Let’s get digital

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On Tuesday, my colleague Sarah and I attended the second Digital Media Workshop at Ryerson’s G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education. The first workshop I attended back in January was on user experience design with presentations from Tedde van Gelderen (Akendi), Steve Mast (Delvinia) and Ilona Posner. The workshop on Tuesday focused on usability with presentations from Adam Oliveira (Quizative Inc.) and Tara O’Doherty (w.illi.am).

With absolutely no background in user experience design, or any tech for that matter (one of the few people in the room without a BlackBerry), I found the workshop to be both interesting and exciting. The first presentation titled ‘UX-ability’, encouraged participants to question the whole concept of usability by asking-‘does easier necessarily mean better’? With the advancement of technology and the internet, come users with an advanced need for a richer experience. The presentation was very visual, with a few concepts that gained my interest in particular. Microsoft Photosynth, the Pomegranate Phone, and the Nokia Morph concept that demonstrates some of the possibilities nanotechnologies might enable in future communications devices, all had me returning to watch the clips numerous times throughout the week.

The second presentation titled ‘UX Evolution: The Good, The Bad and The Embarrassing’, went through numerous examples of great website designs and website faux pas’. One useful resource Tara mentioned was http://www.usability.gov/, a website that includes tips for developing usable and useful websites. Tara emphasized that when considering website design, it is crucial to think of it as a holistic user experience from beginning to end.

On the public relations side, I think it is important to continually learn about user experience design and digital media for our clients’ benefit. As this field moves ahead in full force, it is part of our job to demonstrate the gain of investing in this area and make the case for going digital.

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Content Development

Effective, creative content is at the core of what we do. From B2B and B2C, our expertise spans article writing and storytelling, editorial planning, key messaging, video production and more. And we help ensure that your content gets seen. We amplify your brand’s story through an integrated, custom content strategy across digital, print, social and broadcast channels. We maximize owned, earned and paid media to amplify your message, making sure it gets in front of the right audience to drive the results you want.

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Corporate Communications

An integral part of any business, your brand reputation and corporate communication sets the tone with the public, your clients, employees and stakeholders – and we make sure you get the tone right. BlueSky helps you understand what matters to your audiences – both external and internal – and develops meaningful programs that resonate. We help clients with crisis and issues management, employee and executive communications, community relations and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Whether it’s a workplace fundraiser event, an annual report, infographics, HR video or speechwriting, we help you share your message with relevant stakeholders.

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Social Media

Social media demands an always on, two-way communication, transparency, and authentic interaction. More importantly, it demands strategy. We’ve managed social communities, developed social media guidelines and created engaging, impactful content, whether a short Instagram caption or long-form executive-published posts on LinkedIn. Through social listening tools and insights, we can make sure you’re talking about what matters most to your audience, and that your online and traditional PR efforts are integrated seamlessly and effectively.

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Public Affairs & Advocacy

Our in-depth experience providing integrated government relations, public affairs and strategic communications tailored to your needs helps our clients navigate the public policy process in order to successfully achieve central objectives. We work with you to better position your priorities within the current political landscape to ensure you’re able to gain the ear of key decision-makers and reach your goals.

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Influencer Marketing

When it comes to social influencers it’s not about who has the biggest audience, but about engagement, trust and authentic connection. We leverage valued relationships with nano- to celebrity-level creators, working collaboratively to ensure they deliver quality content that resonates with your target audience and is on-point with your brand messaging. Our winning formula requires a thoughtful approach that combines the right people, the right content and the right distribution to maximize engagement and drive impact at scale. You’ll see the results in our campaign evaluations – supported by numbers that exceed industry average performance.

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Media Relations & Media Training

In an environment that is increasingly pay-to-play, earned media remains the holy grail of coverage for brand credibility. Over the years we’ve developed solid relationships with traditional and online media, and we know the elements of success for securing interest from trusted journalists at top-notch publications. We excel at crafting tailored, compelling stories that help keep your brand top-of-mind across print, broadcast and digital channels. You’ll see the results through our media measurement and reporting and assess your share of voice (SOV) among competitors.

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