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Man helps businesses manage Web presence
Jul 17, 2009 (St. Louis Post-Dispatch - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
For the past 10 years, Jay Byrne has witnessed the impact the Internet and social media can have on corporations. His St. Louis-based firm, v-Fluence, works to measure that impact and provide consultation for companies on how to take advantage of the medium.
Byrne got started in rugged political public relations, spending time as a speech writer for Bill Clinton, among others. After more than two decades in politics, he moved to St. Louis to work for Monsanto. At the time the company had more than 400 websites and very little grasp of what its Web presence did to help or hurt the company's image.
Spotting an opening in the market, Byrne started v-Fluence in 2000 to help companies understand and contribute to their Web presence. V-Fluence's clients have included the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, which chose the company to compose a response to concerns over mad cow disease in late 2002. The company also has provided consultation for the Hilton hotels. V-Fluence helped the company provide an Internet identity to help eliminate hotel searches that pulled up sites featuring Paris Hilton.
How did you develop the idea to start this company?
When I was at Monsanto we had to develop an Internet strategy (during a period of public scrutiny). We had to understand how people come to us on the Web (as well as) who has influence and why they have influence. It was from that I really refined what I do (from my past experience in the government and politics). I used to be a much broader corporate, political, strategic communications person than (someone who focuses on) just the Web.
We take in consideration there're other factors, (such as) traditional media, that can have influence. But we use the Web as the starting point. I've really come to fully believe it starts online, and this is the whole foundation of the company. Most communications, whether they are public relations or marketing approach, still start from a traditional foundation and at the end they'll add on the website.
We say flip that whole thing on its head, because the Internet tells you what people are looking for. It tells you what people think about you. It gives all the pathways and data that than can help you develop a program and people go there first.
Is your method to get companies to understand they do not have control over their image on the Internet?
I call it fuzzy control. That's the best you're going to get in the new world order.
On mad cow, we helped (the cattlemen) embrace it. (Prior to this time, the industry avoided any use of terms like "mad cow" in their communications.)
In the U.S. we got out in front and basically used it. I call it e-judo: They took the momentum and force of the massive public interest ... that could cause people not to eat meat. And they put information out that said, "We understand your concerns about mad cow and here are the facts about mad cow from sources such as the Harvard Center on Risk Analysis -- from people that you trust and they worked well in academia, government and industry.
What did you learn in running political campaigns that you're using now?
One thing is about belief formation leading to committed actions. When you're working on political campaigns it's all about identifying and evaluating voters. And what campaigns and what types of information do you push to voters to cause them to act, either to vote or, in some cases, not to vote. And that relates a lot to how do people form beliefs and take actions about anything in life, whether its health care, the food they eat, their choices about other products ...
So first, do you have an audience? Secondly, how does that audience behave? How do you motivate them? Where do we go to find the voters? What are the messages that matter for them and what causes them to actually act? What you learn in traditional communications, psychology and marketing is ... if people don't have enough of a concern to pay attention they'll go on to do what they're doing in their normal lives.
Where does traditional journalism fit in when corporations increase the focus on their online image?
I can say there's certainly examples we have with clients (having trouble with mainstream coverage) ... where we said you're just going to have to ignore (journalists). If you do a good job online, you can generate, create and inform content, they'll come around. And it's happened, it's even happened with (the Post-Dispatch). Sometimes the papers will even editorialize about these tactics. Then, see? You've won. Now go back and talk to them (from a stronger position).
How has the economy affected you and how have you worked to convince companies that the services you provide are essential?
The economy has certainly slowed growth, but we're still growing. So that's a good sign ...
Last fall, we let a small percentage of people go. During the first quarter of this year, a lot of clients canceled stuff. People were not spending money. We've had big clients that are not paying bills or slowing how they paid ...
We were the last (expense) to go. They were letting their traditional (marketing) agencies go (first) because we're lower (priced) than traditional agencies. ... With our expenses, you pay for our research but then everything else you do is less expensive and gives you a clear return on investment.
In fact, if you utilize it effectively, you pay for it very quickly. We lay that out. We're also first to be brought back in, because it's a lower cost of entry, particularly if you've been working with us before.
To see more of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go
to http://www.stltoday.com. Copyright (c) 2009, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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