The Yin Yang of PR and Marketing Communications

Characteristics of a Conference Worth Going to - IAITAM

2009-10-05T06:57:25-07:00

I just returned from the IAITAM Annual Conference in Henderson, Nevada (right outside of Vegas). While most conferences are scaling back and losing exhibitors and attendees, IAITAM (International Association of IT Asset Managers) seems to be one of the few associations that have grown its annual conference and its membership. The question is why and how?

I think there are several important reasons to why/how IAITAM grew.

1- ITAM as a trend is on the rise. No matter where you go, you hear about IT asset management and cost control. This industry is part of the popular IT trends as seen in the ITAM Industry in the Ascendancy article by @ITAMReview.

2- IAITAM is an extremely niche topic/industry that hits across all IT markets. Everyone could benefit from ITAM.

3- Companies and people are seeking ways to either re-educate or to continue to educate themselves in their industry. The IAITAM conference is a perfect place to garner information.

4- Unlike other organizations, IAITAM brings everything in-house – from production of attendee bags to signs to its membership magazine. The savings allows for the organization to give back to its members by giving a first class conference with world class food and entertainment.

So, while I think majority of trade shows and conferences are not worth spending money on. The annual IAITAM conference is one of the few that fit the criteria of must attend if you are in the ITAM industry for the following reasons:

1- Great networking opportunities.

2- Attendees are extremely targeted audience and, this year, they are ready to spend money.

3- An extremely targeted audience.

4- The luncheons and dinners are served in the exhibit hall and the association does everything possible to drive attendees to the booths. There is also an extremely limited exhibition time, which is good for a show that’s only about 400 people.

5- Qualified leads. No need to shift through information.

With that said, look for shows with the characteristics above and you can’t go wrong.

Trade show boothmanship training? Not bloody likely

2009-09-16T07:27:48-07:00

I’ve been getting a lot of emails from trade show/conference vendors about training for trade shows. While I’m a big fan the e-newsletter, this might not be the best tactic for companies who create exhibit booths and signage seeing as the economy took a nosedive this past year and just about everyone has cut back big expenses – like trade shows. Marketing and sales folks are recycling what they have from last year and an email about “boothmanship” training isn’t likely going to change their mind and drive them to the company for a soft sell. So, what should these companies do?

Well, if I headed up marketing at a trade show company, I wouldn’t give up the newsletter, but I also wouldn’t send it every 2 weeks. That’s just going to annoy me. I’d also go back to some traditional marketing to create brand awareness and I’d revamp my message to talk about:

- Cost effective methods for trade shows and conferences – cut your cost in half, while increasing qualified leads

- Pre-conference jitters: Practical methods on how to maximize sales time at the event

- Attracting attention to your company: How to make them come to you

With all that said and done, these companies likely won’t see the dollars coming in for another 6-9 months, but at least they will be top-of-mind once corporate marketers can spend again.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

The power of social networks - we want our voice heard

2009-06-16T06:01:27-07:00

Many of you know I'm a big fan of social networking (specifically Twitter, Facebook, Ning, LinkedIn and some favorite vertical communities). While social networking has changed the face of marketing and communications as we know it, it has also changed how some societies are defying governments. Today's NY Times article Social Networks Spread Iranian Defiance Online shows the power of an open communications system.

While marketers are working on social networks, people all over the world are using social media to have their voice heard and gain their freedom.

Social media expert – Anyone? Anyone?

2009-06-03T05:17:00-07:00

We keep hearing the phrase, “I’m a social media expert” time and time again. But, it seems like everyone is a social media expert or, at least, feel that way. Does it make you a social media expert if you have a blog, Tweet a bit and know what the hell Ning is? IMHO, I don’t think so. Like any industry or market, social media marketing must come from experience. It’s a bit of a Catch 22.

So, how do you become a social media expert.

1- Read/Research – ‘nuff said on this.

2- Check out what the influencers in the space are doing.

3- Join social media sites and starting “listening in” on the conversations. I find that while you learn something about the folks participating, it’s very similar to high school cliques, except all the popular kids aren’t jocks.

4- Ask questions. Most social media influencers are willing to help.

So, how the hell are you supposed to know who to trust? Look for history, call references and then go with your gut. You can hire a major agency, but it’s gonna cost you. If you hire a small firm or a one-person shop, make sure you are looking at case histories; getting good references and that you like/trust the person. And, no matter what who you hire or how many people are at the company, bring your B.S.-O-meter.

Additional reading…..

Is the Social Media Expert Going the Way of the Dodo?

15 Social Media Maxims for Marketers

Nobody’s an Expert in this Crazy ‘Social Media’ Thing

Twitter: How Tweet is it? I'd really like to know.

2009-05-19T07:50:25-07:00

As you all know, I've been a Twitter fan for some time, but I'm disheartened a bit by the personal "look at me! look at me" posts - from "I'm getting a cup of coffee" (who the bleep cares) to "My toe ring is way too small" (once again, who cares). There's a lot of meaty Twitter conversations, but there's more garbage than not these days.

I'd like to find out how you use Twitter and what you like about it. I'm curious as to what else I'm missing and would be happy to share any results if you ask (nicely).

Click Here to take survey

Classifying email habits; new research from Yahoo!

2009-05-11T06:14:08-07:00

On the heels of my Email etiquette: Stop the madness post last week, a team at Yahoo Research started to look at and classify email habits. Huh.

It's a quick, but data-intensive read. For all you geeks out there, you'll love it. The brief - Characterizing Individual Communications Patterns - covers the findings from a research study done at a European university and a U.S. university over a two-year stretch. One finding is the difference between how humans send emails versus machines. So, maybe we can use this to spot unwanted and irritating spambots.

Enjoy!

Email etiquette: Stop the madness!

2009-05-06T09:11:40-07:00

If you’ve ever been on a chain corporate email that lasts for days or been frustrated by searching for a particular email by subject line (but it doesn’t exist because the person sending it just replied to another email on a totally unconnected subject), read on! In fact, I would encourage you to send this blasted (but hopefully helpful) rant to your colleagues.

While everyone grumbles about how email is used, the truth is that we all contribute to the madness. If we can all agree that email is a tool to simplify life and we need to keep it simple, we’re already a step ahead. Now all you have to do is establish rules and follow them.

Email personalities….

The Mad “Forwarder”. Everyone has at least one of these, and it’s usually the person a rung or two higher on the food chain. Your boss, a team mate, your client. The mad forwarder constantly sends emails to you without reading it or without context. He/she believes that this is a method of getting things off of his/her desk and onto yours so that they don’t have to deal with it. The Solution: Talk to him/her. Gasp! Ask them to be more specific about action items when forwarding emails. If that doesn’t help, keep a list of the emails (by topic) as they come in and go through the list with them every couple of days.

I Need to CYA. I’m a believer in CYA emails, but it can also lead to long corporate email chains. The Solution: I would strongly suggest an actual discussion with a follow-up CYA email in the form of meeting notes with simple bullet points stating only the facts of the discussion. Don’t be open ended about any of the items. If there are open items that need resolution or discussion, place it in a “for discussion in the next meeting” section.

Email Terminator. You have someone or several someones that you work with who will use email as the only way to communicate. Their expectation is that emails have replaced phone calls; therefore, you should be able to respond immediately. Guess what … they’re wrong! The Solution: Keep doing what you’re doing to manage the flow of email communication. If the email communicator gets irritated and calls or criticizes, let him/her know that any urgent communications should be done in-person or by picking up the phone. Let them know that you’re responsive and that email is a highly faulty means for urgent communications. Lay out scenarios – people could be away from their desk, eating lunch, in meetings, etc.

The Corporate Email Chain. I don’t even need to explain this one. It’s a bit like a boulder rolling down the hill. You can’t stop it, but you can control your own time and contribution. The Solution: Read the initial email (or two) in the chain and then wait it out. You’ll always see a pattern in terms of the length of time it takes. Sometimes it’s a few hours, a day or even a week (you can observe this so that you have a better idea of when to weigh in). When the email chain starts to peter out, you can take the last email, read the whole chain and respond concisely, if necessary. If you believe that there needs to be further discussion, let them know that you’re sending out an outlook invite so that everyone can get in a room for 15 minutes to complete the discussion, create an action plan or divvy up assignments.

The Conversation Starter. Unlike the corporate email chain, this is an email that asks for suggestions and tries to begin a “conversation.” Typically, the sender is someone who doesn’t like to make decisions and is using communication methods as a way of having someone else make the decision, or to get a consensus. Either way, the decision is made for him/her. The Solution: If you are in the position to do so, suggest that getting the subject matter onto the weekly team meetings would be good way to get feedback and also show some initiative on his/her part.

When all is said and done, email is a tool for getting information out, period. Email is not a substitute for getting on the phone or meeting face to face.

Stopping your own madness….

While you may be able to make helpful suggestions for stopping the external madness, you also have to keep your own madness under control. That’s tough considering you could probably make managing your inbox a full-time job. But, remember – that email is not and should not be considered a real-time communication method (even with Crackberries).

1- You don’t have to sit and answer each and every email that comes in. Check every 30, 60 to 90 minutes and do some actual work in between.

2- Have all your newsletters automatically placed in a designated folder.

3- Always include what you expect from others in your emails, including any action items. Be specific on how questions should be addressed. For example: ‘We need to meet and discuss the various items listed in this email. I will be sending a meeting invite shortly.’

4- Always ask yourself if the email is necessary or if it could be placed as an agenda item for the next meeting.

5- Reply to emails within 24 hours.

6- Understand the difference between “To” and “CC.”

7- Be concise and to the point. Remember that people can’t judge tone in an email, and it’s highly possible, even likely, that humor or sarcasm will be lost in translation.

8- Don’t use email to criticize or scold. This is an extremely passive/aggressive way of addressing issues. A good leader or manager would not use this one-way communication method. Instead, have a conversation and find out what happened. If a rebuke is necessary, do it through conversation.

9- Before you “reply to all,” ask yourself if it’s really necessary.

10- For goodness sakes, read your own email before you send it.

Good luck!

Other interesting posts you should read….

Email Etiquette 101

Business Email Etiquette – A Simple Guide

Making Email Useful Again

The Celebrity CEO: Don't Put all your eggs in one basket

2009-04-27T07:11:37-07:00

We all know them. We all love or hate them. But, the question is whether or not the celebrity CEO is good or bad for companies. With CEOs-turned-industry-leaders- like Warren Buffett, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Steve Balmer (former and current CEO of Microsoft), Martha Stewart, and Larry Ellison - you have larger than life leadership tied to the well being of the company (at least that’s what most people think). Comments from these gentlemen can move markets, similar to the power Alan Greenspan once held. But, there is a lesson to be learned from creating Celebrity CEOs. Companies built around one man (or woman) – no matter the dynamic personality or genius – can put the entire organization at risk, and there are many examples to choose from.

· You need look no further than one of my all-time favorite Celebrity CEOs – Steve Jobs. From his first illness some years ago to today’s “mystery illness,” Apple’s stock price seems to rise and fall based on the health of this gentleman.

· American International Group, a major global insurance company, was headed up by former Celebrity CEO Maurice (Hank) Greenberg for more than four decades. When he “retired” from his post, the public was uncertain about the company’s new leadership and the stock took a momentary dip. His celebrity-dom rubbed off on his sons – Jeffrey W. Greenberg, former celebrity chairman & CEO of Marsh & McLennan Companies, who was publicly ousted from the position; and Evan G. Greenberg, president & CEO of ACE Limited, the lesser known Greenberg.

· Martha Stewart’s drawn out investigation, her time as a jailbird and finally her release made headlines around the world.

· While last month’s downgrade of General Electric from its AAA-rating received lots of attention, Berkshire Hathaway’s similar downgrade was largely ignored. Unlike the ratings downgrade of GE and many other high profile companies (including ExxonMobil, J&J, ADP, and Pfizer), criticism about Warren Buffett’s reign over the company’s investments and acquisitions were looked upon as long-standing concerns tied to the health of the company. Of course, in the case of the Oracle of Omaha’s financial wizardry, the criticism bounced off him like raindrops hitting the curve of a car’s windshield. However, what happens when Buffett decides to retire or hand over the reins to someone else (you never know at his age).

While you want your CEO to be a visionary and stand as the leadership within a company, it’s not always a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket and create only a solitary celebrity spotlight. There are three major issues associated with creating a celebrity leader:

- Larger-than-life expectations can lead to dangerously exaggerated disappointments. Investor confidence is a vital element for public or equity-backed companies, and celebrity CEOs typically cause a roller coaster effect of highs that are too high, and lows that are too low.

- A single misstep by the Celebrity CEO – including personal misfortunesm as per Steve Jobs – can have a disastrous effect on the stock price or even the profits. We won’t even mention the criminal or civil suits some of today’s celebrity CEOs may face in the not-so-distant future.

- Overemphasis on the leader to solve all the company’s problems.

- The importance of well planned, duly announced succession.

Who's a social media expert?

2009-04-10T08:42:48-07:00

I can't say it better than my friend and former client, Greg Verdino, on his blog today. Read Social media expert? No. Whatever expert? Yes.

So, you're probably saying to yourself that I totally copped out of writing a post by just directing you to someone else's post. Yeah, maybe I did. But at the same time, I have folks who actually read my blog posts (scary and surprising as the same time). So, I'm looking at this as a way of giving them some good information - even if I'm not writing it. And, yes, Anne, Joe, Kristy ...I will write more often than I have.

How to Twitter according to Wall Street Journal

2009-03-11T13:13:11-07:00

OK....my obsession again, but I can't seem to help myself.

Twitter made this weekend’s Wall Street Journal. Does this mean Twitter has arrived? Media Reporter Julia Angwin (www.twitter.com/JuliaAngwin) writes a piece and gains about a thousand followers. That’s one way of doing it.

Enjoy the read. To follow me on twitter - www.twitter.com/YinChang.