It’s only logical to assume that a marketing agency that specialises in the tech sector knows how to use technology. It just makes sense, in much the same way that you’d expect your accountant to keep their personal accounts in order, or your fitness instructor to keep fit.

 

As a technology PR agency that really and truly loves cool gadgets and new business tools, the Definition team has put together a list of technology tools that make us happy. Here are 10 must-have tech tools that help us work faster, smarter and get better results for our clients.

 

Tech #1: Response Source (UK based only database)

 

This is great tool for reactive media opportunities. Journalists use it to source info for stories. It’s user-friendly too: we can set up and compile a media list quickly on the website and then export it as a shareable Excel sheet.

 

It’s also good for researching journalist details and how to contact them. Plus, we can look up publication circulation details and the subject matter the publication is most interested in to determine whether it’s appropriate for a client.

 

 

Tech #2: Vuelio (global database)

 

This tool is a huge help with press release distribution. Rather than having to email journalists individually, we can send a press release out in one go – saving them a lot of time while simultaneously maintaining personalisation. Don’t get us wrong, nothing beats personalised media pitching (in fact we pride ourselves on it) – but sometimes a lot of pre-researched contacts will need the same info simultaneously and that’s where this tool comes into its own.

 

It helps us set up media lists in advance and then use them for relevant press releases in the future. It also helps us find journalists’ contact details and an outlet’s subject focus, readership and circulation details.

 

Tech #3: Asana and Wrike

 

At Definition we’d be lost without our task and project management software. They make collaboration between colleagues seamless, ensuring that all work is delivered on time. Nothing falls between the cracks and all stages of the project can be reviewed at any time.

 

It’s fully transparent, helping line managers manage people more effectively as they can view everyone’s workload.

 

Tech #4: MinuteDock

 

In any client services business, time tracking software is critical. But trying to keep track of how you spend every second can be a real pain. MinuteDock is really, really easy. It sits in a browser tab and tracks time as you work.

 

Managers can see how many hours have been spent on any one client and by who, which is important for billing. They can also see what projects take employees longer and identify why some may be struggling.

 

Tech #5: Google Alerts

 

With Google Alerts set up for specific keywords and phrases, we receive an email when a client is mentioned online. This is really useful for media monitoring, reporting, and keeping us up-to-date on all earned and unearned media hits. Use Boolean operators to make sure you’re searching for exact match phrases and correct query combinations.

 

Tech #6: Pulsar

 

Pulsar helps us connect the dots between owned and earned media, web search and analytics. It pulls all the client coverage together so that we can see the share of voice split between the client and its competitors.

 

This helps us learn what the client’s target audience is talking about, enabling us to develop an on-point creative strategy. We can also look back in time to see how events and announcements have impacted a client’s coverage.

 

Tech#7: MozBar

 

The MozBar tool is a real winner for link building. It gives you the domain authority of any site, helping us choose our targets carefully. We use it to access and compare link metrics across pages and to assess whether editorial opportunities will result in followed links.

 

Tech #8: LinkedIn

 

LinkedIn remains the go-to tool for finding talent when hiring new members of the team. It’s also great for researching clients, helping us find out more about their backgrounds and what they’re interested in writing and talking about.

 

Tech #9: Twitter

 

Love it or hate it, the Twittersphere is a happy place for many journalists. We use it to follow important and relevant media. This helps us get to know journalists a bit better and find out what their personal interests are – as well as the news topics they cover.

 

Tech #10: Zoom

 

Our video conferencing tool of choice is Zoom. We really like its functionality and it works really well for client meetings as well as internal team meetings. A big highlight for us is that you can record calls which is very useful.

 

Bonus #11: advanced search operators

 

Did you know you can use Google to search for hashtags, prices, or site info? Search operators are useful – both from an opportunity sourcing perspective (e.g. want to find sites that list small business resources? You can make a fair bet that, if they do, they mention the fact in their URLs – try searching: inurl:small-business-resources in Google…) and a coverage sourcing perspective (e.g. if we want to find an article we wrote for the FSB without trawling their whole site, we can simply search site:fsb.org.uk “Definition”) – get the official Google list here.

 

If you like the sound of working with a tech-savvy and switched on b2b PR agency, then give one of our directors a shout!