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	<title>Firefly Communications - PR agency</title>
	
	<link>http://www.fireflycomms.com</link>
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		<title>New location, new offices, new faces…</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FireflyCommunications-PrAgency/~3/N7WDuPlnyH8/new-location-new-offices-new-faces</link>
		<comments>http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/new-location-new-offices-new-faces#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:39:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Fiona Hughes</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Firefly communications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ioannis Giazizoglou]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Melissa Scuse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tom Reynolds]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.fireflycomms.com/?p=6023</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Our CEO Claire has written about our office move in this month’s Spark.  We’ve taken flight: moving from one side of Oxford Street to the other (aka from Soho to Fitzrovia) and into a bigger, brighter, buzzier space. To match, we’ve got a bigger, brighter team too!  In the last month, we’ve added three new [...]</p><p>The post <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/new-location-new-offices-new-faces">New location, new offices, new faces…</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com">Firefly Communications - PR agency</a>.</p>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Our CEO Claire has<span style="text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;"> <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/is-a-pr-agencys-location-important"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">written about our office move</span></a></span> in this month’s Spark.  We’ve taken flight: moving from one side of Oxford Street to the other (aka from Soho to Fitzrovia) and into a bigger, brighter, buzzier space.</p>
<p>To match, we’ve got a bigger, brighter team too!  In the last month, we’ve added three new Fireflies to our fold, in order to support our clients and busy new business pipeline.</p>
<p>First up, is new Account Executive <a href="http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/thomas-reynolds/23/363/881"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">Tom Reynolds</span></span></span></a>. Tom is already running the Give as you Live, Lexar and Crucial Press Offices; as well as supporting on accounts including Job Bounties, The Search Agency and Vimeo. Tom brings almost three years of PR experience to the team; and today he scored <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><a href="https://twitter.com/giveasyoulive/status/327376926387875840"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">Give as you Live coverage</span></a></span></span> in The Sun, Britain’s biggest newspaper.  You can follow Tom on Twitter, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><a href="https://twitter.com/TwitchierFish"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">here</span></a></span></span>.</p>
<p>Firefly also welcomes two new Account Coordinators, <a href="http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/ioannis-giazizoglou/51/628/47a"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">Ioannis (Yani) Giazizoglou</span></span></span></a> and <a href="http://uk.linkedin.com/in/mscuse"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">Melissa Scuse</span></span></span></a>.  Together, Yani and Melissa have started to add support across the busy Firefly portfolio of Business to Business, Business to Consumer and Digital accounts.</p>
<p>Yani graduated with an MSc from University College London, in 2011.  Since then, he’s worked as a Chartering Assistant and Sales Negotiator, cutting his teeth in communication, negotiation and client service. You can follow Yani on Twitter, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><a href="https://twitter.com/yani1988"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">here</span></a></span></span>.</p>
<p>Melissa has joined us from Tribe PR, based in Norwich.  With a year’s PR experience under her belt, Melissa is a seasoned regional PR professional; and is excited about working in a London-based team from now.  You can follow Melissa on Twitter, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><a href="https://twitter.com/mscuse"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">here</span></a></span></span>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/IMG_26041.jpg"><img class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-6050" alt="IMG_2604" src="http://www.fireflycomms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/IMG_26041-150x150.jpg" width="150" height="150" /></a> <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/IMG_25751.jpg"><img class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-6051" alt="IMG_2575" src="http://www.fireflycomms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/IMG_25751-150x150.jpg" width="150" height="150" /></a> <img class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-6052" alt="IMG_2581" src="http://www.fireflycomms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/IMG_25811-150x150.jpg" width="150" height="150" /></p>
<p>As the team continues to grow, you can read more about future job opportunities here: <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/about/working-at-firefly"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">http://www.fireflycomms.com/about/working-at-firefly</span></a></span></span></p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/new-location-new-offices-new-faces">New location, new offices, new faces…</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com">Firefly Communications - PR agency</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FireflyCommunications-PrAgency/~4/N7WDuPlnyH8" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Getting the best results out of your PR agency over the long term</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FireflyCommunications-PrAgency/~3/Qmft2ParUT0/getting-the-best-results-out-of-your-pr-agency-over-the-long-term</link>
		<comments>http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/getting-the-best-results-out-of-your-pr-agency-over-the-long-term#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:04:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Richard Houghton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PR tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Agency People]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DISC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Firefly communications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PR agency]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.fireflycomms.com/?p=5984</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>The pitch process is complete. The new agency is on board. Everyone is happy. The PR agency has a new and exciting client (and associated fee) and the client has a team focussed on delivering a public relations and communications strategy that is firmly rooted in the business’s objectives. But what happens after the initial [...]</p><p>The post <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/getting-the-best-results-out-of-your-pr-agency-over-the-long-term">Getting the best results out of your PR agency over the long term</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com">Firefly Communications - PR agency</a>.</p>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The pitch process is complete. The new agency is on board. Everyone is happy. The PR agency has a new and exciting client (and associated fee) and the client has a team focussed on delivering a public relations and communications strategy that is firmly rooted in the business’s objectives.</p>
<p>But what happens after the initial honeymoon period is over?  Often external pressures, team changes and a reduction in focus means that irritations creep into the relationship and results can start to dip. So, how do you keep the love alive?</p>
<p>Date nights? Or evenings in with a <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/10010709/How-do-you-select-the-most-romantic-film-of-all-time.html">RomCom DVD</a> and popcorn?  I’m guessing you agree these are not the best approach for getting your relationship with your agency back on track.</p>
<p>A good starting point is to have an honest appraisal of how things are going. A good filter for this is to consider what type of working relationship you have with the agency;</p>
<ul>
<li>Defection – you are on the point of putting the account out to pitch</li>
<li>Transaction – the agency does what you ask but no great chemistry and are reactive</li>
<li>Partnership – the agency is proactive, gives you good advice and new ideas, and the chemistry is good</li>
<li>Loyalty – the agency gives you professional and personal counsel; you expand their remit and are happy to recommend them</li>
</ul>
<p>Wherever you may be on this spectrum, it makes good commercial sense to make sure that you are focused on moving towards ‘loyalty’.  The value you get from your agency is at its highest when working like this.  And of course, on a personal note, being responsible for an agency working at its maximum potential is good for your internal reputation.</p>
<p>If there are areas for development, what is the best approach to get the relationship back on track?  My experience is that the carrot is more effective than the stick.  An honest discussion is a good starting point, but emotions can get in the way; so creating an agreed framework for the discussion is a useful tool for making sure that it results in a constructive plan for development.  You can do this with your agency lead or another director from the firm.</p>
<p>If your agency spend is significant, it can be advantageous to use a third party to facilitate, using proprietary tools. At Agency People we use a straight forward spider diagram with pre agreed axis.  This allows the process to be repeated at regular intervals to measures progress.  The reviews work in conjunction with account development plans that detail what agency and client are going to do differently, to make sure that the areas for development at achieved.</p>
<p>You can take the process a step further by profiling your team and the agency team to ascertain what your main drivers are and who will work best with whom.  A tried and tested model is<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DISC_assessment#Dimensions_of_DISC"> DISC</a> which profiles individuals by four key behaviours:</p>
<ul>
<li>Drive – fear of failure, push for results, can be over bearing</li>
<li>Influence –fear of rejection, prefers 1-2-1 relationships</li>
<li>Steadiness – fear of disharmony, team player, can find change hard</li>
<li>Compliance – fear of things going wrong, accurate and precise, can be nit picking</li>
</ul>
<p>If you would like to read some more on getting the best out of your agency take a look at the PRCA’s <a href="http://www.prca.org.uk/assets/files/NBG_Martin_Charter_AW4.pdf">agency/client charter</a> or <a href="http://www.prweek.com/uk/features/1167874/retaining-client-loyalty/">PR Week’s recent article</a> on why agencies should be investing in building client loyalty.</p>
<p>*********************************************</p>
<p>A 25 year PR sector veteran, Richard Houghton is board-level advisor to Firefly, and an associate partner at specialist management consultancy, Agency People.  <a href="mailto:richard@agency-people.co.uk">richard@agency-people.co.uk</a>; or follow Richard on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/rhoughton">@rhoughton</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/getting-the-best-results-out-of-your-pr-agency-over-the-long-term">Getting the best results out of your PR agency over the long term</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com">Firefly Communications - PR agency</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FireflyCommunications-PrAgency/~4/Qmft2ParUT0" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Is a PR agency’s location important?</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FireflyCommunications-PrAgency/~3/i16hXMLsHvc/is-a-pr-agencys-location-important</link>
		<comments>http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/is-a-pr-agencys-location-important#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:03:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Claire Walker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Firefly communications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Firefly HQ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[London W1]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Noho]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oxford Circus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PR agency]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.fireflycomms.com/?p=5952</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>With the majority of the PRCA membership based in central London, there’s a clue that a city centre location is probably good for a PR business. But in today’s world of connectivity why should it matter? Couldn&#8217;t we be based anywhere? Here at Firefly, we have remodelled our business over the past three years. For twenty years, [...]</p><p>The post <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/is-a-pr-agencys-location-important">Is a PR agency&#8217;s location important?</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com">Firefly Communications - PR agency</a>.</p>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>With the majority of the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><a href="http://www.prca.org.uk/"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">PRCA</span></a></span></span> membership based in central London, there’s a clue that a city centre location is probably good for a PR business. But in today’s world of connectivity why should it matter? Couldn&#8217;t we be based anywhere?</p>
<p>Here at Firefly, we have remodelled our business over the past three years. For twenty years, we had our London HQ in Fulham, West London. We are now <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/global-network"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">slap bang central in W1</span></a></span></span> and we have just moved to larger premises.  The rent is higher than Fulham, but the abounding opportunities and the ease on recruitment more than compensate. We have experimented and discovered a perfect half-way house on location that services both clients and employees perfectly.</p>
<p><iframe src="https://vine.co/v/btj95xugq6g/card" height="435" width="435"></iframe></p>
<p>Our office is spacious with hot desks, wifi and lots of informal/drop in areas and desks for clients to ‘hang out with us’ for a few hours in between meetings. It’s working. Already in two weeks, we’ve had a quadrupling in visitors. Everyone loves our ‘turret’ room. We seem to be a very popular destination – nearest tube Oxford Circus.</p>
<p>The <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/about/management-team"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">core Firefly team</span></a></span></span> based in our W1 HQ, is a mix of full and part-time employees. We have very few filing cabinets, as there’s limited need to store hard copies of anything now.  We have no servers and very little physical operational clutter.</p>
<p>To supplement the core HQ team we have a ‘reserve team’ of virtual Fireflies based outside of the capital, so we can expand and contract the support we offer to our clients with ease. We have a growing army of amazing, experienced PR outliers, many of them ex-Firefly employees, who all log into our Firefly world and operate in our Firefly cloud using our tools and techniques, following our approach and working  over IM, Skype and facetime as if they were sitting at the next desk.</p>
<p>It’s a winning combination of the core team who are the main client handers supplemented by additional experienced firepower.</p>
<p>I would state that a city location helps a growing agency recruit great talent; as we have just done with an Account Executive and Account Coordinator recruitment drive. Bringing in and training up young people is the life-blood of our industry and young people generally want to work in a busy, buzzy City centre and need a nurturing culture in which to develop and thrive.</p>
<p>But our industry also often loses those talented professionals to parenthood which doesn’t need to be a career halting.</p>
<p>Firefly’s approach of offering a core team, supplemented by experts, but all working together ‘as one team’ gives our clients the right balance of support, challenge and results. It also gives the workforce the support, encouragement and flexibility it needs, when it needs it most.</p>
<p>You can read more about our team’s thoughts on working locations and solutions, here:</p>
<p>Phil, our Head of Business and Digital, has written before about why <a title="Why London is the centre of the PR universe" href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/why-is-london-the-centre-of-the-pr-universe">London is the centre of the PR agency universe</a>.</p>
<p>Claire is a regular commentator on <a title="Women in PR" href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/pr-is-it-a-womans-world">women in PR</a>.</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/is-a-pr-agencys-location-important">Is a PR agency&#8217;s location important?</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com">Firefly Communications - PR agency</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FireflyCommunications-PrAgency/~4/i16hXMLsHvc" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Modern PR event support: A PR’s diary</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FireflyCommunications-PrAgency/~3/DO4Y2josgAQ/modern-pr-event-support-a-prs-diary</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:01:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Austin Brailey</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Firefly communications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inquiry into Public Inquiries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PR events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public relations]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.fireflycomms.com/?p=5922</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>The background Our client is releasing draft recommendations for reforming the UK’s Public Inquiry process, following an ‘Inquiry into Public Inquiries’. The day I wake early and stop myself immediately looking for coverage online. I know two national papers filed stories yesterday afternoon, but there is no guarantee either will have made the cut and [...]</p><p>The post <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/modern-pr-event-support-a-prs-diary">Modern PR event support: A PR’s diary</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com">Firefly Communications - PR agency</a>.</p>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong></strong><strong>The background</strong></p>
<p>Our client is releasing draft recommendations for reforming the UK’s Public Inquiry process, following an <span style="color: #0000ff;">‘<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/case-studies/cedr"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">Inquiry into Public Inquiries’</span></a></span></span>.</p>
<p><strong>The day</strong></p>
<p>I wake early and stop myself immediately looking for coverage online. I know two national papers filed stories yesterday afternoon, but there is no guarantee either will have made the cut and now the news is ‘out’, it is highly unlikely a news journalist will attend today’s event. This was our call &#8211; if there’s no coverage, we’re in trouble. Over breakfast, I receive a text from a colleague, “Have you seen the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2013/mar/21/public-inquiries-mock-trial-study"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">Guardian</span></a></span> </span>piece?” and I feel a wave of relief come over me.</p>
<p>There is no doubt it’s a good story, but a complicated one – and getting journalists to listen was harder than I’d expected. This was not a ‘quick story’ and required a little more investment to cover properly.</p>
<p>The Guardian’s story however is bang on and testament to the journalist who took the time over several phone calls to really listen and understand what was interesting about a genuinely important issue.</p>
<p><strong>The venue</strong></p>
<p>Arriving at <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><a href="http://royalsociety.org/"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">The Royal Society</span></a></span></span> an hour early, my two Firefly team members are not far behind. And behind them are two camera men, who will be filming the event.</p>
<p>While my boss directs the ex-BBC staff in getting exterior shots of the building, my other colleague and I help to reorganise the conference rooms (which are slightly different than expected at recce stage).</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="size-medium wp-image-5923 aligncenter" alt="aus pic1" src="http://www.fireflycomms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/aus-pic1-300x161.png" width="300" height="161" /></p>
<p>We welcome a journalist who will be covering the day in-depth for a monthly publication and my colleague sets up in the back of the main room, ready to tweet throughout the day.</p>
<p><strong>The Radio</strong></p>
<p>The event is going very well and as we approach lunch time, a BBC radio van arrives to interview a guest on the event, live on The World at One.</p>
<p>Having the radio van outside is a good sign as radio is the biggest culprit in ‘pulling’ interviews at the last minute.</p>
<p>Thinking I will be helping to test the equipment, I go along with the Radio Car driver’s request to close the door and sit inside with the headphones on – he tells me that we are getting ready for my broadcast and I inform him that I’m not the Lord being interviewed. He tells me he thought I “looked a bit young for a Lord” and I scuttle off to find the legitimate interviewee.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/merged23.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-5926 aligncenter" alt="merged23" src="http://www.fireflycomms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/merged23-300x198.jpg" width="300" height="198" /></a></p>
<p>20 mins before we’re due to go live and the radio car is having trouble getting a connection. I’m in a mad dash, talking to producers and trying to find a quiet room with Skype, or at least a land line.</p>
<p>In the back of my mind, I doubt either will be good enough quality and fear the opportunity slipping away as they ‘go to something else’.</p>
<p>My mission isn’t going well but I receive a call that the van is fixed – relief for the second time today. The interview goes well and it’s back to the event.</p>
<p><strong>The Video</strong></p>
<p>Around this time, the cameramen have edited the morning’s footage and uploaded the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG-ztPiww7c"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">video</span></a></span></span> to the client’s YouTube channel.  Yet, interviews are still taking place for a longer, more in-depth video, which will take a few days to turn around.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/pic41.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-5930 aligncenter" alt="pic4" src="http://www.fireflycomms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/pic41-300x193.jpg" width="300" height="193" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Twitter</strong></p>
<p>All day, my colleague has been keeping the client’s <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://twitter.com/cedrsays"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">Twitter</span></a> </span></span>followers up to date with the event and tweeting links to media coverage, videos and fresh blog content. Now it is time to feedback some of the Twitter reaction to the delegates in attendance.</p>
<p>A list of questions and comments from Tweeters is handed to the chair, who reads them out to the room. Answers are then fed-back to those who posed them.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/merged56.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-5935 aligncenter" alt="merged56" src="http://www.fireflycomms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/merged56.png" width="511" height="310" /></a></p>
<p><strong>In summary</strong></p>
<p>The event concludes and we’re all happy things ran smoothly. This has been a good example of how successful PR event support works in this day and age. ‘PR events’ are by no means confined to those in physical attendance now; adding complexity and opportunity for the PR team.</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/modern-pr-event-support-a-prs-diary">Modern PR event support: A PR’s diary</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com">Firefly Communications - PR agency</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FireflyCommunications-PrAgency/~4/DO4Y2josgAQ" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>The value of Vine for communications professionals: how to decide if it’s right for your brand</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FireflyCommunications-PrAgency/~3/Gc8FZ5VjnPw/the-value-of-vine-for-communications-professionals-how-to-decide-if-its-right-for-your-brand</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:35:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Simon Bibby</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brand communications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[digital campaigns]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vine]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.fireflycomms.com/?p=5837</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>In the evolving world of social media, Vine feels like it’s been here for about the same time as one of its videos. The rate of brand adoption on established social platforms, however, has previously taken a while longer to reach a critical mass.  With Instagram, Twitter and Facebook before, PR consultants and marketeers were [...]</p><p>The post <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/the-value-of-vine-for-communications-professionals-how-to-decide-if-its-right-for-your-brand">The value of Vine for communications professionals: how to decide if it’s right for your brand</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com">Firefly Communications - PR agency</a>.</p>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In the evolving world of social media, <a href="http://blog.twitter.com/2013/01/vine-new-way-to-share-video.html">Vine</a> feels like it’s been here for about the same time as one of its videos.</p>
<p>The rate of brand adoption on established social platforms, however, has previously taken a while longer to reach a critical mass.  With Instagram, Twitter and Facebook before, PR consultants and marketeers were keen to understand and analyse what stakeholders want from each platform before trying to promote a product or service in an engaging way.</p>
<p>Vine enjoyed much lauded <a href="http://www.slashgear.com/twitter-buys-video-firm-vine-10251218/">media attention</a> following a pre-launch Twitter takeover. Unfortunately, this buzz was soon displaced by negative launch headlines which involved <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/29/twitters-vine-experiences-service-outage-5-days-after-launching/">service outages</a>, app bugs that didn’t capture content (in my own personal experience, the world wasn’t ready for my before and after haircut Vine video) and lots of <a href="http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/vine-struggles-with-porn-problem/">unfiltered filth</a>, as the internet’s oldest profession took to social media’s newest platform.</p>
<p>Despite the adult rating on the Apple app store, Vine is out-stripping the growth of its social media predecessors. So while it’s only a few months old, here are five observations on how it is being used by brands and animal lovers alike.</p>
<p><b>1. A Vine video tells six thousand words</b></p>
<p>The majority of Vine videos are of people ‘doing things’ rather than being focused on delivering audio messages. The popularity of <a href="http://vine.co/v/bnBLqVBg6Kv">stop-gap animations</a> on Vine has led commentators to suggest that the platform is actually more suited to GIFs, which were first used in 1987, over fully functioning HD videos that modern smartphones are capable of shooting today.</p>
<p>The Fashion industry has always been synonymous with adopting social media; it’s fitting, therefore, that the standout brand that has used Vine’s audio potential is British designer, Matthew Williamson. Here is an example, which seemed to be an integral part of the <a href="file://oithd.com/noc1data/Ffly/Management/Reputation/The%20Spark%20-%20newsletter/2013/March/FINAL%20SB%20Spark%20Post.docx#MatthewMagnified">#MatthewMagnified</a> marketing campaign: <a href="https://vine.co/v/brBOwTl0FJm">https://vine.co/v/brBOwTl0FJm</a></p>
<p><b>2. You can sell Vines as creative works of art</b><b> </b></p>
<p>Earlier this month (March 2013), a Dutch artist became the first person to sell a Vine video. Angela Washko sold her work for $200 at the New York Moving Image and Contemporary Video Art Fair. The <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/mar/12/vine-twitter-moving-image-art-fair">Guardian</a> covered the story and details how this was achieved via a free file-sharing medium. What is interesting is that Vine appears to be the latest platform to help boost the short film industry. Firefly client <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a> has given creative video professionals a platform that is distinct from the YouTube generation that consumes endless tedious online video content. Similarly, the art scene has embraced Vine (and Twitter) as a creative force through events like <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23VeryShortFilmFest&amp;src=hash">?#VeryShortFilmFest</a> above image sharing sites, Pinterest and Instagram.</p>
<p><b>3. Feline and food porn are still dominant</b><b> </b></p>
<p>For anyone that ignores YouTube links about cute animals, or is turned off Instagram by pictures of people’s dinner plates, Vine has ‘kindly’ brought these two favourite social media past times together on a single platform for you.</p>
<p><a href="http://vinecats.com/">Vinecats.com</a> launched within a week of Vine going live, while Twitter’s head chef, <a href="https://twitter.com/birdfeeder">@birdfeeder</a>, has found a new cult status via Vine with annoying narrations of what he’s got cooking up in the Twitter kitchen: <a href="http://vine.co/v/bpmiurxYhLV">http://vine.co/v/bpmiurxYhLV</a></p>
<p><b>4.</b> <b>Vines are actually 6.5 seconds long</b></p>
<p>As was the case with Twitter’s 140 character limit, the press have filled endless column inches and broadcast hours on the 6-second micro video blogging app. However, Vine users actually have an extra half second to capture their creations – and when you only have a handful of time to play with, that’s quite significant. CNet’s videographer, Jared Kohler, has been credited with this discovery: <a href="https://vine.co/v/bntDuQgMd0j">https://vine.co/v/bntDuQgMd0j</a></p>
<p><b>5. Not feeling Vine all the time?…follow third party aggregators instead.</b></p>
<p>Social search is all the rage and there is already so much Vine content out there. Social media entrepreneurs (aside from the vinecats.com founders) have realised that people need help finding what they are looking for. These Vine filters come in a variety of forms.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.vineroulette.com/">Vineroulette</a> gives you a screen full of videos using each hashtag, with videos loading up at random. <a href="http://vinepeek.com/">Vinepeek</a> also taps into our fascination with the unknown, by showing users one random Vine video at a time and encouraging you to set up a Vinepeek channel to save your favorites. You can also throw <a href="http://weavly.com/">weavly.com</a> into the mix as it lets you do precisely that – create video mashups and remixes.</p>
<p>For communication professionals looking for inspiration, I would suggest you check out <a href="http://brandsonvine.com/">brandsonvine.com</a> which has taken it a step further and created a <a href="http://blog.brandsonvine.com/">blog</a> that provides an editorial overview of the best bits that brands have to offer on Vine.</p>
<p>If you aren’t one of the companies or individuals that has decided to start posting Vine videos already, it can be reassuring to discover that the limitations of Vine are also what makes it a great platform for brands to communicate on. Everyone is shooting using the same equipment, which means it’s the best storytellers that will prosper on Vine. This is what drives all of social media, so I look forward to seeing your #firstpost.</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/the-value-of-vine-for-communications-professionals-how-to-decide-if-its-right-for-your-brand">The value of Vine for communications professionals: how to decide if it’s right for your brand</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com">Firefly Communications - PR agency</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FireflyCommunications-PrAgency/~4/Gc8FZ5VjnPw" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Media Relations: How times have changed</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FireflyCommunications-PrAgency/~3/cpugsiA1JyU/media-relations-how-times-have-changed</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:35:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Austin Brailey</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[journalists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[media relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PR industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PR professionals]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.fireflycomms.com/?p=5842</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Those who have broken into the PR business in the last five years are often recounted with stories of ‘the good old days’ when PRs would write press releases, mail them out (literally) and wait for the coverage to roll in.  Times have most definitely changed. According to the FT, the ratio of PR professional [...]</p><p>The post <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/media-relations-how-times-have-changed">Media Relations: How times have changed</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com">Firefly Communications - PR agency</a>.</p>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Those who have broken into the PR business in the last five years are often recounted with stories of ‘the good old days’ when PRs would write press releases, mail them out (literally) and wait for the coverage to roll in.  Times have most definitely changed.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4ce3ec34-0d3b-11e2-99a1-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2NbXXiNPE">FT</a>, the ratio of PR professional to journalists in the US is almost four to one – and I can’t imagine the ratio in the UK being far behind. It’s not just a case of the PR industry thriving but, as Ian Burrell <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/ian-burrell-why-news-that-prs-outnumber-hacks-is-bad-for-journalism-8281319.html">reported</a> in The Independent at the end of last year; there were 70,000 journalists in traditional media in 2002, whereas there were just 40,000 in 2010. If updated figures are published in 2013, I will be afraid to look.</p>
<p>So, what does this mean for ‘media relations’?</p>
<p><b>Harder for PRs</b></p>
<p>There are two ways of looking at it. One may be forgiven for thinking ‘only the strongest survive’ i.e. publications which attract the most readers and therefore the most advertisers continue, whereas ‘duds’ die out. This would mean PRs simply have to work harder to trim the fat and set expectations of what clients can expect in terms of coverage. Anything short of Apple releasing a new iPhone is faced with intense competition to attract the attention of vastly reduced editorial teams at major publications.</p>
<p>Against a lot more competition, PRs for lesser known brands have to find new and inventive ways of catching the attention of the media while pitching only the purest, non-self promotional content, let alone considering what the readers of the publication are interested in.</p>
<p><b>Easier for PRs</b></p>
<p>With reduced editorial teams and less budget for investigative journalism, there is an argument that journalists are more reliant on the PR industry than ever. When clients talk about staging press events these days, PRs will try and discourage them in favour of telephone briefings (again, unless you’re Apple or the like) – why? Because journalists often cannot afford five minutes out of the office, let alone hours. As a result, they can often rely on PRs to do the leg work.</p>
<p>PRs get hundreds of journalist requests a day, ranging from ‘comments on the budget’ to ‘case studies of people that are scared of furniture’. Whereas in the past a journalist would have to deal with layers of bureaucracy to get to a company’s CEO on the line, now all they have to do is simply email the company’s PR team saying “can I speak to Mr. CEO” and wait for the PR team to turn things around as quickly as possible.  There are not too many professions with that level of support.</p>
<p><b>What’s a PR to do?</b></p>
<p>Competition is good for any business – it brings out the best in all parties. The consolidation of traditional media means PR, like journalism, has to adapt and innovate. The innovations are not always clear – for example, effectively pitching to journalists is so incredibly important and is the difference between effective PR and complete failure – and that’s before we even address what the story being sold in is about.</p>
<p>As there are fewer journalists, PRs are increasingly picking up the slack, while at the same time educating clients on the need to comment on topics and issues that are not always directly related to plugging products and services. That surely cannot be a bad thing.</p>
<p>Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that while traditional media may be consolidating, in today’s world of blogs and online publications, journalists are by no means the only ‘influencers’ out there. Social media, blogs, podcasts, online video and e-zines are all on the up and perhaps present the greatest array of channels to reach stakeholders that there has ever been.</p>
<p>These new channels are covered extensively on our blog, such as <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/podcasting-why-it-should-be-the-pr-consultants-best-friend">Podcasting: why it should be the PR consultant’s best friend</a> just last month, and my colleague’s look at Vine in this issue of Spark.</p>
<p>The PR/Journalist ratio may be widening, but so too is the array of channels to stakeholders.</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/media-relations-how-times-have-changed">Media Relations: How times have changed</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com">Firefly Communications - PR agency</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FireflyCommunications-PrAgency/~4/cpugsiA1JyU" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Five top tips for conference event success</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FireflyCommunications-PrAgency/~3/joYqQ5sXWP8/five-top-tips-for-conference-event-success</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:34:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Madeleine Marston</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conference]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Friday Street Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PR]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[<p>By Madeleine Marston, Friday Street Events Organising attendance for your brand at an exhibition or conference is a huge undertaking – and normally involves several members of a team, not to mention some external support. To share my ten year’s worth of recommendations now, would be over-extending myself on the word count I have agreed!  [...]</p><p>The post <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/five-top-tips-for-conference-event-success">Five top tips for conference event success</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com">Firefly Communications - PR agency</a>.</p>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><i>By </i><i>Madeleine Marston, Friday Street Events</i><b></b></p>
<p>Organising attendance for your brand at an exhibition or conference is a huge undertaking – and normally involves several members of a team, not to mention some external support.</p>
<p>To share my ten year’s worth of recommendations now, would be over-extending myself on the word count I have agreed!  But here are five top tips for conference event success from my company, <a href="http://www.fridaystreetevents.com/">Friday Street Events.</a></p>
<p>Number one is DON’T throw huge sums of money at an over-designed, beautiful stand and then hope that this will do the networking, brand awareness and data collection for you. Events are about people. So the most important bit is who you have representing your brand. You need people who like people, those who are good at dinner party small talk, empathetic people e.g. when the audience is Mums, have Mums on your stand talking about your product.</p>
<p>Event chat is 90% small talk and 10% actual business talk. Give your stand’s personnel the time to find out a little about the event, the people, the location, e.g. at an event in Harrogate, make sure your team can recommend <a href="http://www.bettys.co.uk/product/Yorksire-Fat-Rescals-Box-of-4,19172,255.aspx">Betty&#8217;s Fat Rascals</a>!</p>
<p>The second tip is stand location. Everyone wants the central aisle or the spot right next to the entrance. Yet, how often do you visit a foreign city and eat in the restaurant right in the middle of the main square? You don’t, because it’s over priced and a tourist trap. You go for the restaurant just off the main drag, on a corner with seating outside. Event floor-plans are no different.</p>
<p>Tip number three… Identify what you want to walk away with, as a brand from the event: data, sales, partnerships, brand awareness, plan activity accordingly. Talk to the organizers and let them know your objectives. They can help you promote pre show, if you don’t have a good event, you won’t be back, so it’s in their interests.</p>
<p>The fourth tip is one you know…. don’t think when you leave the venue, it’s over. Back in the office the next project is looming, all the stuff you didn’t do whilst you were at the event needs prioritizing. Yet you have data, you have met people who showed an interest in your brand. These are your sales leads for the next 6 months; they’re your brand ambassadors for the next year. Make the first call. It’s not like the 2<sup>nd</sup> date syndrome…who is going to call first? Don’t waste your time waiting …contact them straight away.</p>
<p>The fifth tip …is about your sanity either on a stand or as an event visitor….good shoes. A 15 mile hill walk never gives you the tired feet and legs that a day at <a href="http://www.excel-london.co.uk/">Excel</a> can. If possible, pack a sneaky pair of trainers into coat check. Failing that it’s almost imperative that you leave the event and go to the first bar for a tired foot-relieving beverage. But be warned everyone else you have been at the event with, will be there as well. So be careful what you say and what you drink, you never know who is listening and who is watching!</p>
<p>Do you want to know more? <a href="http://www.fridaystreetevents.com/">Friday Street Events</a> can run event-training sessions or manage an event for you, to guarantee success. <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/madeleine-marston/8/966/630">Madeleine Marston</a> is Director at Friday Street Events, any comments let her know.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.fridaystreetevents.com"><img class="alignright  wp-image-5848" alt="logo" src="http://www.fireflycomms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/logo.jpg" width="568" height="75" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Firefly expands its team, following new client wins</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FireflyCommunications-PrAgency/~3/oSYJYc9rwyI/firefly-expands-its-team-following-new-client-wins</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:34:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Firefly news team</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.fireflycomms.com/?p=5856</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Following a raft of client wins to mark the start of 2013, Firefly is welcoming three new team members over the next month. A new account executive and two new account coordinators will join a bright, hardworking, creative team in the West End. Starting on Monday 25th March, we welcome Tom Reynolds, a new account [...]</p><p>The post <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/firefly-expands-its-team-following-new-client-wins">Firefly expands its team, following new client wins</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com">Firefly Communications - PR agency</a>.</p>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Following a raft of client wins to mark the start of 2013, Firefly is welcoming three new team members over the next month. A new account executive and two new account coordinators will join a bright, hardworking, creative team in the West End.</p>
<p>Starting on Monday 25th March, we welcome Tom Reynolds, a new account executive, to help support our busy client teams.</p>
<p>Later, starting on Monday 15th April, we welcome Ioannis Giazizoglou and Melissa Scuse, two new account coordinators, who will be gaining more PR experience and organising our teams across a variety of client business.</p>
<p>All new joiners will help to support Firefly’s business, consumer and digital practices, on a client mix that is both UK-specific and across EMEA.</p>
<p>As the team continues to grow, you can read more about future job opportunities <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/about/working-at-firefly">here</a>.</p>
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		<title>How better public relations can help to entice more women in to technology</title>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:41:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Craske</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gender gap]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[technology industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[women]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.fireflycomms.com/?p=5800</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Even in the supposed age of equality, a question that is still being thrown around is ‘Why aren’t there more women in the technology sector?’. It seems that the momentum for change is growing from inside the industry itself. Woman’s Hour the other week ran a feature on how men are fighting for their techy [...]</p><p>The post <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/how-better-public-relations-can-help-to-entice-more-women-in-to-technology">How better public relations can help to entice more women in to technology</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com">Firefly Communications - PR agency</a>.</p>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Even in the supposed age of equality, a question that is still being thrown around is ‘Why aren’t there more women in the technology sector?’. It seems that the momentum for change is growing from inside the industry itself. <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0147jl6">Woman’s Hour</a> the other week ran a feature on how men are fighting for their techy sisters to be better represented at tech conferences. A group has even formed which aims to boycott conferences that have an all male line-up. Doing some digging, I discovered that <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19884720">according to a recent report</a>, only 17% of jobs in technology are held by women. While this obviously means that there are simply fewer women in the sector to choose from when selecting spokespeople for stories or speaker slots at conferences, women are still under-represented in technology. Instead of asking ‘Why?’ I found myself asking ‘What?’. What does the lack of female representation in technology mean for the industry and what is the industry doing to lure more women in?</p>
<p>The first answer is it makes for an industry that is ‘out of touch’. Without a female force in the boardroom, decisions are made that can result in a real turn off for 50% of the consumer base. Take for instance <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/24/3265709/google-algorithm-female-employees">Google’s idea to run an algorithm</a> to work out why women weren’t staying at the company. Or the ‘<a href="http://jezebel.com/5368227/shrink-it-and-pink-it-gets-slaughtered-by-the-femme-den">pink it and shrink it’</a> idea employed by many consumer tech brands in an attempt to reach the female market. Both of which only go to reinforce the gender gap. Instead of looking at stats or telling women what they want, why don’t brands start talking to find out what women really want?</p>
<p>And that is what some companies have publically begun to do. The recent announcement of Alicia Keys’ appointment as Global Creative Director at BlackBerry teamed with other BlackBerry announcements spread the message to an untapped generation that technology companies are at last listening to them to bring more women into the technology fold. Miss Keys follows in the footsteps of Lady Gaga, who in 2010 became Creative Director of Polaroid. But are these popstars really what the industry needs to show that it is changing? Why does tech need to borrow the music industry’s big stars? There are plenty of would be women tech superstars out there doing much more interesting things then just appearing at launch events.</p>
<p>Marissa Mayer’s move from Google to Yahoo certainly secured a lot of news coverage, but what about other women in technology? How often do you see them being covered in the press? When was the last time you saw Sandy Carter, Cher Wang or Susie Wee in the press, outside of ‘Women in technology’ lists?  These women are doing fantastic things for their companies as well as the industry itself, so can we just hear about them a bit more please? My belief is that there is a want and a need for more women in technology to start making their presence and influence known for the benefit of the industry as well as the consumers. So come on ladies, throw your hands up at me.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/how-better-public-relations-can-help-to-entice-more-women-in-to-technology">How better public relations can help to entice more women in to technology</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com">Firefly Communications - PR agency</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FireflyCommunications-PrAgency/~4/FmwgNLVr0Xs" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Podcasting: why it should be the PR consultant’s best friend</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FireflyCommunications-PrAgency/~3/n9MDwDHazaw/podcasting-why-it-should-be-the-pr-consultants-best-friend</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:40:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Phil Szomszor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PR Points of view]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bernie J Mitchell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[digital marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[digital podcasts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Firefly communications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[John Arnold]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jon Buscall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kelvin Newman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Neville Hobson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[podcasting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ruth Arnold]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.fireflycomms.com/?p=5778</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Hands up, who listens to podcasts? Here’s a confession: I’ve always been lukewarm to them. Previously, I’ve found them to be ponderous and, with the exception of the BBC and FT ones, generally poorly-produced. It turns out I’ve been wrong. I was doing some research on cloud computing recently and stumbled across the Cloud Computing [...]</p><p>The post <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/podcasting-why-it-should-be-the-pr-consultants-best-friend">Podcasting: why it should be the PR consultant’s best friend</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com">Firefly Communications - PR agency</a>.</p>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hands up, who listens to podcasts? Here’s a confession: I’ve always been lukewarm to them. Previously, I’ve found them to be ponderous and, with the exception of the BBC and FT ones, generally poorly-produced.</p>
<p>It turns out I’ve been wrong. I was doing some research on cloud computing recently and stumbled across the <a href="http://cloudcomputingpodcast.libsyn.com/"><i>Cloud Computing Podcast</i></a>, which I found to be a goldmine of insight into cloud computing (believe me, it’s hard finding this stuff). At the same time, one of my digital marketing buddies, Bernie Mitchell, has been extolling the virtues of podcasting to me for about the last year and is five episodes into his own podcast, <a href="http://www.engaging-people.com/category/podcast-2/"><i>Engaging People</i></a>.</p>
<p>The rise of smartphone use and growth of free or cheap tools to create podcasts, plus a focus on content marketing has created a mini-revival of podcasting.</p>
<p>It’s not just the biggies like <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/bottom-line-evan-davis/id264340697?mt=2"><i>The Bottom Line with Evan Davis</i></a> from the BBC or <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/listen-to-lucy/id201455746?mt=2"><i>Listen To Lucy</i></a> from the FT that attract large audiences, but independent podcasts like <em><a href="http://answermethis.wordpress.com/">Answer Me This</a></em>, which reportedly gets 50,000 downloads per week.</p>
<p>From a PR’s perspective, there are three reasons to take in interest in podcasts.</p>
<p><b>1. Listen:</b> learn about your industry.</p>
<p><b>2. Reach out:</b> get your clients or your company featured on leading podcasts.</p>
<p><b>3. Speak out:</b> make your own podcast and reach your target audience in a different way, at a different time.</p>
<p>The reasons also map quite nicely onto a three-step process for PRs to get into podcasting. I’ve spoken to half a dozen podcasters to get an insight into why they do it and ways PR people can engage with them, with some surprising insights.</p>
<div id="attachment_5795" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 624px"><a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/podcasting-studio.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-5795 " alt="Podcasting picture - http://www.flickr.com/people/p8/" src="http://www.fireflycomms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/podcasting-studio.jpg" width="614" height="346" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Picture by Peet Sneekes, via Creative Commons</p></div>
<p><b>1. Listen</b><br />
If you have regular ‘dead time’, such as travelling on the Tube or doing household chores, then podcasts are an easy way of filling time with ‘something useful’. Podcasts are great for buffing up on your industry area, so for PRs this might mean learning about search engine optimisation or getting tips on how to improve a WordPress blog. Podcasts such as Neville Hobson and Shel Hotz’s <a href="http://www.forimmediaterelease.biz/"><i>For Immediate Release</i></a> and Jon Buscall’s <a href="http://jontusmedia.com/category/oc-podcast/"><i>Online Marketing and Communications</i></a> are highly recommended for PR and marketing professionals.</p>
<p><b>2. Reach out<br />
</b>Speaking to a number of independent podcasters, I didn’t get the impression that they are often targeted by PRs, which is odd given that audience figures are comparable to successful blogs or trade magazines. Jon Buscall, for example, says that his podcasts have reached up to 6,000 downloads, while even newcomers regularly get 500 downloads.</p>
<p>Kelvin Newman, Strategy Director at SiteVisibility, the company behind the <a href="http://www.sitevisibility.co.uk/impodcast/"><i>Internet Marketing Podcast</i></a>, which covers the latest SEO developments, gives PRs some very familiar advice about approaching podcasters: “Actually spend some time listening to our podcast, reference some of the people/products we&#8217;ve featured recently and make a connection to who you&#8217;re representing.”</p>
<p>Neville Hobson agrees and says that the best way of PRs getting clients involved with <em>For Immediate Release</em> is to firstly listen to a few episodes and then join in the online discussion communities on Google+, Facebook or Friendfeed. He says, “Don&#8217;t lurk, join in and contribute. Comment on a topic: it’s almost guaranteed to be included in a show.”</p>
<p>Ruth Arnold, who produces a technology and parenting podcast called <a href="http://www.parentalgeekery.com/"><i>Parental Geekery</i></a> with her husband John, suggests, “A considered approach from PRs is important, offering something relevant that gives us something to talk about. Or somebody with something interesting to say that we could interview &#8211; I think interviews actually work better in podcasts than they do in the blogging world.”</p>
<p><b>3. Speak out<br />
</b>So, you’ve listened to a gazillion podcasts, got your clients or company featured on the best ones that matter to their audience &#8211; what next? Make your own podcast, of course!</p>
<p>Perhaps this isn’t for everyone as podcasting is a big commitment – even more so than blogging. But Engaging People podcaster Bernie Mitchell says that’s the appeal, and that one of the great things about podcasting is that it gets you used to a good discipline of producing a show on a regular basis.</p>
<p>It’s important to think about who’s fronting it up. John Arnold, who’s made a number of podcasts, including <i>Parental Geekery</i>, says, “The whole thing hinges on whether people end up feeling they like the hosts. Podcasting at this ‘long tail’ end of the market depends very much on the feeling that the hosts are trustworthy, available and likeable.”</p>
<p>Jon Buscall, who has produced over 80 episodes of his podcast over two years says, “I think the main thing to remember with podcasting is that it&#8217;s a slow burn. It takes time to build relationships with customers / leads. However, the real strength is that you get to be in people&#8217;s ear buds. There&#8217;s something incredibly personal about that. Regular listeners really get to know you, get a sense of your personality and that breaks down barriers. I&#8217;ve got some great jobs through podcasting with clients in El Salvador, the UK, Canada as well as Sweden.”</p>
<p>So there you have it: podcasting can help you keep up to date, profile your business or your clients and can help win business in its own right. What’s not to like?</p>
<p><b>Where next for podcasting?</b><br />
It seems that despite all the virtues of podcasting, there are a few shortcomings. As Neville Hobson says, “Knowing how many people, and who they are, that listen to your show is the Holy Grail of podcasting!” Firstly, it’s notoriously difficult to pin down listener figures, as there’s not a single platform for downloading them and there’s no body equivalent to RAJAR to monitor them. From a PR’s perspective, this makes it hard to assess the ones which are the most successful. On top of that, podcasts don’t feature prominently on the PR industry databases, such as Gorkana, so they aren’t found easily. A podcast Gallup-style chart, broken down by topic area would help solve this.</p>
<p>There’s no doubting that there’s still a lot of variability in quality. Personally, I think podcasts are a bit like video – little and often is usually better than long shows (although some, like <i>For Immediate Release,</i> manage to defy this rule).</p>
<p>They say that the cream always rises to the top, but I’d like to see more debate about podcasts and people recommending the best ones to each other so we can all get more out of the discipline.</p>
<p>So, to kick things off, here are some podcasts to check out.</p>
<p><b>Great podcasts for PRs, selected by podcasting experts (and me!):</b></p>
<p><a href="http://www.freakonomics.com/tag/freakonomics-podcast/"><i>Freakonomics</i></a> – economics podcast, nominated by Neville Hobson and Kelvin Newman.</p>
<p><a href="http://podcast.ft.com/index.php?sid=25"><i>FT Connected Business</i></a> – B2B technology podcast, nominated by Phil Szomszor.</p>
<p><em id="__mceDel"> <a href="http://www.tipsfromthetopfloor.com/"><i>Photography Tips From The Top Floor</i></a></em> – photography podcast, nominated by John Arnold.</p>
<p><em id="__mceDel"><em id="__mceDel"> <a href="http://www.manager-tools.com/podcasts/manager-tools"><i>Manager Tools</i></a><i> –</i></em></em> office tips podcast, nominated by Ruth Arnold<em id="__mceDel"><em id="__mceDel">.</em></em></p>
<p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/series/mediatalk"><i>Media Talk</i></a> – media podcast from The Guardian, nominated by Phil Szomszor.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twistimage.com/podcast/"><i>Six Pixels of Separation</i></a> – digital marketing podcast, nominated by Bernie Mitchell and Jon Buscall.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.targetinternet.com/category/digital-marketing-podcast/"><i>Target Internet</i></a> – digital marketing podcast, nominated by Kelvin Newman.</p>
<p><a href="http://podcast.trafcom.com/"><i>Trafcom News Podcast</i></a><i> </i><i>– </i>communications podcast, nominated by Neville Hobson.</p>
<p><a title="Wired podcast" href="http://www.wired.co.uk/podcast"><em>Wired UK</em></a> &#8211; general geekery, nominated by Firefly&#8217;s Charlotte Stoel.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Plus, thanks to my contributors in this article. Check out their podcasts:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.engaging-people.com/category/podcast-2/"><i>Engaging People</i></a> – digital sharing economy podcast.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.forimmediaterelease.biz/"><i>For Immediate Release</i></a><i> </i>– public relations and technology podcast.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.sitevisibility.co.uk/impodcast/"><i>Internet Marketing Podcast</i></a> – SEO podcast.</p>
<p><a href="http://jontusmedia.com/category/oc-podcast/"><i>Online Marketing and Communications</i></a><i> – </i>digital and marketing podcast.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.parentalgeekery.com/"><i>Parental Geekery</i></a><i> –</i> parenting and tech podcast.<i></i></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Any other suggestions for great PR, marketing or digital podcasts?</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com/pr-blog/podcasting-why-it-should-be-the-pr-consultants-best-friend">Podcasting: why it should be the PR consultant’s best friend</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.fireflycomms.com">Firefly Communications - PR agency</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FireflyCommunications-PrAgency/~4/n9MDwDHazaw" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
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