It’s about engaging in a discussion, not sending a message.
Social Media Strategy
We view social media as a business strategy—not simply a set of new communications tools. Unlike traditional corporate communication, which is hierarchical and unidirectional, social media brings customers, prospects, industry-watchers and others into an extended and open conversation at all levels, from product strategy and development to service and brand. The broadcast approach to communicating no longer works; people want to discover news and information on their own.
There are many examples of the value of social media among brands, from companies that integrate customer feedback into product strategy, to others who solicit and respond to customer questions, to still more who facilitate communities where customers assist each other, reducing cost and promoting stronger brand engagement.
Horn Group approaches social media by looking at your business objectives first and assessing cultural readiness to engage in this two-way medium, matching the tools to fit the goals. We've established a model that allows you to associate social media with specific business drivers like customer experience, innovation and financial performance. Even if you start small, you can design programs that solve real business problems and deliver meaningful results.
Our social media offering includes monitoring and listening programs, boot camp training for executives, blog strategy, community strategy, issues management and influencer relations. Our award-winning interactive services team designs and develops social media newsrooms, corporate blogs, widgets and customer communities. And we help companies create authentic and provocative digital content like video, audio, presentations and Flash demos.
Keep current on many of the latest social media issues by reading our blog.
Media Relations
Reporters are under more pressure than ever because they are now on the hook not only for daily or weekly stories but also multiple blog posts and podcasts. We’ll help you grab their interest with clear, concise and compelling communications. Don’t waste your time or theirs on outdated PR strategies.
Our industry focus gives us something few large agencies can offer: long-standing relationships with trade, business and vertical media sources – in print, online and on the air. In fact, journalists have ranked Horn Group as “Best of the Best”, three years in a row, in PRSourceCode’s annual Top Tech Communicators survey.
We run proactive media campaigns that deliver results. Whether to insert a CEO into a hot topic discussion and position them as a thought leader or to launch a new service with a splash, our media campaigns engage journalists and audiences at large. Part well-honed intuition and part strategy, we create compelling news and present technical stories in business terms that resonate with readers.
For some companies, media strategy also includes product reviews and awards. Most agencies relegate review and awards to the most junior staff. At Horn Group, we work closely with clients to get the right content up front to shape fiasco-free reviews and winning award entries.
Media Training
Companies that communicate convincingly are in a better position to succeed. Horn Group VoicePower is award-winning media training and presentation coaching that gives spokespeople the skills they need to engage their audience and communicate persuasively. VoicePower includes hands-on interview and Q&A coaching that is customized for each executive. The training is conducted by agency partners who often invite local journalists for mock interviewing and on-camera role play. Participants walk away with new confidence in their personal delivery style, their ability to engage in credible and compelling conversation and their ease with tough interviews on-camera or off.
Media Analytics
Horn Group delivers more than press releases and column inches. We provide competitive media analysis to track media penetration and fine tune marketing strategy while holding ourselves accountable for results. We monitor and report on what's being said about clients and their markets in print and in the blogosphere. We do quarterly reviews with our clients to make sure we are on track and to benchmark results in the right way to meet everyone's needs.
Monthly or quarterly analytics provide quantitative and qualitative assessments of a company, its competitors and industry specific trends. Analyses include share-of-voice, share-of-discussion and share-of-market. These metrics allow us to adjust communications programs and develop on-strategy marketing tactics to achieve competitive advantage. For more in-depth analysis, we party with third party measurement vendors who can offer clients deep objective reporting on a project or ongoing basis.
