Recently I have been talking to folks about what has changed in the last 12 months with marketing and what is developing new opportunities. As we have seen effectiveness begin to drop off from seminars, tradeshows and webcasts. Exactly what is working?
There is a new category of marketing arising, Social Marketing. It is a combination of networking and information exchange precipitated by the vendor.
As we get more oriented to social media tools such as Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook, and faced with job insecurity, the desire to understand how to network has increased. At the same time, people are bombarded by communication vehicles and are showing less patience for vendors that do not demonstrate personal value. As a result, there is an increase of discrimination of who and when we want to socialize.
Some smart marketers have capitalized on this by developing venues that provide space for networking and information exchange. Take for example, I recently interviewed technology channel partners about successful marketing events. One company has been hosting CIO luncheon events for 3 years for the purpose of discussion top issues. They stay away from products (although you can be sure that comes up), opting for issues around Virtualization, IT projects, effective disaster recovery, etc. It is invitation only, so attendees know it is their peers. With such a long history of hosting, there is the natural feeling of ‘of course I will show up, if I am in town.’
Another approach is collaboration communities. Rally Software, a development tool has created a very successful Agile community. A new one for marketers has been started by Net-Results, spearheaded by Matt Filios who has started similar communities in the open source market. These companies have initiated and nurtured the collaboration, but once started left it to be driven by the community.
As companies dive into this new world, there are some basics to remember:
- The community must come first. If the vendor’s message is the primary objective, the community is smart enough to sniff out a veiled sales call. It will not take on a life of its own.
- Networking and communication between peers is always listed as the most valuable part of events. Facilitate this first, and the rest will follow. For instance kick off hot topic discussions with a model to critique. Open up a dinner with a 15 minute topical presentation and then begin the conversation with open ended questions.
- Free is good, but not always the best. Exclusivity or a selection process can increase the real or perceived value. If the community is to be for a C-level, then make sure you deliver on the C. It is irritating for an executive to fine the small c (consultants), vendors or people not their peers at an event, when it has been marketed at a different level. It may require screening or entry fee to assure the quality.
- Get feedback. Find out what else you can do to facilitate networking. Ask the members, both those that are active and those inactive. Draft a member(s) to help with the socialization or expansion.
