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Every day, we are exposed to hundreds, if not thousands, of brands. Studies show that the average consumer is exposed to up to 10,000 brand messages a day, and that number is only growing. Whether it’s an e-newsletter with a voucher code, an advert on the side of a bus for the latest box office hit, or a sponsored post in your Instagram feed, companies are finding cannier ways to reach us as consumers. Messages are getting bigger, bolder and brighter, and while we are big fans of ingeniously crafted advertising campaigns, we know there’s always going to be space in the marketing mix for that steady, reliable and influential voice that comes with targeted thought leadership — especially in the B2B space. Thought leadership helps you position yourself as an expert with your target audience through smartly crafted opinion-led content, and we’ve seen businesses transformed by powerful thought leadership campaigns. In a world where brands are shouting louder and louder, thought leadership is here to stay. And here’s why: An intelligent way to differentiate Thought leadership content is a great way to share what drives your business and what sets it apart from competitors, which you often can’t do to the same extent with other marketing material. Compelling and engaging copy can position you as a trusted advisor, and when utilised within a long-term thought leadership campaign, works to raise your profile on key topics relevant to your industry. Show where your expertise lies By identifying key issues that your audience wants or needs to hear about, you can focus trends, requirements or challenges relevant to the industry. This approach positions you as an expert on these topics so that when they see you’re writing content on this subject – whether that’s in an industry leading magazine, a national paper, on your website or even on your social media channels – they can have confidence in your expertise. It’s likely that you already have well-formed opinions on subjects that are relevant to your audience, so make the most of them! Multifunctional copy When you create a piece of content for a desired purpose, there’s no rule that says that’s the only function it can fulfil. Have you written a whitepaper to share directly with prospects? You can create smaller articles from that same content, or a blog for your website. When written in the right way, thought leadership content can have longevity and be replicated for multiple marketing and PR functions. With its lasting appeal, this content is the gift that keeps on giving. At Whiteoaks, thought leadership campaigns are our bread and butter and we intentionally draft content by looking at what the customer wants to know first, rather than beginning with what a business wants to talk about. This ensures it’s always applicable and appropriate for its readers. An interest in informed, expert and relevant insight for your audience will never die, nor would any of us want it to. |
Category: Blogs
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It’s all too easy to start the year heading straight into the daily business activities: What’s the status with this marketing campaign? Which creative partner should I contact to work on our new brochure? I need to meet with this person in Sales to find out whether client A will sign off on that case study…. These are just some example thoughts that marketers across the B2B space probably all have running through their minds right now. Rather than jumping straight into what is bound to be a lengthy to-do list, now is exactly the right time for PR and marketing professionals to take a step back and think about how to achieve best practice with all their efforts. Ask yourself how you can write impactful and useful content, how media relations can build your brand and how to navigate the tension between launching campaigns that are both creative and realistic. What are you trying to achieve and how – and what do you want your various audiences to think? And how can your PR and communications agency work as part of your team, not outside of it? These are the kinds of questions we have set out to help you answer in a new series of videos we recently recorded with some of the Whiteoaks team. Our experts in media relations, social media, campaign planning and content, to name but a few, have filmed a series of short clips to help frame your strategic thinking for the year ahead. Out of these clips have come an idea: the creation of Whiteoaks Insights. Where you see that title, be it in a blog post, at an event, webinar or in a LinkedIn post, you know that you’ll be about to read or watch something that offers you benefits, insight and information to help you do better. At Whiteoaks, we all believe the more you know, the better you’ll be. So, come along and follow us on Twitter @WhiteoaksPR, where we’ll be posting each video first using the #WOInsights hashtag. You’ll also find the videos soon afterwards on LinkedIn and our YouTube channel. And to find out more about us and how we’re a deliberately different kind of PR agency, head over to this page of our website. We believe conventional PR doesn’t work. To hear why, come and say hello@whiteoaks.co.uk.
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The UK tech sector continues to boom despite associated fears for the industry, linked to Brexit. In 2017 UK firms attracted almost four times as much funding than companies in Germany France, Ireland and Sweden combined. And it is no surprise that London accounted for around 80 of that funding with tech entrepreneurs and businesses being attracted by the Capital’s talent pool and lead on cutting-edge technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Fintech. In fact, close to £3 billion in venture capital funding was secured, according to the Mayor of London’s official promotional agency, London & Partners – almost double the 2016 figure.
What this perhaps signals is a growing appetite for tech and the demand to use it, not only to streamline operations, but also to push business forward. Emerging tech trends are in fact set to transform what organisations offer. According to the industry experts, the acceleration of AI, bitcoin, augmented reality (AR) and blockchain, will continue to make an impact on business this year. But we are likely to see the biggest impact in the Internet of Things (IoT) sector, which has been named the ‘fourth industrial revolution’. IoT has already transformed manufacturing and production and, according to Steve Jones, principal consultant at cloud company Amido, “the industrial IoT will enable data-driven manufacturing and will introduce huge productivity boosts to industry”.
We’re also likely to see a big shake-up in the boardroom with the CIO and CTO driving innovation and digital transformation. While traditionally the CIO role has been seen to be averse to new technology, Phil Lander, head of B2B at Samsung Europe, states that it is evolving and CIO’s are now asking how technology can better benefit their entire business.
But it’s not all positive; tech companies can expect more regulation this year, particularly in the US with the introduction of the Honest Ads Act that will force tech giants to make digital ad data public in national elections. But the law would cover much more than political ads, including looking into whether or not tech companies intentionally make products addictive and address concerns around privacy.
Still, it’s clear that the tech industry has real momentum and will continue to grow in 2018. The UK government is investing an extra £21 million into Tech City UK over four years; Facebook opened a new office in London, pledging to create 800 new jobs; Google is planning a £1bn London based headquarters and Amazon has opened a centre in Cambridge dedicated to research for products, moved its HQ to East London and announced 1,000 new jobs in Bristol.
But it is not just the pure tech players that are thriving; as mentioned, growth in the key tech verticals has also been on the rise. So, moving forward into the new year, there is a lot of optimism around the sector. With nearly 25 years of experience of working with technology companies, we at Whiteoaks are also excited to see what the sector brings in 2018 – could it be another record breaker?
If I had a magic wand, I would make myself run faster. I don’t. So instead, one of my New Year’s resolutions is to train more. Of course, we all have resolutions (even if we say we don’t, some changes are still there at the back of our minds) and those changes can cover all areas of our lives; diet, fitness, spending, work, relationships. I can’t vouch for the success of any of them (yet) but what I can say is that when it comes to business, resolutions are not only a good thing, but also doable.
My advice for B2B technology companies who want to ‘make their mark’ in their sector this year is to commit to investing energy in these three achievable New Year’s resolutions:
- Focus on Integrated Marketing
Whatever the individual specialisms, everyone at Whiteoaks believes that engaging, informative content is still king and sits at the heart of any good marketing strategy. From visionary thought leadership to in-depth whitepapers, Whiteoaks’ specialist team of content creators guarantees a consistently high level of quality for clients, and that content feeds into all of their marketing activities.
Our writers have decades of experience in journalism and technical writing across B2B tech and consumer technologies in a huge variety of industries.
- Public Relations to support broad business efforts
With more than two decades of experience in B2B technology, our teams run high-impact campaigns across PR, influencer and digital channels. We believe in three core pillars of activity; thought leadership, company news and endorsement.
Whether breaking into the national media, delivering hard-hitting company news or running standout creative public relations campaigns, Whiteoaks consistently delivers for B2B clients through its unique approach to PR, which supports the sales, marketing and account functions of their business.
- Digital and Social Media conversations
No longer just a platform for content sharing and ‘broadcasting content’, social media offers the opportunity to identify, engage with and ultimately convert prospects. From content creation and community management to social media training and lead generation activities, Whiteoaks is ahead of the curve in helping clients grow their digital footprint and reputation.
Hopefully food for thought — now I’m off for another run.
Parlez vous en francis? Sprechen Sie Deutsch? No matter what region or vertical you want to grow your profile in, from a PR perspective there are a few best practices you need to consider. Of course, as an agency, Whiteoaks has the skills, experience and resources to help you understand those regions and help your business grow awareness of your brand.
Here’s how we do it:
1. Research your market and media
With over 20 years’ experience in delivering bespoke campaigns for our clients in countries as close as Ireland and as far flung as China and with the support of the Whiteoaks International Network(WIN), we investigate the markets and media landscapes our clients are interested in and make recommendations on where best to target our efforts.
Not only does WIN offer local knowledge, understanding and relationships alongside the flexibility to scale up or scale down requirements based on business need, the network delivers the true Whiteoaks experience with an unwavering commitment to transparency through tailored campaigns consisting of set deliverables, linked to strict performance targets and underpinned by a formal service level agreement.
Utilising PR experts on the ground who have contacts with the right journalists, social media influencers and industry analysts, Whiteoaks never fails to deliver for our clients internationally.
2. Tailor your message and tactics to suit your B2B tech audience in that region
Using our 360PR approach, Whiteoaks quickly establishes a set of consistent key messages to work across each region. As part of a client’s marketing team, our specialist copywriters, develop an intrinsic knowledge of the core technology issues common across a client’s target audience and blend this with local knowledge of what makes for newsworthy content.
Whiteoaks is aware that what will work well in the UK, might be completely off track in another country. For example, stories on the use of technology in discount stores are popular in Germany and the UK but less so in France as discount stores are receiving negative press for how they have seemingly been treating their employees. In Ireland, while technology trade titles are limited and technology news can be difficult to secure in national papers, incorporating jobs announcement in your tech releases are very well received by national media outlets.
3. Measure campaign success
If you want to measure the success of a PR campaign, its crucial to set expectations at the start. As the ROI PR industry leader, Whiteoaks works closely with our clients to build bespoke campaigns that allow us to agree strict performance targets such as coverage volume, social media interaction or web traffic increase. With clear and transparent targets, we aim to go the extra mile for our clients and ensure their international campaigns are successful.
Entering the world stage, doesn’t have to be as difficult as it might first appear. In three simple steps, Whiteoaks working with international media outlets delivers successful B2B tech PR campaigns for our clients. To find out more, why not visit our website and read some of our successful case studies.
The organisations we work with at Whiteoaks have one thing in common – technology is at the heart of their business. It is not surprising, therefore, that many of the conversations we are having with clients focus on the growth in use of artificial intelligence (AI).
Organisations across multiple sectors are harnessing the power of AI — when a machine mimics cognitive functions — to enhance digital transformation and try to get one step ahead of competitors. While the benefits of AI to business are undoubted, the mainstream media has been littered with stories about the potential impact of automation on human jobs.
A recent report from the University of Oxford suggested that in 45 years’ time half of jobs currently filled by humans will have been taken over by an AI system. So no matter what industry you work in, you may well be asking yourself “could a robot do my job?”.
The potential impact of AI on the PR industry has yet to be fully understood, but it is already having an impact on tasks that historically would have been carried out by a human. Systems using complex algorithms have been designed to speed up mundane tasks such as media monitoring, analysing coverage, press release distribution and identifying influencers.
As the above outlines, AI is already making the life of a PR professional easier by improving processes and allowing them more time to concentrate on the more cognitive tasks which, as yet, machines have yet to grasp. It will be many years before an intelligent machine is able to duplicate the creative process involved in writing a compelling thought leadership article, or able to take an active role in a brainstorm session on how to get maximum publicity for a client’s shiny new widget.
So what next? Well if you accept that AI has already helped the PR industry take massive steps forward, the possibilities for further advancements are endless. AI has already had a huge impact on the news industry, analysing vast amounts of data to tailor what stories we read on Facebook and other sites. Imagine if we could harness AI to tailor the content we create to match the interests and beliefs of individual influencers and consumers. With the power of machine learning, a single press release, website blog or even video content could be modified so that it reflects the needs of a specific reader or the requirements of a prospective customer.
There would still be the need for the cognitive power required to create the original content. The intelligent machine would simply enable a PR agency to reach the most influential people and speak to them in a more personal, timely manner. This, in turn, would help clients meet their business goals.
In summary, I believe that the PR industry has nothing to fear from the growth of AI. What we now require is a greater understanding of the technology and how we can harness it to further enhance the services we provide as a B2B Tech PR Agency.
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Some call it the cultural hub of the company. To most it’s the Writers’ Block or where the content creators create. So where better to find Whiteoaks’ answer to Mark Kermode and Mariella Frostrup to discover their favourite Christmas film and book? I mean what’s more sophisticated than watching the Muppet Christmas Carol with a glass of Baileys in hand? Ollie Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands may be dressed up in Halloween attire, but I would argue that it’s a festive tale at heart. [SPOILER ALERT] The film concludes with the idea that the white Christmas is caused by the snow which Edward creates when carving ice sculptures. Pretty festive if you ask me. The film explores themes which are relevant today, such as an outsider (Edward) trying to find his way in a strange new culture. Edward – an artificial being – is an unfinished creation, so in a way the film also teaches us that those creative ideas we sometimes leave on the backburner can blossom over time, developing into something fruitful when eventually revisited. Every Christmas I like to remember the story of John Callcott Horsley and his part in developing the first ever Christmas card. A celebrated painter (and inventor of the envelope!). While I’m not entirely certain that ‘JC’ was actually a distant relative, I enjoy the thought of the creative gene being passed down through many generations. Don’t expect an ornately decorated homemade card from me, though – I’ll see you in the queue in Paperchase!
Jordan If there is a single Christmas film that I watch at least once every year it is The Muppet Christmas Carol. Although it really shouldn’t work on paper, there’s something about this stuffed animal adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic that reignites the festive spirit inside of me and makes me feel five-years-old again. There’s Michael Caine’s performance as Scrooge; the dynamic duo of Gonzo and Rizzo and who could forget the singing vegetables? A shining example of how talking animals can basically make anything better. At Christmas time I tend to find myself flicking through the books I’ve received as gifts, but this year I think I’m going to make the time to revisit Before The Fall by Noah Hawley, the man behind the incredible TV series Fargo. It is without doubt the most gripping book I’ve read in a long time; the story of a family and a friend who are flying back to New York on a private jet following a vacation — only for the plane to crash 16 minutes into the journey. The rest of the book is an incredible lesson in character development.
Jenny It goes back a long way, but I’d say Dr Zhivago. Snow, more snow, icicles, fur hats, sledges, an ice-cool Julie Christie and a smouldering Omar Sharif. So what if the Russian Revolution didn’t show much Christmas spirit? A beautiful love story, thrilling plot and sobering history lesson all in one. Staying with the theme of weather – what could be better than a log fire, a raging storm outside, nowhere you need to be and a copy of Wuthering Heights? Re-reading the novel as an adult, it seemed wilder and more gothic than I remembered. But still perfect for those days after Christmas when the visitors have gone. Just ignore that tap-tapping on your window.
Hugh I usually go to the Christmas communion service in the village church opposite where I stay, depending on how much I have imbibed in the pub the previous night. Always end up thumbing through The Book of Common Prayer which is full of quaint warnings, brilliant language and the odd repugnant prayer. It was a good example of a single writer (Cranmer) cobbling together a hugely influential text from all kinds of sources while managing to stamp his own authority on it. He was burned at the stake for his trouble, which is not a “challenge” we have to face, fortunately. Never watched a tinselly Christmas film since I was a child. The Marx brothers’ Monkey Business or Horse Feathers are my idea of Christmas films.
Susan When it comes to my favourite holiday movie — Die Hard — there’s some argument around whether it actually qualifies. I could choose The Holiday (which I love, too) but for me, Die Hard epitomises everything a Christmas movie should be. Yes, it’s about terrorists taking over an office block in Los Angeles, (and yes, it has Bruce Willis flexing his arms and swinging around on fire hoses) but it’s also about redemption, reuniting with family, and going out of your way to do everything you can for your loved ones. But mostly it’s about Bruce 😉 As for holiday reading… I’m going to say Stephen King. At the moment I’m re-reading It (a book about homecoming, loyalty and a scary clown) and trying to stay away from red balloons and whispering drains. And I’m balancing that with King’s non-fiction musings about what he does best – write. For me, King doesn’t write about horror; he writes about people. His insights into human nature are what are truly frightening… something that comes across in every character he’s created So I’m going to get through On Writing to get some of my own insight.
Richard I’d have to say the original version of A Christmas Carol with Alastair Sim from the 1950s . That’s because I love Dickens – and Dickens and Christmas fit together perfectly. In terms of books, I’m planning to read The Cricketer’s Anthology of the Ashes. Not very seasonal you might think but I hope to sit down with it on Boxing Day while listening to England trying to actually win a test match against Australia in Melbourne.
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Who are you? And what’s your job at Whiteoaks?
My name is Simon and I am Whiteoaks’ Business Development and Marketing Manager.
What does your daily to-do list look like?
The stock answer is to say: “pretty varied” – but it’s true! My job involves a good deal of travel, meeting prospective clients and working with them to set PR strategies that meet their goals. Alongside this, I work to promote Whiteoaks and its differentiators to tech companies in the UK and across the globe. This might involve one day chained to a desk researching the latest financial regulations, to heading into London to extol the virtues of Whiteoaks’ transparent approach to PR.
What made you want to get into PR?
As a journalist, I was never one of the (few) tiresome ones that would constantly chastise PR firms and genuinely appreciated their ability to hook me up with relevant spokespeople and stories. Tech PR in particular holds a real appeal as it challenges you to take often complex themes and make them relatable through creativity. When the time came to move to the dark side, I did so happily!
Who is your favourite brand and why?
I get the whole argument around sugary drinks but you have to respect what Coca Cola has done. Its branding is iconic, everyone knows who the company is and it remains the number one choice. Though it could be because their Christmas advert is on the telly at the moment and it reminds me of my childhood!
What’s your top tip for someone who wants to get into the PR industry?
Be willing to communicate! Sounds obvious, but this isn’t a career for shrinking violets. Good communication skills, whether with colleagues, journalists, clients or anyone else, is absolutely crucial. Hopefully it isn’t a dying art form, but I fail to believe that emojis are the future of the English language.
How do you unwind after a day in the office?
My first job when back from the office is bath time with my little boy, Charlie – but I wouldn’t call that unwinding! Aside from that I chop and change quite regularly. I tend to either binge watch TV series or spend hours lost in a book, then not read again for months.
What’s your favourite anthem suggestion for Friday’s Whiteoaks Power Hour?
I am feeling increasingly out of touch with what the younger members of the team might consider “power”, so it certainly isn’t Taylor Swift or any other the other pop tracks that seem to make it onto the playlist. That being said, our CEO James Kelliher and I have been known to drop some serious beats while listening to Kisstory when on the road. However, the song that encapsulates the spirit of Power Hour for me is Africa by Toto. No matter what age range, you can’t help but sing along.
If you could be any character in any film, what would you be
I think every Star Wars fan wants to be Han Solo – a cocky space pirate who blazes in at the last minute and saves the day. Hopefully without the patricide though (SPOILER ALERT).
What’s your ideal getaway location?
Back when I had the choice, trips abroad would revolve around a city break with somewhere to watch football at an iconic stadium, from the Camp Nou to the mighty Flora Tallinn. Now, it is anywhere with enough activities to tire out a small child and guarantee a good night’s sleep!
What’s your go-to party trick?
Wowing people with insights from my two poorly received sporting biographies. Though the look quickly changes from “mildly impressed” to “all-out laughter” once they read the Amazon reviews. In fact, bringing this up and making me look like a fool is a particular favourite of our CEO.
And finally, cheesy chips?
At literally any time of day.
| Words are all around us. They are in the books we read, the tweets we endlessly scroll through on our phones and the emails that clog up our inboxes. With the right words in the right order, they can bring people to tears or inspire them to do something they never considered before.
But they must also be treated with patience and respect. Every piece of advert copy that catches our eye or blog that captures our imagination has been painstakingly crafted, with care taken not just in the choice of words but the structure and order of each one. As Mark Twain once famously said, “the difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. ‘tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning”. It stands to reason, then, that the written word should receive the same treatment within the B2B tech PR agency world — but this is not always the case. With PR workloads constantly increasing and responsibilities being shared more frequently across departments, copywriting has become something of a lost art in the 21st century. With so few roles dedicated solely to copywriting within PR agencies, there is a steadily decreasing pool of people who have the skills necessary to convey a strong message in a way that will have a profound effect on the reader. Plus, in the age of citizen journalism, where anyone armed with a smartphone and a Twitter account believes they can deliver impactful storytelling, there has never been more of a need for competent, qualified professionals to help separate the wheat from the chaff. The problem here is often exacerbated within the technology PR industry. All too often we witness the race for brands to publish blogs and thought leadership pieces on a certain hot topic, but this only leaves the reader with a barrage of half-baked content, none of which is particularly compelling for the reader. However, with a fresh angle, a carefully-crafted headline or a gripping lead paragraph, a dedicated copywriter can help your brand stand out among the competition and — most importantly — persuade the reader to click on your article over everything else. This is exactly why we have a team of dedicated copywriters — or content creators, as we like to call ourselves — here at Whiteoaks. We are fully aware that our clients will ultimately be judged by the written content that is sent out into the public sphere, whether it’s a concise press release or a 4,000-word research report, and so we are able to dedicate all of our time to ensuring this is always of the highest possible quality. It also means that we’re able to dedicate more time to developing a deep understanding of the clients we work with, the tone of voice they want to adopt and the messaging they want to deliver to their target audiences. PR is essentially a juggling act between quantity and quality. Of course it’s important to maintain regular brand exposure and increase public awareness through various forms of content, but this effort is all for nothing if the quality of what you’re delivering is below par. In a world with more ‘stuff’ than ever before, copywriters are more important than ever before in ensuring what they create leaves a lasting impression.
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Did you know that 98% of people on the web use at least one social network? On average, each one of these people has about eight active accounts (and the general consensus from these people is that they ‘like’ social media). The latest Social Media Trends research from GlobalWebIndex may be pointing out some predictable stats, but there’s more to it. With so many people using social media, there’s a growing treasure trove of insights that businesses are dying to unlock! All they need is a key, and that key comes in the form of social listening.
I know what you’re thinking… “I’m always dabbling in social listening”, but keeping tabs on your company’s mentions on Twitter isn’t enough these days. You need to track what your stakeholders are talking about. If you know what they like and don’t like then you’re going to have a much easier time creating content that’s going to resonate well.
Some marketers might see it as a crucial part of their strategy, others might shrug their shoulders at it, but one thing is for sure… if you’re going to do it, then you need to do it properly.
The beauty of social listening is that it helps to paint a picture. Not only will you be able to keep an eye on your competitors, or get a better understanding of what your customers think about your products/services… you’ll have all the information you need to inform your future marketing decisions and campaigns. If you’re looking to identify new ways to get your message ‘out there’ then social listening will help to highlight the opportunities within your industry.
It’s not just marketing that can benefit from this information. You can uncover what customers love and hate about your product, providing you with useful insights for both your sales and R&D departments.
So, you’ve committed… You’re up and running with social listening and you’re ready to eat up those insights to turn them into something magical for your company. What now? Keep an eye on it, play around with the information it’s giving you. If you decide to react to a ‘related hashtag’ that’s starting to pick up some traction then be sure to track the effectiveness of your efforts. The more you utilise the information you’re being provided, the better you’re going to get at social listening. Of course, success may not always come straight away so remember to stay on brand and to keep on plugging away at it.
As the stats suggest, ALMOST everyone on the internet is using social media. Businesses need to recognise this and start planning for how they’re going to cut through the noise to listen to their stakeholders’ needs and wants. Social listening is an exciting opportunity that marketers need to consider if they want to ensure their future campaigns are resonating well with the company’s desired audiences.