We visited the office of PocketBook, one of the world's largest manufacturers of multifunctional E-Ink technology-based reading devices. Julia Zaderyaka, the Head of PR Department at PocketBook, agreed to answer our questions about how the company monitors the internet and operates in social media.
SF: Please tell us in which countries PocketBook sells its devices and digital content?
JZ: Currently, the company's headquarters is located in Lugano, Switzerland. We sell our products worldwide, to be precise, in 28 countries. It's easier to say where we do NOT sell our products. At the moment, South America and Africa are the regions where we do not actively sell our products. The digital content portal mainly operates in the CIS and Europe.
SF: Does PocketBook use monitoring of foreign media, and if so, for which countries?
JZ: We use monitoring via SemanticForce for all countries where our devices are sold. It's essential for us to know what foreign media are saying in all 28 countries where we are actively operating. Sometimes the volume of information about us in foreign media exceeds 500 publications per month, and that doesn't include blogs and social networks.
SF: How is the work with foreign media, bloggers, etc., organized in the company?
JZ: Our PR department handles this. The company is represented in many countries where people differ significantly from us in terms of mentality and language.
To maintain an individual approach and consider all regional specifics when working with the media in different countries, we use the services of local PR agencies.
Online communication and social media are managed by the company's SMM manager. This person is, above all, a manager, and also works with agencies and contractors in various countries.
SF: What are the goals of PocketBook's presence on social media?
JZ: I think, like everyone else, we pursue several goals simultaneously. But the main priorities can be outlined as follows: the primary goal is "service-oriented," where direct communication with customers takes place "face to face" - addressing customer questions, requests, and more. In other words, social media creates a hotline for consultation in an online format. Next is conveying information to customers that they should be aware of. Third, and most importantly, in my opinion, it's about building relationships between the company and the customer, where there is a connection that arises not only on a verbal level but also on a sensory level.
People create their personal accounts on social networks in line with their worldview. They gather friends to share what is important and interesting to them. In the same way, we work with our audience on social networks.
SF: Which social networks are most popular among your clients? What is the specificity of your work?
JZ: It depends on the specific country. For example, it's no secret that in many countries, VKontakte and Odnoklassniki are entirely unpopular. We try to use all communication channels, taking into account the specifics of each country. We actively create and develop customer communities on forums and strive to maintain the tradition of meetings and personal communication offline with brand enthusiasts. As an example, we support a very large user community on the-ebook.org forum.
SF: Do you use the SemanticForce platform for certain tasks, and for how long?
JZ: We have been using it for over a year. The top priority task for us was to monitor emerging mentions of PocketBook in the media.
SF: What were the most relevant factors in choosing a monitoring platform for you?
JZ: First and foremost, we were looking for a solution that would allow us to monitor the entire Internet within one system. We were interested in literally everything: forums, blogs, media, and more. We chose a monitoring platform from three or four alternative options, but the service packages of your competitors were somehow limited in one way or another.
SF: Do you observe an increase in discussions on social media about PocketBook products?
JZ: Of course, how else could it be? In countries where we are actively operating, discussions on social media are gaining momentum. For example, we are actively discussed in Western and Central Europe, as well as in the CIS and the Baltic countries. In America, which is not a priority market for us, there is currently a quite understandable lull.
