Insights for Leaders Navigating
Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.
From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.
A SWOT analysis is a tool utilized by many marketers and public relations professionals to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of a business project or campaign. We recently completed a SWOT analysis for a potential client to evaluate the company’s past public relations efforts and where we see room for improvement.
SWOT analyses provide a great groundwork for a successful business or PR plan. In order to capitalize on each element of the analysis, consider the following questions:
1. How can we employ and capitalize on each strength?
2. How can we improve each weakness?
3. How can we leverage and benefit from each opportunity?
4. How can we moderate and avoid each threat?
To learn more, feel free to send us an e-mail at [email protected].
Yesterday, our client Attachmate announced it achieved the Compatible with MicrosoftÆ WindowsÆ 7 logo. Microsoft is planning to launch its much-hyped Windows 7 platform on October 22. As the first host connectivity vendor to secure this distinction, Attachmate can now offer its customers a seamless, easy-to-manage IT environment, robust desktop security features and enhanced end-user productivity.
In preparation for the launch, Attachmate launched a Windows 7 resource Web page to help customers determine which of the company’s solutions to deploy on the Windows 7 platform. For more information please visit the Attachmate Information Center for Windows 7 at www.attachmate.com/Products/win-7-info-ctr.htm.
It was such an honor and pleasure to speak to a sell-out crowd at the Puget Sound American Marketing Association (PSAMA) Luncheon last Wed., Sept. 9. My presentation entitled, “Twitterphoria: Adding Twitter Power to Your Marketing Mix, Today”, was well received with approximately 150 people in attendance.
According to one of the PSAMA board members, it was the second largest audience in the history of the PSAMA luncheons, which is a testament to the level of interest in learning about new digital technologies.
Before I delved into the heart of my presentation, I conducted a poll of the crowd to determine three things:
How many of the people in attendance had Twitter accounts?
How many of them were using Twitter daily?
How many had 100 followers or more?
The results were interesting. Of the 150 people in the room, I would say about half of them raised their hands to indicate that they had Twitter accounts.
When I asked those with accounts if they were using Twitter on a daily basis there was a small number of hands still up. This indicates to me that many folks hear about Twitter and want to engage, but have no idea how to use it or how they can immediately derive value from it.
With regard to my final question, how many people had 100 followers or more, I would say there were probably less than 20 hands raised. This really was not a surprise to me as my presentation was geared to the novice Twitter user. Nonetheless, after my session I did hear from a few of the power users that the case studies highlighting how companies such as Alaska Airlines, Dell, Dunkin Donuts, etc. are using Twitter today were helpful. My case studies focused on the following companies’ use of this new medium: Alaska Airlines Dell, Dunkin Donuts, Seattle Children’s PlayGarden, Starbucks, Whole Foods, etc.
If you’re interested in a copy of my PowerPoint presentation with talking points, e-mail me at [email protected] and I’ll gladly share it with you. Or if you have an interesting case study or example of how your company has used Twitter, I would love to hear about it.
As the economic climate continues to affect print publications, it’s interesting to read about how newspapers and magazines are leveraging alternate revenue resources to stay afloat. A recent AdAge article highlights the current state of the magazine industry and provides insight on different revenue streams for the market. For example, magazines such as Men’s Health, Make The Atlantic and Fader are compensating for lost advertising dollars by leverage different mediums. We want to highlight some of their efforts:
Men’s Health – Most recently, the magazine has been publishing and selling “Eat This, Not That” books in bookstores. In addition, the publishers developed an iPhone app that allows people to purchase additional content as well as a Men’s Health Personal Trainer subscription site, which provides tips and articles on how to get the best results from exercising.
The Atlantic – The publication has diversified its revenue streams and activity. It now charges for events hosted by the publication.
As the economic climate continues to change, we expect many more magazines and newspapers will come up with creative ideas to increase revenue. To learn more about the changing media landscape read our past blog entitled, “Can Digital Portfolios Give Newspapers a Second Chance?“
eMarketer recently released a report from Sysomos on the demographics and usage habits of Twitter users. Sysomos is the leading provider of social media analytics. According to the report titled “An In-Depth Look Inside the Twitter World,” 72.5 percent of all Twitter users joined the service in the first five months of this year. Some of the other data revealed in the report include:
More than one-half of all Twitter users (53%) are women, and the majority of this demographic is young.
Among users who disclose their age, 66 percent are under 25, and another 15 percent are ages 25 to 29.
Approximately 85.37 percent tweet less than once per day.
Nearly 94 percent of Twitter users have fewer than 100 followers.
To learn more about Twitter demographics and usage habits, read the report on eMarketer by clicking here: http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007250.
As many of you know, I am going to be speaking at the Puget Sound American Marketing Association luncheon today, September 9, 2009. I have had a lot of fun developing my presentation and practicing it with colleagues, my husband and even in front of a video camera.
Given my recent experience, I thought I would take a minute to remind all of you who may be gearing up for speaking events about the importance of practice and preparation. Whether you are just starting out on the speaking circuit or are a seasoned presenter, practicing and fine-tuning your presentation is critical to ensure success.
We often work with our clients to help them identify and develop the elements of a winning presentation, set goals for their event, or provide them with coaching on how to make the most of their personal styles when delivering a presentation.
There is a lot to learn when you’re mastering the fundamentals. If you’re looking for guidance for your next presentation, please keep us in mind as a resource. We will gladly assist you with these steps. Clearly speaking engagements can be an important way to build awareness for your organization, but it is worth it to invest some time to make it a success.