January 2011

Social Media Research: What's That?

If you are interested in getting a marketing message in front of me, here's a quick look at my profile. I am on Facebook. I do use Twitter as well and occasionally will look for something on YouTube. I write as often as I can for this blog as well as my personal blog. I have been in the tech PR business for over 10 years.

What would one surmise from this short little survey? From a B2B perspective, if you are looking to market to a tech PR pro in the Boston area, you probably should develop strategies for social media channels like Facebook and Twitter. And you should evaluate if content I write for a blog has any impact in your lead generation activities. Of course, this assumes that other people in my profession with my length of tenure have the same social media habits that I do.

Unfortunately, there isn't too much research out there on specific social media usage. A recent study by IDG provides some good insight, but it leaves me asking more questions. It would be great to know, for example, if CIOs use Facebook as part of their tech buying decisions. More specifically, it would be great to know if CIOs in a particular market-- say, IT security-- are using the social media tools for this purpose. And those are just some questions I am thinking about today.

Since I get asked (a lot) about appropriate social media usage for B2B marketing, I wrote an eBook outlining some general best practices across all tech markets. Included are some recommendations on social media tools that all B2B tech PR and communication pros should be investigating.

The fact I can't find answers regarding social media usage, in reality, should not be a huge surprise. It's probably due to a couple of things. Even though it's been hyped for a long time, and even though social media programs are a part of every campaign Schwartz's executes for its clients, social media is still a relatively new concept. 

However, at the same time, I think many of us marketers can get a bit caught up in the hype. We read about a company that uses Twitter in a major publication and instantly want a Twitter strategy of our own.

In the late fall of 2009, I attended a social media cluster event organized by the Mass Technology Leadership Council (Schwartz is a sponsor of the cluster). I asked the panel how they researched which social media channels their strategic audiences used. The panel universally answered that they didn't conduct research. Social media was a game of trial and error. They tried out a new Twitter handle, or ran a Facebook contest, and if it reached a key audience, they claimed victory. 

Fortunately, for those of you out there investigating social media, certain strategies have already proven effective, and you don't need to try them to know they will work. Based on the social media programs we have managed at Schwartz, I offer the guidance in the eBook to the entire B2B tech PR and communications communities. I welcome your feedback.

Posted by Ross Levanto on January 27, 2011 at 5:29 PM
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Mobile Video - 2011 Mobile Video Predictions - Road To Barcelona

In this series we’re profiling top mobile industry trends in the run-up to Mobile World Congress 2011.

Posted by Annie Klein on January 19, 2011 at 8:12 AM
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USA Today Snapshot: FAIL

This could also have been titled "When Surveys Go Bad."

Surveys are one of the most popular research tools in a public relations executive's quiver. Too often though surveys are abused, twisted and the methodology is tortured until it screams in pursuit of a compelling headline. Too many surveys don't use random sampling, or extrapolate from too small a sample size.

One of the most coveted placements for research for coverage is the USA Today "Snapshots" section. The editors there have high standards and typically require solid methodology, and an interesting angle.

Which is why I am scratching my head over today's (January 18, 2011) snapshot in USA Today's LIFE section.

Take a minute, click here and then on the LIFT tab and see if you can figure out what is wrong with the survey...

What struck me is the question: "Which utility or communication service is most important" (emphasis mine).

When you look at the results, they total 332%. Not 100%. You can't have more than one MOST important thing. That's the very definition of "most important." There should have been a forced ranking, or consumers should have been only able to choose one option.

Now don't get me wrong, I could have a lot of fun and see some interesting insight from the data. More than 1 in 3 Americans (More than 70 million over 18) would chose the Internet over water, heat or electricity (would they really)?

Cells phones are valued as much as the Internet.

The only way I can make this infographic make sense is if the question was "Do you agree with the following statement: X is the most important utility.") Where people could answer yes to more than one question.

But that is still a misuse of "most."

Posted by Mark McClennan on January 18, 2011 at 12:25 PM
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Breaking Down CES Media Events

Let’s face it: Every company attending the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) wants to maximize the buzz and love from the press to turn heads of their target consumer. To help break through the PR noise, a few “media only” events have popped up—all claiming they are the place to be to get noticed. How do they stack up?

Lunch at Piero’s is an intimate event held midday at Piero’s restaurant just across the street from the convention center on Thursday and Friday. Lunch at Piero’s attracted a good crowd—300 journalists in all—but many of the big names were missing (on both the exhibitor and the media side.) Schwartz’s client Hannspree did make connections with a few high profile reporters at the event and the team who organized the lunch could not have been nicer. If you are looking for a more relaxed and intimate setting, you will have a wonderful time at Piero’s.

Show Stoppers, held on Thursday evening, is seen as one of the marquee media events at CES every year. Held in an oversized ballroom at the Wynn Hotel, this event attracts the best of the best for both products on display and media attending. This year, Crunch Gear, CNN, Butterscotch.com and Larry Magid were all broadcasting live from the floor, while reporters from the Financial Times, Chicago Tribune, Engadget, DVICE, Inc. Magazine and more could all be found walking booth to booth checking out the latest and greatest from legendary companies like GM to start ups that included Schwartz client iTwin. There were a few stories from the press that covered the event as a whole, but even better, the event resulted in dozens of demo requests from reporters for iTwin for potential standalone stories on their unique technology.

However, from a pure “by the numbers” standpoint, when it comes to coverage, the clear winner was CES Unveiled, which went off on Tuesday night at the Venetian (before the show officially even opened) and is continuing to see pick up. Media outlets from CNET to Tech Crunch to the Wall Street Journal all did summary reports of what they saw at Unveiled, and many other reporters are continuing to reference a company’s appearance at Unveiled in post-CES stories. A downside: to be at this event, you must be an official CES exhibitor. 

All of these events were perfectly executed with staffs that are helpful from beginning of planning to post show wrap up. And while the “hot” event can change from year to year, Schwartz will be looking closely at both exhibitor and media attendee lists as we make recommendations for the 2012 CES (because it’s never too early to start planning, right?.

Post by: Andrea Hawley (@ahawley)

Posted by Kim Angell on January 14, 2011 at 5:19 PM
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Augmented Reality - 2011 AR Predictions - Road To Barcelona

In this series we’re profiling top mobile industry trends in the run-up to Mobile World Congress 2011.

One of the main driving forces of the internet has been bringing real life to the online world where it can be recreated and restructured. With Augmented Reality (AR) slowly but surely entering the spotlight this step of recreation can soon be skipped entirely. Reality can be captured right then and there and a layer of data stuck on top of it. Key to AR is the rapid success of smart phones, mobile apps, as well as camera and display technology that makes it possible to capture and display reality in real life.

According to Gartner’s Hype Cycle AR has left the “Technology Trigger” phase in 2010 and has instead reached the “Peak of Inflated Expectation.” Since closely linked to geolocation communities, which are currently dominating the mobile app world, a lot of attention will be drawn to AR in 2011. It will be one of the trending topics for hardware and software makers alike who will focus on how AR can be used for a variety of industries such as retail and gaming.

Consumers will hardly have any problems to get used to AR services since they seem to be a logical step up from existing mapping technologies: Just take out your phone use your camera to check out your surroundings to look for ATMs, restaurants or the nearest train station.

Not only since AR is mainly about the mobile experience will it be one of the trends to be discussed in Barcelona at the 2011 Mobile World Congress. The Session “Augmented Reality: Is Reality Ready to be Augmented” for instance will look at aspects such as hardware capability, usability and discuss who will take the lead in its development.   

Posted by Martin Gleissner on at 10:34 AM
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Let there Be Art!

Fun times at Schwartz in Waltham. The Winter 2011 Exhibit at our Art Gallery opening was a blast. For ten years now, we’ve displayed work by Schwartz staffers in our very own Art Gallery. We get to know our colleagues in a new way, discovering their many talents and passions from painting to photography to poetry to baking. This exhibit includes works by Schwartzers from all four offices.

The champagne was flowing as usual, but there were some new treats to enjoy. For the first time, we had edible art. Erin Zwirn and Laura Jacobs baked delicious treats including raspberry Swedish pastry and almond macaroons (my personal favorite). They were divine. Our featured artists, were all female (again!)—Caitlin Hunt’s mixed media mosaics and vase wowed the crowd; Krystin Hayward’s hydrangea themed pottery and pastels made us think of summer on that cold afternoon; photos by Erin Woodward in our UK office transported us to Myanmar and Thailand; Jessica Guidoboni’s painting captured typical New England architecture with a painting of her family farm; Terese Ahlund in our Sweden office entertained us with a poem on consumerism (“no ache exists that can’t be cured by a Mall”) and Claire Baki’s whimsical photo finds Marilyn Monroe where we least expect her image to be.

Click here to watch a short video of the event:

-    Helen Shik, self-appointed Art Gallery curator

Posted by Helen Shik on January 12, 2011 at 5:22 PM
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Gazing into the Schwartz Crystal Ball: Social Media in 2011

Folks in PR love statistics (especially when you’re a member of the Schwartz Research Group, as I am). We also love speculating what the future holds. When you put the two together--look out!

Every New Year brings along with it a frenzy of predictions. Last week, Wall Street Journal contributors offered up their media expectations for 2011 in an article called “Digital or Die.” Amongst their hunches? ‘An onslaught of digital technology laying waste to traditional media.’ eMarketer, another forecaster of the future, estimates that in 2011 80% of companies will be using social media tools. Sure, that’s only a 7% increase from 2010, but it’s enough to make companies think twice about who they are targeting and how they are doing it. Looking forward to 2011, here are a few of our crystal ball predictions:

1. An Increase in Measurement
As more companies are incorporating social media into their business models, we’re seeing more interest in ROI. Measurement and Research allows us to get as close to demonstrating ROI as possible.

Tools like Radian6 provide the ability to benchmark and measure share of voice for companies who may be a bit hesitant to make the jump into social media. Social media measurement also allows us to identify industry influencers and zero in on the key opinion leaders who matter the most. Who are your top competitors? How are they reaching their audiences? Is it working? These are all things you can find out when you include strategic measurement in your social media blueprint. You wouldn’t invest in a stock without doing any research or measurement--why should social media be any different?

2. Facebook, Facebook, Facebook
Mark Zuckerberg is a busy guy these days. When he’s not being named Time’s Person of The Year or adding more numbers to Facebook’s already astonishing 500 million+ users, he’s taking down FourSquare by launching Facebook Places or changing the face of email. No big deal.

Every day, Facebook is making itself an integral part of more websites and becoming a more effective medium in the business world. In years past, the general consensus was “use Twitter for business and Facebook for personal use.” Not anymore. Facebook is one of the most direct and personal ways a company can reach their audience. While some companies in the B2B market remain split on the question of whether Facebook is an important part of their marketing or customer support strategies, we’re starting to see more companies at the very least test the waters. Through offering contests, promotions and providing news to their core audiences, we expect to more companies to be utilizing Facebook throughout the New Year.

3. Rejuvenation of the Website
If you attended Schwartz’s Content Marketing Breakfast Roundtable last month, you know that content marketing is quickly becoming a part of many companies’ marketing strategies. Are you still making cold calls to generate sales leads? Not in 2011!

While having a company Twitter and Facebook profile is important, some companies are neglecting their first true “social media” outlet: their own website. Whether through video content or blogs, the website should be a critical tool helping companies communicate with potential customers in order to nurture leads.

With a content marketing strategy in place, companies can determine where leads are coming from and utilize this data to cultivate prospects over time. If you’re looking for a good place to start, our friends at HubSpot recently posted a blog on 25 Ways to Increase Sales & Lead Generation through content marketing.

In 2010, 100 million people joined Twitter. 2011 has just begun--how much bigger can social media get? My guess? Much, much bigger. What are your predictions for 2011?

Happy New Year!

Posted by Bill Bode on January 11, 2011 at 9:02 AM
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BETT 2011: How to Get Noticed in a Week

BETT, hosted at London’s Kensington Olympia, showcases the best of U.K.and international technology products, resources and best practices within the education vertical.  With more than 700 exhibitors selling hardware, software, content, training, support services and more, competition for media attention is fierce. Furthermore with 30,000 visitors, there is pressure to deliver an eye catching booth and generate sales leads--while keeping costs low.

Attending an event it not cheap--even if the tickets are free, the booth, the press packs and the human resources to attend a show can be very costly, which means it needs to visibly show a quick return on investment.

Here are a few tips on maximizing your exposure at the BETT show this week without spending a fortune:

·         Chime into the ICT for Education Newsletter – The publication predominantly covers the entire event and is given out at the show. Its reach is 30,000 visitors, so it is well worth considering recent news and statistics that might be of interest to the audience and help attract them to your stand.

·         Use BETT 2011 to reconnect with the media – If it’s been a while since you have last spoken to any U.K. media, try and connect with those that are attending the show. As an exhibitor, you may be entitled to see the press list for attendees this year. Get in early and you may have a better chance at organizing briefings for the show.

·         Have something to say to the press – Companies with news are more likely to grab the media’s attention than those who just want to catch up. With tight deadlines during the show, not all journalists will have the time for small talk. Offering them newsworthy snippets on interesting and current topics or new statistics and products will help you keep their attention and give them something interesting to report on.

·         Attend  the networking events around the BETT Show. Not only can one participate in thought leadership within the industry, but you can also rub shoulders with new potential partners and  businesses prospects. BETT is holding special events, such as Collobor8 4 Change, an ICT event with a clear focus on leadership of ICT and the use of hardware and software, with an emphasis on the impact on pupil outcomes, effective use of existing ICT resources, and innovative products that benefit school improvement. It will involve students as well as practitioners and takes place on Thursday 13 June at 6:00pm, but remember to register!

Posted by Deepika Bharadwa on January 10, 2011 at 7:33 AM
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Mobile Internet - 2011 Mobile Commerce Predictions - Road To Barcelona

In this series we're profiling top mobile industry trends in the run-up to Mobile World Congress 2011.

Earlier this year, Morgan Stanley's Mary Meeker predicted that mobile will overtake fixed line internet access by 2013. This growth is largely due to 3G wireless penetration, estimated at 20 - 25% worldwide, and smartphone adoption, expected to grow from around 16% of all mobile phone this year to 45% by 2014, according to Gartner.

Mobile commerce is booming on both sides of the pond and two recent studies found that consumers are using smartphones for Christmas shopping this year. Tesco Direct found that one in 10 Brits will do some of their online Christmas shopping using their mobile phone and IDC Retail Insights reported that in the US smartphones will account for at least $127 billion, or 28 percent, of the $447 billion the National Retail Federation predicts consumers will spend this holiday season.

According to a new report from ABI Research, mcommerce via the internet will reach $4.1 billion for 2010. Shoppers prefer using mobile browsers over apps, 54% to 41% in a study of US users by Lightspeed Research and 70% to 55% in a study of UK users by Orange. For a great roundup of recent studies see this post on the eConsultancy blog.

Despite the opportunities the mobile internet presents for retailers, many are lagging behind. Mobile Interactive Group recently evaluated the mcommerce capabilities of the UK's top 57 retailers in its inaugural Christmas Sock Report and found that only four retailers had an optimised transactional mobile site.

Executives from Intel, Softbank and Yahoo! will weigh in on the growth of the mobile internet in the keynote session The Evolution of the Mobile Internet, moderated by Wired UK Editor David Rowan at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday at Mobile World Congress.

Posted by Annie Klein on January 9, 2011 at 12:19 PM
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CES Day 1: Tablets and eReaders and of course 3D

The first day of the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show is over, and according to the exhibitors with whom I spoke, traffic has increased year-over-year and booth staffs are pleased with the type of attendee on the show floor.

While last year was dominated by the introduction of 3-D TVs,  this year there are quite a number of sub-themes.

3-D is still strong, with many companies introducing second generation 3-D sets, and others showing off high quality sets that do not require glasses. But it is not only the TVs that are going 3-D. When I was over at the Venetian, talking to a number of the high-end audio manufacturers, 3-D audio was a common buzzword. This goes beyond the surround sound to which we are all used to by now by adding much more discrete segmenting. The old school PR pro in me wants to dub this Surround Sound 2.0, though.

eReaders are out in force this year, with more companies introducing larger, lighter, or higher resolution eReaders. Schwartz client, Hanvon, also showed of its color E Ink (client) based eReader. The technology I saw was impressive, but what was more impressive was the large number of eReaders I saw in the airports on the way to the show. The pricepoints are becoming more attractive, and the content is amazing, and the discussion around ease-of-use has always revolved around business travelers, not the general consumer. Most consumers don’t have to worry about making two trips to Asia a month…

From a PR and marketers point of view, though, this just reinforces the importance of creating content and eBooks for the eReader. The market is out there and it is a great way to communicate your message to a senior-level business audience.

Overall, though, according to other bloggers, tablets are the theme of the show. Dozens are being introduced and companies are betting big on the technology. I love the iPad I use, but it will be interesting to see how things evolve. When I was watching reporter interviews, if they used a mobile device for reporting, it was most frequently and iPhone or other smartphone. When I looked at folks relaxing and browsing the Web at CES, it was primarily via smartphone.

Tablets are definitely on the rise, but for now it is still a mobile world. With 4G and new innovations (LG introduced a dual core processor-powered mobile phone), I expect it to remain that way for some time to come.
 
 

Posted by Mark McClennan on January 7, 2011 at 10:14 AM
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Optimism for Tech, Tech PR and Content Marketing

It is perhaps human nature to be a bit optimistic to start the year. And early headlines to lead off 2011 are fueling that optimism.

Two days into the new year, The Boston Globe pointed optimistically to the start-up community, noting that it has never been easier to launch a new company, because of efficiencies created by cloud computing and other data center advances. Of note is this sentence, which fittingly stood out as its own paragraph: "It’s also possible today to target potential customers online rather than pay traveling sales forces." No doubt that's a clear reference to content marketing and inbound marketing, two services that Schwartz now provides.

Yesterday, The Wall Street Journal pointed to large companies across a number of industries as having "cleaned up their balance sheets and, flush with cash, appear open to using it in 2011 on factories, stores and even hiring."

Also yesterday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed higher to start the year, and at one point intraday the market was at its highest point since August of 2008.

It would appear there's a lot of good news to go around as we begin 2011.

Posted by Ross Levanto on January 4, 2011 at 9:29 AM
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The Lifecycle of Technology Keywords and Acronyms

Happy New Year!

The Schwartz Communications Research Group decided the best way to look ahead was to look back…specifically to look back at the lifecycle of the tech acronyms and buzzwords we have all grown to love (or hate).

This also gave us a chance to try Google Labs' new Ngram research tool. The search tool lets users examine the content of every book in the Google Books database, from 1800 to 2008, and determine how frequently a word appears. While this is by no means a comprehensive search, the database is large enough to identify some interesting trends.

For example this chart, which looks at some of the popular acronyms of the past few decades such as WYSIWYG and Y2K.

While WYSIWYG is no longer making headlines in PCWeek/eWeek, it is still used relatively frequently. And while Y2K spiked, its decline seems to be leveling off...

This chart takes a look at the rise of Google:

View image

For those looking for analysis of the baud wars, the format divide, jpg v gif and other topics, we have posted ten different research topics to Slideshare and it is available here.

We are always open to doing more research. Are their buzzwords for which you are interested in us tracking the lifecycle? Leave us a comment and let us know.

Posted by Mark McClennan on January 3, 2011 at 12:40 PM
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