Speaking at the May 8 Knowledge Session hosted by the Baltimore/Washington chapter of Sales & Marketing Executives International, Loveland provided case study examples of how companies strategically “mined” data in search of information that illuminated a path toward their business goals and leading to profits that otherwise might have been overlooked. Data mining can range from intense analytics and repackaging or mashing data, to simply sifting through company email exchanges to identify contacts with prospective customers. A sampling of take-aways from Loveland’s presentation included:

• A key to success in business intelligence and data mining is a cooperative relationship between the marketing and IT departments. Each needs a common understanding on business drivers and, in most cases, these relationships depend on executive management leading the way by recognizing the opportunities and fostering communication, innovation and creativity when it comes to using data.
• Both IT and marketing must know the business, and each must reach beyond the bounds of their typical functions. IT should step into the role of solving business problems with people and for people, while marketing should know how to use the data to benefit sales, create richer stories that lead to sales conversations, and also use the data to help focus and drive the creative process.
• Companies must set themselves up for success by positioning themselves to be in the business of collecting data and train their teams to look at their data in different ways. If you are ever faced with a situation that makes you think “there must be a better way,” then treat that as a flag that there may be an opportunity to turn your data into an actionable opportunity, Loveland said.

About SMEI
Founded in 1935, Sales & Marketing Executives International (SMEI) is the worldwide organization dedicated to ethical standards, continuing professional development, knowledge sharing, mentoring students and advancing free enterprise. For more information about the Baltimore/Washington chapter, visit www.smeibaltimore.org

During a breakout session during the Counselor’s Academy conference this week, “Mobilizing Your Firm for a Smartphone World,” presenters Linda W. Cohen, APR, CEO of The Caliber Group, Inc., and Michael Barber, director of digital strategy, Cohn Marketing, shared the following eye-opener facts and insights:

• By June 2012 (next month!) more people will read email on their mobile devices than on laptops or the computers at their offices or at home. No longer are they tethered to the stationary computer work-stations of the past;
• In 2012, a total of 58 percent of consumers will buy something using their mobile device;
• By 2013, half of the internet traffic to your site will be via people on their mobile devices;
• By 2015, more people will access the Internet through mobile devices than through PCs or other wired computers;
• To accommodate and promote all of this, the marketing spend has flipped as budgets for mobile now dominate social. Now is the time to plan your mobile marketing strategy, from providing apps to converting your website so people can access your information when they need it.

If you haven’t done so already, grab an iPhone or Android and visit your company’s website. Like what you see? Ready or not that’s the first impression you’re already offering a significant percentage of visitors to your site.

With all the talk about social media (and all the so-called experts in the latest tools and tactics), speaker Jay Baer, president of Convince & Convert, delivered this reminder: “The goal isn’t to be good at social media…the goal is to be good at business because of social media.”

That’s a point worth thinking about as we take steps to weave social media into our routines which, by the way, need to be just that – part of our days: “There’s no magic answer to how much time to devote to social media,” he said. “You must commit to doing it regularly versus doing it in-depth. Speed and response time is important so be first, fast and mobile. A minute here, a minute there in the tiny gaps in the day.”

Jay also shared why your online/social presence – in addition to using traditional channels – is so important. A Google study (see the Zero Moment of Truth) shows that in 2010 people needed 5.3 pieces of information to make a purchase decision. In 2011, they sought out an average of 10.4 sources of information, including blogs, websites and social networks, before they decided. “When we’re almost ready to buy, that’s when we call,” Baer said.

“When we want to make a purchase decision, we research first.” So in addition to making sure your sales information is accessible and accurate, be sure that whoever answers that call is ready, because that’s an educated and motivated customer ready to talk!

Q: What is the best way for a business to generate and leverage PR opportunities?

A: You need to be prepared ahead of time to tell your story. That means having your company’s key messages and talking points in order well before you receive the phone call or email asking for a comment.

The PR team should help the media do its job by having information about your company and products readily available, and today that means having a current and easily accessible press section of your website that’s stocked with bios, product fact sheets, recent press releases and images. One of the most important elements of a press room is the press contact – not a generic “info@companyname.com” email address, but a real name, an actual person’s email address and their telephone numbers. That’s typically one of the media’s top complaints about press rooms – there’s no real person to contact when a reporter is on deadline and needs to know someone is available and working to get a response.

Finally, you need to keep your press releases up to date. If the date of your most recent press release was nine months ago, it communicates a lot about what’s going on at your company – or not – whether you like it or not.

The “Sawmill” in our name comes from the gentle, beautiful and meandering Sawmill Creek (left) that winds its way from northern Baltimore County, including where I live, through Anne Arundel County until it flows into the Patapsco River.

Sometimes we wish we had a more interesting answer. But in the more than 17 years that Sawmill Marketing Public Relations has been in business the “where  does ‘Sawmill’ come from” question is a good reminder that it’s your definition of interesting that matters.

We’re all for continuing to answer “where does the name ‘Sawmill’ come from?” for at least the next 17 years!

The event is hosted by the Baltimore Business Journal, which says, “This morning event will leave you with the information you need to take your social media marketing to the next level. Hear some of Baltimore’s top social media experts as they give you insights on how to take full advantage of today’s social media.”

For additional information and to register, follow this link.

Their mission is to promote the financial independence and job training of low-income mothers/women in Baltimore by creating and selling products that reduce the impact of consumers on the environment.

We are looking forward to conducting social media workshops early next month — part of the job training curriculum the organization  conducts for the women.

We eagerly anticipate lending our expertise in ways we hope will help the organization to grow, which in turn will help more single mothers in Baltimore to grow as well.

In the meantime, we hope our readers will also help by donating whatever is possible to help fund critical job training activities.

In our experience this attitude is prevalent when a crisis hits — regardless of the type of entity trying to deal with it. This includes a client that, just a few months into it, believes it has successfully weathered an ugly headline-generating situation. However, we’ve counseled them that they are instead at the beginning of it. We hope our prediction is wrong, but that sound you hear are their wagons circling.

SMPR will develop corporate messaging and corporate communications strategies and programs targeted to  current and prospective ARDMS members, the healthcare industry, as well as consumers. The ARDMS corporate communications program elements include traditional as well as social media tactics.

About ARDMS
Founded in 1975, ARDMS is an independent, nonprofit organization that administers examinations and awards credentials in the areas of diagnostic medical sonography, diagnostic cardiac sonography, vascular technology and physician vascular interpretation. Its credentialing programs are accredited by ANSI-ISO 17024 and the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NACCA). With more than 70,000 certified individuals in the U.S., Canada and throughout the world, ARDMS is the recognized international standard in sonography credentialing. For more information, visit www.ardms.org.

About Sawmill Marketing Public Relations
Sawmill Marketing Public Relations is a Baltimore PR firm and social media marketing communications agency established in 1995 specializing in the development and execution of marketing public relations programs as business development strategies for business-to-business, business-to-consumer and professional services clients. The Maryland public relations company specializes in social media, traditional media relations, media training, and crisis communications. For additional information, visit www.sawmillmarketing.com.

In our opinion, taking control of a media interview, as guests routinely do to one extent or another on such interview shows,  should always be the goal. A media interview is your opportunity to communicate your messages using tips and techniques designed, crafted and time-tested to help you do so clearly, concisely, consistently.

On an upcoming Sunday, view “Meet the Press” or similar programs with an educated eye and ear towards the guests and their skill with taking control of the interview. You’ll see the results of media training at its best, happening right in front of you.