Wildfire Tech PR Blog – Business and Consumer Technology Public Relations

If one thing has become clear in the last few weeks, it’s that everyone loves the Old Spice guy.  He sprung out of nowhere, posted some clever YouTube videos and we all had a good time.

But social media was supposed to be about more than this.  It was supposed to make companies more transparent and usher in a new age of true public relations – it was supposed to save the world!

“I’m on a horse”

Instead, the old approach of pushing a brand into consumers’ faces, however entertaining, seems to prevail. Examples like the Old Spice man are typical ‘flash in the pan’ campaigns, disposable advertising that builds as much of a relationship with most viewers as ads ever have. Once it has run its course, P&G will be back to the drawing board for another idea.

This marketing will always have its place, it’s part of the mix and when done well, indispensable. But it’s a prime example of social channels being used the old fashioned way. Most importantly, it’s the advertising agency speaking to the viewer, not the business itself.

Talk to the animals

But we all know how brands can use social media to communicate externally, right? Get the customer service department stuck in!

All you need is a clever Boolean search for your brand name and you can wage war on negative sentiment, responding to your audience and making them feel loved.  What’s great about this is that it sets the right tone and the right priorities, namely independence and authenticity.

Interestingly, it’s also fundamentally quite old-fashioned with businesses communicating directly with customers based on intimate job expertise, not marketing credentials. It’s what people want, it’s how things used to be, and it’s as it can be again.

Think bigger

But why would you bring this change to only one department in your business? At best, this displays a lack of ambition and, at worst, unappealing cynicism.

Those working with brands and social media in any capacity should do everything possible to help clients become socially aware, involved and ultimately, independent.

This is our best hope to escape the current “flash in the pan” case studies and move toward the more mature pedigree of what we’ve started to call sustainable social media.

A better future for our children

Just as the concept of sustainability elsewhere draws on ideas of self-sufficiency and a long game perspective, in social media, we need to be laying the groundwork for businesses to do the same.

Campaigns like Old Spice Man will always have their place and indeed, this is where I might expect specialists to come in and bring their creativity to the table.  But once we’re through this teething phase and clients are more social savvy than not, the potential of such campaigns will be truly phenomenal.

And our childrens’ children

Once brands are thoroughly social and working with intelligent and equally competent specialists in PR, digital etc, that’s when we’re going to start seeing the most consistently brilliant work. And that’s when the aspirations of social media will finally become more than collective ambition and over-exposed shallow case studies.

At Wildfire, we work closely with brands to guide them through the world of social media, to create an effective presence that really delivers results. But to the uninitiated, managing a public space to share information, engage with customers and increase brand recognition could sound incredibly complicated – or even worse, expensive!

But actually, when you break down the core elements of running an effective social media offering, it’s really quite straightforward and just needs time, planning and a long term commitment to keep up activity.

How do we know this?

One of our long term clients, set-top box manufacturer and digital giant Humax, has recently been recognised by Get Connected magazine as a shining example of how effective Facebook can be to handle consumer engagement correctly. As the columnist George Cole points out, “the best companies are doing what Humax has done, they are embracing the internet’s potential”

Check out our top five tips for using Facebook to engage your customers, or contact our team to find out how we can help you to devise a social media strategy that works for your business.

1. Post regular updates
2. Reply to criticism as well as praise – face things head on
3. Offer exclusive content to your fans – competitions, videos and savings
4. Keep it interesting – less corporate, more inviting
5. Take part in discussions, encourage your Facebook fans to become a community

It’s been an exciting year so far here at Wildfire PR with a host of new client wins, great work for existing clients and a top 20 ranking in the PR Week league tables!

We’re committed to finding and training the best talent to ensure we continue to grow and expand and, with this in mind, we are launching a new graduate scheme and are on the hunt for the best young talent to fill this exciting new position.

What we are looking for

We’re after a recent graduate to join our team here in Surbiton (15 minutes from Waterloo) with a keen interest in technology and a genuine desire to join a fast growing, dynamic, well respected and highly motivated team.

The role, as junior account executive, will span B2B and B2C clients and involve liaising with journalists, managing social media campaigns, nurturing client relationships and being actively involved in all account activities.

What you’ll get

In return, we are offering excellent training opportunities to help you develop your abilities and progress your career. We also actively encourage our team to attend events and conferences to build their market knowledge and expertise.

Not only this, but we have an attractive salary package to offer, 20 days annual leave (with more over Christmas and a day off on your birthday), a company iPhone and an online rewards scheme giving money off vouchers and cashback. You’ll also be part of a boisterous and brilliant team here at Wildfire HQ with regular company nights out!

What you need to do

Anyone who is up for the challenge should email their details to recruitment@wildfirepr.co.uk for further details. We’ll be asking shortlisted applicants to attend a workshop day at our offices in the next couple of weeks.

In the meantime, you might want to check out our website, read our blog or even follow us (and the team) on Twitter or Facebook!

What if we scraped in at 150? Or didn’t make it in at all? There was some debate about entering the PR Week Top 150 PR Consultancies league table this year. 2009 was a tough year for Wildfire, but how tough was it for other agencies? Then again, you’ve got to be in it to win it! So enter we did.

And when the league table came out we were pretty chuffed to reach number 138. Not bad for a specialist PR shop in Surbiton, Surrey. Then we waited with baited breath for the tech league tables. We are, after all, a tech PR specialist. This is the one that really counts for us. And we were totally blown away to enter the Top 40 Tech Consultancies at 19th position.

Don’t get me wrong; it’s not that I don’t think we deserve it. We work bloody hard. We do a great job for our clients. We don’t want to be the biggest agency in the world. But we do want to be the best in our class. And we’ve invested a lot in that goal: getting the right people; doing the right training; embracing the changing PR landscape and getting excited about it, rather than sticking our heads in the sand. We might not be in the thick of Central London, but we are only 20 minutes away. Living the Good Life: lovely offices, leafy suburbs. But totally still in the game.

So now the challenge is to stay there. Improve our performance. Show everyone what we are made of. And there is only one way to do that. Continue to focus on doing the best possible job for Wildfire’s clients. Give them our best advice. Try new things. Work hard and have fun. And I, for one, can’t wait. Those of you that know me, or follow me on Twitter, will be aware the last few months have been a shocker with a slipped disk and spinal surgery. I’ve missed my team. I’ve missed being in the thick of it. But I’m totally on the mend and I have 100% faith in the brilliant team at Wildfire. Our time is now. And it’s going to be another great year for us. Watch this space….

We’ve really hit the ground running at Wildfire HQ in 2010, so we’re now looking for a fantastic senior account exec to join our growing team.

We want someone who’s oozing creative flair, has a great sense of humour and is eager to work with a driven, but friendly group of PRs who really know their stuff. You’ll also need a minimum of two years experience, with strong contacts in the IT and business press and a passion for digital and social media.

In return, we offer a very competitive salary plus a range of benefits and training opportunities.

If you’re up for joining one of the UK’s brightest and fastest growing young tech agencies, send us your CV or drop us a line or a tweet to find out more.