Traditional PR vs. PR 2.0

The online and marketing worlds aren’t the only two affected by this industry wide shift to Web 2.0; the world of Boston Public Relations Firms is undergoing drastic changes as well. What has resulted is PR 2.0, and its reach is spanning far beyond imagination and into the internet and blogosphere.

As a result, Boston Public Relations Agencies are using traditional PR tactics less and less, and are shifting to incorporate all the new technology available to us by Web 2.0. This shift from traditional PR to PR 2.0 has been brought about not because traditional PR isn’t an effective means of reaching people, but because Web 2.0 has given us much better tools to do so.

Traditional PR tactics include paper press releases, and print wire services, but PR 2.0 includes many more effective tactics such as blogs, social media new releases, social networks, social bookmarking, etc… The reach of PR 2.0 is clearly far greater, and more effective; it’s no wonder why Boston Public Relations Agencies are taking advantage of

Web 2.0 and New Media

In addition to discussing how the world of marketing has changed, I thought today I would talk a little bit about what brought about that change: Web 2.0

While most people have probably heard about Web 2.0 and Public Relations 2.0, I’m guessing that not everyone knows about all the different applications they include, and also all the benefits they have for businesses across any industry.

Take Real Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds for example. This technique of Web 2.0 used by many digital agencies publishes updated works from a website of your choice, such as blog entries, audio clips and videos, onto your homepage so you can have easy access to them. When new information from the blog or website you chose is published, it will appear on your homepage for quick and easy access. Many public relations professionals are using RSS feeds, as they can let them know what is going on with their clients and competitors all at one glance. RSS feeds are a quick and easy way for companies to share information online with their consumers, and also allow the consumers to filter through information so they are getting only the information they care about.

Other great Web 2.0 tools are blogs and social networking sites. Blogs provide an outlet for anyway who has an opinion to share it on the internet, and have become more and more popular as the benefits of using them are endless. Social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook allow people to communicate, share music and videos, and network.

With extremely easy access, and world-wide reach Web 2.0 is allowing companies to extend to customers they could never have reached before. As a result, new forms of marketing, public relations, and advertising are being embraced by Boston Interactive Agencies like never before, and are creating more and more opportunities every day.

Changes in the World of Marketing

The only constant thing in the world is change, and the worlds of Marketing and Public Relations are reaping the benefits of the changes made. As technology has improved over the years, more and more businesses have begun to implement those technological advances in order to thrive. In the new age of internet and the many ways in which it can be used, firms around the world are beginning to use every aspect of it to their advantage. One advantage to Boston Marketing Firms and Boston Public Relations Firms is using Web 2.0. As a business tool, Web 2.0 is a great way to get customers involved in expressing their opinions regarding the products that is being sold to them. Customers want to feel engaged in products and companies they are investing their time and money into, and blogs and social networking sites have become an extremely popular and effective way to do so.

On the flip side, Boston Marketing Firms and Boston Public Relations Firms are benefiting a great deal from the advantages that stem from Web 2.0. While customers have been making use of the opportunity to talk with fellow customers from all over the world, companies are now being given the chance to listen to a larger number of people in a shorter time. With the ability to get feedback from customers of every demographic, companies are able to make quicker adjustments to the needs and concerns of their customers. More importantly, Web 2.0 is positively affecting companies in more ways than just being profitable. Companies and their employees are both benefiting from the use of Web 2.0 in the workplace. In an unconventional method, employees much like customers, are now able to feel more engaged in their work environments. They are now feeling more creative, and can now communicate more efficiently and effectively with issues of concern. Web 2.0 in the workplace is making for a better means of communication between management in the same way that communication lines are being opened between customers and businesses.

Innovations in Mobile Marketing

When you hear the beep that you have a new text message it might not be from your best friend anymore. Instead, the message could be a Mobile Marketing tool sent by advertisers and marketers that you agreed to receive texts from. How do you know that the text messages are not spam? That is the power of Mobile Marketing; the consumer controls this form of communication by giving consent to receive text messages. This is different from most other marketing techniques in which businesses control the information they disseminate to consumers.

More and more companies are turning to Mobile Marketing to reach new and existing customers. Recently, QuickMobile, a mobile technology and services company, released a Version 2.0 as part of its Contextual Mobile Marketing Platform. By using QuickMobile, companies can send text, audio, video and graphics to mobile phones. Some new features of this program are Mobile Polling and Mobile Results in addition to enhanced security and preferences. Mobile Polling allows presenters to create and ask questions to audiences in real time and have them answer the question on their mobile phone. This interactive tool will add a new dimension to how presenters can keep audiences’ attention and collect data at the same time. The other new device, Mobile Results, allows Mobile Marketing Firms to track their activity in order to test its effectiveness.

With new tools are created all the time for Mobile Marketing Firms and Interactive Agencies, this technique is growing in popularity among companies. The fast and direct communication it provides to consumers appeals to businesses looking for innovative ways to reach their target audiences. Shopping, for example, can also be done through Mobile Marketing, with new innovative technologies that allow shoppers to engage in text ordering, as well as receive text messages about different upcoming promotions of the respective store.

All the new media technology involving Mobile Marketing is revolutionizing how consumers complete their every day tasks and activities. As the future unfolds, Mobile Marketing will continue to grow as a front-runner in new media communications.

Interactive Marketing

I thought I would start this blog to write about the different aspects of the marketing industry today, and how it is changing to drastically. I currently work at a Boston Marketing Agency where we are focusing our efforts on new media, and all that it has to offer.

I've decided to start this blog out with a post about Interactive Marketing, more specifically, mobile and viral marketing.

Mobile Marketing is a fantastic way to get information to people quickly and effectively. You won't walk down the streets of Boston, or anywhere for that matter, anymore without seeing someone with a cell phone, or a Bluetooth, attached to their ear. Mobile Marketing now has 2.5 times the reach that television has, and with the rise in popularity of Blackberries and iphones, the potiential of Mobile Marketing is remarkable. People today now have fewer and fewer reasons to log onto a computer, as most phones now come equipped with technology that lets you do everything you would on your computer in the palm of your hand. Similarly, the popularity of SMS text messaging has increased dramatically, and companies that are ready to take advantage of this and start evolving their marketing campaigns to include Mobile Marketing will undoubtedly be more sustainable than their competition.

Viral Marketing has transformed the marketing industry, as it has proven to be a more than effective way of reaching people. I don’t know if anyone remembers the movie Cloverfield from last year, but due to their limited budget they relied heavily on viral marketing to get the word out about the movie. Before the movie was released there was no official title or commercials with any soft of plot line, but the short video that did exist was published all over the internet. There were even MySpace pages of the fictional characters from the movie. The fact that there was no traditional marketing for the movie did not matter one bit; viral marketing alone grossed the movie around $40 million.

At the Boston Marketing Agency I work for, we have used viral marketing for many of our clients. Below is a link to a video we published for our client Hollister Staffing, one of the best places to find Boston Jobs:

I think that’s all for today, thanks for reading!