Lewis Webster runs Little Orchard, a video production agency that supplies content for the digital world.

Little Orchard counts many PR and digital agencies amongst its clients as well as companies of the size of Linden Homes.

Lewis himself has worked for MEN Media, and Jack Morton Communications on the Nokia and Vodaphone accounts.

As you might have seen I have been talking at length below about the DMEX placements for digital professionals in the North West, so it might not be a shock that I would investigate the power of video as a PR and SEO tool with Lewis.

Audio Interview links

First we started on the characteristics of video and moved onto content – what makes it invaluable?

You might be surprised that video is a fantastic SEO tool, not only through meta data but also through the recognition of verbal content ( a very recent development for YouTube ): Listen here

I was having a really interesting conversation with Denis Koltsov of BREC and Katie O’Connor of C-Tech Innovation at The Daresbury Innovation Centre recently.

Denis mentioned something very interesting about social media: it doesn’t forget!!  Alright (you know that), but according to a Radio Four program he had listened to, we are not designed to remember everything.

Immediately my mind flashed back to the first day I saw the Internet (for some unknown reason).  It was at the Cyber Cafe on Oxford Road Manchester: a highly impressive piece of branding and interior design as I recall.

I had heard Michael Heseltine bleat on about the “Super Information Highway,” but I hadn’t a clue what he was on about, and I suspect neither did he.

So I went in, took a pew, and was introduced.

I came out – and remember how slow and dull and primitive it was in 1994 – and rushed over to a family friend’s business in China Town.  I exclaimed that I had seen something very special, and was given a generous and perplexed look.

I now get very agitated without broadband and my iPhone.  I have worked in the Internet industry, traveled to the US (twice), I am able to work for myself and I am training in about two hours a professionals services practice and much more besides because of the Internet – it is quite incredible if you think about it.

George Dearsley, a Manchester based media trainer, sent me a great link about the iPad on The Guardian website, and I almost fell in love again: this is really going to revolutionise communications – one Dutch newspaper has taken the bold step of migrating its website based version onto the iPad as the main  (and I think the only) means of diseminating its content.

Craig McGinty did warn me – I now believe.

I found an interesting tweet from journalist Simon Crisp yesterday reminding me that it is 10 years ago, more or less, that the dotcom world collapsed.

The Wired magazine link to what happened to some of the movers and shakers of the dotcom boom and bust makes interesting reading.

I remember it well.  The craziness of unproven brands that burnt piles of cash such as Boo.com raking in plaudits and investment – A new paradigm no less.

Boo.com was run by two Swedish entrepreneurs – one a model with little business experience, but somehow they were whizz kids, without question.  There were some questions when it went belly-up.

Anyway, I was working for a sales and marketing agency called Congress.  My account was web tracking software called Visual Insights.

It was exciting times.  We had a £800,000 budget to market a real technology of substance – not a dotcom – in Europe for a Chicago based company.

I got to travel over there, I saw Congress add a new member of staff every week or so – and the future looked rosy although I cannot really stand Surrey.

I also remember that our business model, as good as it was, could not survive a tech stock market crash, investors pulling out 2nd and 3rd round funding from customers and a raft of US clients no longer worried about creating revenue streams in Europe; they were more worried about surviving.

I was made redundant with most of the marketing department.  Congress barely lasted six more months after that.

Yet, we were dealing with real, not scatter brain, concepts and technology – the whole hill of cards came tumbling down all the same for all of us.

It is partly, maybe nearly wholly, why I was never convinced about a new paradigm about housing.  We shall find out shortly.

I guess I can say I was part of history albeit not a major war or historical landmark, but history is made up of more than just battles.

I did learn a lot and it was from that point on that I decided to specialise in PR and not be a general marcoms professional – at least I think – besides having some interesting experiences and some good people to work with – I came out of it with something good.

Postscript

Did I ever tell you about clubbing in Basingstoke with Congress marketing mates?  I am glad I didn’t and its not own my Facebook page either.

I had to do this, if only to use the image.

(Unfortunately I do not have the skills to airbrush myself – never mind).

The election will be almost upon us and as sure as summer used to herald the thwack of willow on hippy or crusty, the election will have that most weary of images: senior politicians pointing up at unconvincing posters, surrounded by photographers clicking away as though the public could not wait to read about it next day in the papers.

There are exceptions.  Saatchi and Saatchi’s Labour Isn’t Working had a touch of genius and was devastatingly effective.

But even I hoped this specimen might have dampened enthusiasm for the thrusting billboard campaign, I am disappointed:

I prefer:

Back to the serious point after these cheap jibes.  The conversations online are affecting the effectiveness of the traditional billboard.  This can be seen no more clearly than with my www.davidcameron.com

Within the time it takes to make a spoof, a campaign in “the real world” can be derided and scuppered, indeed work against the party in question.

Suddenly communications are more integrated and multi-channel than some imagined.

I expect when a political commentator asks will the election be fought online the answer from the “expert” should be it will be fought everywhere, and especially online.

I was just seeing what would come up for some keywords on Google and tried Manchester PR.

I was looking over the statistics this morning and there is no doubt the term is a much coveted, but how much would you pay for it?

The Manchester PR domain is up for the taking to the highest bidder (until the 17th August) with a reserve of £5,000.

Is that reasonable value, a bargain perhaps?  Strange how it has come to the market after all this time.

The Big Chip Evening held last night was a sign of the intent of Manchester Digital to up its game.

Some 50 digital professionals and interested parties lent their support and attendance despite an unfortunate clash with Social Media Cafe and a very unwelcoming night to venture out in.

With the Big Chip Awards looming Manchester Digital wants not only an enthusiastic response to its call for entries, but to generate enough revenue from the awards to ensure that as fuller programme of events are run throughout the year for members.

Simon Wharton of PushON has been at the vanguard of getting the message out that Manchester Digital can only be as strong as its members’ input.  Simon has been putting in work on a Big Chip Awards Blog to create a buzz, which will be feed by contributions from members as well as conversation from Twitter – join BigChipAwards.

Shaun Fensom opened the event with a few inside tips on entry submissions although I think he could have been a little more forthcoming; the main piece of advice I recollect is answer the questions.  Come on Shaun. Shaun was also featured in Tuesday’s Manchester Evening News with a nice piece placed by SKV.

It really is up to members to generate the voice that will promote the interests of the industry to the wider business community.  It looks like a sea change forced through by members such as Simon and Shaun might bring that to fruition.

I have been thinking about precedents to the wave of Internet marketing / SEOs that will down PR professionals if we don’t look out.

Consider the following:

Did TV destroy the cinemas?  They did suffer for years (for a number of reasons) but when they were re-branded and marketed they gained a whole new audience.  Cinema has become a vital industry again.

Another example.  Did mail order catalogues destroy shops?  I am sure it was muted when they started to make an impact, but how much do we use catalogues now?

Clicks and mortars doing the same thing to shops once again in the tech boom?  Yes these all have an impact, after broadband arrived in force.  My camera shop is now the base for a Internet based camera business and Jessops across the road won’t be there much longer based on how it is doing.  But look at rent hikes and supermarkets and their impact on many retailers.  Nevertheless shops remain, of course.

I have been watching The Money Programme about changes in the media.

Television has been under pressure from the Internet and drops in advertising spending, some transferring budgets online.  But it is seeing new models emerge.  TV is not only being forced to live with the Internet, it is also learning to use the Internet – one example being to generate interest in new markets abroad as it rolls out franchises of its hits and also to sell in programmes.

I am sure you can argue with some of my examples.  After all it is a big subject and I am making gneralisations, but surely the best PRs will adapt, create new business modeals if necessary and learn to profit from the Internet.

When I was asked by a client if the publication, we had just been interviewed by, would link back I sheepishly said, “no.”

How many online versions of popular business and trade press and lifestyle publications allow you to link back?  How many offer that small incentive?  Surprisingly few is the answer or so it seems.

And that is a shame because it is an opportunity to encourage more loyalty and increase levels of conversation.  And it all accrues brownie points with the search engines.  The best thing it does not bring major costs but only a change of tactics.

You could also point that many online outlets do not link to the subject of their stories, another missed opportunity.

You only have to look at How-Do to know that it is a vital communications source for North West communications professionals.  And why?  Well because it encourages that conversation and loyalty.

There are so many online outlets that are missing out, that are not interacting with their clients and that is disappointing.  In this current climate it is also criminal.  After all if a site has lots of comment and encourages more traffic by engaging with readers, it surely will have more chance attracting advertising.

I am not having a go at publications that are not taking advantage of their potential, I just want the media and the journalists to become more vital and even more valued sources of information.

Sometimes PR is seen as separate from what a business does with, or perhaps doesn’t do, with their website.

I think it isn’t appreciated how integral to PR a website or a blog is.

There is of course the ease or difficulty of a potential client finding a website they have been alerted to from a piece of PR, be it online or offline.  This mechanism is key.  If the client is lost at this stage after interest has been aroused, then it is a criminal waste.

But once they arrive at the website, does it offer them the content that will further strengthen their interest?  Websites should be packed full of engaging and helpful information.

Take Kintish, the networking training company, it has an abundance of articles and tips.  Will Kintish seems to be perpetually adding material and building and improving his site.

You might appreciate this already.  But websites affect “traditional” PR much earlier in the process.  When I pitch it is useful to put a web link.  When asked by a journalist what is the website and I do not want to give it because the site does not offer anything new, then I am already in danger of losing the journalist’s interest.

It is also an issue of confidence as well as information source.  The confidence to be able to call upon a resource to back up the PR efforts.

Anybody engaged in PR has to see their website as central to their campaign, even more so in this climate.  Unfortunately for them and many PR agencies the website is still seen as another chore, amongst many chores that are not key to their business.