In today’s online world, it is not only important that we help our clients to produce the most compelling content.  We simply must ensure that we make best use of that content, in its distribution.

It has been said that “every company is a media company”.  Certainly, we advise every company whom we work with to master the technologies of publishing effectively to their customers (and by that, we could mean bloggers, journalists, investors, stakeholders, end consumers, even their own staff, and so the list goes on…)

However, in this content-rich world, a brand can end up with several different communication channels; all of which are important in their own right, but none of which quite does the job of publishing and communicating in the right way to showcase the brand’s profile and influence its online reputation.  The brand’s main website is a great first point of call, but is the online shop window; and therefore may not be the best communication channel for all the detail behind that window dressing.  Tools like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are all great channels for communication and interaction, but can’t tell the brand’s full story or give all the key information at a glance.

Which is why Firefly has long been a fan of the newsroom.  In fact, Firefly is credited with launching the first ever newsroom for a client in the 1990s. Now, we work with our clients to create for them one authentic central online hub as a newsroom.  This newsroom is fully branded and integrated into the brand’s existing website and URL, and house all of its press materials, coverage, images, social media channels and press contacts.

The primary purpose of our newsrooms is so that the brand’s target audience(s) can always quickly access, understand, and engage with that brand’s content.  Of course it is also important that the newsroom will secure reach to relevant online audiences; which is why news releases on our newsrooms are optimized for online publication and can also be re-used by citizen journalists and bloggers.

Earlier this year, Firefly announced that we had been appointed to work with the UK’s first venture capital-backed equity platform for buying shares in unlisted companies: InvestingZone.  We now launch our most recent newsroom, for InvestingZone . The newsroom gets viewed by both potential investors and journalists.  For investors, it is important to demonstrate that InvestingZone receives a steady stream of credible high level press coverage.  For journalists, it is an easy-to-use, one-stop-shop for the latest news and information from one of the UK’s top crowd-funding platforms.

If you are interested in how Firefly can create a newsroom to hold your content effectively, combining the most powerful aspects of social and search worlds, then please do get in touch.

InvestingZone, the UK’s first venture capital-backed equity platform for buying shares in unlisted companies, has appointed Firefly to handle its UK launch and ongoing communications programme. The appointment includes a broad spectrum of comms including messaging, planning, media relations, bloggers, digital marketing and social media campaigns.

Jean Miller, InvestingZone CEO said, “After looking at a number of agencies, all with different specialisms, we appointed Firefly because the agency had the best grasp of all our communications needs. With a new launch it is critical that we integrate all communications elements from digital marketing to media relations. We have confidence in Firefly to advise us and deliver.”

In the last month, Firefly has launched an entirely new share-buying platform, InvestingZone; and France’s number one social network for pets (social petwork), Yummypets into the UK.

Two very different brand propositions!  But what united the client briefs, is the importance of PR in the brand launch stage.  In each case, effective public relations was identified as crucial in both driving awareness and credibility, and indeed business results in the form of sign-ups. The Firefly team has been working on the launch campaigns throughout the last few months; with, in each case, PR results timed to hit in the last two weeks. Here’s a little more about what we did…

InvestingZone is a brand new internet platform, to open up investment opportunities in unlisted companies.  The brand is right at the front of the evolving investment market, and wants to appeal to the next generation of investors.

The Firefly team was appointed to handle InvestingZone’s UK launch and ongoing PR communications programme, by Co-Founder Jean Miller – who came to the team for an integrated communications platform.

For the soft launch of InvestingZone, the Firefly team has set-up and created the content calendar for InvestingZone’s Twitter feed.  We have also crafted and led digital marketing campaigns with The Motley Fool and FT Investors Chronicle.

This week, PR coverage went live.  The Firefly team secured a launch exclusive in The Telegraph, followed up by Real Business; both carefully targeted for the quantity and quality of their readers.  On Monday, the team will rack up its next coverage hit; with an international broadcast interview briefed, booked and ready to roll…

The Yummypets team had a hard act to follow: Firefly was briefed to launch Yummypets into the UK, following phenomenal success in France – its home market…  Yummypets is only a year old (or seven in cat/dog years) in France; and currently has over 150,000 members, with 500 new pets joining every day and more than 600 brands and organisations interacting on the site. Yummypets founders Matt and Mat came to Firefly, looking for an agency that could help them globalise their social petwork concept.

Firefly announced the launch on Wired.co.uk on Thursday 23^rd May, with a launch exclusive from Editor and cat-lover, Nate Lanxon.  Blanket coverage appeared the following day, in heavy-hitting consumer publications including Stylist and Huffington Post.  After the weekend, the print exclusive broke in targeted national publication The Independent, along with accompanying online coverage.

Firefly is results-driven, and focussed not only on coverage results – but on tangible results to our client’s business.  Our Yummypets clients have reported increased site traffic and increased pet sign-up, on each day of phase I of the launch.

With phase II of the launch kicking in, in the middle of June, Firefly continues to build a nation of pet-lovers on a site that is tried-and-tested and loved by French pet-lovers.

You can find Fiona on Twitter and LinkedIn; her cat is on Yummypets.