Cision Communications Cloud vs. SAS 360 Plan vs. Tagger

For a small start-up, the cost-benefit to add lift to press releases [and] particular milestone accomplishments is definitely there with the Cision [Communications] Cloud. Much of what we do, by necessity, is done internally without the benefit of outsourced press folks, so the Cision [Communications] Cloud ease of use and reporting is very important.

Incentivized

I might want to find in Tagger a similar report where they show
the after-effects of a few or other influencers when the relegated errands are
done, this could help us in further developing dynamically for our publicizing
efforts doubtlessly getting a considerably more exact outcome.

Incentivized

• Their upgraded press release templates and ability [to] pull in an entire, completed release makes the [process] faster and easier, and allows for more graphics, such as company mastheads, [are done well].
• The media tracking offers the ability to find relevant placements across the entire country.
• The journalist database streamlines the process of finding relevant reporters to directly connect [to] on news releases that are relevant to their beats.
• The process of setting up, creating, and distributing a release is seamless, easy to use, and not labor-intensive.

Incentivized

• Create and manage a detailed plan for a marketing campaign: when you create detailed project plans and then task and role levels, SAS Marketing Operations Management (SAS MOM) makes it easier to coordinate between projects with very little, if any, issues.
• Share, reuse and leverage existing marketing assets: Like some marketing tools, SAS MOM allows you to create and reuse assets across various channels.
• Manage project collaboration and execution: You are allowed to set up a workflow that helps move processes along without having to manage each step of the project.

Incentivized

• User-Friendly Platform
• Great Customer Support
• Enables Collaboration

Incentivized

• In the media influencer database, the classic Cision allowed us to do a zip code radius search to really drill down to the neighborhood level. That's because we do localized media advisories and press releases for events at neighborhood schools. One part of a big city like Chicago really doesn't care what's happening in another part of Chicago that's too far away. The zip code radius search was a feature in the classic Cision but not with the current Cision Communications Cloud. We've asked for this to be restored several times, but nothing's happened. In fact, we were told to use DMA — which actually goes wider in a search (bigger than a city), not more narrow as needed. This reflects a basic misunderstanding of what we need.
• Another missing feature involves a merge field when sending out an email press release through Cision. This is the "select insert field" button in the upper right that's used to personalize a release with the media contact's name and other information. This is key for localization of the release. Many media outlets won't run a release unless it's local. While "county" is a feature in the influencer database when putting together a media list in Cision, "county" is not available to insert into a press release as a merge field. Counties are important because this is how many newspapers and health departments are organized and identify themselves. I've asked for this to be implemented, to no avail. As a workaround, we've had to use "contact city" or "outlet city."
• After refining a media list in Cision using filters, I've had to download the list and take it offline to see the big picture, screen for duplicates, etc. While there is a button on the bottom left intended to help with this, it doesn't do the trick. That's because there may be multiple contacts with the same email address. In addition, one media contact may represent numerous media outlets, so this same contact could show up several times. It would be nice to have a better way to see the whole list online and eliminate both duplicates as well as those who previously opted out.

Incentivized

• It would be good to have a Storyboard feature to summarize and tie together some of the dashboard metrics.
• Missing feature: Hubspot CRM integration.

Incentivized

• Although it relates very well with most social networks we wish they could soon include TikTok in the tool, one of the fastest growing in recent times and where we could find many more influencers with different skills that fit the needs of our consumers.
• I would like to see in Tagger Media a comparative report where they show the results of some or other influencers when the assigned tasks are finished, this could help us in improving decision making for our advertising campaigns surely getting a much more accurate result.
• It would be interesting to see the information of the tasks of the influencers we hire in real time, i.e., if we contact 5 influencers, we could see a real-time flowchart with the current status of their tasks and thus be able to keep a better relationship of time and performance in our projects.

Incentivized

While I am happy with the product performance overall, TrendKite's recent merger with Cision is cause for concern. When we first signed on with TrendKite, I spoke with several users and the best response I received was that the company was a startup and we could expect there to be hiccups along the way as the company grew and the platform got more robust. That has certainly been the case. However, now that they have merged with Cision — a company that has grown too fast, has not focused on improving its product and has poor customer service — I have concerns that TrendKite will lose some of the qualities that have made it a great company and great product to work with.

Incentivized

The flexibility and customization of Cision Communications Cloud (TrendKite)* is among its most important features. Changing the dashboards, using keywords in the saved searches to pull out the best stories and the integration with marketing automation tools gives me confidence that I will able to continue using this tool well into the future. The future implementation and integration of the media contact database will complete the suite, making list management and email marketing programs much smoother. *This review was written before Cision acquired TrendKite. TrendKite is now part of Cision Communications Cloud.

Incentivized

Easily accessible 24/7.

Incentivized

Generally, Cision performs well day to day, but it's got some annoying bugs that slow down usage/require user workarounds which is inefficient. More seriously, a few months ago, as a result of a major system upgrade, certain critical functionality was not working and I was unable to use the service for more than a day when I had time-sensitive work to execute

For Cision TrendKite in particilar, support always responded, but it was sometimes slow. For some of our booleans and search queries, we would need help refining and excluding terms/phrases that weren't relevant to our client or campaign. This sometimes took 1-2 days just to get a response back, which sometimes was too late when a last-minute report was due. This was only with the support staff, not necessarily our customer success manager or sales rep.

Incentivized

The online training sessions available for the Cision Communications Cloud are helpful and informative. There's more than one option - initially, I signed up for the live webinar classes on basic functions and that is what I recommend other new users do as well. If I have specific questions or something I want to learn more about, I can search the online database and find article or online training videos to get the information I need.

Incentivized

There is no implementation at the customer's end so this doesn't really apply to my instance of Cision (possibly to all instances of it).

It's a similar product. I think Meltwater sells itself as being a bit more niche, but I have not found many significant differences between Meltwater and Cision. Meltwater's sales process is a very high pressure and their prices are inflated.

Incentivized

Out of the other influencer management/SaaS platforms I've used, Tagger is my favorite. I trust the numbers I see and use within Tagger, whereas other platforms I'm a bit more cautious of that are scraping data. I also have to say that Tagger's customer support is fantastic, my representative is always friendly, patient, and responsive, providing thorough answers to any question we send her way. Additionally, there is a live chat feature within the platform that is also easy to use and someone always responds fairly quickly, whereas other services I've used have taken days to get a response to a simple question.

Incentivized

Easy to use, but still room for improvement.

Incentivized

• Cision has a net positive impact on time savings for staff so we can be quicker to market
• Cision has a positive impact on internal savings as it is used internally across multiple accounts and with the internal PR team
• Cision is extremely useful when it comes to resourcing and conducting outreach in those DMA's where our agency doesn't have a physical presence

Incentivized

• With the program, the executives and results estimation Tagger can send important data of potential influencers that can be of extraordinary assistance to us.

Incentivized