Updates from September, 2009 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Oscar Del Santo 6:14 pm on September 12, 2009 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , PR, , ,   

    PR & SEO : Together We Stand 

    Communicate Magazine from London recently published a fascinating and timely debate between PR heavyweight Abigail Harrison from thebluedoor and her SEO nemesis Andrew Girdwood from bigmouthmedia about the pros and cons of using either a PR or a SEO agency to assist a company in their social media strategy.

    I do not believe there is currently a more urgent or pressing debate from the point of view of online strategy or online reputation management.

    The arguments used by the two participants are the ones we might have expected from the PR and SEO camps. See if you can guess who said what:

    • “PR, like the web, has always been about people. SEO is intrinsically and historicaly linked to Google bots and algorithms – not people, and certainly not reputations“
    • “I don’t think we have seen any evidence that the PR agencies have caught up with, or overtaken, the digital natives“
    • “I feel that SEOs… get in the way of the strategic thinking required for meaningful PR“

    And yet there were some gems to be found in the crossfire, like Andrew’s adroit assertion that “Social media is a discipline which requires online communication skills, alongside technical skills and analytical skills. A deficit in any one of these three key areas is a threat to success of the campaign.”

    Quite, Andrew! Bull’s eye! This is indeed what I have been arguing for quite some time: that SEO and PR are inextricably linked in today’s social media realities, and that any agency that is deficient in either is competing at a serious disadvantage. Which in turn explains why the more enlightened agencies are favouring a cross-pollination of digital and communication skills for new key roles – the likes of online reputation manager or social media strategist.

    Indeed, the leading agencies of tomorrow will be integrated communities where technical and communications staff work together seamlessly under the ovearching leadership of the online strategist, a professional whose qualifications and interests must encapsulate the best that the worlds of SEO and PR have to offer.

    Oscar Del Santo is an online strategist, publicist and trailblazing reputation manager. He helps individuals and organizations achieve their online goals through the implementation of tailor-made online strategies with strong social web and ORM components. He is a sought-after ‘de-mistifying’ trainer, key speaker and trusted & confidential advisor in online reputation crises scenarios .

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    • squidoo 4:34 pm on September 19, 2009 Permalink | Reply

      thanks for this interesting read, nice one, excellent.

    • Jose Llinares 9:00 am on September 24, 2009 Permalink | Reply

      As a person working in SEO I have to say that PR activity is providing to our work huge benefits and therefore is completely need to work close to each other.

      “SEO and PR are inextricably linked in today’s social media realities” AMEN

  • Oscar Del Santo 3:03 pm on September 6, 2009 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , web design   

    Why we need online strategists 

    As a starting point, let me state that this is most definitely NOT an ego trip about my own self-importance or that of my peers. As I am about to argue, the crucial point is that we are all important in this collective enterprise called the Web 2.0

    Very often small and not-so-small businesses and organizations approach web design & development agencies to ‘sort out’ their online presence. And yet – as we professionals know – most web designers (though by no means all) are woefully unprepared when it comes to fundamental factors for the success of even the smallest of XXI century internet projects.

    I am referring here to the likes of SEO (search engine optimization), SEM (search engine marketing), web analytics, monitorization and social media integration/social media marketing – let alone online content generation and editing, online reputation management or digital PR.

    Think of the web designers of renown in your city or region. I bet the prime criterion they are judged with and the strength upon which their current success rests is their ability to produce eye-catching and technically sound webpages – usually loosely following the dictates of their patrons, though often with much professional autonomy and artistic license.

    I should know. Not long ago I was part of an agency pitch team for a local authority that was about to invest €55,000 on a ‘webpage’ in order to promote their city as a tourist destination of choice. “We want a website with such and such colour and with little text”, was the councillor opening line before either myself or my colleagues could begin to explain the crucial importance of any of the elements I have mentioned for the real success of the project (i.e., to promote that city as a tourist destination, and not merely please the councillor’s team aesthetic sensibilities!)

    Result: this local authority ended up with the colourful and minimalist website they wanted, to be sure: but a website with no social media widgets, flawed from the point of view of SEO, difficult to find in the search engines, bereft of any interactive elements and as such unable to galvanize public enthusiasm through the social networks. Their city is losing out today as a result.

    I am convinced that the agencies of tomorrow will be collaborative enterprises where the importance of all the links in the chain of Web 2.0 success – programmers, SEO and SEM copies, web designers, analytics experts, monitoring and reputation managers – will work together under the overall guidance of an online strategist or an online strategy team that will act as the orchestra conductor that ensures everyone plays together in precise rhythmic coordination and to the same tempo.

    What is the role of  online strategists and what must be their qualifications?

    In most general terms, the online strategist’s job is to find the most compelling way to coordinate the technical, artistic and marketing teams in order to meet the previously defined set of goals with the client. She must lead them in such a way that those goals are accomplished in the quickest and most cost-effective way.

    Just as an orchestra conductor does not necessarily play every single instrument,  online strategists are not experts in every single aspect of the Web 2.0. It seems to me, however, that the following are essential if they are to perform to a high standard:

    -        Basic technical competence and a thorough understanding of the role of all the various integrating elements – like SEO, SEM, etc. – and crucially the fair value of their contribution in monetary terms

    -        A nose for online publicity and PR. At the end of the day a webpage or an online presence is always about selling something.

    -        Good managerial and ‘people’ skills – they must refuse to give in to ‘prima donnas’ in their teams and emphasize the importance of collaboration and team-play.

    -        Excellent client-facing and communication/training skills, since it will be their responsibility to deliver the finished product to the client and an element of ‘post-delivery’ training will be consistently involved.

    If coordinating multifarious technical, artistic and marketing professionals within an agency is difficult, coordinating independent external providers working for the benefit of a single project can easily turn nightmarish for a client who is not truly well versed in Web 2.0 matters. And this recurrently translates into significant amounts of wasted time, money and effort.

    This is why we online strategists are often hired as overall coordinators of the various outsourced agencies with the responsibility of bringing order to chaos and ensuring the client is not overcharged. Hardly a dream scenario – the dream scenario would be an integrated, diversified and coordinated agency – but one that makes much more sense than leaving the end client to fend for himself amongst professionals that don’t often speak the same language and then expect him to sell the results internally.

    Finally, while good online strategists must be fully in synch with the client, they should also be thick-skinned enough to challenge the latter by opening up new possibilities to promote his/her end product or service through a combination of the best technical, artistic and marketing mix. We want to be regarded in the end as trusted advisors with a ‘can do’ attitude who are decidedly on the client’s side.

    Oscar Del Santo 

    Oscar Del Santo is an online strategist, publicist and trailblazing reputation manager. He helps individuals and organizations achieve their online goals through the implementation of tailor-made online strategies with strong social web and ORM components. He is a sought-after ‘de-mistifying’ trainer, key speaker and trusted & confidential advisor in online reputation crises scenarios .

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    • Jose Llinares 9:31 am on September 9, 2009 Permalink | Reply

      Hi Oscar;

      Very interesting article indeed.

      I completely agree with your thoughts, in this complex environment such as the online world we need people that looks over the different specialties, that understands how they are related and acts as a coordinator of all of them, you can call it ‘online strategist’ or ‘online project manager’.

      Regards.

      • oscardelsanto 11:28 am on September 9, 2009 Permalink | Reply

        Thanks for your comments Jose. I believe that you hit the bull’s eye there. It’s much more than being simply an account manager.

        Best of luck in your multifarious projects.

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