With 80 per cent of net users worldwide watching online video, the average person spending 15 minutes a day on YouTube – and 50 per cent of us buying products and services online, the power of video is unprecedented. 

Harnessing the wealth of potential for video to celebrate special events engage with prospects before we buy from them – and showcase our expertise – can be exciting and daunting.    

Carys Samuel shows us some examples of who is doing it well – and gives us her predictions for the future.

Research has proven that one of the most effective ways people learn is through and audio visual medium (i.e. video) and with modern technology ever advancing, it means that businesses are only a camera away from creating and publishing their own content.

Video currently takes up 50% of bandwidth data – and is predicted to rise to 90% by 2020. No longer will organisations simply be a logo or corporate name, video is the perfect opportunity to show personality and human interaction behind the brand.

Consumers are no longer passive audiences taking in whatever they see around them. They are hungry to engage with organisations and video is the perfect way to boost interaction, encourage viral sharing and build awareness of your organisation.

Many businesses are still wary of the online world, so here are a few examples of best practice to show how it’s done…

Construction Industry

A great example to show how video can bring to life, what could be a potentially dull industry as we can see… The Construction Skills Network latest report predicts that from 2011 to 2015 the construction industry will increase by 6.2% and take on 200,000 new workers. 

Kingspan, an insulation manufacturer uses its dedicated YouTube channel to show their products in action and feature interviews with key spokespeople.  

Xtralite roof lights harness video to show their products in action on major construction sites across the country.

RRA Architects uses their YouTube channel to showcase both new and completed projects.

Henry Boot Construction uses the power of video to position themselves as experts in the construction industry.

Clugston Group have gone a step further and appeared on the Channel 4 programme Undercover Boss, where worked incognito in his own company to discover what the real challenges are and used this as a vehicle for change.

Share with us how you are using video and the benefits it’s bringing to you. We can also produce videos for your websites and train you in video blogging.

The opportunities to position you and your business as an industry expert in today’s dynamic digital world have never been greater.

The traditional media channels of print, trade, radio and TV and broadcast media channel  - now complemented by proven social media platforms such as blogs , video , Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn – enable us to be authorities in order to boost our profile, showcase our expertise – and act as a magnet for new business.

The vibrant online castle accommodation provider Celtic Castles headed by ‘The Castle Man’ Roger Masterson is a great example. Celtic Castles has dramatically accelerated its profile and sales since positioning Roger as the expert ‘Castle Man’ with a wealth of knowledge on the castles’ rich histories and facilities. He explains more to Quest’s Sharon Cain.

As a professional news and PR photographer (I could be quite self serving and say “a good PR photographer” but I’m sure that’s not the bit you came to read!)

So what does make a good PR photograph – apart from the obvious that it needs to be in focus and correctly exposed?

For me the secret of a really good PR photograph is the same as makes any good news picture.

• It needs to tell the story. It must bring together the most important elements of a story into a single image and grab the viewers’ attention to make them interested enough to want to know more
• It should encourage them to read the caption and accompanying article.

Most PR stories seem to include three main important ingredients.

The Story- What or Why is the Picture is Being Taken?

Is the story photogenic – and if not, can it be made photogenic?

A staff photographer on a local paper was asked to photograph an old lady whose birdhouse had been stolen from her garden. There had been no break-in no property damage or vandalism. Some light-fingered individual had nipped through the gate and stolen her free standing birdhouse.

“How do I photograph her with a birdhouse that isn’t there?” he asked in disbelief.

The trick is finding another approach. Adding a lock to her garden gate? Holding armfuls of wild bird food she can no longer give to the birds?

The moral of the story… a good PR image is not the most obvious shot. The best PR picture will grab the viewer, stop them in their tracks and make them think.

Taking people out of their normal environment can also be a good technique. I once convinced three gents who work at a bank head office to pretend to play rugby in their business suits.

The People

News pictures with the most impact are usually tightly cropped and don’t contain too many people.

The ability to work with people is a key skill for good photography. Encouraging them to do things they may not normally do just for the sake of a photo (back to those pesky bankers!), making someone laugh and relax when nervous in front of a camera, spotting when a pose looks uncomfortable or unnatural and being able to fix it are all necessary skills to create good PR images.

Group shots are best avoided if possible, they can be uninspiring but there are always occasions where the story is the group. This means something creative is needed. Finding an interesting vantage point to shoot from or unusual place to arrange people will help. If it’s a large group, don’t think that sticking them in front of a great background will work because often the shot ends up having the background cropped out. The location in which the group is photographed should relate to the story.

The Brand

Photographically, branding can be a tricky little devil and from a PR perspective it’s the whole point of the story. From a publications viewpoint branding is advertising – and advertising is income – not news.

There are a few techniques worth keeping in mind for branding. When included it should be, if at all possible, in a way that makes it difficult or even impossible to crop out, but it shouldn’t be too forced or the image may not be used. You also need to be able to identify the times when including branding is not appropriate or ruins the picture. If the right people are in the photograph, branding can always be included in the caption.

Style should likewise be considered. A photograph that’s right for the local newspaper may not fit in trade press or in regional or national publications. This applies equally for websites. Not all websites are the same, and what works on a client’s Facebook page is not necessarily what will look right on their blog or their business homepage.

A truly good PR photograph will do a number of things.

• Grab the readers’ attention and hold it
• Illustrate the story by capturing all the elements in a single frame
• Connect the brand to the story without being too forced or contrived
• Match the style of the publication it is aimed at

Paul David Drabble is a professional news, public relations and editorial photographer with over 15 years experience. For more information see www.pauldaviddrabble.co.uk and check out his blog on www.blog.pauldaviddrabble.co.uk You can find Paul on Facebook, LinkedIn and @PaulDDrabble on Twitter.

Do you want to leverage your online profile?

Do you want to grow your existing business using the Internet but you’re not sure where to start?

Do you want to raise the ranking of your website?

Online Catalyst’s Joanne Ernst shares some tips with media training and vlogging expert Sharon Cain of Quest PR . Check out the video and Joanne’s fantastic free top tips.

There is a popular belief that users of social media will become more aloof due to a lack of face-to-face interaction. However, a study by the University of Texas has dispelled this myth and proven that social networking actually strengthens personal and business ties.

Social networking sites offer a different medium of expressing your message – not just with text but also through images, video and other multimedia. It’s all about the conversations it can generate, putting a face to that once distant contact. Social media is transforming the sometimes tedious task of networking meetings and other physical events with a leisurely click of the button. This latest technological advancement has created a new business community, which you can’t afford to be excluded from.

Think about the cost effectiveness: only a decade ago cultivating business relationships involved time spent in a restaurant, at a conference or on the phone. Now you can forge and maintain a relationship in mere minutes with a simple tweet or a comment on a blog.

Your online profile also has the advantage of getting you talking offline. You see someone’s name at a business seminar, all it takes is “I read your latest blog and found it really interesting…” and you’re away. It’s like being a member of an exclusive club, leaving those who can’t talk the talk (or should that be tweet the tweet?) out in the cold.

A study by Stanford University suggests texting and tweeting makes people better communicators, especially Gen-Y members. This is because social media users need to be adaptable, reading their audience – of which there can be hundreds or thousands and each with their own needs – and engage accordingly. Researchers even hint that the online community is also superior at face-to-face communication.

There’s no denying the fantastic benefits of social media, yet it would be folly to rely solely on this medium. 90% of face-to-face communication is non-verbal and it is crucial to be able to read those messages. This is a skill that can take some people a lifetime to perfect but it’s not possible to hide behind a screen all the time. Offline interaction is a just as valuable a communication tool, which can mean the difference between landing that deal or joining the dole queue.

So, yes, social media does help to forge links quickly and effectively. However, you still need to be able to back up your online skills in the 3D world.

For those who need help logging onto social media, Quest PR is hosting a social media strategy seminar on Thursday 10 February, 9am – 10.30. To book please contact Sue Roberts at sue@quest-pr.com.

Quest PR MD Sharon Cain is running a series of Social Media workshops from 8.30am – 10.30am at our bespoke offices on Cardale Park.

A light breakfast will be served from 8.30-9.00am followed by an insight into Social Media and how it can drive sales.

Available dates:

Wednesday 12 May
Wednesday 26 May

Topics covered will be:

• What are they saying about you?
• Do you have a crisis plan?
• How are you managing your employees?
• Putting it all together – turbo charging the marketing and business plan
• Engaging with audiences – which tools?
• How much time?
• The rewards

“Really informative course, cannot wait to get started!” Sonia Jones, McCormicks Solicitors

“Good thought provoking overview of media.” Martin Carver, Primeast

“Good as an overview and a relaxed way to get social media ‘virgins’ into it all.” Simon Allistone, Primeast

If you would like to book a place please reply as soon as possible to

sue@quest-pr.com or telephone Sue on 01423 564192.

There will be a small charge of £20 per person.

A resounding YES was the consensus from Yorkshire’s PR and marketing agencies who got round the table to air their views on Social Media and the risks and rewards from a PR perspective.

Spearheaded by Jason Madeley and organised by Leeds Chamber the session sparked key questions: 

• What brands are ahead of the game
• The importance of online PR Versus offline PR in 2010
• Who owns online engagement – PRs or digital agencies  

The lively debate reflected the appetite for online PR and the consensus was that no single sector owns Social Media. (I have seen and heard it being claimed by PR, marketing branding, business coaches and IT strategists – and that’s just for starters!) 

We talked about the ‘Who got it right’ brands and ‘Who messed up’.  

Social Media makes PR’s think and work differently. 

We used to push out clients’ stories and messages to the media in a one-way communication stream.

 With the advent of Social Media we work across a plethora of channels, monitoring and listening to our clients’ clients and prospects, engaging with them in a two-way communication stream – and managing responses to the positives and the negatives. 

Brands are running scared of Social Media because of the fast response required and I urge them to board the Social Media high speed train. 

If adequately prepared, they’ll find the benefits outweigh the risks. See Jon Buscall’s post on preparing a Social Media crisis management plan and ensuring it is regularly updated.        

So – back to the debate – what did we conclude? 

• Advocacy and honesty is key – be yourself or you will get found out
• Engage and build trust – the ultimate endorsement
• Brands need a Social Media policy – and fast response channels
• PRs should be ambassadors and promote understanding of Social Media 
• PRs who don’t board the Social Media high speed train will wonder what’s hit them 

Which blogs do you most look forward to reading – and why?

This post is dedicated to ‘The Fab Four’ – my favourite bloggers and social media experts.

They are constantly upbeat and positive, share a wealth of wonderful ‘learns’ and information on SM – have vibrant personalities and are fun web-partners. Follow and enjoy!

Jeff Bullas – A dynamic communicator from Sydney, Jeff specialises in digital marketing, blogging and Social Media. His blog also features a website grader so you can check out how you’re doing against the competition. My favourite posts include  20 things you should share on social media and 30 tips on how to make your company’s blog rock.

Jon Buscall – A great online communications expert operating out of Stockholm, Jon devises marketing communications strategies. His ‘killer copy’ and hot topics is evident in his blog My all-time top posts include  Is Your Business Blog Like a Bad Blind Date? and Ten Essential Posts for Business Bloggers.

Gini Dietrich – Chicago-based PR guru Gini Dietrich is a top Vistage speaker and forecaster of trends. Gini authors Spin Sucks and particularly love The lifecycle of successful businesses and Getting started on social media.

Mark Schaefer - A marketing entrepreneur and strategist based in Knoxville, Mark’s blog gives fabulous practical marketing solutions and also attracts a vibrant community. My favourite posts include The silent majority: Why people don’t comment on your blog and Is your company built to blog?

In my previous post I described how Celtic Castles had created ‘The Castle Man’ brand on our website to promote expert knowledge.  We then launched ‘The Castle Man’ on Twitter following the great website response.

We created a Twitter background to compliment our branding, followed a few people we knew – and we waited to see if anyone followed us.

We found a company selling similar luxury properties (not specifically castles) who had 750 followers. We thought, if we had 750 people following us and we tweeted a special offer which sold all the rooms, how cool would that be!

Our Twitter journey gained momentum. We worked on ‘quality not quantity’, and after 6 months and over 400 tweets The Castle Man had 180 followers.

The Christmas fairytale snow was perfect for us and further boosted sales thanks to Twitter!

In 2009 we generated over £47,000 in sales for castle accommodation through Twitter which also brought us new revenue streams. In another exciting development through a contact gained through Twitter, Celtic Castles has branched out as an estate agent which is featuring and selling 30 chateaux in France.

So to summarise the benefits:

1. We have 185+ Twitter followers who may not have otherwise have found our website.
2. We receive several hundred site visits each month from Twitter links that boosts traffic and opportunities to present our castle experiences. In February this figure generated 423 page views.
3. Our website receives free brand exposure on Twitter by our followers who retweet our special offers.
4. I have met loads of interesting people, some of whom I have connected with personally face to face, so this has also become a networking tool.
5. We have become a castle Estate Agent!

Twitter won’t be productive for every business. However, ignoring it as a B2C tool when your competitors are using it, could result in your website missing out on some of the benefits of branding and selling via Twitter that we’ve enjoyed. Even as a B2B tool, it has worked for us as well and we expect even more revenue and journeys via this media. We have even more exciting plans for Twitter for the future which we’ll share in another post!

Celtic Castles has been online since 1998 and now features over 90 hand picked castles throughout the UK, Ireland and France. Contact Roger on Twitter at @The_Castle_Man or visit http://www.celticcastles.com

As the debate over the hard line benefits of investing in social media continues to rage, the Quest blog is launching a series of case studies to highlight the wealth of powerful success stories from businesses who are harnessing the power of social media.

The first of our guest posts is from Roger Masterson @The_Castle_Man whose online business is a the leading provider of castle accommodation. Thanks to Twitter the business boosted sales by almost £50k in less than 6 months.

We had heard of Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin and of course this was all bundled as Social Media. We didn’t have time for this, we didn’t understand it and I thought that it was for younger people! I also questioned when would we find time to learn all this new STUFF! Let alone using it for the business.

Deep down I was hoping that this will be a fad, something else will come along to replace it. I did not even own a mobile phone, and we operate the biggest online booking service for castle experiences. I thought we could let this one go over our heads.

How wrong I was! Twitter has brought the Internet alive for me again, generated revenue, creating new revenue streams and a new aspect to our business.

The Fumbled Beginning:

Celtic Castles had created a brand within a brand to promote expertise knowledge, ‘The Castle Man’ in March 2009. This would give our customers direct contact with an expert on castles, and we linked this via a webform. We would collect the customer details and their query. SIMPLE. In the first 4 weeks this generated £34, 320 and we were happy.

We set up ‘The Castle Man’ on Twitter because we were getting such a good response through our website. Having researched competitors we thought ‘we can do better than that’ and having the tweets on our home page was an additional tool to link in new information and promote key aspects of castle experiences.

On the 8th July 2009 the first tweet was:

Golf fans, stay at Culzean Castle for the British Open, just 4 miles from Turnberry! Rooms from £250 per night http://bit.ly/166ycp

We thought that if we could build an audience with an interest in staying in castles, we can share our knowledge for free. If this audience reads the articles, some of them may book a stay, and in turn we may start to generate another revenue stream. More in our next post on how we got started and how successful we were.

Celtic Castles has been online since 1998 and now features over 90 hand picked castles throughout the UK, Ireland and France. Contact Roger on Twitter at @The_Castle_Man or visit http://www.celticcastles.com