Weekly comms round up 14/02/13

Happy heart day all! Here is two weeks’ worth of comms news curated via @CisionUK.

Understanding the digital consumer by @ggalat via Econsultancy
‘With more channels and ways of shopping at our disposal, the behaviour of individual consumers differs significantly from person to person. The result is that effective customer experience management now includes more data points than ever before.

By creating customer behaviour models that provide audience specific insights however, this digital maze is perfectly navigable.’

Twitter says 250,000 accounts have been hacked in security breach by Cass Jones via Guardian
‘A quarter of a million Twitter users have had their accounts hacked in the latest in a string of high-profile security breaches at internet firms.

Anonymous hackers may have been able to gain access to around 250,000 accounts on the social networking site, including usernames, email addresses and passwords.’

Seven tools to optimize your email marketing for mobile by @PeterTanham via Econsultancy
‘This is a really important trend, so I’ll repeat it in a different way. When you send your next email campaign, more customers will read it on smartphones than in a web browser (gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc.).

Which begs the question: are your emails optimized for opens, reads and click-throughs from all these mobile users?’

Content creation challenging old agency models by @turnerpd via The Wall
‘Native Advertising on social websites has caused rapid change in the PR and advertising industry. The emphasis now lies on content and agencies of all descriptions are being forced to become involved in content creation. As a result, traditional dividing lines are dissolving and agencies need to adapt to this in order to prevent being left behind.’

Why PR people are the real kings of content… by @ramanelli via New Media Knowledge
‘“What’s the point in PR if no one reads newspapers anymore?” That was it. That was the comment that set me off. Thankfully the rant happened in my head. I think the misguided man would have cried if I’d articulated what I was thinking to his face.’

Mobile-first: Breaking News developing new apps as focus shifts to mobile by @SarahMarshall3 via journalism.co.uk
‘Breaking News started life as a Twitter-only news outlet, with micro-reports shared from @BreakingNews, an account which today has more than 5 million followers.

A team of journalists based in the UK and US report stories in 140 characters, with tweets referencing the source and linking to the verified eyewitness report or recognised news outlet.’

Seven steps for effective Twitter monitoring by @Lexx2099 via Econsultancy
‘Keeping an eye on all the activity there and looking for useful opportunities takes up a substantial part of my day, and while there are a number of paid services that can update me and keep me supplied with reports, I also like to check in realtime throughout the day. ‘

Businesses must utilise the online world to capitalise on their niche by Michael Hechler via New Media Knowledge
‘We are currently seeing the aftermath of entertainment chains HMV and Blockbuster going into administration, only a short while after electronics retailers Jessops and Comet suffered a similar fate. This follows news that UK consumers spent more than £1bn on downloaded films, music and games in 2012*. To get their share of this online marketplace, businesses need to better adapt their routes-to-market to align with the ‘always-connected’ consumer. ‘

Why magazines’ circulations are no longer as easy as ABC  by Nicholas Coleridge via Brand Republic
‘The new ABC circulation figures are out today – and I hope you won’t find them confusing. The PPA will be releasing the numbers at noon, and these can be regarded as the most accurate ones, combining print and digital replica edition sales.’

How to measure brand awareness on Twitter by Michelle Hill @RedRocketMedia via Econsultancy
‘Unlike Facebook, there isn’t a built-in analysis tool that does it for you (if you want sparkly graphs and the like then you can always use a social media management tool) but there are a few metrics that you can track yourself to get a feel for your brand awareness levels.’