Industry: Healthcare/Pharmaceutical

Overview:
Edelman is the world’s largest independent PR company with over 3,700 people in 53 offices. Itive co-operated with their digital arm, Edelman Digital, in order to complete an SEO analysis in the European market for a global pharmaceuticals company.

Objective:
Identify SEO keywords for a series of the pharmaceuticals company’s websites. The project was conducted on a European scale. The pharmaceuticals company aimed at adapting the content for each country using the identified keywords.

Outcomes:
Based on a search patterns analysis, we identified and validated a keywords list to optimize the content for the Finnish market.

Here’s a short summary of what we did to spruce things up a bit:

• In order to better showcase Teymur’s photography, we doubled the width of the pages so his photos can be displayed in a larger size and so that more photos could be included on the landing page, as well as side by side in blogposts.
• Made the website and blog 100% iOS and touch compatible.
• Complete redesign of the blog section to make it cleaner, along with the option to display more photos side by side within a post. Additionally, we added a tag cloud, search field and archives at the bottom of the page so visitors can easily find what they’re searching for within the site.
• Integration of SocialMe to easily find links to all of Teymur’s profiles, shared items from Google reader, his frequently visited websites, etc.
• Reorganization of his portfolio page by constructing 5 categories with fullscreen view of each portfolio when you click any preview photo, as well as an option of a thumbnail view of each portfolio which you can navigate using your keyboard (arrow keys) or by clicking (left/right) of the page.
• Addition of an email form on his contact page.

Of course, you can find and connect with Teymur online on the following sites:

icedsoul.de
twitter.com/icedsoul

Again, we enjoyed working with Teymur on the redesign of IcedSoul Photography and wish him continued success with his business!

The Experience of a Business Owner

When a business owner is going to use the web for the first time he or she should keep a few important things in mind. First and foremost, a business owner should no longer think of the web or “digital world” as something disconnected from the real one.

Today, the web is constantly evolving. And a consumer and a business owner can do business exactly as they would if they were downtown “IRL” (in real life).

First, the most important thing to understand is where you are as a business and where you would like to go. Therefore, at this initial starting point there is a need to create a digital strategy that will allow you to reach your goals.

Second, you should analyze the tactics that will be utilized to achieve your objectives and reach the finish line. After that, you could reach out for support from somebody who has experience in this arena. It could be a web agency like us at itive.net, it could be an external consultant, an online communicator who in a certain sense could help you move through these “first steps” of the digital world.

Before you start to do any of this, though, be silent and use these, one of the most important organs we have, your ears. You have to listen carefully in order to learn about what is happening in your niche market. You have to be attentive listeners and figure out the dynamics that are in your market, as well as to identify the needs of your consumers. Once you understand the current situation within your market, you should contribute to the conversation and become an active member who interacts with the digital communication dynamics that are already taking place in your field.

In summary, the 4 tips for creating digital strategy are:

• Listen to what is happening within your niche market
• Analyze the market dynamics
• Evaluate the needs of your consumers
• Contribute to the conversation and to the digital dynamics

If you’re interested in creating your digital strategy with us, feel free to contact us or go ahead and click here to fill out a “get started” form and we’ll help you get there!

A special thanks to Switch Conference curator and host, Ricardo Sousa, and his team for hosting a wonderful event and inviting Andrea to speak.

Check out the slide presentation from Andrea’s talk below. Or if you’re into infographics, you can click here. Enjoy! *Video of all the presentations from Switch Conference 2011 will be available soon via the Switch Conference organizers. We’ll be sure to share Andrea’s video right here on our blog as soon as it’s available. Thanks!

“Switch is a two-day event that gathers people with different background experiences to discuss technology, science, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation in a network-friendly environment.”

QR Codes are one of the latest emerging technologies in digital marketing and communications. Users may discover QR Codes in their environment or on their favorite products and then scan them with their phones to be taken to additional information online. The creative and strategic uses of QR Codes are being seen world wide as more and more organizations, as well as individuals, are implementing them into their marketing and advertising campaigns. From jewelry and t-shirts, to cupcakes and temporary tattoos, who knows where you will find the next QR Code…and where it will take you.

Did you like this video? You can check out Parts 1, 2 and 3 by clicking on the following links: What Are QR Codes? (Part 1), How To Use QR Codes (Part 2), and How To Create QR Codes (Part 3). Enjoy!

How can QR Codes help you? If you have any questions or are interested in learning more about how you and/or your organization can benefit from using QR Codes, please feel free to contact us.

QR Code generator sites such as Kaywa and Delivr make it easy to create your own QR Codes. You can also use URL shorteners Bit.ly and Goo.gl to make and track the statistics of your individual codes.

Did you like this video? You can check out Parts 1 and 2 by clicking on the following links: What Are QR Codes? (Part 1) and How To Use QR Codes (Part 2). You can also watch the full QR Code video trailer here. Enjoy!

How can QR Codes help you? If you have any questions or are interested in learning more about how you and/or your organization can benefit from using QR Codes, please feel free to contact us.

Simply scan and decode QR Codes with your camera phone using a QR Code reading application and you will quickly be redirected to a virtual property with more information. Often times, QR Codes take users to websites, videos, photos or contact info.

Did you like this video? You can check out Parts 1 and 3 by clicking on the following links: What Are QR Codes? (Part 1) and How To Create QR Codes (Part 3). You can also watch the full QR Code video trailer here. Enjoy!

How can QR Codes help you? If you have any questions or are interested in learning more about how you and/or your organization can benefit from using QR Codes, please feel free to contact us.

QR Codes, or Quick Response Codes, are becoming increasingly popular worldwide. You may have seen these 2-dimensional codes around town on billboards, lamposts, in magazines, or on product packaging. Similar to bar code technology, QR Codes are made up of a pattern of black modules which can be scanned and decoded with your camera phone using QR Code reading applications. Many organizations, as well as individuals, are using QR Codes to advertise products, offer discounts, or to provide additional information and more.

Did you like this video? You can check out Parts 2 and 3 by clicking on the following links: How To Use QR Codes (Part 2), and How To Create QR Codes (Part 3). You can also watch the full QR Code video trailer here. Enjoy!

How can QR Codes help you? If you have any questions or are interested in learning more about how you and/or your organization can benefit from using QR Codes, please feel free to contact us.

We at Coopr connect with international PR professionals daily. From Sydney to Vancouver and from Cape Town to Helsinki. More and more PR professionals connect with each other online, via Twitter, blogs, podcasts or Facebook. To share their knowledge, thoughts, doubts and passion for Public Relations. With ‘The PR Spotlight’ we wish to contribute to this active PR community. We will try to approach some of the best in PR for you. To help you find answers. ‘The PR Spotlight’ today is on Andrea Vascellari, CEO of itive.net, communicator, blogger and video-poscaster. Please enjoy his 7 answers and help us share the story!

1. Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Andrea Vascellari, currently the CEO of itive.net and international digital strategy agency with headquarters in Finland and New York City. My team and I help companies to build dynamic relationships with customers, employees, shareholders, influencers and other key audiences world-wide. I’m also a blogger and video-podcaster. I share posts and videos on my website andreavascellari.com.

2. What does PR mean to you?
PR is an art and I’m in love with it.

3. How do you see the role of PR in the near future?
The role of PR will be fundamental, more than ever before, and its practice increasingly exciting. Especially because of the growth of the Internet, today’s communications eco-system in which organizations are immersed is growing in size and complexity; therefore, its going to be necessary for organizations to manage their reputation in different scenarios at best, whether it is a product launch or a crisis situation.

4. PR sucks because…
…well let’s say that it is not PR that sucks. What really sucks when I think about PR is the bad “nomea” that some practitioners gave over the years to, in my opinion, this beautiful and fascinating industry. I think that PR is now living an interesting period because social media is in a sense functioning as a natural filter that is starting to separate the practitioners that are actually doing a good job from the ones that aren’t. Good guys will keep growing, bad guys will fall.

5. PR rules because…
It is one of the core parts of the overall communication “equilibrium” of all organizations that truly want to succeed. It’s so interesting to see what PR is becoming. I think the Internet is the best thing that could have happened to PR, especially if you look at the speed at which things are happening and evolving in this industry. When I think about the new opportunities and challenges that come with this digital evolution I can’t sleep, it’s something that literally makes me explode with excitement!

6. What’s hot on your radar right now?
The new generations of digital natives and the new rules of engagement that are emerging with them.

7. Who’s the best in your field? And why?
Heh…this is an interesting question because I don’t think there’s a ‘best’ in any field, I believe that there are a lot of great people highly specialized in different niches. So in PR I would also say that it depends on what you are looking for. Are you interested in B2B? Eric Schwartzman immediately comes to my mind. Are you in need of insightful researches? Then I’d say Jeremiah Owyang, and indeed Brian Solis who always has his eye on upcoming trends. If you actually have no idea whatsoever of where to start, I encourage you to listen to FIR (For Immediate Release). FIR is a weekly podcast at the intersection of online communication and public relations. Hosted by Neville Hobson & Shel Holtz, it’s a wonderful show that I’m sure will help get you on the right path. Inside PR with Martin Waxman, Joe Thornley, and Gini Dietrich is another terrific podcast you want to make sure to check out.
The ones I mentioned are all fantastic practitioners and also good friends that I feel comfortable enough to recommend. In addition to this I often refer to several other good folks in my blog posts and videos on andreavascellari.com, I hope you’ll find it interesting. Feel free to ask me more via twitter @vascellari!

Andrea Vascellari (CEO, itive.net) and Leah D’Emilio (CCO, itive.net) were interviewed by Elena Radaelli (Augmendy) about social media strategy during Social Media Week Rome, February 7 – 11. They mention some interesting points about digital strategy and online video.

Elena: We are here with Andrea Vascellari and Leah D’Emilio, respectively the CEO and CCO of itive.net. How do you help businesses with digital strategy?

Andrea: Most importantly, before anything else, you must understand what the client needs, look at their objectives together, analyze where they are coming from and see what they want to achieve. Then we create a solid overall strategic plan including “tactical” moves which allow them to achieve their objectives. It’s like creating or improving their digital DNA to succeed online. Because today it’s not just the fact about being online, you also have to be ‘smart’ about it. Leah, for example, is one of our team members who specializes in new media, like online video and related tactics.

Elena: Therefore, video is very important. How do you use video to launch and promote businesses?

Leah: Yes, because a video is something very personal where you can explain something in an easier way, more…

Andrea: Efficiently, let’s say…

Leah: Yes, the person who looks at your site, whether its a dot com or on Facebook, they can better understand your product or service in a deeper way. Video also allows you to create a more fun and engaging experience!

Andrea: A common mistake that many business owners make online today is showing a brand that is cold and faceless. They don’t have personality and they don’t create a relationship of engagement with their target audience, or if they are b2b (business to business), with the potential businesses that they want to reach and talk to.

Video reduces this distance, but you have to do it intelligently. Leah and our team are highly specialized and very strong in this. Obviously, there are other tactics you can put into the mix to have a super “social media cocktail”.

Elena: Obviously, you can’t leave out social media in particular Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, which should business have?

Andrea: It depends. Because there are so many social networks – and in general many sites that are online are becoming social – therefore we are starting to have an over-saturation of social networks in an increasingly larger number of niches. One important thing we must evaluate then is which social network is better to adopt. You have to look at the needs and objectives of the client. It could be Twitter, Facebook, Flickr or it could be other social networks. There are many social networks out there. For example now here at Social Media Week there are many new startups being born and presented. What we do is help our clients to select the right strategic path to follow including the best social media tactics to adopt.

Elena: Many thanks to Andrea Vascellari and Leah D’Emilio
Andrea and Leah: Thank you!