Case Studies

If I build a Keyword Communication Campaign, Will They Come?

Case Study: If I build a Keyword Communication Campaign, Will They Come?

Problem

Diamond Management & Technology Consultants, a strategic advisor to Fortune 500 corporations on the complexities of business and IT integration, had deemphasized promotion of its technology practice to take services to market through specific industry practice areas. David Moon, the Chief Marketing Officer for Diamond, asked me to devise a public relations strategy to reclaim general technology territory that would support his marketing efforts.

At the time the traditional media was shrinking and online conversations were expanding, Chris Curran, the firm’s Chief Technology Officer, was writing prolifically about the pain facing CIOs. But rather than blogging, Chris was authoring white papers being announced via traditional press releases.

Strategy

In response, I developed and presented the concept of “Keyword Communication”, which is the strategic process of distributing compelling content consistently across an array of traditional and new media channels to claim online territory and to connect directly with customers.

Chris Curran, the CTO for Diamond, became the spokesperson for the campaign, which would use the keyword–CIO–to cross industries and reach Diamond’s core customer.

Tactics

  • Use Twitter and LinkedIn to lead a discussion about the issues facing CIOs, using keywords as smoke signals
  • Find CIOs using Twitter and create an online directory which is attached to his blog and deemed “The Twitter CIO Dashboard”
  • Follow technology reporters on Twitter and engage them in discussion
  • Invite the traditional mainstream and trade media to write about CIOs who Tweet
  • Tap employees at Diamond to help expand the CIO Dashboard’s reach
  • Distribute hyperlinked press release via PRWeb to drive SEO and alert key media to the CIO Twitter Dashboard
  • Push out tried and true customized email messages to mainstream and CIO trade media about the CIO Twitter Dashboard and followed up via phone in select cases
  • Add Feedburners to the CIO Dashboard blog and engage Diamond employees to share Chris’s content
  • Alert Twitter followers to new CIOs added to the directory

Results

In only in a matter of 3 months and 25 blogs, Chris has:

  • Attracted a consistent stream of CIOs asking to be added to the CIO Twitter Dashboard
  • Authored bylined articles on social networking for CIOs in CIO Update and Public CIO Magazine
  • Asked to become a regular contributor to CIO Insight Magazine
  • Driven record traffic to the CIO Dashboard blog and generated 71 comments
  • Been highlighted in CIO magazine and asked to contribute regularly to CIO.com
  • Featured in a ZDNet story about the CIO Twitter Dashboard, which spiked traffic
  • Featured in the CIO Weblog
  • Gained over 1200 followers on Twitter and has been retweeted over 255 times
  • Invited to speak at an “IT Project Failures” web seminar (online, audio), to serve on CompTIA industry association CIO advisory board (in person) and to be keynote speaker at 10th annual 9.9 Media CTO Forum in Bejing

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