Articles

February 7, 2012 by Marc Hausman

Exposing a True Web Charlatan

I am comfortable with the privacy policies employed by Google and Facebook.

While I would prefer they refrain from tracking me in their community and across the Web, I understand Google and Facebook are for-profit ventures. Insight into the online activities of their users is what they sell to advertisers.

Plus, each company is open about what they collect from their users, how they acquire that information and then how it is used. Here is Google’s policy and here is what Facebook says.

For me (and millions of others), the value provided outweighs the privacy concerns.

That’s not the case for everyone though. Here is a direct mailer I received from a company called Web Listings, Inc. of Niagara Falls, New York after registering the URL marchausman.com through GoDaddy.

Web.Listings.Mailer.FrontSide

Web.Listings.Mailer.BackSide

Let’s put aside the fact the service Web Listings offers is something easily handled for free and focus on how they’ve designed the solicitation to appear like an invoice. For the purpose of this blog post, I even had to highlight the acknowledgment that there is no obligation to pay.

I suspect thousands of individuals and businesses are duped each year into paying $85 for a service they couldn’t recall requesting.

So while I understand the constant cry from activists and pundits about Google and Facebook because of privacy issues. I sure hope more attention gets paid to the true charlatans and con artists who troll the Web.

February 2, 2012 by Marc Hausman

Three Questions For: Meredith Lawrence, Director of North American Federal Field Marketing, Polycom

Like all good clients, Polycom’s Meredith Lawrence has high expectations of her vendors. Know her company’s products…understand the market and its trends…be proactive in making recommendations…and then execute effectively.

Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) has worked for Meredith for more than three years. Under her guidance, we’ve been innovative in the use of social media by defining priorities, scope of work and success benchmarks based on the unique needs of a field sales organization.

It is for this reason that I asked Meredith if she’d be open to being the first corporate marketing executive profiled for my new “Three Questions For” series.

What is the role of a marketer who is responsible for supporting the needs of a field sales organization?

Companies like Polycom invest considerable time, effort and resources to develop innovative technologies, which then serve as the foundation of our full suite of products. The corporate marketing team is focused on how this translates into a compelling brand positioning and set of messages.

I have a deep understanding of the company’s brand, and in crafting communications to the federal market I start with the customer’s needs and challenges. We talk about how we understand the unique requirements of federal audiences and then articulate how our solutions help customers rise above challenges, using key messages to drive the point home.

Last year I also focused on helping Polycom solidify its federal brand. Even though this was more of an awareness and credibility-based communications requirement, my foundation point is always customer needs.

When it comes to social media, can you separate the hype from what is practical?

Social media is a cumulative process in which awareness, readership and online following is cultivated through market-relevant content.

It’s all about drilling down to communicate the value of our solutions to the customer. For instance, Polycom’s FedUC blog focuses on the high value applications of unified communications and video teleconferencing, rather than merely hyping our products.

I measure success in a couple of important ways. We have established awareness and credibility benchmarks, and these are very much connected to how are message is being received and embraced by our customers and partners.

We’re also testing the direct impact of the social media program through the integration of tactical sales activities, such as events, Webinars and thought leadership content. Every activity and action we take on though is evaluated by how it will be perceived by our federal customers.

Please finish this sentence: I have been successful in my professional career because…

OK, this answer may surprise you. I believe my achievements at Polycom and in general are very much tied to my current and past volunteer work with charitable organizations.

I’ve gained invaluable perspective working with women and families struggling with abuse and poverty. It’s taught me immense gratitude – for my job, my family and for the opportunities afforded me each day. It has helped me approach all work situations calmly and with the knowledge that nothing is bigger than we can handle.

I’m fortunate to be part of an excellent company that shares this sense of commitment to community participation. These factors combined have led to a great outcome for Polycom in government.

Hear more from Meredith Lawrence in this video of her speaking at an event entitled “Social Media in the Public Sector.” It was hosted by Strategic Communications Group and Market Connections in October 2011.

January 30, 2012 by Marc Hausman

3 Ways to Grow Your Online Following

What is a Twitter follower worth? How about a Facebook fan? Or a LinkedIn connection?

In a lawsuit against a former employee, a company called Phonedog has valued each Twitter follower at $2.50.

For Toronto-based retailer Timothy’s Coffee the impact of disgruntled Facebook fans has been measured by the sleepless nights of its executive team. The company experienced a hailstorm of social wrath as the result of an ill-fated promotion.

I am often asked by clients and prospects about how they can effectively grow their online followings. While Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) measures the success of its campaigns based on the achievement of sales outcomes (i.e. lead generation, prospect cultivation and deal capture), I do recognize the importance of a healthy and thriving community of followers.

Community confers credibility onto an organization, turns social media into an efficient and targeted channel to connect with those likely to buy and, equally important, is a clear benchmark that management can use to evaluate progress.

So…here are three sure-fire ways a business-to-business or government-focused company can juice up its quantity and quality of followers:

1. View yourself as a publisher of content that engages, educates and, when appropriate, entertains. Use your social media platforms as vehicles to share non-promotional thought leadership and best practices insight.

2. Offer high value premiums such as white papers, case studies, Webinars, etc. to your existing network, rather than as a gimmick to lure in new followers. You want to reward those who have and continue to engage with you online. They’ll be more likely to spread the word to their social connections.

3. Promote your content through a mix of different channels, including social networks, Email marketing, trade show participation, traditional advertising and public relations. As long as the content contributes to the professional growth of your audience, it is absolutely appropriate to be proactive in your promotion.

Always keep in mind that a growing, thriving and engaged network of social connections is merely the outcome of an exceptional social media marketing program. Don’t try to game or gimmick your way to numbers.

Give your audiences a reason to follow by providing access to content they won’t find anywhere else.

Exposing a True Web Charlatan

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