Iridium Pure Reach: Engagement, Pure and Simple

Clean water is critical for the health and survival of individuals, families and communities – everywhere on the planet.

With your help, Iridium Communications is donating to GlobalMedic. The non-profit organization brings emergency relief to devastated areas all over the world – and right now with just a few clicks, you can help the cause. For each social media interaction – including @testsatphone on Twitter, liking Test Your Satellite Phone on Facebook, sharing relevant photos and stories, and more – Iridium will make a donation to GlobalMedic, supplying water purification units to families recovering from disasters in Haiti, Japan, Pakistan and beyond.

Developed by BSL, the Iridium Pure Reach program is running in conjunction with Iridium’s annual Test Your Satellite Phone emergency preparedness initiative. It highlights the flipside of emergency preparation, and addresses the pressing need for emergency response.


BSL designed the program to be simple, effective and to harness the power of social networks to meet this real need in the aftermath of a disaster. But beyond the cause itself, the program is also effective at achieving greater interaction, which drives the relevance of Iridium’s Test Your Satellite Phone initiative. What’s more, the invitation for users to provide stories and photos gives Iridium insight into those who interact with their brand.

The Pure Reach program is simple. All you have to do is get engaged, and you can help give clean water to those who need it most. So what are you waiting for? Follow @testsatphone on Twitter, like Test Your Satellite Phone on Facebook, and visit www.iridium.com/purereach for more information.

Get Your Business Blogging (Successfully)

For many businesses, a blog is considered an absolute marketing asset, and is treated as a long-term investment toward driving traffic and leads over time.

To truly make the most out of your business’ blog, there are a few important points to consider:

What are your resources?

Who will be blogging and how much time can they dedicate to the initiative? Knowing this up front will help you plan your blogging approach in terms of topics and frequency. It will help you to set realistic goals and expectations.

Who is your audience?

Your blog can achieve success if you have a clear understanding of whom it is you are writing for. Tailor content to meet the needs of your readers, so that it is relevant and helpful to them. Take time to understand what they’re interested in. Test and tune. Try out different subjects and track the results in terms of visitors and comments. Be sure to note, however, that sometimes posts with the lowest traffic will generate the most leads.

How are you going to promote your blog?

To existing customers

If you are writing for a community of existing customers, use existing internal channels or client communications such as emails and e-newsletters to cross-promote your blog. It is also wise to take advantage of your website and social media pages such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Don’t be shy to push out blog post links to networks of people you think it might be relevant to.

To new customers

If the aim of your blog is to acquire new customers, try to determine influencers that already exist by becoming active in online communities. By participating in spaces where potential customers are, you will be more successful in driving traffic back to you. Playing an active role in their world will make them far more likely to support you.

It has also been proven quite effective to integrate online and social media activities with other traditional marketing activities. You can inspire action by promoting the opportunity to get important news first through your blog, or win a prize in an online contest. For campaigns, you can carry messaging across all media, and incorporate a call-to-action to visit your website or social spaces in offline communications.

All in all, building an effective blog requires patience and persistence. It can take one to two years to establish successful blog readership. So keep at it! And stay tuned for more posts about B2B blogging, including content generation tips, editorial calendars and more.

Three Thumbs Up for BSL

Together with our clients, BSL is thrilled to announce that we have been awarded three trophies from the 17th Annual Communicator Awards, judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts.

Our work on the ng Connect Program’s Solutions Concept Video Series won us a Silver Award of Distinction in the category of Online Video: Technology. While our work on Alcatel-Lucent’s LTE Video is still getting recognized two years later, achieving a Gold Award of Excellence in the category of Film/Video: Visual Effects. For both projects our responsibilities ran the gamut from initial creative approach and scriptwriting to casting, shooting and final production.

BSL was also fortunate to be given a Gold Award of Excellence in the category of Outdoor Advertising: Tradeshow Exhibits, for our work on the Iridium Communications booth displayed at SATELLITE 2011. A striking, two-level structure with several dynamic features, the Iridium booth was a testament to maximizing space, while simplifying the message.

BSL is very grateful for these three distinctions from the Communicator Awards, and would like to thank everyone involved who worked tirelessly on making these projects a success.

About the Awards:
The Communicator Awards are judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, an invitation-only body consisting of acclaimed media, communications, advertising, creative and marketing firms. IAVA members include executives from organizations such as Alloy, Brandweek, Coach, Disney, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Estee Lauder, Fry Hammond Barr, HBO, Monster.com, MTV, Polo Ralph Lauren, Sotheby's Institute of Art, Victoria's Secret, Wired, and Yahoo!