B2B Marketing News

Twitter Users Have Not So Hidden Agendas When Following Businesses

Elizabeth Fries — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:05:05 +0000

Twitter users choose to follow certain companies for a reason. “Subscribers, Fans, and Followers: Twitter X-Factors” indicates the largest single percentage of users who follow a company, brand, or association do so because they have a desire to get updates on future products. Another 32 percent, the second largest percentage, want to get more information about the activities of a company.

It makes sense that users would want the inside scoop on an organization, and Twitter is often the most recently updated source for a given business. By checking for updates via Twitter, the consumer can know when it is time to prepare to invest and when one should be watching other markets.

Following these two informational reasons, the next highest percentages of Twitter users follow companies to receive discounts (31 percent) and freebies, such as coupons and samples (28 percent). Unfortunately, only 23 percent follow to show support for a company and only 20 percent have a desire to interact with the company.

For a company, successfully integrating Twitter into its overall marketing strategy can be tricky. According to ExactTarget, the key to success is to not think of Twitter as a way to maintain direct relationships with customers, but as a way to serve those customers who chose to follow them.

For more information on this study, visit http://bit.ly/8XzvdI.

Time to take a breath and ask why?

Micky — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:30:51 +0000

The excitement around marketing automation systems and the extended lead nurturing activities they enable shows no sign of abating within the B2B community. And that’s a great thing. These multi-faceted tools are enabling Marketers to delivering more relevant, timely and – ultimately – more impactful information to their prospect base, monitor prospect’s every electronic “footstep”, score and grade prospects every characteristic, etc..

And if you read the collateral from Automation vendors, it’s clear that today’s tools will do everything the B2B marketer needs – including delivering the late-night caffeine shot and monitoring the marketing team’s fashion sense.

What many seem to lose sight of during the euphoria of launching the first drip campaign is answering the question “Why did I start down this path in the first place?”

Was it to offset staff reductions in the Marketing department that make email campaign execution more difficult?

Was it to avoid the constant nagging from the Sales team that Marketing leads are worthless?

Was it to stop the “How much revenue have you generated for me lately?” hallway conversations with the CEO?

We like to think of automation as the next frontier that will revolutionize marketing from ground up. It no doubt will over time. But as a first step in this grand transformation, maybe it would make sense to step back and identify the top 3-5 immediate things you want your shiny new tool to do for you as you build the internal business case.

If you are part of the fortunate that have their execs convinced that a complete marketing retooling with the long-term ROI this type of change entails makes sense, great. For the rest of us, dealing with shorter-term requirements, setting the stage with more modest, immediate and measurable objectives – which, by the way, automation tools provide as well — just might offer a better path for success.

The Web: Extinct or Evolved?

Jennifer Hahn — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:02:17 +0000

Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired, caused a stir in the technology world when he declared the web “dead” in the magazine’s September cover story. Its demise, according to Anderson, stems from the growing use of simpler, sleeker services such as apps and smartphones. He writes:

“Over the past few years, one of the most important shifts in the digital world has been the move from the wide-open Web to semiclosed platforms that use the Internet for transport but not the browser for display. It’s driven primarily by the rise of the iPhone model of mobile computing, and it’s a world Google can’t crawl, one where HTML doesn’t rule.”

Not everyone is ready to don their mourning clothes for the Web just yet though. In fact, many in the tech community believe Anderson’s statements are not only premature, but potentially based on a fallacy. As TechCrunch blogger Erick Schonfeld points out:

“The [Wired] article is anchored by the startling infographic…, which shows the proportion of different types of traffic on the Internet. The Web, HTML traffic visible though a browser, is only about a quarter (23%) of the overall traffic, down from about half a decade ago. It’s been pushed down by peer-to-peer (23%), video (51%), and other types of apps which use the Internet for transport but are not browser-based. It’s not clear what exactly Wired is counting as video, but presumably it is not all of the Flash video on YouTube which is very much part of the Web.”

Check out Chris Anderson’s article, “The Web Is Dead. Long Live the Internet,” and Erick Schonfeld’s post, “Wired Declares the Web is Dead – Don’t Pull Out the Coffin Just Yet,” for yourself and see what you think: Is the Web really dead or has it just evolved?

More Businesses Acquiring Customers from Social Media Marketing

Annette Filliat Davis — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:54:20 +0000

More than 1 billion people are linked into social networks, but business-to-business (BtoB) marketers have struggled to prove the ROI from social technologies until recently. According to a recent survey by Regus, marketers are now seeing an influx of new customer acquisition through Web 2.0 efforts.

Nearly half of small businesses worldwide have acquired a customer through social networks. Interestingly enough, large companies were less successful in obtaining new customers through social media channels—despite most likely investing more time and money into social media marketing.

In January 2010, Hubspot found that more than 40 percent of companies had acquired a customer through social media marketing. Clearly, social media efforts are starting to pay off.

As evidence of these survey findings, one of Arketi’s clients has seen a quick return for its Web 2.0 efforts through LinkedIn and Twitter. This BtoB technology company began testing the social media waters in early 2009, integrating traditional and online marketing tactics as the groundswell of social activity grew.

In the past few months, this client secured an analyst briefing from an industry analyst who started following the company’s Twitter page and landed a new client from a LinkedIn InMail request sent by the company’s sales executive.

To read more of the Regus survey findings on eMarketer, visit www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007815.

Communications Industry Forecast

Sami — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:00:44 +0000

According to the Veronis Suhler Stevenson Communications Industry Forecast 2004 -2014, The Communications Industry spending is on pace to increase 3.5% in 2010 and post a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.1% in the 2009-2014 period to $1.416 trillion, driven by a gradual economic recovery, advances in digital technology, and secular trends impacting the entire industry landscape. Here are some interesting findings:

The Targeted Media sector will be the second-fastest growing industry sector and experience a 7.3% CAGR increase in the forecast period to reach $265.58 billion, according to the report. Growth will be spurred by the Pure-Play Consumer Internet & Mobile Services segment:

Branded Entertainment, poised to increase CAGR by 9.2% to $38.16 billion
Outsourced Custom Publishing, where advertisers are seeking targeted approaches to reaching key audiences, resulting in an 11.2% CAGR gain to reach $6.57 billion in 2014
Public Relations & Word-of-Mouth Marketing which will register CAGR growth of 9.7% between 2009 and 2004, reaching $8.01 billion
Business & Professional Services which will see CAGR climb 9.1% to reach $147.12 billion in 2014

An Industry Sector analysis, including Entertainment & Leisure media, Business Information & Services, Targeted Media, Education & Training Media & Services, Marketing Media, and Traditional Consumer Advertising Media offers greater depth and detail on time that consumers and businesses spend with media:

Business & Professional Information & Services will be the fastest-growing industry sector from 2009 to 2014, posting an 8.2% CAGR between 2009 and 2014 to reach $249.00 billion
Growth in Education & Training Media & Services will experience a 6.8% CAGR improvement in the forecast period to $311.28 billion
The Entertainment & Leisure Media sector is forecast to post CAGR gains of 6.3% over the next five years, reaching $353.87 billion, with 6.3% CAGR growth
The Targeted Media industry sector will be the second-fastest growing industry sector during the forecast period, driven by double-digit growth in Pure-Play Consumer Internet & Mobile Services and Outsourced Custom Publishing, as well as solid gains in Branded Entertainment
Marketing Media will be the slowest growing and smallest communications industry sector during the forecast period, increasing at a 1.8% CAGR from 2009 to 2014 to $77.23 billion
Traditional Consumer Advertising Media, including Broadcast TV, Newspapers, Consumer Magazines, Broadcast & Satellite Radio, Yellow Pages Directories, and Out-of-Home Media, is expected to grow at a sluggish 2.2% CAGR, totaling $159.30 billion

The complete report can be found at: http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/email/headlines/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&div=-867702808&newsId=20100810006496

Arketi Web Watch: Firstdata.com

WebWatch — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 18:34:37 +0000

In this week’s Arketi Web Watch post, we look at Firstdata.com. Though the website certainly is well designed, there are several elements that need to be taken into consideration.

Homepage
The homepage is absolutely gorgeous. However, with the exception of the navigation, logo and footer, the entire homepage is in Flash. This is not SEO friendly at all, nor is it supported on most mobile devices. In fact, a lot of what is Flash on this homepage could be achieved using JavaScript or HTML 5 without losing much of the pizzazz, if any at all.

For instance, check out the unobtrusive “dashboard” feature at the top of the page. In it’s collapsed, default state, it appears as a discreet ticker. When opened it becomes a scrollable pane of attractive, semi-interactive charts with a “subscribe” call-to-action (CTA) always present. Equally important, the main feature and navigation are not obstructed nor pushed below the fold when the dashboard is expanded.

The homepage main feature does quite a bit of heavy lifting as it serves as an overview for FirstData’s six service areas. The functionality to toggle between the six service areas could be a bit more obvious, but each story is so well paced and structured, that it is forgivable. The pay-off screens to each overview have engaging content such as videos as well as CTAs for white papers and press releases. My one complaint – I wish you could skip right to the pay-off screens. As nice as the Flash is, if I were a repeat visitor I would want to be able to skip the fluff and get right to the more valuable content.

The navigation is very nice. The drop navigation on the FirstData site does more than provide links, it helps inform the user on where to go. The lesson to be learned here is that drop-menus can be more than just a stack of links.

Subpages
Overall the design is fairly consistent throughout the site. I did find some spacing inconsistencies between page titles and body copy, but for a site this size, that is to be expected. It is possible that my browser and platform might be causing said spacing issues.

There are only 1.5 to 2 templates used for subpages. I say that because the top level “product” pages look very different at first glance, but a closer look reveals that these pages indeed have the same layout as all the other subpages; the only difference is the large central graphic. That said, the designer was very savvy in creating variety and consistency.

Standout Technology
Checkout the “Product” subpages, such as www.firstdata.com/en_us/products/merchants/pos-payments

Notice how the “In this suite” copy in the main column behaves. It clamshells to reduce strolling, and users can select multiple topics to submit to First Data in a manner similar to an online shopping cart. That’s a good example of efficient and user-centric functionality and what’s possible with modern Web coding.

I should wrap this up because you all need to get back to work, however, I recommend bookmarking this site as a reference of what is possible online.

Kudos To The McAfee PR Team: McAfee Most Dangerous Celebrities™ Release Scores!

Mike — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:59:10 +0000

Today McAfee released its Most Dangerous Celebrities™ list. This is a very savvy PR strategy for a company that does not often land mainstream, national (or international) press coverage. A wonderful tie-in to pop culture while advancing both a BtoB and BtoC message — using security technology to avoid cybercriminals.

By the way, Cameron Diaz has replaced Jessica Biel as the most dangerous celebrity to search for on the Web.

The full release and more info on safe searching can be found at: http://home.mcafee.com/AdviceCenter/Default.aspx?id=ad_sfs_mmdc

The only downside of this news is that it is being eclipsed by another release regarding Intel Corporation’s definitive agreement to acquire McAfee, Inc., through the purchase of all of the company’s common stock at $48 per share in cash, for approximately $7.68 billion.

Oh, well timing news is always fun for any PR team.

Customer Service Has Found Itself on the Back Burner

Star — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:44:05 +0000

Given today’s economic environment, consumers are taking extra care in deciding just how to spend their money. Though it has always been important, studies show that customer service has recently taken on a stronger role in the world of the consumer, and is more likely to influence a sale than ever before.

Sixty-one percent of Americans claim that quality customer service is of a greater importance in the current economic state. These Americans are also likely to spend roughly nine percent more when they feel as though they have been treated with above average customer service. Consumers who experience quality service are reportedly 81 percent more likely to give a company repeated business.

However, only 37 percent of American consumers believe companies have put additional emphasis on the importance of customer service since the decline of the economy. With the correlation between customer service and successful sales, one would think corporations would be rushing to improve customer service. But this, apparently, is not the case.

Twenty-seven percent of Americans feel as though companies have resisted any change in their attitude toward customer service, and a shocking 28 percent believe businesses are now paying even less attention to customer service. Jim Bush, executive vice president of world service at American Express, states that “it is important to see customer service as an investment, not a cost.” Maybe if businesses realized just how valuable the investment of customer service could be, they would do something to change these unsettling statistics.

Marketers are NOT Crazy, They do Get the Short End of the Corporate Stick!

Mike — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 22:20:15 +0000

Christopher Hosfort of BtoB magazine made every marketer smile with today’s article on Accenture’s “Onward and Upward: How Marketers Are Refocusing the Front Office for Growth” report.

The research is not really rocket science for anyone who has worked in or with corporate marketing teams – they have insufficient budgets, skills shortages and inadequate tools – but at least it lets us all know we are not crazy or alone.

Check it out below…

Accenture: Marketers hampered by insufficient budgets, skills shortages

By: Christopher Hosford

New York—Marketers responsible for driving corporate growth are being hindered in their efforts by insufficient budgets, skills shortages and inadequate tools, according to a new study by consultancy and technology services company Accenture.

According to the company’s report, “Onward and Upward: How Marketers Are Refocusing the Front Office for Growth,” top strategic objectives include improving operational efficiency, increasing profitability and responding effectively to change.

However, respondents said they’re encountering several barriers to success, such as inefficient business practices (cited by 21% of respondents), inadequate funding (17%), insufficient integration with other business functions (15%), a lack of required skills (13%) and lack of access to the customer data they need (6%).

Generally, frustrated respondents reported that changes in customer expectations are impacting their marketing strategies. For instance, 72% said that “most or all” of their customers expect more value for money, 71% said customers have higher product quality expectations than in times past, and 68% said customers have higher customer service expectations.

Accenture’s online survey was conducted from November 2009 through January 2010 and drew 400 marketer respondents from companies with annual revenue of $1 billion or more.

Source: http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100812/FREE/100819964/1078/newsletter011

Arketi Web Watch: Starbucks.com

WebWatch — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:22:02 +0000

In this installment of Arketi Web Watch we taking a look at Starbucks.com. The Starbucks site does a few things very well. However, like many large consumer sites, there are numerous design inconsistencies.

Let’s dive in.

There are some really nice things happening above the fold on the homepage. The global navigation has gorgeous typography; it’s so good that the tiny navigation descriptions are an asset and not a distraction. But it’s the navigation behavior that really shines on this site. Check out the drop menus, not only are they visually pleasing, but they have Calls to Action. One more time, the drop menus have Calls To Action! As a veteran Web designer, I found myself saying, “why didn’t I think of that?” This is certainly something that I’d like to see become an industry standard.The design below the fold on the homepage is just OK. In fact it looks arbitrary compared to many of the secondary pages. The “Explore Our Menu” and “Responsibility” pages are examples of much better design. I highly recommend giving those pages a look. Don’t bother with the “Shop” page, it will hurt your eyes.

As I mentioned earlier, the site does suffer from some design inconsistencies. Most notable is that header font styles, colors and sizes are all over the map. Also, many same level pages have very different layouts. In fact, one could argue that there are too many overall layout variations in this site.

The “Menu” section has some great functionality. The search and display options dynamically refresh based on user choices. Another useful and well designed page is the “Card” page where among other things, users can replenish the value on their Starbucks cards.

On a final note, it’s worth pointing out that Starbucks does a decent job of integrating social media content into their site. Most of the top level pages have posts about some aspect of the Starbucks experience (granted many are from Starbucks employees). This is an interesting approach when you consider that most corporate sites confine this type of content to a blog or “community” section and could be missing an opportunity to further engage with their customers.

Check back here often for future installments of Web Watch, where Arketi keeps you in the know on what’s happening on the Web.

Marketing vs IT? Who really owns the customer experience?

Sami — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 21:02:24 +0000

I was eating lunch with some colleagues the other day, and we were all complaining about the customer experience and actual TV service provided by the cable or satellite TV service providers we used. Interestingly, three of the four of us had different providers, but we all equally disliked our providers. I noted that I was in the middle of moving over to AT&T U-verse, which had won the J.D. Power Associates award for two years running. All were interested to know if it was warranted.

After having the service installed, I truly enjoy the service and much more so than my previous provider. The product is truly excellent. However, I feel I must also share these four specific examples of poor sales and service experiences that occurred before and after the service was installed. They were mostly created by IT deficiencies. Here they are:

1 – When I ordered the service, the sales representative had convinced me to get the 12MB speed for Internet connectivity. After he placed the order, I changed my mind and asked him if he could change it. He said that once the order was placed, he could not. But, that he would log in the next day and make the change. I called back a week later, and he had not done that. I asked the customer service rep to make the change – she said she did, but it was never done. I gave up – apparently, they really want me to have the greater speed. Why can’t the order be changed at anytime?

2 – One week after I ordered the service, AT&T called me to tell me they had a great deal on AT&T U-verse and that I should consider switching. I told the rep that I had just ordered the service a week ago, and she said that they use different databases and don’t cross-check them, so she had no way to know that I had already ordered the service. She said she would update her specific database so they would not bother me again.

3 – The sales person set the expectation they would call the day before to confirm everything. They never did, so I called, and all seemed well. They told me then that a technician would call me before they came over. I, in fact, received two different calls from two different technicians, which really confused me. As it turns out, they send two technicians (one for inside and one for outside the house). Sounds like the script in their call center solution needs some work.

4 – Finally, one week after the install, I received a (seemingly better) offer in the mail for AT&T U-verse, if I would only switch! I called them and asked why I received a worse offer when I signed up and why were they sending me offers in the first place, since I just signed up. The answer: “We just blanket the neighborhood, whether or not you have AT&T U-verse.” She continued, “I have had U-verse for a year and I still get them.” I thought, “Really, you mean to tell me that in the year 2010, no one at AT&T understands the concept of de-duping a database so that you exclude your customers from offers to sign up for the service they already have?”

Well, there you have it… Three of these were caused by a “seemingly simple” system/IT issue. As a marketer, it got me thinking how the entire organization has to be involved in building the ideal customer experience, particularly IT… or marketing will have no chance shaping it.

Targeting Telecommuters

Jackie — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 17:59:40 +0000

We can thank telecommuters for easing traffic congestion and reducing smog in our communities. But, in the coming months and years, this growing population may be adding new challenges to our jobs as btob marketers.

According to a recent Forrester Research report, more than 40 percent of all information technology workers in the U.S., Canada and U.K. will telecommute by 2016.

The report was based on an online survey of more than 3,900 IT workers from companies with more than 100 employees. The increase in telecommuting will cause more companies to allow employees to use their own IT resources, including software, hardware and cell phones. Forrester has dubbed this phenomenon, “technology populism.” The analyst firm predicts that this trend will create an environment in which technology vendors must market to end-users, while also continuing to focus on CIOs and corporate buyers.

BtoB Magazine reported on this Forrester Research report titled, “What Technology Populism Means for Tech Marketers,” in its July 27^th issue. The article quotes Forrester analyst, TJ Keitt, author of the report.

“The proliferation of choice in endpoints is an important story because it shows that businesses are acquiescing to things that were historically no-nos,” Keitt stated. He also provides three suggestions to help marketers improve their reach and target end-users.

Emphasize ease of setup and use. “The quicker you can get someone up and running, especially if they are installing something on their own, the more willing they are going to be to recommend it to their friends and colleagues,” Keitt said.
Focus on specific job-use cases. When you’re marketing end-users, they just want to know how a technology is going to make their lives easier, according to Keitt. “Talk about which types of jobs will benefit and why it will be important to them,” he said.
Identify and enable influential end-users. “We’ve seen the incredible power of word-of-mouth and the power of social networks,” Keitt said. Look at the customer’s social network reach, and consult with these people when it comes to future iterations of your products.

To read the entire article, go to: http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100727/FREE/100729952/1428/FREE&template=printart

Marketers Direct Lead Generation Budgets toward the Web

Sami — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:18:29 +0000

Due to the poor economy in 2009, marketers significantly cut their lead generation budgets in order to save as much money as possible. Fortunately, now that the economic crisis is beginning to turn around, companies are beginning to redirect their budgets toward acquiring new customers.

This time around, however, companies are directing their lead generation dollars towards the web. According to the “2010 Lead Generation Key Trends Analysis” conducted by CSO Insights, marketers are investing more in website design, email marketing, and new media in efforts to attract more customers. 54% of businesses are increasing their budgets for email marketing, while 21% are decreasing telemarketing budgets. In fact, companies are moving almost all customer acquisition attention towards the web. In addition to the 52% of marketers who have invested more in new media such as blogs and podcasts, another 65% have increased investments for website design and content in 2010.

The truth is, however, that web-based marketing is far from perfect for attracting new leads. In fact, the web is the area that 51% of marketers feel needs the most improvement. 65% of marketers who have not yet established a lead generation management system were displeased with the effectiveness of their web-based lead generation efforts. As they shift the flow of their budgets towards the web, marketers have their fingers crossed that this attention to web-based marketing will bring an uprising in lead generations. For more information on the study, visit http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007833

Research suggests strong tie between blogging behavior and personal influence

Star — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:23:17 +0000

As an active blogger, Arketi is excited to report that blogging is slowly proving its worth. According to recent research we’ve seen, blogging helps improve the performance of marketing programs for new products and services by reaching “influentials.” Influentials, as you may suspect, are the people who spread their opinions to neighbors, friends, relatives, co-workers, etc. by word of mouth. They also tend to be more engaged with blogs. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that influentials are having an impact on an increasing number of purchasing decisions.

According to the study, 77 percent of the participants who scored “high” in personal influence were three times more likely to have posted a comment to a blog they regularly read and/or write their own blog than people who scored “low.” In contrast, the 62 percent that scored “low” on personal influence reported that, though they know about blogs, they don’t read them on a regular basis.

Because blogs provide companies with an easy and relatively short way of spreading their brand over the internet, Arketi believes blogging will continue to be an important social media tactic to include in any well-rounded marketing plans.

Web Video: A Business Must Have

Annette Filliat Davis — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 20:33:58 +0000

One of the most effective new-media platforms to emerge in the past decade has been online video, and the stats prove it. According to ComScore, a source of digital marketing intelligence, U.S. internet users watched 178 million videos in the month of April alone.

As both production and delivery technologies have advanced to make the medium a low-cost and high-quality platform for marketers, most b-to-b marketers are now regularly using online video on their websites to provide interviews with executives, customer testimonials and product demos, and some are using video in display ads and e-newsletters.

Since web video has become a vital part of the marketing world today, it is imperative to optimize web videos for search. Currently, less than 20 percent of marketers told Forrester, a technology and market research company, that they insert keywords into the filenames or videos on their site, and even fewer use more advanced tactics, such as writing keyword-rich captions and annotations, or creating online video libraries. After a search engine experiment, Forrester reported that by using keywords and videos, sites stand a 50 times better chance of appearing on the first page of results than any given text page in the index. For successful marketing in today’s world, use web video!

For more information on both articles, visit

http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2010/6/comScore_Releases_April_2010_U.S._Online_Video_Rankings

And

http://blogs.forrester.com/interactive_marketing/2009/01/the-easiest-way.html

Where is the ROI on Twitter?

Mousa — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:32:01 +0000

Good question. According to BtoB Magazine’s online survey of nearly 400 U.S. marketers, almost half of survey respondents expressed dissatisfaction with Twitter’s ability to generate quantifiable ROI. That being said, it’s important to note that a majority (approximately 70 percent) of survey participants acknowledged only devoting 30 minutes to their respective Twitter streams.

While Twitter is quick and easy to manage, it has not yet been directly linked to revenue increases. So, is Twitter, as a marketing tool, worth your time? Arketi Principal Mike Neumeier chimed in on the debate, “Twitter has proven to be an effective communications tool, but in all likelihood its relevance will fade over time. It is not a marketing strategy, but rather a single communications channel.”

But, as one would imagine, you get out what you put in. The more time and thought companies allocate to their Twitter engagement is directly correlated to the output they can expect to receive. As the survey suggests, “marketers who generate revenue via Twitter are more active and commit more of their time to using Twitter.”

To read the full article, visit http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100614/FREE/306149964/1445/FREE.

Specialized Trade Pubs Survive Internet Boom

Star — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:45:37 +0000

According to a recent study from the Center For Media Research, the Internet has challenged the usefulness of trade publications in almost every industry sector. While not particularly surprising, the Canadian-based study could potentially provide insight into the Internet’s impact on trade publications in the U.S. marketplace.

Debunking common beliefs on the increasing dominance the Internet yields on specialized trade publications, this study suggests that specialized business publications have remained relatively stable over the past decade. Primarily due to their ultra-focused content, specialized business publications have served as a legitimate and valuable resource, providing targeted information and news to industry consumers. The pubs have remained useful and are, subsequently, ranked right behind the Internet in this particular study.

Among the seven diverse industrial sectors examined in the study, six are identified as traditional BtoB media:

Specialized Business Publications
Salespeople
Trade Shows
Direct Mail
Conventions & Seminars
Business Directories

The seventh information source, the ever-expanding Internet, has experienced a 23 percent increase in usefulness since 2004, according to the survey. Recognizing the growing role the Internet plays in today, many BtoB companies are now offering digital capabilities.

Percent Reporting Internet Very Useful
Rank ‘10	B2B Information Source	1996	2000	2004	2010
1	Internet	22%	53	53	76
2	Specialized Business Publications	66	66	69	67
3	Trade Shows	60	60	56	67
4	Conventions/Seminars	49	49	50	56
5	Salespeople	58	55	50	51
Source: Starch Research, March 2010

To learn more about the survey and read the rest of the article, visit http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=129203.

Very solid BtoB ad from 3M

Mike — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 21:32:07 +0000

Very strong ad. Great use of copy. Whitespace. And a visual that says it all.

Source: http://scottrope.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/3mmoneyglass1.jpg

Finally . . . website is one word!

Mike — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 18:18:51 +0000

Great news coming out of the Associated Press in the form of updates to its AP Stylebook (the grammar, definitions, use cases and rules bible for journalist and PR folks). After about 10+ years of getting it wrong — yes AP had it wrong — “website” is now one word! To read about the 41 other new social media guidelines check out the article below from Mashable or simply visit: http://mashable.com/2010/06/02/ap-social-media-guidelines/.

One interesting observation for AP: is a website really “social media”?

Another great (but very old now) technology styleguide is Wired Style: Principals of English Usage in the Digital Age (published 1996). It’s a great read if you can get your hands on one.

Source: Mashable

AP Stylebook Adds 42 New Guidelines for Social Media

The AP Stylebook has released its new social media guidelines, including the official change from “Web site” to “website” (a move first reported back in April) and 41 other definitions, use cases and rules that journalists should follow.

Among the more interesting changes –- at least from a grammar and style standpoint –- are separating out “smart phone” as two words, hyphenating “e-reader,” and allowing fan, friend and follow to be used both as nouns and verbs.

Beyond that, the AP has also defined a number of acronyms that are commonly used in texting and instant messaging. While most of them should be fairly well-known to regular web and mobile phone users (ROFL, BRB and G2G are among the definitions) one actually was new to me: POS.

According to the AP, this stands for “parent over shoulder” (I’ve used POS to refer to something else occasionally, but I digress), and is used by “teens and children to indicate, in an IM conversation, that a parent is approaching.” Elsewhere, other terms making the cut include “trending,” “retweet” and “unfriend” (“defriend” is also acceptable, though the AP concludes it’s less common).

Finally, the AP also offers some basic rules of thumb for how social media should and shouldn’t be used by journalists, with a focus on making sure they continue to confirm sources and information they find on blogs, tweets and other forms of social media.

The full 2010 AP Stylebook, which includes the new social media guidelines, was released today and is available on the AP’s website.

How Relevant is Comparing BtoB Marketing to BtoC Marketing?

Mike — Thu, 27 May 2010 20:59:43 +0000

This morning’s eMarketer Daily email contained an interesting article on BtoB marketers’ use social media. This article’s comparison of BtoB social media usage to that of their BtoC counterparts seems slightly flawed. Those who are true experts in BtoB marketing understand marketing in this environment is drastically different from marketing to consumers.

Assuming BtoB and BtoC usage of social media should mirror each other is dangerous (we all know what happens when you “assume”). In addition, using the answer “daily social engagement” as a mechanism to measure an organization’s social media engagement is a touch too ridged.

Having played in the BtoB social media space for many years now, it’s not uncommon to find a “social media engaged” BtoB company that does not interact with social media platforms daily. In the BtoB social media space, savvy marketers determine the cadence of channel usage based on their audience.

For example, in some industries, blog postings on a bi-weekly schedule are better than daily or weekly posts because they align with the audience’s rate of consumption. Utilizing this approach will decrease the likelihood of “channel fatigue” and consequently increase the overall value of your social media investment.

By and large, we find the research interesting, and know it is something that must be looked at with a critical eye and consumed with other information in mind. This reminded me of a great Mark Twain quote:

“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.”

Consume it, digest it, question it and then find the time to learn how social media might work within your specific audiences.

You can read the full article below or click here.

B2B Marketers Gain Ground with Social

Perceived irrelevance still a barrier

Business-to-business (B2B) companies are participating in the social space, but they are not yet as engaged as their business-to-consumer (B2C) brethren and face greater internal obstacles, according to a report from digital marketing agency White Horse.

Comparable numbers of B2B and B2C marketers were not doing any social marketing at all, but business-oriented firms were much more likely to say they had social media accounts but little marketing activity.

One reason: More than one-third of B2B marketers surveyed said there was low executive interest in social media in their company, compared with 9% of B2C marketers who said the same. Overall, about one-quarter of corporate marketers told White Horse they needed to learn more about social media to justify investment in the space, but the issue was more pressing for B2B respondents.

Fully 46% of B2B respondents said social media was perceived as irrelevant to their company, while only 12% of consumer-oriented marketers had the same problem. B2Bs also reported a much greater preference for traditional marketing tactics.

There was also a large disparity in the proportion of B2B marketers who said they were not measuring social success at all, at 34%, versus just 10% of B2C respondents.

Other studies have shown that B2B marketers are more effective at measurement because they focus on outcomes that matter to their bottom line, such as lead generation.

Source: eMarketer Daily May 27, 2010

We Are Family, Finally

Jackie — Mon, 24 May 2010 19:46:13 +0000

The Cain and Abel-like relationship between marketers and their sales teams appears to have gone the way of the horse and buggy, according to a recently-released industry survey by BtoB and a marketing automation provider.

While marketers still face their share of challenges according to the “B2B Marketer Skills Snapshot Survey,” most respondents stated that working with the sales team has improved over the last few years.

One respondent believes the economy has created an environment in which we all need to get along. Technology also is a key driver in improving the once antagonistic relationship between sales and marketing.

“Technology makes it easier to communicate in real time, and that enhances the relationship,” said Ernest Thompson, director-corporate marketing and branding for Guardian Industries, a global manufacturer of glass, automotive and building products. “Organizationally, there’s a trend toward compensation schemes that apply to both sales and marketing.”

Asked what would most help to alleviate their challenges, “increased budget” was the clear winner, followed by “bigger team/staff.” This result was consistent regardless of the size of the organization. Other key findings include:

Asked to rank in importance the metrics they use to judge the success of an online campaign, revenue (87%) beat out gross measures such as click-through rate (53%) and Web site traffic (48%), seeming to indicate that, online at least, marketers have come to align their metrics with bottom-line business objectives.
When asked about the goal and mission of the marketing department, the largest percentage of respondents picked “to drive qualified leads,” with more than half (52%) saying this was marketing’s “most important” mission.

Conducted between March 19 and April 5, 2010, the survey collected 544 responses, primarily from b-to-b marketing organizations. The read the full story, visit http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100503/FREE/100509997/1207/RESEARCH.

50% of BtoB’s will have marketing automation by 2015. Will you?

Star — Fri, 14 May 2010 20:04:41 +0000

Are you, like a lot of companies, looking for a proven, measurable way to generate leads? If so, then consider this:

According to SiriusDecisions, 50% of BtoB companies will have marketing automation by 2015.
Companies that get lead scoring right have a 192% higher average lead qualification rate than those that don’t, according to Aberdeen Group.
Nurturing (leads) with relevant communication and multiple touches increased conversion to sales leads by 375% in the first 8 months, according to inTouch and Marketing Experiments.

Marketing automation is a great way to drive email communications and assess online behavior of prospects and clients. If you decide to set up a marketing automation platform, here are two things to keep in mind …

Marketing automation is first and foremost about change management. To be successful, you need to change how you handle a prospect, which means you need to update your marketing process. Rather than worrying about guiding a prospect through your entire lead nurture process, instead focus on getting to know your prospect and his needs so you can identify where he is in the buying cycle and better market to him.
Content is a critical factor to feed successful demand generation programs. According to a survey of 100 B2B buyers in the DemandGen Report, “Breaking out of the funnel,” 78% of buyers start the buying process by gathering informal information. Therefore, you need to have sufficient content already created in order to support multiple messages and calls to action. When developing content, categorize according to these three needs: attracting prospects, provides information to overcome objections and supports decisions by providing case studies or testimonials.

To learn more about Marketing Automation, read our Five Steps to Automate Your BtoB Marketing white paper.

CHART OF THE DAY: Here’s How Much Tech Companies Spend On Advertising

Rory — Sat, 08 May 2010 20:34:45 +0000

It’s not totally clear from this article just what counts as “advertising,” but one imagines TV accounts for the largest chunk. As the writers note, Apple seems to be on TV all the time – certainly as frequently as Microsoft – whereas I can’t remember the last time I saw an Ebay or Yahoo commercial. Perhaps I’m watching channels whose demographics better fit Apple/Microsoft?

Even then, I don’t get the feeling I’m seeing Microsoft twice as often as Apple. Which suggests Apple is getting more bang for its buck. (I do like the “Windows 7 was my idea” spots, though, especially the French girl. There’s an infectious enthusiasm which the brand really needed.)

CHART OF THE DAY: Here’s How Much Tech Companies Spend On Advertising
Jay Yarow and Kamelia Angelova | May. 7, 2010, 1:12 PM
via CHART OF THE DAY

Yahoo plans to spend $80 million on the next leg of its big ad campaign. If that sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. It’s almost double the amount Yahoo spent on advertising last year and 40 times what rival AOL spent on advertising in 2009.

WPP-owned Kantar Media provided us with data on tech companies’ 2009 total ad spend across print, online, radio, tv, and outdoor. We also plotted the ad spend as a percentage of revenue to see which company gets the most from the least.

Yahoo spent $45 million on ads last year, second most among Internet companies. eBay’s $89 million ad spend led the way, especially when shown as a percent of revenue. Of these companies, Google spent just $11 million on ads, which is the least as percent of revenue. (This makes sense, because Google rarely advertises on TV.)

Another interesting thing in the data: Apple spends half as much on ads as Microsoft, and appears to get more out them. This sort of surprised us, as it seems that iPhone ads are constantly on TV.

Gartner: Nearly half of IT, telecom companies plan to boost marketing spending :: BtoB Magazine

Rory — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 17:57:03 +0000

This article from BtoB magazine is certainly good news for PR and marketing firms (ahem!). But what’s really interesting to me is in the last paragraph –which I’ve bolded – and that’s what the budget will be spent on. Who’d have thunk it? No mention of search, social media or lead nurturing.

Gartner: Nearly half of IT, telecom companies plan to boost marketing spending
by Kate Maddox
Story posted: April 22, 2010 – 12:40 pm EDT

Stamford, Conn.—A survey by Gartner found that 44% of high-tech and telecommunications companies plan to increase their marketing budgets this year.

The report was based on an online survey of 206 global high-tech and telecommunications providers conducted in December.

Forty-one percent of executives surveyed said they would keep marketing budgets flat this year, while only 15% said they plan to decrease them.

Among those companies planning marketing budget increases this year, 30% expect to boost budgets between 1% and 15%, and 13% of respondents plan budget increases of between 16% and 30%.

When asked how they will allocate their marketing budgets this year, 22% of respondents said events will receive the highest portion of spending, followed by advertising (16%) and direct mail (11%).

via Gartner: Nearly half of IT, telecom companies plan to boost marketing spending :: BtoB Magazine.

What BtoB Marketers Can Learn from BtoC Email Tactics

Mike — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:20:00 +0000

An interesting article ran this week from eMarketer about a recent Silverpop survey (a solid Atlanta based marketing technology company). We are glad to see the discussion is moving away from “what is the best day to send emails” to questions that truly drive BtoB prospects through the sales funnel.

The idea of “gathering recipient information” is key for most BtoB marketers. While some like David Meerman Scott have challenged those ideas, and with reasonable arguments, it remains to be seen which school of thought is correct in the BtoB marketing world — maybe both!

Regardless, good info…take a read and let us know what you think.

B2B and B2C E-Mail Tactics

APRIL 14, 2010

Business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) e-mail marketers have different targets, but the goals they share mean they agree on the effectiveness of several tactics.

According to a Silverpop poll, both groups consider identifying the best time to send messages the most effective e-mail marketing tactic. They also agree on the importance of including marketing promotions in transactional messages and using surveys to gather information about their recipients.

Several other tactics—including links to social networking sites, triggered offers and behavioral targeting—were less likely to be considered effective by B2B marketers despite their appeal in the B2C segment.

Some differences stem from the specific marketing goals B2B and B2C companies have. While both told Silverpop they were about equally interested in upselling and cross-selling, increasing contact databases and strengthening their analytics, there were also significant differences. B2B marketers were highly focused on moving prospects through the sales pipeline, while B2C respondents wanted to increase customer loyalty.

Many of the tactics B2C marketers found effective, such as incorporating social network links, relate to their customer loyalty goal, shared by relatively few B2B respondents.

“Whether you’re selling cupcakes or copiers, buyers are all individuals who seek out others like themselves for insights and recommendations,” the report said. “Adding the human element through social networking benefits both B2C and B2B marketing programs.”

Source: eMarketer Daily – Consumers Follow Social Brand Referrals – April 14, 2010

The Top 20 Most Retweeted Words

Mousa — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:37:00 +0000

I recently attended a Hubspot webinar entitled “The Science of Retweets” that shed some light on a handful of factors that comprise a retweetable tweet (try saying that five time fast).

Some of the tips promised to help your retweetability rate included:

Incorporate a link (preferably a bit.ly, which provides tracking and analytic capabilities)
Politely ask to be retweeted
Limit your tweets to around 115-120 characters
Share interesting and compelling content

One of the more interesting tidbits of information shared in the webinar came in the form of a “Top 20 Most Retweetable Words” list. I know, try and contain your excitement. As most serious Twitterer’s know, a retweet (often denoted by an “RT”) is the sincerest form of flattery on the popular social media network.

However, getting retweeted also significantly increases your visibility, syndicating your tweet across a slew of various networks that you may never had access to before. So, without any further ado, here are the 20 Most Retweetable Words:

1) You 2) Twitter 3) Please 4) Retweet 5) Post 6) Blog 7) Social 8) Free 9) Media 10) Help 11) Please Retweet 12) Great 13) Social Media 14) 10 15) Follow 16) How to 17) Top 18) Blog post 19) Check out 20) New blog post

Happy Tweeting and Good Luck!

March Madness, BtoB Style

Brian — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 17:43:00 +0000

March Madness is in full swing and my bracket has seen better days…stupid Kansas.

It got me thinking, which brands would emerge from a BtoB slugfest. Rather than bracketing out the full field of 64 (there’s no play-in game in this tourney), I’ve brought it down to the final four.

From the “Hot BtoB Tools” Bracket we have Twitter (beating out Yammer thanks to its superior bench strength)
BtoB magazine emerges from the “Media That is Still Relevant” Bracket (winning by disqualification…is there even anyone else left in the field?)
The “Corporate Juggernaut” Bracket produces BtoB heavyweight Cisco (they bounced Intuit from the tourney, the pending tax season really took Intuit’s focus off the game)
And Cinderella Cbeyond emerges from the “Up and Comers” Bracket (putting their best work out there at just the right time)

Everyone will surely have their own opinion on how the remainder of the tournament will play out, but here is my prognostication.

BtoB magazine comes flying out of the gate against Twitter. The social media darling’s inability to show measurable ROI for BtoB companies leaves it floundering while BtoB scores at will with its strong content and sharp reporting.

The game between Cisco and Cbeyond is hard-fought. Cisco previously served as an assistant coach to Cbeyond, building Cbeyond’s 100% IP-based network almost 10 years ago. Cbeyond took those early lessons and turned in the upset of the year, defeating Cisco in a triple-overtime, instant classic.

That leaves the finals pitting BtoB against Cbeyond. The game was one for the ages. I won’t tell you who I think wins, but suffice it to say Cbeyond is one of my clients…sorry, BtoB.

Everyone’s got a bracket, what does yours look like?

In the immortal (and at times annoying) words of Dick Vitale, “It’s March Madness! It’s awesome, baby!”

Still lacking a crisis communications plan?

Jackie — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:11:00 +0000

The new decade started with the planet’s most famous and well-known athlete facing unrelenting press coverage for his off-the-course activities.

If you didn’t see that news, you may have been wrapped up in the coverage of an automaker that ran into its fair share of negative publicity. In a year’s time, Toyota went from fan favorite (last February, Consumer Reports named the Toyota Prius Touring the best overall value among 300 cars in its 2009 Annual Auto Issue) to facing one image crisis after another, including a major recall and suspension of sales of several popular models.

Yet while Tiger and Toyota clearly dispel the old belief that there’s no such thing as bad PR, they are better examples of the adage that “failure to plan is planning to fail.”

While I can’t speak to Toyota’s or Tiger’s crisis communications plans before or after their infamous falls from grace, surveys have shown that a majority of BtoB marketers don’t have up-to-date crisis plans in their communications toolboxes.

As recently as 2007, a story in BtoB Online stated that about 53% of marketing executives had experienced a business crisis resulting in negative news coverage, declining sales or reduced profitability. But just about the same number (57%) said their company did not have a crisis response plan in place.

Although a BtoB technology company’s crisis is not likely to make Entertainment Tonight the pages of People or even fall into the “disaster” category, there are plenty of reasons, including many financial ones, to be prepared to communicate in the event the unexpected happens.

The Evolution of Content: Analytics, Location and Video

Annette Filliat Davis — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:48:00 +0000

The PRSA Georgia Technology SIG recently invited Renu Kulkarni, executive director of FutureMedia at Georgia Tech, to explain how Georgia Tech is helping businesses prepare for the future explosion of digital media and communications with its FutureMedia initiative. FutureMedia partners with universities, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and industry to create a robust “open innovation ecosystem” that builds upon the existing the efforts at Georgia Tech and the state of Georgia.

In her presentation, Renu explored new paradigms of how content is created, distributed and consumed. We all know that social and digital media is revolutionizing the media landscape. This surge of user-generated content in a Web 3.0 world (yes, 3.0) is changing the way companies reach target audiences.

For the time in history, Pepsi did not run television spots during this year’s Super Bowl. Instead, Pepsi diverted millions of advertising dollars to social media. Companies like Pepsi are moving from exposure to engagement. Granted, Pepsi also has the brand recognition worldwide to evolve past marketing exposure. This evolution requires changing one’s mindset and success metrics from a traditional audience exposure model—demographics, impressions and segmentations—to an emerging consumer insight focused model—behaviors, interests and actions.

FutureMedia predicts that the evolution of content will involve immersive consumption—distributed through the cloud and created by collaborators. Today, we are in a state of mobility, but the future involves analytics, location and video. At present, more than 1 billion videos are uploaded to YouTube per day.

Following the FutureMedia presentation, PRSA Georgia Technology SIG participants were invited to go “behind the scenes” at Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) and view demonstrations of university research on digital, social and mobile technologies. This was fascinating to view the research in action.

At GTRI, I viewed the “Foundations for the Future” demonstration of how Georgia Tech researchers and working with government to improve K-12 technology in our school systems. Foundations for the Future uses the latest telecommunications technology to interconnect K-12 schools for collaborative learning; educational facilities (zoos, museums, libraries, etc.); and Internet-based resources.

In our demonstration, we saw how Georgia students could remotely access the Philadelphia Philharmonic to get French horn lessons or converse with an underwater research diver to complete their biology requirement. Foundations for the Future also explores virtual worlds (think: Second Life) for K-12 educational applications, and I witnessed how the presenter’s avatar could explore a virtual plant cell—a training game to captivate a classroom that was raised on the Wii.

I was joined by Kirk Englehardt (GTRI), Lois Rossi (Manheim), Jillian Depuma (Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta) and Steve Burns (CNN iReporter), among others.

For more information on GTRI, visit http://www.gtri.gatech.edu/, and for more information on PRSA Georgia, visit http://www.prsageorgia.org/.

Leads for Less with Social Media

Mike — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:59:00 +0000

The below article from eMarketer reports on HubSpot’s most recent research report that finds social media, blogs and search engine optimization more cost-effective for lead gen. Interesting is that this is one of the first studies that show that “for business-to-business firms, LinkedIn was most effective for customer acquisition.”

Here is the article release earlier this week…

Pull marketing tactics such as search, blog and social media generate cheaper leads than more traditional outbound efforts, according to data from inbound online marketing platform HubSpot.

The “2010 State of Inbound Marketing” report indicates that spending on lead generation is 60% less among companies that devote at least one-half of their budget to inbound marketing, compared with companies spending at least one-half of lead generation dollars on outbound tactics. The average cost per lead from inbound marketing was also significantly less.

Unsurprisingly, for business-to-business firms, LinkedIn was most effective for customer acquisition. Business-to-consumer companies did better on each of the other sites, with the best results coming from Facebook, where nearly seven in 10 had found a new customer.

Read the full article out at: http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007534
Source: emarketer.com

Is It Time To Give Twitter More Respect?

Mike — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:13:00 +0000

In reviewing this report we find little impact with regard to BtoB or BtoC organizations. However, in the Fortune 500 many companies sell in both environments (think Microsoft, GE, etc.). Regardless, Twitter scores one here.

Study Finds Twitter is the Fastest Growing Social Media Channel Among Fortune 500

The Fortune 500’s use of blogs, online video, and podcasts continues to increase, but Twitter was the social media channel of choice in 2009.

This was among the key findings of the study, “The Fortune 500 and Social Media: A Longitudinal Study of Blogging and Twitter Usage by America’s Largest Companies,” conducted by Dr. Nora Ganim Barnes, Ph.D., Senior Fellow and Research Chair of the Society for New Communications Research and Chancellor Professor of Marketing at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Eric Mattson, CEO of Financial Insite Inc., a Seattle-based research firm.

The study examined the 2009 Fortune 500 in an attempt to quantify their adoption of social media tools and technologies. This is the second year that Barnes and Mattson have tracked social media adoption among the Fortune 500, and theirs is the only statistically sound longitudinal study of its kind.

Click here for the full findings…

Source: Society for New Communications Research Update – February 2010

Is Digital the New Traditional?

Whitney — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:06:00 +0000

Well here it goes – my first blog post for Arketi. A recent OMMA article highlighting a survey on the shift from traditional to digital spend has got me interested. The survey’s findings are truly not that surprising, but it’s the meaning behind them that got me thinking. For instance:

Survey: 46% of companies plan to increase marketing budgets in 2010

My thoughts: While many expected marketing spends to increase following the large budget cuts in 2009; I wonder about the 54% who do not plan to increase. Is this because their companies weren’t affected by the economic downturn (not likely), that they still haven’t rebounded (perhaps) or that they don’t see the value in marketing (problem)? If the answer is that marketing isn’t valued, those marketers need to find a way to get a seat at the executive table. We, as marketing and communication practitioners, must constantly remind key stakeholders that it is marketing that will help ensure a company’s brand is relevant to its customers.

Survey: 28% of marketers are shifting some of their marketing budgets from traditional to digital

My thoughts: Often a more cost-effective approach to reaching customers, digital marketing provides the opportunity to reuse assets in multiple areas. For instance, investing dollars in a YouTube channel means that a company is beginning to use video. These videos can be cross-used in many ways – from social media releases, to calls-to-action on a website, to becoming viral through distribution on Twitter. Whether companies spend a lot or a little on digital channels, the key is that they get their feet wet. Try video, try dynamic emails, try social media. Wherever your customers are, that is a great place to begin.

To read OMMA’s recent article and see more survey findings, click here: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art;_aid=122018

Tips for a Successful Technology Analyst Briefing

Micky — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:46:00 +0000

As a former research director of the Strategic Service Management Practice at the Aberdeen Group I wanted to share with our blog followers some insight for companies interested in building a successful industry analyst relations program.

It’s interesting that that so many place such a high value on influencing this group of influencers but get many of the basics wrong. These may seem basic but in fact, of the hundred or so of these that I participated in at Aberdeen, probably less than 10% stood out as effective.

When correctly engaged analysts can play a major role in the course of bringing a product or solution to the market. Analysts can help technology companies better understand complex markets, avoid costly mistakes, pinpoint competitive threats and evolve offerings to better match buyer’s requirements. In myexperience these are five “must consider” components for the all-important analyst briefing:

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1. Understand the importance: Treat the briefing like a million-dollar sales call. Act as if you’re dealing with your biggest prospect throughout every phase of the briefing.

2. Over-prepare: In addition to a polished, on-point presentation, it vital to ensure the right people are present for the briefing. The presentation should deliver a specific, tailored message to the analyst. Testing the proper technology, especially if conducting a remote briefing, is highly suggested. Web conferences are great but it never hurts to have a packaged version of the presentation available to email, just in case.

3. Be interactive: Build in question breaks, so you allow opportunities to engage the analyst in discussion. This also prevents analysts from multi-tasking and forces them to focus on your presentation.

4. Be honest: Most analysts are trained to see past the vendor pitch. Genuine dialogue is appreciated by the analyst. Installations that do not go as planned are okay; analysts understand that no installation is perfect.

5. Follow-up: Ensure action items resulting from the briefing are handled in a timely and effective manner. Provide a list of customer references to the analyst, because they will ask for them. But don’t stop there. Analysts appreciate hearing about new product launches, significant customer wins, or if a product or solution is gaining traction. Providing analysts with a steady stream of news releases on relevant topics can help your company keep this important group of influencers in the know, and can spark valuable conversations.

Analysts have much to offer technology companies, but it is up to the company to have a presentation that is rehearsed, researched and anchored with customer experience if they want to capture analyst mindshare.

To view this video and more at from Arketi on Arketi’s YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/arketi

My name is Sami, by-the-way…

Sami — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:17:00 +0000

We marketers get so excited and up in arms about our message, our value proposition, our differentiator and the rest. We create interesting ads to portray these messages in ways that will delight our audience. For most marketers, almost all of their focus is on customer acquisition… finding and selling that next customer.

Regardless of our best intentions, one thing that most marketers forget is that the actual customer experience in the field is the best marketing! The old adage of “word-of-mouth is your best advertising” is more true today than it was ever before. And, of course, bad word-of-mouth is your worst nightmare, particularly in the age of Facebook and Twitter. Anyone want to guess the damage to Toyota’s brand, as measured in billions, based on their recent car mishaps (and PR/marketing mishaps on how they handled it)?

So, what exactly started me on this tirade? Well, I recently called a PC manufacturer (ok it was DELL) regarding an issue with a laptop. Recently thereafter, in preparation for their service technician coming on-site, I receive an e-mail from their support department that looks like this:

Dear [Action.Contact First Name] [Action.Contact Last Name],

In an effort to increase your satisfaction with the support you have received, please take a moment to review the following information regarding your recent call on [Action.SR Created Date] regarding service request # [Action.SR Number].

Dispatch # [Action.ISP DPS #] In order to perform the necessary service, …

No, I didn’t change the above to protect the innocent – that is the actual dumb e-mail letter template, complete with ugly colors, ugly fonts, etc. and all of my actual information missing, including my name (my wife has never called me Action.Contact First Name, to my recollection.]

I am willing to bet that the marketing folks never reviewed or approved this e-mail letter, and that their marketing department is worried less about my actual customer experience than selling me another DELL. Well, I have news for them – I am not buying another DELL due to my customer experience with their products and service. I don’t think this situation is unique to DELL… it plagues all of us marketers. We need to pay more attention to delighting our current customers so they will buy more and get their friends to buy more, rather than focusing most of our attention on new customer acquisition.

Oh, by the way, DELL… My name is Sami.

Sami Jajeh

Arketi Group

FLU Season at PRSA|GA

Mousa — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 09:08:00 +0000

The PRSA GA January Luncheon featured an informative and esteemed panel of members from the CDC, Children’s Healthcare and Gwinnett County Schools. The panelists shared best practices from the H1N1 Crisis, specifically how the respective decision makers formed communications policy and strategy, and then implemented it across a wide and diverse range of audiences.

The panelists were in violent agreement that an essential part of the crisis and emergency communication process was the ability t0 simultaneously express empathy, promote action and show respect. From a communications standpoint, they emphasized the importance of creating quick and credible messages that reach the intended audience.

Panelists also stressed the importance of disseminating consistent and accurate information through the appropriate communication channels. They also detailed how social media played an instrumental role in helping provide real-time updates to the constantly-changing and tumultuous situation.

During the luncheon, PRSA GA President Tim Hussey (Emory Law) presented Morgan Sapp (Georgia Association of REALTORS) with the monthly Chapter Champion award. In addition, Hussey recognized the Chapter’s newest APR’s - Stephanie Stinn, Therese Minella and Caryn Anderson. Congratulations again ladies!!!

Seen in attendance were Neil Hirsch (Solvay Pharmaceuticals), Alicia Thompson (Popeyes) and Lisa Pitrof (Business Wire).

A handful of young professionals were spotted pecking away on their smart phones. After further review, it turns out they were tweeting to keep their fellow colleagues apprised of the luncheon’s happenings. Using the PRSA GA designated hashtag, #prsagaFLU, the twitterer’s were able to generate nearly four pages of “tweets” from the event.

For more information about PRSA GA, visit http://www.prsageorgia.org/

TER’s Annual Legal, Tax & Accounting Update for CXOs Nets Solid Advice

Mike — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:14:00 +0000

On Jan. 19, 2010 about 50 Georgia technology executives gathered for TER’s 11th annual legal, tax and accounting update. The first Technology Executives Roundtable (TER) meeting of 2010 was rich with “must know information” for technology executives.

Of particular interest were two legal cases reviewed by Jason D’Cruz and Ed Hirsch of
Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP. Both cases dealt with the Directors’ fiduciary duties in connection with stockholders and are must reads for any technology executive. The two cases are:

Special thanks go to John Yates and Ann McDonald of Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP for making these cases available to TER members and readers of our blog. Enjoy!

2010 New Year’s Resolutions

Mousa — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:20:00 +0000

As B2B marketers, we’re always looking to adapt and modify existing strategies and tactics to better position ourselves in the market and provide us a competitive edge. Now is certainly no different.

As we close out a tumultuous 2009 and begin a new and hopefully, prosperous 2010, the time is perfect to reflect on the past year, evaluate what worked, what didn’t and develop recommendations to help us take the new year by storm.

To help us with those assessments, it only seems fitting to covert our thoughts and ideas into a set of 2010 New Year’s Resolutions. However, much unlike the unfortunate trend that accompanies this widely-practiced tradition, we fully intend to see these resolutions through.

To watch a comedic take of our 2010 New Year’s Resolutions, visit Arketi Group TV at www.youtube.com/arketi.

B2B Twitterer of the Year

Mousa — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:31:00 +0000

Entries for the B2B Twitterer of the Year Awards are in full swing. Now in its second year, the awards were established to recognize innovative and outstanding use of the social media sensation by B2B companies.

The emergence of the popular micro-blogging social platform has given B2B companies an easier way to connect with customers and prospects. The collective B2B community has leveraged Twitter to bolster a slew of different initiatives – ranging from campaign communications, event marketing, engagement strategies and more.

“It’s not just about how many followers someone has, or how many times a person tweets in a given time. It’s about creating a community and the value a B2B entity brings to it,” says Joe Zuccaro, who oversees the operations of the B2B Twitterer of the Year Awards Program.

The last day to submit nominations is this Friday, December 18, 2009. Winners will be announced via Twitter in February 2010. For more information, visit http://www.b2boty.com/ or follow @B2BTOTY on Twitter.

YPCity Makes A Splash

Mousa — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 13:25:00 +0000

Last week, a sizable contingent of excited young professionals filled the room at Front Page News in Atlanta for the inaugural YPCity Tweet Up. Serving as a co-host of the event along with Katie Wall, I was simply overwhelmed by the turnout, at times having to squeeze through flocks of people engaged in deep conversation.

Marking my first foray into the world of Tweet Ups, I was very impressed – although not surprised – by the energy and enthusiasm that exuded from the room. YPCity was conceived as an chance for Atlanta’s Young Professionals to network and mingle amongst a like-minded demographic. Based on the collective feedback from a number of folks I’ve talked to, it seems the event lived up to its expectation.

The subsequent YPCity coverage was – at least for me – a surreal experience. A blog post from Amani Channel provided a primer on the popular Poken, social media networking devices that were given away to three lucky YPCity attendees, compliments of PokenGirl. The post also featured an earlier video of Peter Shankman sharing his affinity for the innovative device. Additionally, video of the festivities taken by Steve Burns found its way on CNN iReport, much to my astonishment.

I’d like to take this opportunity – while I have you all here – to once again thank everyone again for their attendance, support and kind words. Based on the success of YPCity, an encore is certainly within the realm of possibility. Stay tuned…

Transcending Perceptions

Mousa — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 15:04:00 +0000

The PRSA GA December Luncheon featured an esteemed panel featuring Doug Shipman and Alisa Smallwood from Atlanta’s Center for Civil and Human Rights as well as Bill Halter (HOK) and Alexis Scott (Atlanta Daily World).

Shedding light on the strategy, design and thinking behind the contents and layout of the Center for Civil and Human Rights — planned for construction in Atlanta in 2012 — the panel provided insight into the larger communication issues involved with informing the public about the mission and purpose of the Center.

Leveraging a comprehensive communications approach that comprised of traditional media relations, new media outreach and innovative tactics, the Center’s communications team attempted to change preconceived notions about the Center and properly educate the community.

Seeking to expand the Center’s influence, presence and reach beyond its physical parameters in Atlanta, executives emulated the approach of the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C. and aimed at establishing an international presence.

Additionally, Shipman spoke about the social media strategy employed by the Center to drive awareness and create a forum to encourage ongoing communication and input from the community. Using only one social media channel, Facebook, the Center sought to unify the conversation and solicit feedback from the community.

PRSA GA President Mike Neumeier (Arketi Group) presented Katherine Mason (Porter Novelli Atlanta) with the monthly Chapter Champion award. Additionally, Kristy Wilson (Fleishman-Hillard) was recognized by the chapter for earning her APR. Congratulations to both.

At the conclusion of the luncheon, outgoing PRSA GA President Mike Neumeier passed the proverbial torch (or in this case, gavel) to incoming President Tim Hussey, director of marketing and communications at Emory Law. Tim graciously thanked Mike for his dedication service to the chapter and for his continuing committment to helping advance the Chapter.

For more information about PRSA GA, visit http://www.prsageorgia.org/ or follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PRSAgeorgia.

Email, PR, Social Media Key Trends in 2010

Mousa — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:47:00 +0000

According to a study by email marketing provider Vertical Response, U.S. small businesses say they plan to bolster their use of social media and email marketing in 2010.

“The survey of 831 respondents at businesses with fewer than 500 employees found that 74% plan increase email marketing and 68% will increase their use of social media marketing.”

Savvy companies have recognized the potential these cost-effective channels have in delivering value to their customers and prospects. Even more, they are great jumping-off points for companies looking to implement engagement strategies and establish ongoing dialogue with their constituents.

Additionally, public relations was identified as a top tool for businesses to use in 2010. Not very surprising as PR offers companies relatively cost-friendly avenues to build their brand, establish relationships with the media and engage in relevant industry conversations.

To read the full article and see the results, visit http://www.marketingvox.com/small-biz-to-bump-up-email-socnet-spend-045557/.

Evaluating the Bang of Bing

Mousa — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:09:00 +0000

Arketi Group Creative Director, Rory Carlton, examines the premise of the recently launch Microsoft Bing campaign and assesses its effectiveness in converting loyal Google-ites.

Read the full article as featured in DMNews.

Twitter Tips with the Doctor

Mousa — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:52:00 +0000

Arketi recently spoke with University of Georgia professor, Dr. Kaye Sweetser, APR, after her PRSA GA September pre-luncheon seminar titled “Creating Your Social Media Playbook: A Pre-Season Training Camp.”

Dr. Sweetser emphasized the importance of understanding the fundamentals of social media engagement and provided specific tips, tricks and tactics to consider when developing a social media strategy.

In addition to detailing components of an effective organizational Twitter account , Dr. Sweetser delved into Twitter best practices such as always providing a call-to-action, leaving space to be re-tweeted and using please & thank you.

http://www.blogger.com/img/videoplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fv20.nonxt2.googlevideo.com%2Fvideoplayback%3Fid%3D94c41a6e7358f7d6%26itag%3D5%26begin%3D0%26len%3D86400000%26app%3Dblogger%26et%3Dplay%26el%3DEMBEDDED%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1274020220%26sparams%3Did%252Citag%252Cip%252Cipbits%252Cexpire%26signature%3D129E6425B4B627422797D540CBDE64A0332B42F6.5FD9601504B5E3DC5A4C647855A41A3CB7AB2CBD%26key%3Dck1&thumbnailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2FThumbnailServer2%3Fapp%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D94c41a6e7358f7d6%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw320%26sigh%3DnZkQB2HFAhBXz5JG6RoBzXLV00A&messagesUrl=video.google.com%2FFlashUiStrings.xlb%3Fframe%3Dflashstrings%26hl%3Den&nogvlm=1

To see more video on Arketi Group TV, visit www.youtube.com/arketi.

Social Media Goes Brown

Mousa — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:13:00 +0000

The PRSAGA September Luncheon featured an informative panel comprised of two public relations managers from UPS. Lynnette McIntire and Debbie Curtis-Magley provided insight into strategies employed by UPS when faced with a massive viral threat from a competitor.

In an attempt to dispel the rumors and protect its reputation, UPS engaged proactively with a variety of social media channels to mitigate the misinformation.

Moderated by Dr. Kaye Sweetser (University of Georgia), panelists stressed the importance of proactive brand awareness and specifically highlighted social media monitoring tools as a valuable asset.

PRSA GA President Mike Neumeier (Arketi Group) presented Becky Peterson (Haystack Group) with the monthly Chapter Champion award. Seen in attendance were Mike Manning (MS&L;), Kelly Neumeier (MMP) and Neal Wells (BusinessWire).

Other attendees spotted in the crowd were seen utilizing Twitter to keep colleagues not in attendance posted on the luncheon. Using the PRSA GA designated hashtags #PRSAgaSM and #prsaGA, the twitterer’s amassed nearly five pages of “tweets” from the event.

For more information about PRSA GA and the October luncheon, visit http://prsageorgia.org/.

Social Media in the Newsroom

Mousa — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:03:00 +0000

Arketi Group recently spoke with Chris Sweigart, reporter and director of social media for 11Alive, about leveraging emerging social media technologies to expand the traditional newsroom.

In addition to opening up its editorial meetings to the public, Sweigart acknowledges that 11Alive encourages its reporters to interact with viewers on Twitter and Facebook. This dynamic helps facilitate a free flowing conversation between reporters and viewers that benefits the entire community.

To see more video on Arketi Group TV, click here.

http://www.blogger.com/img/videoplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fv19.nonxt3.googlevideo.com%2Fvideoplayback%3Fid%3D6c7464f3d2b67940%26itag%3D5%26begin%3D0%26len%3D86400000%26app%3Dblogger%26et%3Dplay%26el%3DEMBEDDED%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1274020220%26sparams%3Did%252Citag%252Cip%252Cipbits%252Cexpire%26signature%3D6D8D82A7E201EFB184C3AADCC52EDCBDB4A53CB7.443B4F6EACDC8DE5D72D5FBD569ED09779425A91%26key%3Dck1&thumbnailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2FThumbnailServer2%3Fapp%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D6c7464f3d2b67940%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw320%26sigh%3DI78twT3HJCs_9Cs7BWi0dwwtcnc&messagesUrl=video.google.com%2FFlashUiStrings.xlb%3Fframe%3Dflashstrings%26hl%3Den&nogvlm=1

PR Camp: Social Media Marshmallows

Mousa — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:58:00 +0000

Nearly 200 communications professionals gathered at the Georgia Tech Research Institute last Friday for the inaugural PR Camp Atlanta. The anticipated event consisted of a slew of PR, marketing and communications professionals engaging in highly interactive social media discussions. Focusing specifically on how to bridge the gap between digital natives and seasoned professionals, the event served as a hotbed for dynamic and insightful conversations.

Prompted by panelists such as Katie Mingo (Delta), Debbie Curtis-Magley (UPS) and Nick Ayres (Home Depot), attendees discussed how to capitalize on opportunities presented by social media and how to leverage these technologies to better serve our companies and clients.

Other panelists, including Jenny Schmitt (Cloudspark), Carol Flammer (mRelevance) and Matt Epstein (Definition6), facilitated discussions on ways to effectively track and measure success in the increasingly blurred world of marketing and PR.

Definition 6, an Arketi client, was one of the event’s sponsors and had a chance to show off their latest innovation, Twitteringo. Spotted in the crowd were Natalie Springfield (Brasfield and Gorrie), Bill Cutts (Georgia Tech) and Bert Dumars (Newell Rubbermaid).

To learn what transpired at PR Camp Atlanta, check out the #PRCamp hashtag on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#search?q=prcamp.

Media Relations Boot Camp, Cajun Style

Rory — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:57:00 +0000

Prior to the PRSA GA August Luncheon, PR professionals listened as wildly vivacious, tremendously experienced, Media Trainer, Dr. Joseph Trahan, instructed on how to masterfully interact with the media. Louisiana native, Trahan, not only spoke Cajun to the group and belted out his favorite tunes, he enthusiastically lectured on how to prep clients to speak on camera and develop key messages that viewers will remember. Trahan even touched on how to dress and what not to wear. Adding a little spice to the seminar, Trahan recounted incidents from his experience in governmental, association, and educational and non-profit public relations.

Training with the group were Trey Burley (PAWS Atlanta), Miller Jackson (Hospitality Investment Firm) and Audrey Califf (Reynolds Group). For more information about PRSA GA and the September luncheon, visit http://prsageorgia.org/.

PRSA|GA’s Annual Media Luncheon

Mousa — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:35:00 +0000

The PRSA GA August Luncheon featured a lively panel comprised of members from the Atlanta media scene. Mark Meltzer (Atlanta Business Chronicle), Walter Jones (Morris News Service), Chris Sweigart (11 Alive) and Denis O’Hayer (WABE-FM 90.1) engaged in a dynamic and insightful discussion on the evolution of today’s news environment and what ramifications it will present.

Moderated by Richard Warner (What’s Up Interactive), panelists detailed how technological advancements and social media has led to the proliferation of information and how public consumption of news is drastically changing. Interestingly, panelists agreed these factors have brought us into an information revolution.

PRSA GA President and Arketi Group Principal Mike Neumeier presented Elyse Hammett (communications 21) with the monthly Chapter Champion award. In addition, Kim Englehardt (Primrose Schools) and Jesica Koenig (American Cancer Society) were honored as the chapter’s newest APR’s.

Spotted in the crowd were Nancy Schubert (IBM), Susan Rosenberg (UPS) and Lisa Pitrof (BusinessWire). For more information about PRSA GA and the September luncheon, visit http://www.prsageorgia.org/.

Video…the killer BtoB marketing app?

Mike — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:48:00 +0000

A recent report released by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project shows that the share of online adults using video-sharing sites has nearly doubled since 2006.

In fact, 62% of adult internet users have watched video on these sites, up from just 33% who reported this in December 2006. Today, nearly one-in-five internet users visit video sharing sites DAILY!

What does this mean for B2B marketers? Well, report after report tell us that video content in the B2B marketing world is more important than ever. So why not leverage the content you are already producing for use on a video-sharing site.

If you think YouTube is just for sock puppets and stupid human tricks, think again. Leading BtoB organizations like IBM , Cisco and Arketi Group (had to plug Arketi Group TV) can all be found on YouTube.

If you have the video content, why not try it out…who knows, being an early mover in this space might just pay off for you.

For the full report visit: http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/13–The-Audience-for-Online-VideoSharing-Sites-Shoots-Up.aspx

The Power of the People (and Facebook)!!!

Sami — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:34:00 +0000

Every year or two, one important tool or another suddenly becomes it… A few years back, it was RSS, SecondLife and MySpace, today it is LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Who really knows what it will be two years from now? I have always thought Twitter is really just a feature to be ultimately subsumed into other solutions, and so it seems that is happening. Every major community (e.g. LinkedIn, Facebook, etc…) has a “twitter-like” feature.

I, suppose, as marketers, the key is realizing that the rules of the game are changing on how people adapt to and interact using the Web… and that with the Web, really the power of the people take over. Here are a couple of lessons I have learned.

1 – Your brand or image is no longer in your control. I placed two headshots that I had recently taken in my Facebook photos. There was nothing more to this innocent gesture. Little did I know that all of my friends would start voting on which one they liked better. Now, I had a viral contest on my hands (or really, out of my hands, as I never started it and I couldn’t stop it)… the network was in control.

2 – Your private life and personal life are now one. Trying to separate who you are, where you work, and how you interact is not the way the Web works. On the Web, people assume and want transparency. Hiding everything personal behind “that’s personal” doesn’t work. Don’t get me wrong – some things are still personal. It’s just that the line has changed. Did I tell you that from the viral voting on my headshot, a colleague, after voting, e-mailed me to talk about buying some of our services?

3 – You have to be in the game. There is no way to understand the phenomenon without being a part of it. Of course, there are thousands of communities out there, so you could spend your working life trying to keep them all up-to-date… that won’t work. So, pick and use the main ones (LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter) to get started. If you are not, you are missing out on experiencing the most important marketing lessons of the day. You couldn’t be an ad agency and not own a TV to watch ads, right? So, stop making excuses if you don’t have an account.

Well, that’s it for now… oh, and by the way, the headshot with the glasses won…

This opine is officially over and out.

Sami Jajeh

PR Pro’s Peanut Party

Mousa — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:06:00 +0000

The PRSA GA July luncheon was preceded by the PRSA GA Chapter “101,” a New Member Orientation session (featured above). Members new to the Georgia Chapter of PRSA had a chance to listen to seasoned committee members provide insight and tips on how to stay involved in the chapter and aspire to leadership positions with the organization.

The luncheon featured an esteemed panel of Peanut industry executives, including Patrick Archer (pictured left), president of the American Peanut Council and Don Koehler, executive director of the Georgia Peanut Commission.

Moderated by Leslie Wagner, executive director of the Peanut Advisory Board, panelists provided insight into the approach and strategies implemented in handling the January salmonella outbreak, prompting the largest food recall in U.S. history. Archer detailed the importance of having a crisis communications plan in place while Koehler (pictured right) emphasized the significance of having a unified voice when executing crisis communications. Lastly, both panelists agreed that social media served as an effective tool in extending their communications during the crisis.

PRSA GA President Mike Neumeier (Arketi Group) presented Jessica Riley (Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) with the monthly Chapter Champion award. Spotted in the crowd was Ray Crockett, APR (Coca Cola), Kirk Englehardt (Georgia Tech Research Institute), Stephen Loudermilk (Alcatel-Lucent) and Barkley Russell (The Barkley Russell Agency).

For more information about PRSA GA and the August luncheon, click here.

Ad Age Hits the Nail on the Head: Learning Twitter? Don’t Take Your Cues From These Agencies

Mike — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:47:00 +0000

Interesting article…could this be why most “ad firms” are bad at public relations (PR) too? Maybe they do a better job talking about it and selling it to clients than doing it…just a thought.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — As Twitter moves into the business mainstream — nearing some 35 million unique global visitors, according to ComScore — it’s increasingly clear that one community has yet to fully embrace the social-networking tool du jour: agencies.

The irony is that the same people clients hire to erect communications and social-media strategies often appear uncomfortable using Twitter themselves.

One stark example: A couple of months back, Volvo struck a landmark ad-placement deal with YouTube to promote the Twitter feed for its XC60 model (@VolvoXC60). But the agency that created the innovative rich-media ad for Volvo, Havas’ Euro RSCG, has an account (@Euro_RSCG) that’s never been used.

Asked what gives, a Euro spokeswoman said: “We’re developing our Twitter strategy and in the meantime want to hold onto the name. It’s a Catch-22: You don’t want your Twitter handle stolen, but you also don’t want to start using it before you’re really ready.”

Whatever the case may be, save for a few shining examples of shops that “get it,” agencies need to catch up with their clients — and fast.

Interactive Outlook: 21% of Marketing Spend

Mike — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:39:00 +0000

MediaPost’s Online Media Daily has a solid article on the latest interactive outlook from Forrester Research. Net net interactive spending will continue to take a larger piece of the marketing budget pie.

Forrester analyst Shar VanBoskirk posted this on the company’s blog, “With dollars moving out of traditional media toward less expensive and more efficient interactive tools, marketers will actually need less money to accomplish their current advertising goals. But reasonable marketers won’t relinquish budget because their programs are running too efficiently.”

Interesting folks seem to consistently say interactive tools are less expensive. I’m not really sure this is true. Next generation tools like marketing automation systems and content management systems come with both out-of-pocket and labor costs. Don’t get me wrong, they are worth it but they are not always “less expensive” if are trying to be best-in-class in marketing.

Forrester Revises Interactive Outlook, Will Account For 21% Of Marketing By 2014

by Joe Mandese

Interactive marketing expenditures will reach $55 billion by 2015, accounting for 21% of all marketing spending, according to a new forecast released this morning by Forrester Research. The absolute dollar expenditures are essentially the same as one the research firm released in April, but it has revised interactive marketing’s share of total advertising spending, reflecting the downward shift in expenditures for other media since then. Based on Forrester’s new outlook, interactive’s share of total marketing budgets will rise nine percentage points from its estimate of 12% this year. … Read the whole story > >

Source: MediaPost’s Online Media Daily

Does Branding Clash with Search Efforts? You Bet It Can…

Mike — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:12:00 +0000

Great article in BtoB’s Hands On enewsletter…one of the best comments in this piece is: “These companies want to differentiate themselves and, with a normal sales message, I understand that. But this isn’t a normal sales message. It’s matching up searches.”

It makes you think. Doesn’t it?

Branding efforts can clash with SEM

Story posted: July 1, 2009 – 2:52 pm EDT
Source: BtoBonline

Ian Harris is CEO of Search Laboratory Ltd., based in Leeds, England, which helps companies’ search engine marketing and optimization efforts. BtoB recently asked Harris about best practices in search engine marketing.

BtoB: You’ve said that b-to-b companies spend too much time thinking of new ways to describe what they do in terms that prospective customers don’t understand. Can you elaborate?
Harris: Let me give you an example. We do some work for a big video conferencing company, and the marketing team there spends its time trying not to be a video conference company. What I mean is, they try to brand themselves as a “video communications” company, because all their competitors do conferencing.

They get so obsessed with this that they put it on their home page, title tags and paid search keywords. The problem is, their clients do not see them as a “video communications” company. Their clients want video conferencing, and that’s what they see them as.

Believe me, this is a common theme. Again, we do work for a few companies that do IT support and services, but without fail they brand themselves as something like “system care.” or “logi-care” or “integration change.” It’s like “IT support” is a rude word.

KD Paine & Partners Deliver a Great Article on Twitter Analysis Tools

Mike — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:29:00 +0000

I am a friend of Katie’s, and I think she would be fine with me sharing this article with everyone. Needless to say it is from her great site www.themeasurementstandard.com. All the great information is from Chris Near and the folks at KD Paine & Partners…enjoy!

Which Twitter Profile Analysis Tool Rules the Nest?

5 online Twitter profile analysis services compared: Twinfluence, TwitterAnalyzer, Twitter Grader, Twitterholic, and TwitterScore.

by Chris Near, Director of Research, KDPaine & Partners

Don’t miss Chris Near’s other article on measuring Twitter, also in this issue of The Measurement Standard : “5 Twitter Sentiment Analyzers Reviewed.” The Twitter analysis tools in the article on this page rank a person’s entire Twitter profile in terms of popularity and engagement, while the sentiment analysis tools of the other article look specifically at the tone of individual tweets.

So you want to measure Twitter… The good news is that you have several online Twitter profile analysis/ranking services to choose from. The bad news is that you will probably find that none of them offer all the metrics that you really need or want. Especially if you are looking to do the kind of between-client comparisons that we at KDPaine & Partners are usually interested in.

To do very accurate measurement of Twitter, you typically have to use human readers. It’s the only way to really understand the language. But, to have human eyes read and rate every tweet often takes a lot of time and money. For fast and free measurement, the online profile analysis tools are the way to go.

Automated analysis has accuracy problems, especially when it comes to the subtle language iinvolved in measuring sentiment. (See “5 Twitter Sentiment Analyzers Reviewed.”) If we had a way to combine all the tools reviewed below, then we might have something really useful. Until then, we’ll have to weigh the pros and cons of each and make the best decision.

So here’s my report on five of the Twitter profile analyzers. I’m sure there are more out there, and I’d love to hear about them. (And if you think what I have to say here needs some clarification, please let me know).

Twinfluence offers interesting statistics (social capital, velocity, centralization) as well as a percent ranking system that compares the twitterer you analyze to other people. The catch is that it only compares you to other people that have previously been analyzed on Twinfluence. Their website says: “The #XXX score is your overall rank compared to all other twitterers that have been analyzed by Twinfluence. If your rank is #400, that means there are 399 other twitterers in the system who have higher reach scores than you.”

To date, there have been less than 100,000 profiles analyzed on Twinfluence (that number is going up every day). So you can’t rank anyone against the other 5 or 6 million twitterers out there (and that number is really going up every day, see Mashable). That makes the Twinfluence ranking pretty useless until more people get analyzed on their site.

TwitterAnalyzer is good for getting graphs that show your past month’s message volume, your tweeting habits, the subjects you discuss, the links you use, and pretty much everything you would ever want to know. Which is great. But it lacks what is sometimes the most important thing: a ranking or scoring system that compares different Twitter pages. Without that you can’t make competitive comparisons.

Twitter Grader sounds excellent, in theory. It takes the follow/follower ratio and combines measures of engagement to come up with a final grade of 0 to 100. It gives a score based on a large population (2,158,455). However, a recent hubspot Twitter grading blog post implies that their algorithm is still a work in progress.

And I do have problems with it. Consider the following results:

How can Vocus have relatively few followers, zero updates and still get a score of 87? Even if there were 10,000 people following Vocus, there are no updates so there is no communication or engagement between Vocus and its followers. Why does it get any score at all?

I also looked at Twitterholic and TwitterScore, but found them too problematic to take seriously. On the day I tested Twitterholic over half of my searches resulted in page errors. (Since then, I’ve tested it with a little more success.) The site gives a ranking for your Twitter page, but it is based entirely on the number of your followers. It doesn’t calculate anything like updates or other forms of engagement. It’s good for popularity, but not activity or interaction.

TwitterScore gives you a rank comparing you to all the other people that have previously been ranked on their site. Right now the rank is only out of 43,048 users. They also give you a score on a 10 point scale, but there is no information on how they come up with that score or what their ranking is based on.

Which service rules the nest?
If your goal is to give the clients a final score or ranking that compares one Twitter page with others, then I would recommend Twitter Grader. (But look out for anomalous scores, as noted above.) If your goal is to track clients’ competitors and how they use Twitter and what topics they discuss and who follows them, then I would recommend TwitterAnalyzer. I also recommend that you keep looking: None of these is perfect, and newer and better tools will come along quickly.

Don’t miss Chris Near’s other article on measuring Twitter, also in this issue of The Measurement Standard: “5 Twitter Sentiment Analyzers Reviewed”

Chris Near is Director of Research for KDPaine & Partners. Chris recently graduated with his master’s in communications and currently devotes most of his time to measuring PR and develo
ping social media methodologies. That is, of course, when he’s not at home tending to his lovely wife, Valerie, or chasing around his tireless two year-old son, Brendan.

Arketi’s Ajax Strategy Helps ERDAS Net More Web Leads

Mike — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:08:00 +0000

Arketi and client ERDAS are featured in a MarketingSherpa case study out today about the use of Ajay-enabled web pages as a strategy to increase web leads. Have a read…

MarketingSherpa
Case Study #CS1994:

Organize Content with Ajax-enabled Web Pages: 5 Steps to Increase Web Leads

SUMMARY: Does your Web design make it hard for prospects to find all the product information and supporting content you’ve created for them? See how a software marketer improved his team’s online lead-generation capabilities with Ajax-enabled product pages that brought together brochures, demos, downloads and education content in one location. Carefully-placed registration forms are now capturing leads where once chaos ruled. Read more.

Source: MarketingSherpa.com

New MarketingSherpa Chart: Managing the B2B Marketing-to-Sales Process

Mike — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:54:00 +0000

Some great info from MarketingSherpa…One way to overcome this is to put a Marketing Automation system, like Pardot, in place. Want to know more about this? Check out the June 2009 issue of Core (which will be coming out later this week, so if you are not on the Core enewsletter list sign up now at: http://www.arketi.com/newsletter.html

From MarketingSherpa:

Which best practices are marketers NOT using to effectively manage their marketing-to-sales process? The one that stands out here is the ability to hand leads back to marketing when they have proven not to be sales worthy.

These are usually qualified prospects that simply aren’t ready to purchase. And not having process to handle this is a missed opportunity by allowing these future sales to fall through this gaping crack in the pipeline

Source: http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article.php?ident=31270

Social Media Phenom Visits Atlanta

Mousa — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:54:00 +0000

The June PRSAGA luncheon, a sellout, featured a myriad of PR and tech practitioners filling up the Cumberland Mall Maggiano’s. The featured guest speaker and social media superstar was Peter Shankman, founder of HARO, the largest free source repository in the world. Shankman noted the continued parallel between social media and trust while emphasizing the importance of using social media to propagate positive influences. Shankman provided examples of companies effectively using social media to engage their customers and prospects as well as detailing the tenets of effective social media: Transparency, Brevity and Relevance.

Spotted in the crowd was Lisa Pitrof (BusinessWire), Kristin Wallace (Sprint), Neil Hirsch (Solvay Pharmaceuticals) and Karlie Stanton (Popeyes). For more information about PRSAGA and the July luncheon, visit http://prsageorgia.org/.

Arketians Attend First Tweet-Up

Mousa — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:28:00 +0000

Over 100 Atlanta PR and tech professionals gathered at the new 5 Seasons Brewing Company Wednesday to network, mingle and…..tweet? The tweet-up (twitter slang for an informal gathering) featured HARO founder, Peter Shankman.

In addition to giving away a free weekend stay at the new Loew’s Atlanta Hotel, Peter had a chance to converse with many of the excited professionals in attendance, including Mousa Ackall and Amy Leefe (pictured here). Shankman, known for his propensity to think outside the box, noted how continued technological advancements are changing the way we think, communicate and act. The trick is, according to Shankman, to stay optimistic and find ways to channel that technology for the overall societal good.

Spotted in the crowd was Jeremy Porter (Journalistics), Matthew Nagel (Georgia Tech) and Jenny Schmitt (CloudSpark). For more information about Peter and HARO, click here.

Honoring Tech Excellence

Mousa — Mon, 25 May 2009 16:59:00 +0000

A record crowd of technology marketing executives gathered last Thursday at Maggiano’s Cumberland as TAG conducted its ninth annual TAMY Awards for Technology Marketing excellence. Nearly 170 executives participated in this year’s award ceremony, which also featured an insightful presentation from Coca-Cola executive Penny McIntyre on the ways social media and emerging Web 3.0 technology is changing the game for marketers.

Arketi’s work for the following clients helped earn them a 2009 TAMY Award:

Reveille Software, a fast growing experience and performance management software company for the emerging growth corporate repositioning category.

ERDAS, a geospatial business systems company for the large company repositioning category.

Virtual Premise, a leading web-based provider of on-demand real estate information, for the Marketing Tactic by a small company category.

For the fifth straight year, Arketi’s corporate positioning work swept the repositioning categories.

Finally, Karin Bursa, vice president of Marketing for Logility, was honored as TAG’s Technology Marketing Executive of the year. Seen in the large crowd were Shana Keith (Cbeyond), TAG President Tino Mantella, and James Marlow (Radiance Solar). For more information about TAG, visit http://tagonline.org/.

Does Twitter work to support BtoB public relations efforts?

Mike — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:36:00 +0000

We were told today by a client that an industry analyst recently started following them on the Twitter page we built and help manage for the software company. After a few weeks of following the company the analyst contacted the client for a phone briefing and now is building a relationship with our client. The analyst pointed out that the company’s Twitter page was the reason for his call.

Although one data point, we would have to say the Twitter page paid off. Therefore, Twitter did work to support this company’s business-to-business public relations efforts.

Our advice: If you’re not on Twitter give it a try. It will not kill you and might just help you.

Happy Hour Heaven

Mousa — Thu, 14 May 2009 00:23:00 +0000

(Arketi Principals Sami Jajeh and Rory Carlton look on as Amy Leefe sizes up her shot)

Arketians took a break from the typical office workday yesterday and headed down to Gordon Biersch, a German micro-brewery in Midtown. The outing, complete with appetizers, fresh beer & wine, served as a well-timed hiatus from the ever demanding and hectic office scene.

Although a no shop-talk rule was tentatively in place, some employees could be spotted checking emails on their iPhones. Not surprisingly, all employees lauded the function as a perfect chance to relax, bond and enjoy each other’s company.

(Brian and Whitney Boudreaux engage in friendly marital competition)

PRSA|GA Annual Conference & May Luncheon

Mousa — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:07:00 +0000

The PRSA GA May Luncheon, held in conjunction with the Annual Conference, featured a distinguished panel consisting of legendary PR professionals Harold Burson (Burson-Marsteller) [pictured above], Bob Cohn (Cohn & Wolfe) and Ofield Dukes (Ofield Dukes & Associates). The panel detailed the vast growth of the public relations field in the last half decade while also noting technology’s impact on the continued evolution of PR. PRSA GA President and Arketi Group Principal, Mike Neumeier, presented Charidy Vinson (Georgia Tech) with the monthly Chapter Champion award for her outstanding work and service to the chapter.

The Annual Conference comprised of numerous strategic sessions covering a variety of topics, including a session titled, “Social Media: Why You Can’t Ignore Social Media’s Impact on Public Relations.” The session (pictured to the right), moderated by Mike Neumeier featured an interesting panel consisting of Lee Clontz (Emory University), Melissa Libby (Melissa Libby & Associates) and Sarah Molinari (The Home Depot). The panel detailed the recent emergence of social media and how its impact on PR has become an unequivocal part of the equation.

Spotted in the crowd was Lois Rossi (Manheim), Nancy Schubert (IBM), Kelly Neumeier (MMP), Lisa Pitrof (BusinessWire) and Michele Gullia (Cbeyond). For more information about PRSA GA and the June luncheon, visit http://www.prsageorgia.org/.

Cheers To A Great Partnership

Mousa — Wed, 06 May 2009 12:39:00 +0000

This week Arketi Group and our client Flo Healthcare celebrated our 5-year anniversary. To commemorate this milestone, Arketi shared a whimsical cookie cake (see picture) with the Flo team. As Flo’s marketing partner for the past 5 years, Arketi has enjoyed working closely with the Flo team to position the company as a mobile clinical workstation leader in the healthcare industry. Among a number of accomplishments, we are most proud of being part of the team that led to Flo being acquired by Emerson (NYSE: EMR), ranked 94th on the Fortune 500 list of America’s largest companies. We thank the Flo team for 5 great years together and look forward to continued success in the future!

Peeking Behind the Curtain of Behavioral Targeting

Mousa — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:29:00 +0000

Arketi executives attended this month’s American Marketing Association (AMA) Marketing Technology event, featuring a distinguished group of behavioral targeting experts, including Brant McLean (Specific Media), Charlie Chance (AJC Media Solutions), Mitch Scharf (Yahoo!) and Tricia Ekholm (Atlanta Ballet). Moderated by Glen Caruso (Tremor Media), the panelists discussed how to effectively use behavioral targeting to understand their customers better and deliver greater ROI. Several key points were made during the discussion, such as the importance of using a broad media mix of channels (direct mail, online advertising, broadcast, etc) and multiple touches to influence consumers to buy. To identify behavioral targets, marketers have access to a number of online metrics, including search terms used, ads clicked on, content viewed and page visit frequency.

Panelists also discussed privacy issues resulting from the tremendous amount of consumer data marketers are collecting and noted that while online marketing is very similar to direct mail marketing, it is actually more anonymous. Spotted in the audience were Gretchen Vogel and Shane Metzger (EyeWonder), Lance King (Definition 6), and Michael Madden (The Weather Channel). For more information about AMA, visit http://www.ama-atlanta.com/.

Doing Business in India

Mousa — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 16:41:00 +0000

Arketi members attended this month’s Technology Executives Roundtable (TER) event which featured a distinguished group of India experts, including Ani Agnihotri (IIIrd Millennium Technologies Inc.), Vinod Keni (Aquarian Group), Madhu Madhusudan (VectorSpan, Inc.), Sanjoy Malik (Air2Web, Inc.) and Vaibhau Parikh (Nishith Desai Associates) discussing the in’s and out’s of doing business in India. Moderated by R. Jason D’Cruz (Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP), the event broached key insights, such as the fact that India is a huge and growing market that is attractive to U.S. businesses for penetration, and that outsourcing continues to grow in other areas such as back office processing (legal, finance). Panelists also discussed how best to handle the challenges of working in India from capital structure, legal and regulatory issues to managing time and cultural differences. All panelists agreed that for U.S. businesses to succeed, they must have patience, the right partner and flexibility in how they approach the market. Spotted in the audience were Ed Daihl (SIS), “Raj” Rajan (Virima), Dan Ciprari (Illumitron), and Keith Washington (Flo Healthcare).

For more information about TER, visit http://www.ter-atlanta.com/.

BtoB’s NetMarketing Breakfast Series — UPDATE

Mike — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:29:00 +0000

Presentations from the Atlanta BtoB NetMarketing Breakfast is now avalible online. Word on the street is that later this week video segments shot after the breakfast will go online. To access this info click here.

BtoB Execs Talk Tech Marketing

Mousa — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:32:00 +0000

BtoB Magazine’s NetMarketing Breakfast Series was held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Buckhead and featured a panel of technology marketers sharing the challenges and successes of their marketing strategies. The panel was moderated by Ellis Booker, editor of BtoB Magazine and the featured speakers included Steele Hays (Sage Software), Leah Roscoe (VeriFone), and Steve Zimba (Cbeyond) [pictured above]. Panelists agreed that online and internet marketing has become a larger part of their overall strategy, while traditional forms such as print advertising and live trade shows have taken a back seat. Spotted in the crowd was Barry Mirkin (Business Marketing Association), Christian Erickson (Tekla), Denise Doyle (CDC Software), Shana Keith (Cbeyond), Scott Voigt (Silverpop) and Gabe Rand (Definition 6).

Best of Both Worlds

Mousa — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:24:00 +0000

Arketians attended the TAG social mixer at Front Page News in Midtown last Wednesday. The event featured members of the TAG Consulting and TAG Young Professionals societies. The two groups intertwined nicely as the tech consultants had a chance to impart some wisdom and share their experiences with the up and coming tech professionals. Spotted in the crowd was Michael Lan (Jabian Consulting), Toby McChesney (Georgia State University), Kristin Kelly (Georgia Tech) and Beth Gray (Intersect Group).

For more information about TAG Consulting and TAG Young Professionals, visit www.tagonline.org/societies.php.

Looking for a Solid Set of Social Media Guidelines for Your Company?

Mike — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:39:00 +0000

Why not check out Intels. Published in January 2009 these are a nice set of corporate guidelines for employees interested in using social media. To review the Intel Social Media Guidelines click here.

Building Back the Economy

Mousa — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:51:00 +0000

The April PRSA GA luncheon featured a packed house of local PR professionals gathering to learn about the current state of Georgia’s economy. The event featured a distinguished panel led by former Atlanta mayor, Sam Massel (Buckhead Coalition). The other panel members, Ken Heaghney (Georgia State University), Don Beaver (Cobb Chamber of Commerce) and A.J. Robinson (Central Atlanta Progress) discussed the importance of staying positive and uniting as a community during these trying times. The panel also emphasized the need to strengthen the relationship between the city and state in order to help facilitate the economic recovery.

PRSA GA President, Mike Neumeier (Arketi Group) presented Ruth Mitcham (communications 21) with the monthly Chapter Champion Award. Spotted in the crowd was Lois Rossi (Manheim), Mickey Nall (Ogilvy), Brian Boudreaux (Arketi Group) and Lisa Pitrof (BusinessWire). For more information about PRSA GA and the May Annual Conference, visit http://www.prsageorgia.org/.

Turning to Tech

Mousa — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:18:00 +0000

Local PR professionals gathered at the BusinessWire Media Luncheon last Thursday, held at Anthony’s restaurant, to discuss new methods being utilized to reach the media in the current economic environment. The panel (pictured above), consisting of editors from local pubs, featured Nedra Rhone (Atlanta Journal-Constitution), Nicole Smith (Atlanta Woman) and Stephanie Davis (skirt! Magazine). The panelists talked about how the decrease in print readership has lent itself to the utilization of social networks to connect with members of the media.

The panel also noted that creativity in tech communications is now a must, citing the changing landscape of social media tools and the rising popularity of online communities such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Other topics examined by the panel included the types of materials they find useful and how they make decisions about what copy to use.

A big thanks to Neal Wells and the BusinessWire crew for putting on such a great event. For more information on BusinessWire, visit http://www.businesswire.com/.

Branding for the Cure

Mousa — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:17:00 +0000

At the PRSA GA March luncheon, Kelly Dolan (pictured above), executive director of the Atlanta Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation, discussed how her organization is leveraging the power of marketing and public relations to overcome difficult times. The current economy poses challenges for non-profits and Dolan spotlighted the organization’s recent brand re-launch, detailing how they altered the famous pink ribbon, the symbol for breast cancer awareness and advocacy, to make it their own. PRSA GA President Mike Neumeier (Arketi Group) presented Liz Chilla (Emory University School of Law) with the monthly Chapter Champion Award. Spotted in the crowd were Ray Crockett (Coca Cola), Malika White (Atlanta United Way), Amy Leefe (Arketi Group) and Kelli Walsh (DeKalb Convention and Visitors Bureau).

For more information about PRSA GA and the upcoming April luncheon, visit http://www.prsageorgia.org/.

Microcomputer Pioneers Dish Great Stories and Real Advice to Tech Execs

Mike — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 09:03:00 +0000

Tech executives from across Atlanta came together Tuesday (03/17/09) at the March TER meeting to hear from true legends in microcomputer technology revolution.

The event united five of the biggest Atlanta-based pioneers in the microcomputer revolution which started in the late 1970s. John Yates (Morris, Manning, and Martin) lead a spirited panel featuring: Richard Brock (Brock Control Systems, Firstwave and LeadLife), Ben Dyer (Peachtree Software and TechDrawl), Les Freed (Microstuf/Crosstalk Communications), Dennis Hayes (Hayes Microcomputer Products) and Said Mohammadioun (Samna and Synchrologic).

Above: Left to right Dennis Hayes, Ben Dyer and Les Freed.

Dyer recollected that when he first met Bill Gates (Microsoft), “Bill was just a millionaire.” Freed tracked early ATL tech success back to the Atlanta Area Microcomputer Hobbyist Club, while Brock said tech success today with the SaaS model is based on “earning the business monthly.”

Above: Left to right: Richard Brock and Said Mohammadioun.

Hayes noted that two things have remained the same in building a successful tech company 1) focusing on the customer by ALWAYS taking care of their problems and 2) learning how to become a marketing company because “technology is just what we do.”

Executives on hand for the breakfast event included TER President Price Harding (CarterBaldwin), Mike Neumeier and Sami Jajeh (Arketi Group), Bob Estes (Reveille Software), Keith Washington (Flo Healthcare), Gregory Evans (LIGATT Security), Robert Ball (OfficeArrow), David Mims (Mimsware), Doug Starr (TaxConnex), Garland Duvall (Datatrac), Heinz Wegener (Cross Technologies) and James Friedman (FX Bridge Technologies).

For more information about TER, visit http://www.ter-atlanta.com/.

Entrepreneurs are Optimistic, VC not so much

Mike — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:36:00 +0000

Members of Technology Executives Roundtable (TER) packed the room on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009 to hear some of the Southeast’s top VCs share their thought on how to find funding and what it will cost.

The panel featured Alan Taetle (Noro-Moseley), Frank X. Dalton (Fulcrum Ventures), Sean M. Banks (Total Technology Ventures), Steve Nussrallah (Value Plus Ventures) and N.C.-VC Katrin Burt (Intersouth Partners). David Calhoun (Morris, Manning & Martin) moderated the session which revealed all the VC on the panel were looking for deals but not bullish on 2009.

Above from left to right: Steve Nussrallah (Value Plus Ventures) and Alan Taetle (Noro-Moseley)

Taetle credited TER and its members for making solid introductions to strong ATL tech companies. All the VCs agreed they are “still taking meetings” and advised companies meeting with them do their homework to know how they like to be presented to (hint Dalton wants a two page business summary and Nussrallah likes to see the full executive team).

Above from left to right: Katrin Burt (Intersouth Partners), Frank X. Dalton (Fulcrum Ventures) and Steve Nussrallah (Value Plus Ventures)

Hot industries according to the group are: cleantech, healthcare services & IT, electronic medical records, rural broadband, and mobile apps and services.

Executives on hand for the breakfast event included Mike Neumeier and Sami Jajeh (Arketi Group), Gil Friedman (Discrete Wireless), Price Harding (CarterBaldwin), Ken Horowitz (North Star Health), Cy Smith (AirSage), Mark Rainosek (packIQ), Mark Droege (intellione), James Davie (Canvas Systems), Corne Aantjes (ORTEC), and Scott Grimes (Cardlytics).

For more information about TER, visit http://www.ter-atlanta.com/. (Hint register early for March’s meeting it is set to draw a huge crowd – speakers include ATL tech pioneers Dennis Hayes, Ben Dyer, Said Mohammadioum, Richard Brock and Les Freed.)

Arketi Client Flo Healthcare Takes Center Stage in Grey’s Anatomy

Mike — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:19:00 +0000

That’s right; Flo (http://www.flohealthcare.com/) the ergonomic, aesthetic and ease-of-use (lovable) workstation was spotted twice in the March 5, 2009 episode of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy.

Below are two shots of our good friend Flo hard at work on the set in Season 5, Ep 17 “I Will Follow You Into The Dark.” Everyone at Arketi thinks Flo stole the scenes!

Live Essentials Look to be Live

Sami — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 05:14:00 +0000

Just downloaded and tested the latest version of Microsoft Live Messenger. The UI looks to be unnecessarily changed – we will see if it makes one more productive over time. However, a number of nifty tools have been added, including an easy-to-use blog tool that enables you to write to all of the various blog programs out there from a simple “Word-like” editor that interfaces to and integrates with the various blog sites. Another tool is the photo gallery tool which rocks compared to looking at photos through Windows Explorer. Sporting a Web 2.0 interface, it automatically sorts photos into directories by date, enables pop-up/overlays for easy viewing without having to open the file, and enables you to tag photos to users that you have setup on Microsoft Live Messenger. All-in-all a worthy upgrade. Critical note, as with any other Microsoft upgrade/tool, they will try to change your search to default to LiveSearch. Sorry, Microsoft, not quite ready to switch from Google.

Why should marketers care? Marketers need to see, breathe, know and live the latest tools, whatever they are… blogs, updated interactive experience, etc. If you don’t experience and live in that world, you will quickly become out-of-touch with what your customers are experiencing and wanting (from your company, your product, and your website).

Trade show budgets not hot this year

Mike — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:51:00 +0000

BtoB magazine is reporting that trade shows will be off greatly this year. Not really a surprise given the economy. In fact, this very marketing tactic was heavily discussed at the second annual Atlanta High-Tech CMO Roundtable held in late 2008.

To find out what CMOs said about this and what 2009 holds for BtoB tech PR and marketing professionals download the resulting free report at: http://tr.im/hfgo.

Trade show budgets projected to decline 17% this year

Chicago—Budgets for trade show exhibiting are expected to decline 17% this year, while the number of trade shows that exhibitors are planning to participate in should drop by about the same amount, according to the Trade Show Exhibitors Association.

Source: BtoBonline.com READ NOW

Arketi Principal to Lead B2B Webinar

Mousa — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:11:00 +0000

Arketi principal Sami Jajeh will be presenting a B2B Power Exchange webinar this coming Monday, March 9th at 2 p.m. EST. As part of the group’s ongoing Thought Leadership series, the free webinar,“Uniting Messaging and Segmentation for Better Marketing Results,” will examine the benefits of combining messaging and positioning exercises as part of one organizational strategy.

To sign up for this free webinar, visit http://www.suretomeet.com/cgi-bin/gt/event_pb.h,event=fb9bdc944aff.

Social Media Nuggets

Mousa — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 09:33:00 +0000

The February PRSA GA luncheon was sold-out and overflowing with young aspiring PR students attending the Real World 2009 Conference. The students filled the Loudermilk Center and had an opportunity to network and participate in numerous workshops and seminars. PRSA GA President, Mike Neumeier (Arketi Group) presented Whitney Boudreaux (Arketi Group) with the monthly Chapter Champion Award for her outstanding service and leadership in the community. The event featured guest speaker Heather Oldani, director of U.S. Communications for McDonald’s. Heather discussed McDonalds’ ongoing social media efforts to engage consumers in dialogue about the McDonald’s brand as well as its’ products. Spotted in the crowd were Judy Wick (Fiserv), Jami Buck (Cox Enterprises) and Ashley Collins (Weber Shandwick).

For more information about PRSA GA and the March luncheon, visit http://www.prsageorgia.org/.

BtoB Technology Marketers Missing Social Media Opportunities

Mike — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 09:04:00 +0000

Good info from Forrester Research…

February 25th, 2009

77 percent of business technology decision-makers engage with social media on the job, yet most B2B marketers are not effectively using social technologies to influence the purchasing decisions of their customers, says Forrester Research.

In 2007 Forreter released their comsumer Social Technographics Scale . (See more explanation about the scale in the Forrester PowerPoint )

Now they’ve done the same for BtoB buyers. Forrester polled more than 1,200 business technology decision-makers in North America and Europe about their social media participation throughout the buying cycle. The numbers are quite different – and I’d guess that the rapid adoption of social media over the past two years is one factor.

The Social Technographics Profile segments business buyers into six categories based on their social activities:

Creators — 27 percent publish a blog, publish Web pages, create/upload video or music, or write articles and post them online.
Critics — 37 percent post reviews of products or services, comment on someone else’s blog, or contribute to online forums.
Collectors — 29 percent use RSS feeds, vote for Web sites online, or add tags to Web pages or photos.
Joiners — 29 percent maintain a profile on a social networking site or visit social networking sites.
Spectators — 69 percent read blogs, listen to podcasts, watch video from other users, or read online forums and reviews.
Inactives — 23 percent do not participate in any social media activities for work purposes.

91% of these decision-makers consume social media including blogs, video, and customer reviews.

What’s the biggest influencer? 75 percent said peers influence their purchase decisions more than any other media or information source.

“Emerging social behaviors will fundamentally change the nature of the marketing relationship between B2B buyers and sellers — especially in a down economy,” said Oliver Young, senior analyst at Forrester. “B2B marketers must use social profiling data to determine how social tactics complement the rest of the marketing mix. Integrating traditional and online tactics is essential as the groundswell of social activity grows.”

The new report, “The Social Technographics® Of Business Buyers,” directed at Technology Product Management & Marketing professionals, is available to Forrester RoleView™ clients and can also be purchased directly from the Forrester website

Source: http://www.infocomgroup.net/falkow/

Taking The Lead

Mousa — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 11:22:00 +0000

One of Arketi’s own, consultant Whitney Ellis Boudreaux, has been named the recipient of the February 2009 PRSA GA Chapter Champion Award for her outstanding volunteer work with the chapter.

Currently, she serves as the co-chair of the Awards Celebration Committee and coordinated the Silent Auction at last year’s PRSA GA Awards Celebration. Previously, she was part of the operations team for the Real World Collegiate Conference. Additionally, she is an active participant of the Young Professionals SIG and has served as a greeter at monthly luncheons.

Whitney’s outstanding service and leadership in the community is an example we should all try to follow. From everyone at Arketi, congratulations Whitney, you’ve made us proud.

For more information about PRSA GA, click here.

One in 10 American Adults is a ‘Tweeter’

Mike — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:03:00 +0000

We have seen many business and trade journalists embrace Twitter. As a result, BtoB PR folks need to start thinking about how they can get their organizations in on the Twitter…[Hint check out www.twitter.com/arketi]

More than one in ten (11%) online adults in the US say they have used Twitter – or a similar service – to share updates about themselves or view updates about others, and those who use Twitter have a greater affinity for mobile devices, according…

Source: marketingcharts.com

BMA Atlanta Hosts 5th Annual Chocolate Tasting Fundraiser

Mousa — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:06:00 +0000

The Business Marketing Association, Atlanta Chapter held it’s 5th Annual Chocolate Tasting Fundraiser last night at FAB (French American Brassiere). Over 75 marketing and business professionals attended this sold out event and enjoyed chocolate, wine, raffles and a live auction benefiting the Susan G. Komen Foudnation. Vikki Locke from B98.5 and her husband were special guests at the event and Vikki welcomed the attendees. BMA President, Barry Mirkin performed the live auction generating high dollar bids on a 2 night stay at Loews Lake Las Vegas and private golf lessons from the Reynolds Plantation. In the crowd were Larry Fauconnet from AT&T;, Joe Noonan from Proforma, John Wiley from Leapfrog, Mousa Ackall and Ashley Jones from Arketi Group (pictured above). The event hyped the next BMA event with Robin Fisher Roffer, Big Fish Marketing, March 19th at Maggiano’s. For more information about BMA Atlanta, click here.

Seeking Good Business Karma?

Mike — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:07:00 +0000

Why not help a worthy non-profit!

Arketi pro-bono client, HealthMPowers, is looking for new office space and office equipment. HealthMPowers, an Arketi client since late 2006, is a unique, coordinated initiative designed to increase health knowledge and provides programs that are designed to provide students with the health information, skills, resources and motivation necessary to take responsibility for their own health. Any donations, suggestions and/or references are welcome.

Office space specifications (Approximately 2600-3500 square feet of space):
Minimum 5 offices plus 9 workstations
Conference Room
Access to Training Room
Storage Space
Break room/Restrooms
Ability to park mobile unit
Internet and Phone Access

Office equipment needs include:

Desk/Cubicles: 5 desks/9 cubicles
Desk Chairs: 14
Trash Cans: 10
Conference Room Table: 1
Conference Room Chairs: 8
Phone System – 1 central line w/ 8 connecting phones & answering machine: 1 -
Printers (black and white, color): 6 B&W; (2 wireless), 1 color
Printer Router: 1
Copy Machine: 1
Fax Machine: 1
4-Drawer Lateral Files with locks: 2
2-Drawer File Cabinets: 14
Network Router (14 users): 1
Book Cases: 14
Shelving Units: 8
IT Support – For setting up new office

Please direct all inquiries to Mike Neumeier (mneumeier@arketi.com).

Thank you.

Atlanta Ad Club Honors Advertising’s Best and Brightest at ADDY® Awards

Mousa — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:33:00 +0000

On Saturday evening, the Atlanta Ad Club hosted the Atlanta ADDY Awards, the Southeast’s largest advertising competition. With more than 730 entries, 176 ADDY Awards were presented to advertising professionals and students. The coveted “Best of Show Award” was given to Ames Scullin O’Haire for its work with The Blues Foundation, and the “Student Best of Show Award” went to Creative Circus. ADDY Award Co-Chairs Annette Filliat (Arketi Group) and Jennifer Hudson (Edelman) noted a shift this year in more engaging interactive entries, including YouTube videos, micro sites and online games. Attendees included Patrick Scullin (Ames Scullin O’Haire), Dan Reichard (Crawford Communications), John Levinson (AJC Media Solutions) and TJ Hargen (Definition 6). For more information, visit http://www.atlantaaddys.org/.

Amy Leefe, reporting

Report Points To Georgia Tech Community As Young

Mike — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:52:00 +0000

Yes, our start-up community is still starting up…with slightly more than a third of our entrepreneurs first-timers. That said, a third said they were on there second start up.

Numbers aside, truly great technology companies and ideas have come from Georgia and will continue to do so.

Survey: Georgia’s tech community is burgeoning

Georgia technology entrepreneurs are more likely to be on their first startup than peers in California and Massachusetts, according to a Technology Association of Georgia survey.

The finding echoed venture firm sentiment that the Peach State lacks serial entrepreneurs
Thirty-five percent of Georgia entrepreneurs surveyed said they were on their first startup, while 34 percent said they were on their second startups, according to the TAG study.

The results were revealed at a panel discussion at the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) on Feb. 5.

Read full article here.

Source: Atlanta Business Chronicle – by Urvaksh Karkaria Staff Writer

Brian and Whitney Tie the Knot

Mike — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 07:53:00 +0000

Two of Arketi’s best became even better on 1/24 when they married! Congratulations go to the happy couple from all of us in the office. We know they are going to have a wonderful life together.

Social Networking Communications: Lesson Learned

Mousa — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:13:00 +0000

A recent incident between FedEx and one of the largest global PR agencies demonstrates the need to apply basic communications principles in the evolving social-networking environment. Communication through these “social communities” has now evolved into normal everyday discourse among superiors, employees, clients, partners and prospects.

This new dimension of social communications presents a dynamic challenge for professionals. They must realize that this form of communication is now equivalent to a client call or a prospect meeting. The medium of communication is no longer important. All that matters is WHAT is being said. With the instantaneous transfer of information online, people must realize that the golden rule is now more relevant than ever: “Think before you speak, be careful of what you say and how you say it.”

To learn more about the incident, click to read the article here.