results are currently being digested and discussed, it is UKIP that leads today’s mentions largely thanks to its gains. The Conservatives, who currently have control of the most councils, come second by mentions. The BNP’s loss of its only county council seat keeps it part of the conversation.  

In terms of predictions, the social media mentions from the day of voting would give a clearer indication of what people expect the results to be.

Using Cision Social Media to measure terms relating to the council elections on Thursday, we get a different set of results.

Though this doesn’t reflect the current results, a majority of the councils are yet to declare. While a majority of the public are not on social networks, social media is a useful indicator of vote outcomes when public opinion is the deciding factor. As such, UKIP will be happy with yesterday’s online discussion as it looks like they’re moving into the third party position.

We await the rest of the results with keen anticipation.

The Graphs for Local Council Elections on Social Media were made with data from Cision Social Media via CisionPoint. 

My weekly pick of comms news curated via @CisionUK. Enjoy the bank holiday weekend!

In wake of AP hack, Twitter looks to get serious about journalist relations by @NateIngraham via The Verge
‘A huge number of journalists already use Twitter, both for news-gathering and as a way to report on breaking events, but a new job posting indicates that the company is looking to further formalize its relationships with the journalistic community. The posting for a “head of news and journalism” calls for someone to “devise and execute the strategies that make Twitter indispensable to newsrooms and journalists” — the hire will work as a sort of liaison to to the broader journalistic community. The goal is for Twitter to execute a multi-year strategy to improve the quality of news on Twitter, enhance partnerships with journalists on Twitter as well as with their news agencies, and work with Twitter’s product team to make sure the needs of those journalists are being met.’

Ad spend rises again – especially for mobile platforms, IAB finds by @CMRLee via New Media Knowledge
‘UK ad spend rose by £607 million during 2012 to reach a record £5.42 billion, according to figures out in April from the IAB and PwC. Mobile ads outstripped the market with 148 per cent growth – or £332.7 million – accounting for 10 per cent of all digital ad spend.

Video advertising rose by 46 per cent in 2012, rising to £160 million, while social media advertising grew by a further 25 per cent to £328.4 million.’

Five tips for charities to rock their digital marketing by @Andrew_Isidoro via Econsultancy
‘And yet charities and non-profits are often overlooked by our industry writers when it comes to offering help in driving donations and building relationships with their stakeholders.

Over the past few weeks, Econsultancy has published a number of posts covering Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook and now I have five more general tips, put together as part of our recent digital training day for non-profits to help maximise their presence online.’

Is real-time marketing the future of advertising? by @DurraniMix via Brand Republic
‘Twitter’s new commercial partnership with Publicis Groupe has captured the imagination this week, not least because both parties admit to still trying to work out what it might all mean.

On one level, the partnership, which will be led out of Starcom MediaVest Group, can be viewed as little more than good PR for both parties. WPP’s Sir Martin Sorrell has already been assured the deal represents a non-exclusive partnership.’

Five ways your brand can use Twitter’s #Vine app by @Alisonbattisby via THE Wall
‘Twitter has announced some new features for Vine, its video capture app which allows users to record six seconds of video from their smartphones and share them through social networks.

Now Vine also allows you to shoot from the front facing camera on your phone, and you can also tag other users in your updates allowing the app to become more interactive.’