360DigitalInfluence

There is a new web application that we have been using within our Digital Influence practice that I believe can be beneficial when beginning just about any initiative. It’s called “Tag Crowd” (http://tagcrowd.com/) and essentially, it allows you to make your own tag cloud from content that you either upload or copy and paste. You can also add in a URL and they will create a visual tag cloud of the word frequency contained in that entire site.

So how would this tool be useful in a PR setting?

Let’s say that you are developing a media list or influencer audit and come across a Web site that you think may be worth engaging for a client, but you aren’t 100% sold on the focus, or are a little unsure that the main topics would be relevant. Plug in the URL and you’ll get a visual map of all the key terms and categories listed on the site.

Another example. You want to get an idea of what a competitor is talking about, either on their corporate blog, or on their corporate Web site. Taking a look at www.cisco.com, for example, we find:

Not surprisingly, Cisco “networks” and “services” receive the largest number of mentions. But it’s interesting to see that “telepresence,” “video,” and “unified communications,” also receive a high volume of mentions on the site. Traditionally known for their networking and communications services, the tag cloud reinforces the company’s recent push over the last few years in promoting their video technologies.

The tag cloud also helps to uncover topics or categories that may be counterintuitive to what a company may traditionally be known for, which may reveal some key insights for your clients. Taking a look at the biotechnology company, Genentech, the tag cloud reveals a couple of interesting insights:

Long known for their work in Oncology and Infectious Disease, the tag cloud reveals a focus on “sustainability.” Additionally, the large volume of mentions of the microblogging site “Twitter,” shows the company’s move to Web 2.0 and social media technologies.

Aside from the uses that I highlighted above, the Web site also lists a number of other functions including as a blog tool or Web site analysis for search engine optimization (SEO), for visual analysis of survey data, or as brand clouds that let companies see how they are perceived by the world.

Have any additional thoughts on how this application can be leveraged on behalf of our clients? Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts.