Hydra unveils multi-role platform

Hydra, a provider of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) marketing technology, today announces the launch of the One platform. Most companies active in natural search, paid search and social media could derive efficiencies to improve return on their digital spend, yet few leverage this because collating data to inform strategy can be complex and time consuming.

Hydra's One platform enables digital marketers to strategically and proactively monitor, report and participate in the conversation that customers are having about their brand online - be that in social networks or on search engines. The One platform aggregates this information and proactively suggests ways businesses can reach out to customers in a language they wish to use and on whichever channel(s) consumers are active. One from Hydra defines this concept as Phrase Marketing and delivers insights upon which digital marketers can take action to better target potential customers.

Hydra is an independent standalone business from the founders of Greenlight, a leading independent search and social marketing firm. Hydra takes the best practice of 10 years R&D and has deployed best-of-breed solutions through the One platform, comprising several features:

• WordBank, the central feature, is designed to make keyword research easy and informs digital marketers' strategy through intelligent recommendations of high visibility keywords across Natural Search, Paid Search and Social Media, using a wide array of data sources;
  
• The Natural Search module imparts intelligent recommendations for keywords that deliver high visibility specific to a site. Reach, the One platform's metric, enables digital marketers to evaluate potential footfall from a keyword before they work with it, helping them achieve optimal performance whilst maximising efficiency and accuracy;
  
• Integrated automatic processes designed to focus the marketer on strategy and not on high volume, low productivity tasks such as creating classifications, tagging keywords, reporting, and creating page and keyword combinations, amongst many others;
  
• The flexibility to manipulate integrated data reveals connections across natural search, paid search and social media which digital marketers can translate into efficiencies. The competitor analysis tools gives insight into competitor strategies whilst the recommendation feature ensures digital marketers gain intelligence about the best keyword-to-channel combinations to define actions proactively for each of those channels.

One from Hydra is running an Early Adopter Programme allowing firms to use and explore its functionality.
Companies currently participating include Debenhams, Santander and Sky.

"Companies have multiple people, doing multiple tasks, in different ways, across the same set of words, all with the same goal of acquiring customers and engaging them in the language they use. The One Platform brings synergy to currently fragmented work streams", says Martyn Jobber, Hydra chief executive officer, formerly a member of the Omniture (an Adobe Company) EMEA Executive team. "We have listened to digital marketers' needs and the One platform is our response. It is unique to the market and has specifically been developed and tailored to address and solve the pain points they have told us they routinely face."

The need for such a solution is evidenced by a recent survey* of over 300 UK-based digital marketers, undertaken by Hydra, in which a shocking third of respondents say less than 50% of their needs are being met by their current toolset.

55% of respondents said they do not know what words or expressions being used in the market are worth spending time and money on. 70% indicated if they had more time, they would review the keywords and phrases in their campaigns far more regularly than they currently do.

Jobber concludes: "We're excited to present The One platform and have every confidence it will bring opportunity and value to our customers, as it was designed based on their needs."

Peter Elleby, formerly vice president of engineering at Touch Clarity, has been appointed chief technology officer. Supported by a team of mathematics PhDs, marketing experts and seasoned programmers, Elleby has been instrumental in the development and design of the One platform and will manage the technology and digital assets that drive it.

Notes:

* Hydra surveyed over 300 digital marketers in April 2011 and focussed on how digital marketing teams currently operate, based on collaboration, use of technologies and competitor analysis. The aim of the survey was to address three key areas:
1. Assess the level of integration between Natural Search, Paid Search and Social Media teams through keyword sharing across disciplines
2. Measure the number of tools currently used by in-house and agency teams and the percentage of needs met by these toolsets
3. Gauge the appetite for benchmarking against competitors and the level of ease for accessing competitor information.