Case Studies

We help you create compelling keyword driven content and distribute it consistently via traditional media and social networks to maintain conversations with your key target audiences.

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

Situation Analysis

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 focus on taking services to market through specific industry practice areas, such as healthcare, financial services and manufacturing. David Moon, the Chief Marketing Officer for Diamond, asked Amy Dean, president of Dean Public Relations, to devise a public relations strategy to showcase Diamond’s general technology expertise that spanned sectors and to position the firm as a technology thought leader.

The traditional media was shrinking and online conversations were expanding at the time. Chris Curran, the firm’s Chief Technology Officer, was writing prolifically about the pain facing CIOs. However, the firm was sporadically pushing his points of view out to the marketplace through stodgy white papers and traditional press releases, which didn’t position the firm as walking their technology talk, nor did it make a big enough impact for the firm to reclaim general technology territory.

Strategy

Amy developed and presented to Diamond the concept of “Keyword Communication,” which is the strategic process of distributing compelling content consistently across an array new media channels (Blogs, LinkedIn and Twitter) to claim online real estate and to connect directly with customers. At the heart of the campaign was the keyword–CIO–which would cross industries and reach Diamond’s core customer and demonstrate that Diamond practiced what it preached.

Big Social Media Idea

Amy counseled Diamond on setting up and maximizing the various social media channels, but she also knew the firm needed a big idea to boost its following and to cultivate an online community where Chris could lead an ongoing conversation. She advised the firm to organize an online directory of CIOs who were using Twitter and to house it on Chris’s blog to drive traffic to his posts. The directory would also give Chris the credibility to speak about social media as an expert and to serve as an example for other CIOs on how to build their personal brands. Together, they created the directory and announced it to the media. Each time the firm added a new CIO to the directory, the firm tweeted a welcome message, to keep the directory top of mind and at the heart of the discussion.

Results

  • Attracted a consistent stream of CIOs clamoring to be added to the CIO Twitter Dashboard
  • Chris was featured in CIO magazine on the issue of personal branding as well as a blogger to watch
  • Chris authored bylined articles on social networking for CIOs in CIO Update and Public CIO Magazine
  • Asked to become a regular contributor to CIO Insight and CIO magazines
  • Drove record traffic to the CIO Dashboard blog and generated hundreds of 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