There are a bunch of conversations, thoughts and resources I had meant to turn some into blog posts over the past few weeks. Working under the theory that one big post is better than a bunch of minor ones, I thought I’d blog this cathartic recitation.
First I’d like to point out what many in the business already know – that the economy has not ignored the tech sector in general, including tech PR and I can’t remember a time when there are more genuinely talented people on the streets – at all levels – looking for work.
A friend of mine – a tech heavy hitter who has held C -level gigs at IBM and startups – predicted that the only professionals who will be spared are those who have hard skills that contribute to the bottom line. In the realm of marketing services, he specifically called out performance marketing.
This WSJ article talks about some recent advances in performance-driven advertising. This Wikipedia definition of Affiliate Marketing has a section on Performance Marketing. What it generally means is that the advertiser does not pay unless someone takes an action, for example clicks on an ad or search result. The logic behind this is that advertisers pay based on users’ actions that send out some kind buying sign or interest that is more than just casual.
Sounds alluring, until you learn about a sobering statistic that NY Times reported yesterday:
In the last quarter, an estimated 17.1 percent of all clicks on
Internet advertisements were fraudulently generated, according to Click
Forensics, a firm that analyzes traffic on behalf of advertisers and ad
networks.
As I have mentioned in this blog, more of the work I have been involved with these days relates to using PR and direct marketing for sales lead generation.
The Value of PR, Especially for Smaller Tech Companies
We gathered some info to help a client contact get additional funding for PR. Part of this was documenting the results we had achieved, and we also chatted with some journalists. One well-known tech reporter at a major daily said that he is obligated to cover the major vendors, and probably would not get to the smaller ones without a push from PR.
Online vs. Print Results
I met with a former client who rose from marketing VP (when we last worked with him) to his current role of COO for a small tech services company. He has less hands-on involvement with PR these days than when we worked him, yet still perceived the shift in our business – the rise in importance of online media and retrenchment of tech trades.
In another sign of the times, we are planning a large campaign and the client specifically said he was most interested in online coverage.
This post (inactive) by Paul Gillin yesterday talks about how some online placements did better for him than a hit in The New Yorker
