DECIPHERING DIGITAL: Making the Internet Make Business Sense

Venue: Commonwealth Club, 25 Northumberland Ave, London WC2N 5AP
Date: Thursday 23rd April 2009
Timings: 2pm-6pm
Status: Limited Availablility

To Register please email: events@netimperative.com with "Freestyle" in the title

Information overload and dramatically shifting landscapes means that every project, word or action is subject to greater scrutiny.  So how do you create a flexible digital communications strategy that works in this environment?  How do you ensure that your website connects with all your stakeholders?  What are the measurable returns, and how do you ensure the plan keeps working? 

This free, half-day seminar brings together speakers and case studies to help you plan, manage and develop flexible, efficient and cost-effective digital communications.

Who should attend?

This seminar is for senior managers who are responsible for large websites or multi-site web estates.  It will be particularly relevant for those organisations which are considering or planning the redevelopment of websites and are looking for pragmatic and "real world" insight, hints and tips that they can apply to their own companies.

The programme

Starting with a strategy that covers all the bases - correct targeting and messaging, reputation management and compliance - we uncover how to create and implement an adaptable, cohesive communications plan. We look at selecting the best communication channels for your business, supporting the user experience and harnessing online PR. We will also hear how the digital managers of some of the world's biggest companies are managing their online presence, including how social media is re-shaping communications and online reputation strategies.

14:00 Registration

14:30 Chair's Introduction & Overview
Alan Cooper, Founder, Freestyle Interactive

14:40 Developing a strategy for effective online presence
Alex Clifford, Account Director, Freestyle Interactive

• Understanding your audience
• Designing your digital communications plan
• Creating your online presence around your communications targets

15:00 The Alstom Journey - Case Study: Alstom
Elaine West, Director Internet & Brand, Alstom

• Going back to basics ? identifying what's important
• Strategic planning in action ? how it all fits together
• Understanding the challenges and rewards
• The path ahead

15:20 Effective Usability: Pushing the Boundaries - Case Study: BP
Andrew Thompson, Editor, BP.com. Marty Carroll, Director of Consulting, Foviance

• User research to shape strategy
• Supporting the user journey
• Methods and techniques that work
• Measuring the audience experience

15:40 Coffee & Networking

16:00 Powerful communications through social media and online PR
Katy Howell, Managing Director, Immediate Future

• Identifying influential stakeholders
• Practical ways to navigate the conversation and engender advocacy
• Seven rules to manage your online reputation in a shifting landscape
• Planning for measurement, evaluation and ROI from the outset

16:20 Choosing effective channels of communication, Case Study: Rio Tinto
Bryan Smith, Principal Adviser, Digital Media, Rio Tinto

• The Rio Tinto approach
• Setting key objectives and deliverables
• Working out what to include, what to rule out
• Finding out what's working: monitoring and metrics
• Building in flexibility and scalability

16:40 Panel Debate

17:15 Wine Reception & Networking

18.00 Finish