Reid-On - Tech Tools for 2001: The Basics

Tech Tools for 2001: The Basics

December 18, 2000

We're witnessing a gradual, yet fundamental, shift in the manner in which we interact with target audiences. As media clutter continues to wash up on desktop shores (on- and off-line), communicators will have to find more innovative and compelling ways to cut through the flotsam and jetsam to reach stakeholders.

To penetrate the data smog, I believe consumers will increasingly turn to online amalgamators such as my.yahoo.com, my.lycos.com even myschwab.excite.com, which sift through news sources based on user interests. Digital newsletters and email-based summaries of relevant links will continue to grow in popularity, serving as aggregators and content search agents. Sources ranging from the Industry Standard's Media Grok, to independently produced news summaries like Geoff's Gems (geoffs_gems-on@lists.garage.com) will flourish - not because they break news, but because they pull together disparate articles into one neat and timely package.

The data overload we are now experiencing will not only continue, but will become even more intense as media fragmentation accelerates and news become a commodity - or simply one more value-added element on a Web site.

So, what tools do you need to operate in this environment? Here are a few reliable options to support your online marketing and public relations efforts. These tools will continue to evolve in the year to come:

Electronic Media Databases

As the media and industry analyst playing field changes daily, it will become increasingly difficult and time-consuming to maintain accurate lists. Service providers such as Press Access, Media Map and Vocus specialize in electronic media databases, continually monitoring the industry and updating their databases to ensure that you're sending information to the appropriate journalist, in the format he or she prefers.

Many of these services are moving toward an Application Service Provider (ASP) model so that users won't have to install specialized software or continually download updates. These Web-based services will allow you to access files from anywhere, quickly, without wondering whether you've downloaded the latest update.

Online Monitoring

As the number of chat rooms, rogue Web sites, and online consumer rating services (e.g., Epinions.com) grows, we'll see an increased demand for online monitoring services. These services search thousands of Web sites, chat rooms and message boards to supply you with a detailed analysis of what's being said about your company online. Netcurrents, eWatch and CyberAlert are among the services now available.

Keep in mind the Internet provides a platform for developing a dialogue with your target audiences - in good times and bad. If there is a misperception in the marketplace, it's important to know the details quickly, before inaccurate or misleading data spreads. Your monitoring partner can help you develop threshold guidelines that will accelerate the reporting process in times of crises. The longer you wait to respond to an online crisis the further it will spread.

As free search engine technology evolves, these services will look for ways to maximize their value through in-depth qualitative and quantitative analysis and early warning systems.

Webinars/Webcasts

Given that the cost and inconvenience of travel continues to rise, online meetings are destined to grow in popularity. Low cost, digital broadcast cameras are hitting the markets, and are even built into some computer systems. As the technology is refined, the concurrent spread of broadband access will ensure the growth and success of this medium. Webcasts and Webinars allow you to reach a very targeted audience anywhere in the world. The medium also allows for better metrics by which to measure the success of your virtual event. You can tell who logged on, how long they stayed, relay their address to the sales team or, in the case of media, to the PR department for follow-up and additional tracking.

Companies ranging from the Fortune 500s to startups are recognizing the savings they can realize through the use of Webcasts - in terms of saved staff time and travel expenses. MCI WorldComm offers a calculator on its Web site to help you quantify the savings you can recognize by holding your meeting online instead of in person. (http://e-meetings.wcom.com/meetsolution/calcsavings.php3)

Email Campaigns

Another benefit of increasingly prevalent broadband access is the ability to transmit "rich media" over the Internet. Rich media emails go beyond text to include video, audio and/or animation, in small packets that won't tax even the slowest systems. To make this strategy successful and acceptable, the industry will migrate towards an opt-in approach, avoiding the spamming label.

Taking the rich email concept a step further, viral email works by triggering high pass-along rates. Email-based viral marketing must be compelling enough to entice recipients to pass the content on to others. These campaigns are usually not obvious sales pitches unless the price or product is so compelling that the recipient feels impelled to send it to others. These are extremely creative and frequently humorous tools that will evolve to pack more and more content into smaller packages. Budweiser, for example, recently launched BudPlayer, a instant messaging device one can send to friends, that offers access to free email, BudLinks, BudRadio and other promotions based on the popular "Whassup" television commercials. http://www2.deskplayer.com/current/download_page.pl?ptn=budweiser&skn=bud_player

No other medium provides the ability to continually test, adjust and measure impact like the Internet. In the months ahead, Web-based tools will adapt to mobile devices and become increasingly more sophisticated, raising the bar for excellence, creativity and innovation.

Reid Walker is managing director, global marketing communications for GE Global eXchange Services, and was a featured speaker at the PR NEWS Strategic Online Communications seminar December 5 in D.C.

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