The Art of Digital Messaging - A Guide to Communication in the Digital Age

Digital messaging allows us to transcend borders, languages and cultures, and with this global dialogue comes an increased need for courtesy and understanding.

This guide was informed by consumer research to gauge what is – and is not – acceptable to most when messaging. It is intended to help navigate the etiquette of messaging with the timeless values of courtesy and consideration, whether chatting with friends, family, co-workers or love interests.

Download The Art of Digital Messaging - BY MESSENGER FROM FACEBOOK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DEBRETTS

Do You Believe in these Digital Advertising Myths?

Or How to Amplify Your Content Distribution Channels - e-Book by HubSpot and Outbrain

Digital advertising has changed quite a bit in the past decade – from new platforms to new creative types to the way that consumers respond to ads online. Unfortunately, these changes have brought along confusion and hesitation surrounding online advertising.

People often think of digital advertising as spammy pop-up ads, flashy banner ads, or user experiences that generally interrupt the consumer. These misconceptions end up losing marketers visitors, leads, and potential customers and they contribute to misspent advertising budgets.

In this guide, we’ll explore the truth about digital advertising by debunking the top myths about general, search, native, and social advertising. Along the way, we’ll teach you the best practices for targeting your audience.

DOWNLOAD "34 Digital Advertising Myths"

10 Ways Big Data Will Modernize Your Crisis Communications Plan

A Must Read e-Guide for All PR and Digital Communication Experts Who Live in Modern Times

The modern-day crisis can be defined in relation  to a digital footprint. Specifically, every crisis needs to be managed by the 3 V’s:

• Volume refers to the amount of data (i.e. millions of tweets, hundreds of media mentions or thousands of social media shares). 

• Velocity represents the speed at which that data is generated (i.e. number of tweets per second or online news stories per hour). 

• Variety refers to the variety of data generated, (i.e.images and Hashtags from Instagram, traditional broadcast stories, online story syndication, Tweets and videos from YouTube).

Based upon Zignal Labs' experiences, three trends ring true for every modern crisis:

1. A modern crisis is fueled by data: In today’s modern marketplace, companies are inundated with massive amounts data. In fact, major enterprises manage petabytes of big data every day. This influx of data grows exponentially due to the rapid proliferation of mobile devices and the digitization of consumers - generating an incredible 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day.

2. Conventional approaches no longer work: In a modern crisis, the volume, velocity and variety of data will immediately overwhelm traditional tools and processes. Even the best laid plans can’t adequately address the challenges associated with a crisis instantaneously unfolding and mutating across digital and mobile channels.

3. Data provides the blueprint for a solution: While the data tsunami poses an
immediate challenge for any crisis communications team, data will also provide a path to a solution. Specifically, data will reveal critical trends, patterns and insights in the wake of a crisis to empower communications, PR, public affairs and marketing teams.

With an understanding that data will ultimately become a brand’s biggest threat during a crisis and a path to a solution, cross-functional teams within the enterprise must modernize their crisis communications plans accordingly. The following ten-point framework offers guidance that any organization can employ during the planning, response and assessment phases of a crisis.

Download Zignal Labs' "10 Ways Big Data Will Modernize Your Crisis Communications Plan"

How to Make Effective Disclosures in Digital Advertising

Read ".com Disclosure"  by USA Federal Trade Commission

This document provides FTC staff guidance concerning the making of clear and
conspicuous online disclosures that are necessary pursuant to the laws the FTC enforces. It
does not, however, purport to cover every issue associated with online advertising disclosures,
nor is it intended to provide a safe harbor from potential liability. It is intended only to provide
guidance concerning practices that may increase the likelihood that a disclosure is clear
and conspicuous.

Whether a particular ad is deceptive, unfair, or otherwise violative of a
Commission rule will depend on the specific facts at hand. The ultimate test is not the size
of the font or the location of the disclosure, although they are important considerations; the
ultimate test is whether the information intended to be disclosed is actually conveyed to
consumers.

Download ".com Disclosure"  by FTC

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION - A Must Read Report by Altimeter Group

"In an era of “DIGITAL DARWINISM” where technology, society, and business models rapidly evolve, customer experience is often elusive."

The research details what digital transformation is, how companies are embracing change, and the challenges and opportunities that emerge throughout the process. Through a series of interviews with digital strategists and executives at some of the world’s leading brands, The report explores the role of new customer behaviour and disruptive technology in influencing how organizations evolve. The findings represent important trends and goals in digital transformation that benefit all businesses seeking to adapt to digital markets in meaningful ways.

Altimeter Group set out to learn how digital technologies are impacting customer behavior and how businesses are responding to these changes. We learned about the human side of business transformation, the catalysts for heading on a new journey, the challenges these companies face, and the benefits they are starting to realize.

AUTHOR: BRIAN SOLIS, PRINCIPAL ANALYST
Brian Solis (@briansolis) is a principal analyst at Altimeter Group. He is also an award-winning author, prominent blogger, and keynote speaker. Solis works with enterprise organizations and technology vendors to research the state and direction of markets, competitors, and customer behavior. Through the use of proven frameworks and best practices, Solis analyzes trends, opportunities, capabilities, and areas for improvement to align new media initiatives with business priorities.

EDITOR: CHARLENE LI, FOUNDER, ANALYST
Charlene Li (@charleneli) is Founder of Altimeter Group and the author of the New York Times bestseller, "Open Leadership". Formerly, Li was Vice President and Principal Analyst at Forrester Research and a Consultant with Monitor Group.

CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR: JAIMY SZYMANSKI, SENIOR RESEARCHER
Jaimy Szymanski (@jaimy_marie) is a Senior Researcher with Altimeter Group. Her research interests lie in social TV, gamification, digital influence, and consumer mobile.

Altimeter is a research and consulting firm that helps companies understand and act on disruption. In addition to publishing research, Altimeter Group analysts speak and provide strategy consulting on trends in digital transformation, social business, data disruption and content marketing strategy.

Download DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION Report

A Managers Guide to Assessing the Impact of Government Social Media Interactions

A Must Read e-Book for managers, government officers and PR Professionals

Prof. Ines Mergel

Author: Ines Mergel, Associate Professor of Public Administration Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University.

Published by IBM Center for The Business of Government.
IBM Center for The Business of Government stimulates research and facilitates discussion of new approaches to improving the effectiveness of government at the federal, state, local, and international levels.

While government currently focuses on “push” techniques to provide information from government publications, Professor Mergel speculates that the next big challenge will be to measure the extent to which government actively engages the public to gain access to citizen views and expertise. Professor Mergel envisions increased bi-directional citizen participation in which agencies actively “pull in” content through new forms of social media, including crowdsourcing.

Download "A Manager’s Guide to Assessing the Impact of Government Social Media Interactions"



Download more useful e-Book published by IBM Center for The Business of Government:

• A Manager’s Guide for Using Twitter in Government - author prof. Ines Mergel
• Using Wikis in Government: A Guide for Public Managers - author prof. Ines Mergel
• Using Crowdsourcing In Government - author Daren C. Brabham