Tag Archives: Online PR

Advertising, B2b, Internet, Online, Search, Searching, SEM, SEO, Social Networking, Web Marketing

Bigmouthmedia And Econsultancy Reveal Companies Plan Increased Social Media Spend In 2010

The Social Media and Online PR Report, published by Econsultancy in association with bigmouthmedia, has revealed that most companies are planning to invest more in social media next year but are struggling to find the time and resources to manage their activity.

The report is based on a survey of over 1,100 companies and agencies, and is the most comprehensive study of its kind around how companies are using online PR and social media for marketing and customer service.

The results showed that 86% of companies plan to spend more money on social media in 2010, and a further 13% are planning to keep the same level of budget. 54% cited their biggest barrier to better social media engagement was a lack of resources, with 90% of businesses stating that social media is taking up more time internally than a year ago.

“The growth of social media and online PR has been meteoric, but until now there have been very few hard facts available on precisely how UK business is using the new channel and what they’re getting in return for their investment,” said Phil Gripton, Managing Director of bigmouthmedia UK.

“These statistics – the most detailed yet available – show that while an increasing number of companies are embracing social media, many are struggling to effectively manage their engagement and are consequently failing to make the most of a potentially enormous opportunity.”

The research found that many companies are experimenting with social media without yet reaping any measurable benefits. Only a quarter of companies said that they have gained “real, tangible value” from social media whereas 60% said they had gained “some benefit but nothing concrete”. However, 52% of respondents who are heavily involved said they have gained real value, compared to only 13% of companies who “experimented but not done much”.

Michelle Goodall, Econsultancy’s social media and online PR consultant at Econsultancy, said: “Before they think about their strategy and the best tactics, companies need to go back to basics and think in detail about how online PR and social media can help them deliver against their business objectives.

“The reality is that most businesses understand how to listen, what to measure and where to engage but are struggling to define the value of engagement and reputation in social spaces.”

There view of the benefits of Twitter is mixxed, with 31% of respondents saying there are “tremendous opportunities” available, but half reported their companies are “open-minded but not fully convinced about the value to the business”.

The majority of organisations (62%) are using the micro-blogging site for publicising new content, with 54% using the channel for marketing or brand monitoring (47%). Only 27% of companies are using Twitter as a customer service tool for reacting to issues and inquiries, while 25% use Twitter as a customer feedback tool. 7% felt that Twitter is over-hyped and a fad.

Via EPR Network
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Fujitsu Has Chosen bigmouthmedia To Lead Its International PPC Campaign

Fujitsu Technology Solutions GmbH selected the Edinburgh based search engine optimisation company following a multi-agency pitch. Bigmouthmedia will now lead the company’s paid search advertising campaign in more than 25 countries worldwide, including Germany, France and the United Kingdom.

David Hardy, bigmouthmedia group’s international sales and marketing director, commented on the deal saying: “We’re delighted to be working for such an internationally renowned brand like Fujitsu. One of bigmouthmedia’s key strengths is our international scope, and our demonstrable expertise in running complex multi-language campaigns has been a key factor in winning this account.”

He added: “Over the past 12 years we have established a proven track record in managing big brands across multiple territories, and I am confident we will enjoy similar success with our strategy for what promises to be a challenging and exciting campaign.”

Fujitsu’s digital marketing requirements also included an increase in the profile, turnover and traffic on their international sites as well as the capacity to oversee new product and service launches. Beginning work immediately, bigmouthmedia now develops and manages Fujitsu’s PPC campaigns in more than 25 countries, including Italy, Spain, Turkey, Scandinavia and the Eastern European countries.

About bigmouthmedia
Founded in 1997, bigmouthmedia is Europe’s largest and most experienced digital marketing agency and was rated the UK’s #1 Search agency for Search Engine Optimisation and PPC in the 2009 NMA Marketing Services Guide.

Bigmouthmedia’s 200+ online marketing experts across 12 international offices maximise online brand exposure for our clients by means of integrated digital strategies incorporating SEO, PPC, social media marketing, affiliate marketing, display advertising, online PR and copywriting.

Via EPR Network
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Bigmouthmedia Welcomes The New Search Partnership Between Yahoo And Microsoft’s Bing Search Engine, Stating That The New Arrangement Could Rejuvenate Competition In A Market Currently Dominated By Google

Although details of the deal are as yet unclear, reports from numerous credible news outlets worldwide suggest that after many months of negotiation, the global giants are set to unveil an agreement that will see Yahoo sell search ads under Microsoft’s nascent Bing brand. While estimates of the global market share the partnership will hold vary from 12% to 30%, Europe’s largest independent digital marketing agency believes that the news will have a positive impact upon the industry.

“It’s been 18 months since the rumour mill first started touting the possibility of a deal involving Yahoo and Microsoft, and the industry as a whole will be delighted to see what’s become the search business’ longest-running soap opera finally approaching a conclusion. The devil will be in the detail, but given the alarming dominance that Google has held over the market for so long, the prospect of a serious challenge to their position is good news for everyone,” said Lyndsay Menzies, Chief Operations Officer at bigmouthmedia.

“Although the impact in the UK will be minimal, with the combined entity still only accounting for a market share of around 5%, competition in any market is good for consumers. If the partnership succeeds in growing their market share still further, the renewed challenge could force Google to become more competitive.”

With the precise details of the agreement still a closely guarded secret, the news that Yahoo has finally succumbed to Microsoft’s advances has spawned widespread speculation over the deal’s possible ramifications. While the prospect of a serious competitor to Google’s Adwords system is being touted as a move that could help push PPC advertising prices downwards, other commentators have suggested that the deal could force the search giant to reconsider its policy against paying commission to partner agencies.

“There are still more questions than there are answers about this deal, but If Yahoo’s paid search ads are powered by Bing then we will have another credible search engine to consider for paid search budgets. That may result in some instability as bid management platforms adapt to cope with the new landscape, but it will help keep cost-per-click prices down,” said Andrew Girdwood, bigmouthmedia’s Head of Search.

“But if Bing is only going to supply Yahoo with organic results then it still means Yahoo is out of the search game. They’ll not be developing their search engine, are unlikely to return to it and will in essence become an ad management platform – the long term effects of which remain to be seen.”

About bigmouthmedia
Founded in 1997, bigmouthmedia is Europe’s largest and most experienced digital marketing agency and was rated the UK’s #1 Search agency for Search Engine Optimisation and PPC in the 2009 NMA Marketing Services Guide.

Bigmouthmedia’s 200+ online marketing experts across 12 international offices maximise online brand exposure for our clients by means of integrated digital strategies incorporating SEO, PPC, Social Media Marketing, Affiliate marketing, Display Advertising, Online PR and Copywriting.

Bigmouthmedia’s multilingual digital solutions deliver outstanding ROI for over 300 world leading brands including British Airways, Tesco, ebay, Sky, Cisco, BT, Comic Relief, Barclaycard and Europcar.

Via EPR Network
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Bigmouthmedia Extends Collaboration With Microsoft Germany

In the wake of a successful collaboration with Microsoft Germany, bigmouthmedia, Europe’s largest independent digital marketing agency, plan to extend the 2B-Found Project by offering a range of SEO tools to the software giant’s sales network. Providing a range of services to the manufacturer and its partners, the new framework will afford access to a set of analysis and optimisation modules designed to help members fine tune their websites for search engines.

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“Having worked with Microsoft for the last 18 months, we have developed a very strong relationship with them. It is the next logical step to extend our collaboration. We are very excited to be working more closely with Microsoft and look forward to developing 2B-Found further. For their part, Microsoft are pleased with the results and to have the recommendation of such a major software player is a fantastic endorsement,” said Lyndsay Menzies, Chief Operations Officer at bigmouthmedia.

The deal follows the success of bigmouthmedia’s search engine optimisation campaign promoting the Microsoft Dynamics brand across Germany. Since launching in early 2008 the team promoting the software manufacturer’s enterprise products has achieved rapid results, doubling the percentage of search engine traffic to the Dynamics site.

“These results have exceeded our expectations. Bigmouthmedia has quickly and clearly increased our traffic and the visibility of our Microsoft Dynamics brand, so we have therefore decided to expand our cooperation further and make the know-how of the company’s SEO experts available to our distribution partners”, said Antje Reichelt, Audience Marketing Manager at Microsoft Dynamics.

The Microsoft Dynamics brand is one of the world’s largest providers of enterprise software. Distributed through partners, its products are used by 300,000 corporate clients across the globe.

“Following our collaboration, Microsoft Dynamics is now showing a significantly greater proportion of prominent placements in search engine rankings. In just a few months we have been able to reach the first places in searched terms at Google for Microsoft’s most important keywords, a ten percent increase in comparison to its competitors,” said Isabell Wagner, Managing Director of bigmouthmedia Germany.

“We are pleased that project’s success means the continuation of our cooperation, which means that Microsoft’s partners will also now benefit from our services.”

About bigmouthmedia
Founded in 1997, bigmouthmedia is Europe’s largest independent digital marketing agency. With a team of over 200 staff located across 13 offices in 10 countries on 3 continents, the company maximises exposure for major brands online through a variety of fully integrated digital marketing channels: Search (SEO, PPC, Online Media Planning, Affiliate marketing, Social Networking, Brand Monitoring, Online PR and Web Analytics. Bigmouthmedia also provides up to date daily digital marketing news to ensure clients are fully informed and aware of all industry developments.

Via EPR Network
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Bigmouthmedia Reports That Further Changes Unveiled By Google To Its International Trademark Policy Could Cost The World’s Major Companies Millions In The Short Term As They Struggle To Protect Their Brands Online

While not unexpected, Google’s decision to allow anyone to bid for trademarked keywords in a total of 194 countries including Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Russia is widely predicted to lead to price rises in the markets affected. However, evidence from the UK – where the policy change was first rolled out in 2008 – indicates that while bidding on some brand terms could increase by as much as 500% in the short term, the impact is unlikely to be permanent.

“While dropping trademark protection didn’t send costs skyrocketing to the extent many feared in the UK, during the initial scramble to bid on competitor brand terms we saw cost-per-click (CPC) prices rise by an average of 400-500%. Those levels proved unsustainable in the long term however, and we would expect any spike in keyword prices to normalise within a matter of weeks, “said Lyndsay Menzies, Chief Operations Officer at bigmouthmedia.

“Our international offices have been working with such a system in the US and UK for years and we know how to deal with it, but the news is likely to precipitate changes in some international markets as brands move budgets about within digital channels to maximise return.”

Bringing the new territories into line with its North American and UK businesses, Google will now allow open keyword bidding on all terms in 194 countries worldwide. This means it is now possible for more than one advertiser to appear in the list of sponsored links that appears after a user has typed in a search query using a trademarked term.

Experience from the UK indicates that successful legal challenges to the rule changes seem unlikely, although commentators will note that Google has yet to relax restrictions in France, Italy or Germany, where copyright laws are particularly robust.

While bad news for major brands, the move is likely to be good news for smaller competitors looking to close the gap. The announcement is also likely to have a profound effect on all affiliate partners, with the ability to bid on competitor keywords greatly increasing the scope and range of their operations.

“While brands might be tempted to bid on competitor keywords in the newly opened markets, Google’s rules mean that while they are allowed to bid on brand terms they can’t use them in their advert copy, something that frequently results in a low quality score and a high average CPC. They are also likely to experience poor conversion rates, because the fact of the matter is that if a customer searches for a particular brand name, that’s the one they’re interesting in buying,” said Robin Richmond, bigmouthmedia’s Head of Pay Per Click (PPC).

“Google’s revised rules will add new layers of complexity to the search landscape though. Look at affiliate marketing and PPC: many brands restrict their affiliates from brand bidding but these policies may now need to be reviewed if they wish to protect their real estate from direct competitors.”

About bigmouthmedia 
Founded in 1997, bigmouthmedia is Europe’s largest independent digital marketing agency. With a team of over 200 staff across 12 offices in 10 countries, the company maximises exposure for major brands online through a variety of fully integrated digital marketing channels: PPC and search engine optimisation, Online Media Planning, Affiliate Marketing, Social Networking, Brand Monitoring, Online PR and Web Analytics. Bigmouthmedia also provides up to date daily digital marketing news to ensure clients are fully informed and aware of all industry developments.

Leading the digital marketing strategies of a third of the UK’s most trusted brands, bigmouthmedia services over 300 big-brand customers globally including: Hilton, British Airways, Tesco, Air Berlin, Barclays, Sky, British Telecom and Wall Street Institute.

Via EPR Network
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Bigmouthmedia Has Been Named The UK’s Number 1 SEO And PPC Agency In The New Media Age Marketing Services Guide 2009

Widely regarded as the definitive guide to Britain’s digital marketing landscape, the NMA league table is ranked on income, with bigmouthmedia’s range of big brand client wins, cross-channel expertise and experienced management team cited as being key to the company’s industry-leading status.

“Like every industry the search sector has faced a lot of challenges recently, but despite difficult economic circumstances the blend of effectiveness and measurable ROI that online marketing provides is still proving a winning combination,” said Lyndsay Menzies, bigmouthmedia’s Group Chief Operations Officer.

“There are many factors behind our success, but the most important is the dedicated, skilled and passionate bigmouth team that underpins everything we do.”

Highlighting the international expertise offered by bigmouthmedia’s offices in the UK, US, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, France and Spain, New Media Age attributed the company’s success to an unequivocal impact on clients’ bottom lines: “The increased investment in search during the recession reflects the drum beaten by specialists and search pioneers over the past decade: that it’s an incredibly effective, cost-efficient and wholly trackable marketing discipline.”

Citing the latest available research, the guide’s editors expect to see further growth in the year ahead. According to the recently published 2009 UK Search Engine Marketing Benchmark Report, half of Britain’s senior marketers are set to increase their online budgets over the next 12 months.

The 2009 guide pointed to bigmouthmedia’s retention of British Airways’ combined PPC and SEO campaign – together with winning both the Sky and Europcar accounts – as the highlights of another successful year for the UK business. Editors also noted the launch of the agency’s Online PR division and a raft of high profile executive appointments.

About bigmouthmedia 
Founded in 1997, bigmouthmedia is Europe’s largest independent digital marketing agency. With a team of over 200 staff located across 13 offices in 10 countries on 3 continents, the company maximises exposure for major brands online through a variety of fully integrated digital marketing channels: Search engine optimisation, PPC, Online Media Planning, Affiliate marketing, Social Networking, Brand Monitoring, Online PR and Web Analytics. Bigmouthmedia also provides up to date daily digital marketing news to ensure clients are fully informed and aware of all industry developments.

Via EPR Network
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Bigmouthmedia Uncovers Britains Missing Millions

Bigmouthmedia reports Britain’s top companies stand to lose out on a raft of sales in 2009 after an analysis of the FTSE 100’s digital marketing activity revealed that some of the country’s biggest brands are missing out on a potential online revenue stream worth over£370million.

While the majority of the UK’s leading companies run successful affiliate marketing campaigns responsible for increasing internet sales on average by 15%, many major corporations are still failing to exploit the channel. Now, after extensive research bigmouthmedia has revealed that based on available figures, a raft of household names stand to lose potential affiliate revenues of £376.3 million in the next year alone.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg. The research focused solely on FTSE100 operations, but if Britain’s biggest companies are failing to capitalise on such a lucrative revenue stream, the amounts being lost across the entire UK business spectrum could be quite remarkable,” said Lyndsay Menzies, Chief Operations Officer at bigmouthmedia.

Lyndsay continued, “Affiliate marketing is a well established and proven digital channel, and the fact that so many leading companies continue to ignore it is remarkable in light of the current economic situation.”

Online FTSE100 revenues were calculated using recent British Retail Index estimates that 15 pence in every pound is now spent online. Figures included only income derived from goods and services sold direct to consumers.

In the interests of accuracy, only FTSE listed companies trading with the public were included in the analysis. Due to the current unpredictable nature of the savings and loans sector, banking organisations were similarly discounted.

Although there is broad industry consensus that affiliate marketing campaigns that are run according to best practice guidelines can boost online revenues by up to 15%, bigmouthmedia calculated the listed companies’ potential 2009 income from the channel based on a more conservative figure of 10%.

“Affiliate marketing is a pay for performance model – you can see exactly where your pound is being spent. It’s a proven channel for acquiring new customers, driving incremental sales and getting brand exposure on sites that you would not necessarily traditionally target through other online marketing strategies,” said Jen Brain, Affiliates Manager at bigmouthmedia.

Jen concluded, “The low financial risk associated with the affiliate channel makes it an ideal marketing tool in the current economic environment and one that all transactional websites should look to invest in.”

About bigmouthmedia 
Founded in 1997, bigmouthmedia is Europe’s largest independent digital marketing agency. With a team of over 200 staff across 12 offices in 10 countries on 3 continents, the company maximises exposure for major brands online through a variety of fully integrated digital marketing channels: Search engine optimisation, PPC, Affiliate marketing, Social Media Planning, Online PR and Web Analytics. Bigmouthmedia also provides up to date daily digital marketing news, to ensure clients are fully informed and aware of all industry developments.

Leading the digital marketing strategies of a third of the UK’s most trusted brands, bigmouthmedia services over 300 big-brand customers globally including: MTV, Adidas, BT, Hilton, AOL, British Airways, Cisco, Tesco, Aer Lingus, BP, Barclays, Fasthosts, Jumeirah, Top Man, Debenhams, Air Berlin and Wall Street Institute.

Via EPR Network
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Bigmouthmedia Summit To Map Out Finance Sectors Online Battleground

Bigmouthmedia reveals that one of the UK’s leading online business experts is set to tell an audience of financial sector executives that the digital media will be a key battleground in their fight to beat the downturn.

Speaking ahead of the bigmouthmedia finance summit in April, Econsultancy CEO Ashley Friedlein believes that the finance industry faces a fight on two fronts over the coming year. In addition to coping with an uncertain market, he says the beleaguered sector will also be forced to come to terms with the explosive growth of social media.

“While the financial sector faces an unprecedented crisis of consumer confidence, it is also operating in an era where the way that businesses interact with the public is changing at a breakneck speed. The remarkable popularity of social networking applications such as twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook has taken many businesses by surprise, but the medium has already become a key commercial communications channel,” said Friedlein, “Coming to terms with these new channels and keeping pace with the rapid developments within them will be one of the critical challenges facing businesses in the months ahead.”

Drawing upon Econsultancy’s wealth of industry research, Friedlein plans to use the event to demonstrate how businesses can effectively engage the social media. Joining a line up of some of the UK’s best known online finance specialists, his presentation will contribute to an agenda designed to take participants through the key marketing strategies recommended to help businesses prosper in the current economic climate.

He will be joined by Senior Head of Financial Services at Google UK Ian Morgan and Tom Pearman, Finance Manager at Microsoft Advertising. Comscore’s Paolo Barbesino, Yahoo Finance Category Director Jeremy Fawcett and Will Cooper from New Media Age will also be presenting.

“It may be a tough time for the finance sector, but there are still opportunities for smart, successful companies working towards the recovery,” said Chris Cathcart, Senior Finance Strategist at bigmouthmedia.

He continued, “We designed this summit to highlight the positives, and the attendees can look forward to an exciting event focused on successful strategies, informal networking and a chance to speak directly with the people at the forefront of online finance in the UK today.”

The bigmouthmedia Finance Summit takes place in London on 8th April and is a free event aimed at senior marketing and ecommerce executives. Places are limited, but those wishing to attend can call 0845 130 0055 or email hello@bigmouthmedia.com for an invitation.

About bigmouthmedia 
Founded in 1997, bigmouthmedia is Europe’s largest independent digital marketing agency. With a team of over 200 staff across 13 offices in 10 countries on 3 continents, the company maximises exposure for major brands online through a variety of fully integrated digital marketing channels: PPC and Search Engine Optimisation, Online Media Planning, Affiliate marketing, Social Networking, Brand Monitoring, Online PR and Web Analytics.

Leading the digital marketing strategies of a third of the UK’s most trusted brands, bigmouthmedia services over 300 big-brand customers globally including: Adidas, Hilton, British Airways, Tesco, Aer Lingus, BP, Barclays, Castrol, Conrad International, Dorling Kindersley, Early Learning Centre, , Fasthosts, Jumeirah, Canon, Samsung, Starbucks, Top Man, Debenhams, Which?, Lacoste, Euler Hermes and Wall Street Institute.

Via EPR Network
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