Collision Media

Communities are Conversations

As of late, there has been much talk or shall I say hype about “Communities” - your community, my community, his community, her community, the community of red-headed dog lovers, etc.

Communities have always been around. MySpace or Facebook did not invent communities but they empowered them with Web 2.0 functionality.

Creating and nurturing a community is simple.

Communities are conversations
- Conversations are built on trust
- Trust is built on relationships
- Relationships are built on conversations

So as your New Year's resolution - are you having a conversation with your clients and prospects or simply screaming at them more often and much louder?

Think about it.

Happy holidays from Collision Media!

Value of Face to Face

Happy Thanksgiving!

So this might be a strange posting from someone working for a on-line events and webcasting technology provider but hear me out.

I've been on the road for the 6 weeks visiting partners, clients and prospects.  We are already doing good business with our clients and partners.  Most of this business has been build over the phone, email and on-line.  Also, the many of prospects we've spoken to via the phone/email are ready to start working with us in 2008. 

So why have I traveled nearly 20,000 miles, been on 2 continents and stayed in over 6 major cities since October?

Simple really, there is no substitute for being there in personal to truly grow and nurture a relationship.  Trust is best built face to face.  You can start a relationship via the phone or email as a follow up to an on-line event or inquiry.  You can nurture that relationship the same way.  But to truly build a bond of trust and understanding, you need to meet with people face to face and often (if possible).

Getting to understand your customers at both a business and personal level allows you to help them achieve their business and personal goals.

Whether it's a secure network so they can leave the office at 6pm to put their kids to bed or the execution an effective marketing plan so they can get promoted. As a marketer and salesperson that is our role - helping our customers achieve their goals.

So on this Thanksgiving Day, I have much to be thankful for personally and professionally.  One thing is the willingness of my clients, partners and prospects to spare the time in their busy schedule to meet with me and continue to build a relationship. 

Talent Watch: Tom Sanders Joins IDG The Netherlands

Recently, Tom Sanders resigned as Associate Editor with vnunet.com.  He has accepted a job as Editor in Chief for Webwereld.nl, the largest business IT website in The Netherlands, which is published by IDG.  So he will be moving back to the "low lands."

I have worked with Tom over the last few year when I was at VNU Global Media.  Tom was extremely active over the past years with both vendors and the International journalist community in the Bay Area.

Tom, I wish you well and look forward to the leaving party!

Talent Watch: Emily Crume leaves KnowledgeStorm

This week, Emily Crume, Managing Director of Advertising at KnowledgeStorm, left the business - not just KnowledgeStorm but the media business.  Emily is a good friend and I have worked closely with her as a partner for nearly 8 years in my role at VNU Global Media whilst she was MD of CMP Worldwide Media Networks.   She is smart, driven and client-focused.

Emily will join the financial services marketplace - apparently those clients return phone calls and there are not agency RFPs - sounds like paradise.

For me, the media business is in my blood and this new role at BrightTALK has opened up a world of new challenges so I am staying put.

Well - best of luck Emily - I'll miss you!

Book Review: Marketing Mavens

For me, starting a new job means learning, learning and more learning.  I came across this book, Marketing Mavens by Noel Capon, a few weeks back.  I was impressed.  Like all good business books, it's simple, has real business examples and re-enforces what you intuitively know.

I highly rate this book for anyone in all levels of marketing as well as folks like me who sell to marketers.

There are 5 main principles:

(1) Pick markets that matter - are you in the advertising business or database business?

(2) Select segments to dominate - do you serve the manufacturer, their channel and/or the end user?

(3) Design the market offer to create value and secure differential advantage - do you understand what your customer true values?  If so, are you serving that need whilst making a profit?

(4) Integrate to serve the customer - are you customer focused or just giving lip-service to their needs?

(5) Measure what matters - not what you are good at but what the customer cares about!

Intel Launches its Community - Open Port

This week Intel's community site launches under the guidance of Intel'ers like Bob Duffy.  I applaud this extension of Intel's blogging site.  It has gotten over 650 "members" in a few short days.

The on-line press has also started to pick these efforts up with articles in The Inquirer (a site that my former company, VNU, owns) but I think and hope that The Inquirer is missing the big picture.

I am not a technie or system admin.  I am in the publishing and now rich media world of webcasting.  Intel is extremely relevant to me since "Intel is Inside" (not my quote by the way) nearly everything that I do, touch and experience.  I use Intel-powered computers everyday or some knowledge by-product of Intel's computing power - I am sure this green tea I am sipping now got to me by some global logistics system powered by Intel.

My point is - don't limit this community to technies.   Intel is bigger than that and my hope for this community is that it grows outside the sys admin realm into my world. 

B2B User Generated Content - Let's Call it VGC.

There is much talk and real evidence of the important of User Generated Content, "UGC" to those in the know.  The list of sites seems endless these days -   YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Craig's List, Yelp! and on and on and on.  These are extremely popular and many times useful sites.  If you are in a strange city and bored, look no farther then your laptop or mobile phone to fill the void.

What doesn't get alot of attention is the content coming from vendors.  There are 3 types of content, that I value as a business (and consumer) buyer.

1. Independent reviews from the likes of media firms (PC Mag and CNet) and analysts (Gartner and Forrester).

2. Peer reviews from the likes of Amazon.

3. Vendor information like datasheets, whitepapers and of course webcasts.

I have just created a new acronym for the last type - "VGC", Vendor Generated Content.  I might even post it on Wikipedia this weekend before BBQ and beach action.  Vendors from Microsoft to mini-nobody create hordes of their own content.  It is a must have for their sales teams.  This content is often posted on their sites with minimial promotional support.

But for all the time, effort and cash that these companies spend on creating their VGC (catchy eh?!), they are not getting the most out of it.  To often it is tucked away on their website and forgotten about after the quarterly lead gen budget is spent on small AdWords campaign or lead gen programs from Ziff Davis and KnowledgeStorm.  Marketers are constantly moving to the next datasheet or whitepaper because their next product release is just around the corner.  Everyone is counting on version whatever to keep the company growing or save it from obscurity.

Marketers unite!  Your content, your VGC, is valuable to many buyers for awhile to come.  It simply needs to be nurtured.  You must find ways to make it interesting and inviting.  For example: a press release becomes webcast which begets a whitepaper which moves you to an evaluation tool which could lead you to a very informed prospect and wait......a SALE!! Yes, a sale. 

Just because you ran a webcast once or wrote a 20 page whitepaper that blew the socks off your CTO, buyers will be buyers.  As Miller Heiman says, buyers are not trying to buy your product, I mean "solution".  Buyers are solving their own problems: fixing something, avoiding something or accomplishing something.  Give them more content, make it appealing and they will value you, your brand and your products.

I just ran across this nice example of a series webcasts by Nevis Networks (full disclosure, they are a BrightTALK customer). It is so simple and so useful in learning more about this company.  Check out these case study and ISC2 examples:

http://brighttalk.com/comm/Nevisnetworks/7747e567c9-4423-983-4146

http://brighttalk.com/comm/Nevisnetworks/093f88af41-4539-983-4255

http://brighttalk.com/comm/esymposium/ecc5824812-4259-1014-3915

Welcome Back Collision Media

OK.  I am back.  It has been over 6 weeks since my last post - not very 2.0!

Anyway, I am back on-line and glad to be here.  So much has happened in the last few weeks with me so here is a brief update.

1. I left VNU after 13 years.  With the break-up of VNU Business Media Europe, the VNU Global Media US office is being shut down.  Watch this space for updates on the new sales agents.  It was a great run at VNU but the timing is perfect for me to jump head first into a brave new world of tech media.

2. I joined BrightTALK, Europe's leading rich media webcasting company and the global leader online conferences with our e-Symposium series.  Alot more on this later ;-)

3. I have been educating myself like mad to learn the language of this new world - APIs, Akami, Open Source programming, Jive, Extensible and more and more and more...but while there is a whole new language, the game hasn't really changed.  Stay close to your customer and your readers, be open to change and lead (or closely follow).

4. I have branched out in my spare time with a start-up called TechChex where I am on their Advisory Council.   More news here next week but look out SMB media and tech services, a change is coming.

5. On a personal note.  I just turned 40 so of course I had to go on a massive diet - 40 is the new 30, right?!.  I did lose 50 lbs in the last 8 weeks so least my clothes fit.  No surgery, booze, fat or junk food.  My doctor is happy and so am I ;-)

OK.  I am back so keep watching and posting.....

MBO of VNUNet Europe - Mostly

Last week, VNUNet Europe completed a Management Buy-Out from 3i, the recent owners of VNU Business Media Europe. Most of former VNUNet Europe will be re-named NetMediaEurope. The MBO was led by VNUNet's former CEO, Dominique Busso, with financing from an old mate, Jean Francois Fourt, co-founder of Truffle Capital.

The new pan-European network will have a presence in France, Germany, Spain and Italy. At this point, the targets remain the European IT professional and decision maker audience through the existing brands: VNUNet, Silicon, The Inquirer and Gizmodo. The new headquarters and the holding company will be based in France.

NetMediaEurope will continue to have an internal sales team in each country and it will represent exclusively VNUNet UK and VNUNet Netherlands through a dedicated European team based in London.

Yes, VNUNet UK and VNUNet Netherlands were not part of the purchase. More on this later.

I wish the new team and my old colleagues the best of luck!

See the attached press release.

Download NME_Press_Release_020707.doc

Why Generation Y Matters to B2B Tech Marketers

The last few days, I have discussed the Generation Y'ers alot.  You know the 18-26 year crowd with their YouTubes, myspaces and facebooks.  Many of these Gen Y'ers feel entitled.  They grew up in the boom years of the 90s and had parents who showered them with prizes, incentives and drove them everywhere to keep them happy and safe.

So why do Gen Y'ers matter to B2B Tech marketers?.  Two reasons.

Firstly, as Employees.  They are what we Gen X'ers and Baby Boomers are trying to hire.  In San Francisco, this is proving difficult.  I was with a media director of a tech B2B and B2C media agency this week.  She is interviewing for 2 assistance media planners.  Can she find anyone?  No.  The best candidate was a year out of school with some work experience, likable and smart.  Why didn't see get the job?  She needed $48,000 to start.

I remember, my starting salary was GBP 12,000 ($18,000).  This didn't go far in London but I survived and learned alot.

Many other Gen Y'ers are jumping ship (after 1-2 years of "real world" experience) to dot.coms, I mean Web 2.0 companies.  It is harder to motivate a kid with salary and bonus when they just giving away the companies down in Silicon Valley.

My experience with our Gen Y'er was positive though.  He has been with us a year and starting contributing early on.  Why?  He is a whiz with the Internet and software programs was a quick study on Salesforce.com, our booking systems and InDesign.  We gave him personal responsibility and room to grow. Within 3 months, he was put in charge of our website, datasheets and eNewsletters as well as routine tasks of managing production and invoice issues.

After 9 months, he got an small account base.  He grew average monthly billings by 15% in the first 3 months of personal sales responsibility.

So this group will be a challenge to manage and motivate but weren't we back in the day.

Secondly, Gen Y'ers will be important as future tech decision makers.  If you have to hire these folks so do your customers.  While you and your team are getting some good results with whitepaper syndication program, look out. Their attention spans are lower than yours. Rich media webcast and online TV will be more suited to their on demand, "its all about me" mentality. 

My advice, put this Gen Y'ers in charge of those emerging Web 2.0 initiatives you been thinking about for the last 12 months.  They get social networking, they understand a 2 way dialogue, they are plugged in and mobile.  Go with their strengths and don't expect the old "command and control" playbook to work this time.

They are just looking some excitement and purpose. Think creatively and give them responsibility and the freedom to fail.  It will be a fun ride for all of us.