SHIFT Launches Digital Content Marketing Services
Today SHIFT is launching a Digital Content Marketing practice!
The companies that, for years, chased after “ink” in the mainstream media are now starting to think like publishers themselves. Creating and sharing multimedia that helps spur dialogue in blogs, forums, Twitter, etc., has become almost as important as getting that elusive WSJ clip.
Why? Because great content will be shared and discussed and linked to … which enhances loyalty, as well as a company’s organic search presence … which boosts credibility, and sales.
Long-time readers of PR-Squared already know that I’ve been a big advocate of Content Marketing approaches, via posts such as:
- Empower & Inspire with Content Marketing
- Produce, Propogate, Promote
- Content Marketing: Think MULTI Media
Now I put my money where my mouth is.
SHIFT’s Digital Content Marketing unit will offer the following services:
• Digital Video Productions
• Mobile / Studio Podcasting
• Live Remote Video Capabilities
• SEO Programs
• Additional Digital and Community Building Services, including Facebook application development and presence management
Additional information on each of these services can be found in the new Digital Content Marketing section of our website.
This new service area is being spearheaded by my colleague Bob Collins. I’ve worked with Bob for over 12 years. He started, nurtured, and spun-out several of our most successful agency teams over the years.
And Bob’s become a Social Media zealot in his own right: he was entrusted with leadership of the Boston Social Media Breakfast when Bryan Person fled for warmer climes. Our new group is in good hands.
But, here’s a twist:
Starting an initiative like this is a huge step, and right now our primary job is to continue delivering excellent PR work. Content creation represents a big investment. But Bob is so charged up by the concepts and capabilities we’ve pulled together that he wants to make a real run of it. While we’re maintaining a strong, ongoing affiliation with Bob and will offer SHIFT-branded services under his auspices, he’ll be acting as an independent. A project like this is the very definition of that next gamble I’ve discussed in the past, and I can’t think of a better, more qualified person to take a swing at this…
Why spin out the Content Marketing practice on the very same day that we launch it? Because we know that there are many boutique PR shops who would also benefit from his expertise. And they might not be comfortable working directly with SHIFT.
So, we’re not only going to offer SHIFT’s Digital Content Marketing services to clients and prospects, Bob is also going to white-label those same services for our agency competitors.
That’s right. You get to offer the groovy services that we now offer. And take all the credit! Meanwhile, we get to learn from those experiences to improve our own game down the road.
It’s a tough, weird economy and a weird, new world in PR/Marketing. We look forward to offering a breadth of cool new services to clients, partners, and competitors alike!
Posted on: March 2, 2009 at 9:58 am By Todd Defren
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Todd, I was on vacation last week, so I’m just getting to this in my feed reader, but I wanted to offer my congratulations on this step.
I think it’s a great move, and I wish Bob the very best as he heads forward with this new challenge.
Jen
Ted -
Love that quote: Be great at what you do well and link to the rest.
It’s the main reason we designed the program as flexible as we have. Not only have we developed & invested in new resources for delivering great digital content – but also established a strong foundation of select partners to help us offer the highest quality and innovative digital marketing capabilities.
No doubt the lines are blurring – as the communications mediums themselves are already rapidly merging.
As such, we’re helping our clients better understand, grow and more effectively engage their customers directly through new digital communications and social media strategies. As well as through our traditional media and public relations programs.
Thanks again for your interest. If you have sometime, love to connect and see where we may be able to collaborate in the future.
~Bob Collins
Twitter: @RobertCollins
Hi Ted -
Yes, I agree with you: that is why Bob Collins is spinning-out. He’ll be our go-to, trusted partner for content creation services, but we are not precluding the prospect of working with additional outside partners. In essence we are adding a node to the ecosystem that we know we can trust; but not closing ourselves off from other nodes NOR losing sight of what we’re best at!
Todd:
Congratulations on continuing to “Shift” away from being a PR agency. This new addition to your services puts you into some interesting company. In times of change, the leaders in exploring the next reality blur the lines of the old reality by encroaching on each other’s businesses. So you now are competing against digital agencies just as ad network Federated Media similarly has announced a focus on helping it’s customers develop content strategies.
Ultimately I side with Jeff Jarvis on this — be great at what you do well and link to the rest. The future will be won by ecosystems and not monolithic providers that hope to do everything themselves. I hope your new model has sufficient attention focused on partnership and is not conceived of as a closed system.
Best,
Twitter: @tshelton
Thanks all for your comments and well wishes. There have been a few comments inquiring about emphasis on Video development. It’s primarily driven by two elements.
1) Our current clients and prospects are asking more about video services and it establishes a great way to incorporate the material into our other communications programs – Fresh Content is always great to share with media, bloggers and analysts and their community. Good for them, Good for us.
2) As noted on our new Digital Services site, Video is one of the fastest-growing media used in social media community building. It’s hard to fake being genuine and transparent when connecting through a visual medium. People want to be engaged through raw, honest, passionate and creatively captured-and-shared moments on issues that they connect with. Creative video that is fun, engaging and helpful is also very readily sharable – and that helps tell and expand the stories and brand of a Company ten fold.
And please let us know if you have any other questions – or better yet, are interested in some of our new services.
~Bob Collins
Bob and Todd,
This is exciting! I wish you both luck in your adventure. I hope that this begins a new chapter in PR agency service.
In the description of your services why is such a large emphasis put on video production? Also can we expect a weekly video series from Shift?
-MA
@Mandrews33
Congratulations on joining content creation world. Hope our entry into it four years ago had some inspiration for you! Best of luck.
(methinks my previous post got lost is the transfer so here it is again)
Congrats. Great idea. Looking forward to what Mr. Collins does with the new entity. PR industry is definitely in paradigm-shifting times. SHIFT has always been an innovator in best-practices and execution… and always a good follow. Keep up the good work.
Twitter: @thebetsy