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Internetweek New York

 05/20/2013 - 05/27/2013 New York City NY

Corporate Social Media Summit

 06/12/2013 - 06/13/2013 New York City NY

The Corporate Social Media Summit

 06/12/2013 - 06/13/2013 New York City NY

ANA Digital & Social Media Conference

 07/14/2013 - 07/16/2013 Dana Point CA

2012 ANA Digital & Social Media Conference

 07/15/2013 - 07/17/2013 Dana Point Ca

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Tech Marketing Guide to B2B

News, video, events, blogs about Social Media Marketing for high tech business-to-business from IDG Knowledge Hub.

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Facebook Graph Search turns ‘Likes’ into searchable data

January 16th, 2013

TechHive

MENLO PARK— Putting hardware rumors to rest, Facebook didn’t announce a branded phone Tuesday. And it didn’t even launch a dedicated mobile initiative that would have remedied the company’s ability to make money on smartphones and tablets. But Facebook did go straight after Google’s bread and butter: You can finally search through the massive piles of information, photos, music, “likes,” and other data on the social networking giant’s servers.

The new feature is called Graph Search, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg dubbed it the “third pillar” of Facebook behind the site’s News Feed and Timeline features. Within the next few weeks, a few hundred thousand users in the U.S. will get a chance to use the new search functions. You can sign up for the Graph Search beta program at the bottom of this page.

“We’re giving people the power and the tools they need to search through the content on the site,” Zuckerberg said.

For example, users can now search for all their friends in their hometown that use the site, a relatively simple task that couldn’t be done before on Facebook. The site now hosts content from nearly a billion people, including 240 billion photos.

Zuckerberg stressed that Graph Search is not the same thing as Web search, which is, of course, rival Google’s main business. One difference is that Graph Search does not use keywords. It’s a structured search, where users can type in phrases such as “friends of friends who like Star Wars,” or “Friends of Pete who went to Stanford,” or “restaurants in New York my friends liked.”

Continue reading… 

Categories: Social Media Blog, Social Media News | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

IDG finds b2b tech buyers influenced by social, mobile and video

January 8th, 2013

BtoB

B2b tech buyers are increasingly influenced by social media, mobile and online video in making IT purchase decisions, according to a study by International Data Group.

The report, “B2B Tech Buyers,” was based on an online survey of more than 2,200 business and IT decision-makers visiting IDG websites, conducted in July and August.

It found that b2b buyers rely on a number of sources when making technology purchase decisions. According to the report, 92% of b2b buyers rely on technology websites when making purchase decisions; 60% use tech vendor websites; and 58% turn to technology-related print publications.

Social media is becoming an increasingly important source of information for b2b tech buyers, the survey found.

Forty-five percent of respondents said tech marketers’ presence on social media positively influenced their satisfaction with the company; 43% said it influenced their likelihood to purchase from the company; and 43% also said it influenced their likelihood to recommend the company.

Also, 56% of b2b technology buyers said they are seeking information about products on social sites; 55% want to read product reviews; and 54% would like tech vendors to respond to questions or concerns using social media networks.

Mobile is becoming an important resource for tech buyers as well; 75% of b2b tech buyers responding owned at least two mobile devices.

According to IDG’s survey, 41% of b2b tech buyers purchased a product within six months of seeing an ad on a mobile device; 40% looked for a product in a retail store after seeing a mobile ad; and 36% clicked on a mobile ad for a technology product.

Video is another key tool for b2b tech buyers in their search for products and services. Seventy-two percent of buyers researched a product within three months after seeing a tech-related video for a product; 54% visited a vendor website or contacted a vendor for more information; 46% purchased a product; 45% looked for the product in a retail store; and 28% added the vendor to a short list or consideration set.

“The survey findings show that while tech buyers may be early adopters, they’re good indicators for what marketers should prepare for with the rest of the user population,” said Matthew Yorke, CEO of IDG Global Solutions, in a statement. “A 2013 digital marketing program without consideration of mobile usage and social interaction will miss a growing prospect base.”

IDG also asked b2b tech buyers what type of content they would register for on tech marketers’ websites. The top content types were newsletters (56%), mobile apps (49%) and white papers (46%).

When asked which factors would increase their likelihood of registering for content, b2b buyers cited having a reliable reputation (68%); a secure website (66%); an easy registration process (64%); research-based content (54%); and exclusive content (52%).

Categories: Digital Media Blog, Digital Media Research, Mobile Blog, Mobile Research, Social Media Blog, Social Media Research | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Top 13 Social Business Trends in 2013!

January 2nd, 2013

#ibmsocialbiz #socbiz

These are my top 13 trends for 2013 around Social Business!

1.  Meet the new C Suite!   Full of T shapped Skills!

Social and social tools means that CMOs need to know more about Technology, and that CIOs need to understand more about how to engage clients, and marketing.    With CEOs, according to IBM’s CEO Study, understanding that social will be the #1 way to engage clients by 2015, it is imperative that both roles learn more about the broader equation.

2.  Social is more than Technology — it is like a Diet.  It is a life style change!

Social changes the way that employees work.  It changes the way that clients interact with you!  At Aberdeen’s 2012 Chief Service Officer (CSO) Summit, 85% of attending business leaders stated that their organization was placing an increased importance on customer service.  Social is the preferred way that clients want to get your help!  Are you ready?  So you have a social client service model?

3. No longer B2B, or B2C.  It is now P2P.  2013 is the year of People to People.

Corporations are people.   But they don’t act like it on social sites like Twitter and Facebook sometimes.   Since people want to do business with people, not businesses.  2013 is the year to focus on relationships — not fly by social!  Social networks and mobile devices put brands in front of customers and employees at all times—and give them the power to impact them at warp speed and interface with people!

http://bit.ly/Vxpn8u

Categories: Social Media Blog | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How to take control of your company’s social destiny in 2013

January 1st, 2013

Venture Beat

As the Great Facebook Debate over the past few months has made clear, in 2013, reaching your fans and followers at scale will require paid promotion.

Meanwhile, the thrill of counting likes, comments, and retweets has faded, and businesses want to see a real return on their investment. Marketers everywhere are asking how much they should continue to invest in building out and engaging with their social audiences.

Here’s the deal: You can’t invest to maintain your social reach unless you are netting a positive return that delivers meaningful business value to your company.

Social media is rapidly evolving into a data-centric and performance-driven marketing discipline. While it will always revolve around compelling content, when you are paying for impressions, you will be called to defend your budget.

As a marketer, your challenge now is to:

Continue reading… 

Categories: Social Media Blog | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Facebook Stops Its Long-Awaited Ad Network Before It Starts (For Now)

December 20th, 2012

All Things D

Looks like we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see Facebook’s much-anticipated ad network.

The social giant is putting the brakes on a test it launched earlier this year that let it place its own ads on other developer’s mobile apps.

And while it has also been talking to publishers about running Facebook ads on their mobile Web sites, sources say those discussions have now been back-burnered as well.

The upshot is that plans to launch the equivalent of Google’s AdSense network, which has generated significant income for the search giant, won’t be showing up in the next few months.

Facebook announced in September that it would run its ads on third-party apps. But those efforts will end this month, says spokesman Brandon McCormick.

Here’s his statement, via email: “We are pausing our mobile ads test off of Facebook. While the results we have seen and the feedback from partners has been positive, our focus is on scaling ads in mobile news feed before ads off of Facebook. We have learned a lot from this test that will be useful in the future.”

Continue reading… 

Categories: Social Media Blog, Social Media News | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

PCWorld and TechHive Pick Top 100 Products in Time for Holiday Gifts

December 18th, 2012

PCWORLD
Mobile and home entertainment products dominate list topped by Windows 8

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–With big technology launches and announcements now on par with blockbuster movie premiers and red carpet galas, tech fans were treated to their fair share of pageantry and promenading from the likes of Apple, Microsoft, Google, and many others this year. The experts at PCWorld and TechHive took a look back at 2012 to rank the 100 Best Products that made the biggest impact, and have released their list just in time for the holidays.

Windows 8 is No. 1

At the top of the list of 100 Best Tech Products sits Microsoft’s biggest operating system update and rollout since Windows 95: Windows 8. In some ways, the jury is still out on whether Windows 8 was/is a big success, but the experts at PCWorld and TechHive credit its substantial performance improvements and bold step into the mobile/touch-screen universe with winning the top rank for 2012.

The top 10 includes many of the most popular and successful products from the year: Apple’s iPad (3rd generation, for its groundbreaking, high-res Retina display), Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite, Samsung’s Galaxy S III smartphone, and even TV maker Vizio’s first foray into the laptop market with a sleek ultrabook. Check out the full list here:http://go.pcworld.com/100best

Tech in the Home

The era of the smart home is dawning, as indicated by the large number of home automation and home entertainment products turning tech experts’ heads in 2012. Vivint ranked in the top 100 for bringing sophisticated home security and automation systems (alarm, electronic door lock, door/window sensors, lighting controls, an IP camera, and a programmable thermostat) to the mainstream market. Automation solutions from ADT and Lowes also made the list. Other top products for the home include a handful of wireless and network-capable sound systems and speakers, two HDTVs, several acclaimed video games, and a number of headphone offerings. Take a closer look at what PCWorld and TechHive had to say about the products from the list in the categories of home technology and entertainment.

5 Flops & 5 for the Future

For the PCWorld magazine version of the 100 Best list, editors also took the opportunity to review some of the products of the past year that didn’t quite make the impact they could have, and some others to look forward to in the coming year.

The five on the list of flops and failures: Google Nexus Q—Google’s overpriced media streaming device; Ping—Apple’s ignored music-oriented social network; Sony PS Vita—the underachieving handheld gaming system; 3D TV sets—in only 3% of U.S. households; and Windows Home Server 2011.

For 2013, the PCWorld team recommends keeping your eye on five highly anticipated products: Open-source gaming console Ouya; Google Glass—the wearable display product demoed this year; A hand gesture device for controlling your computer called Leap Motion; Microsoft’s Pro version of the Surface tablet; and the epic third sequel to one of the best video games of all time—Half Life 3.

Overall, the editors at PCWorld and TechHive have come up with a thorough list of the year’s most exciting and impactful tech, just in time for everyone to hit the electronics stores and websites for the holidays. If you’re looking for more advice about a category, or insightful reviews on all of the top 100 products, visit PCWorld.com and TechHive.com.

About PCWorld & TechHive

IDG Consumer & SMB publishes leading tech media brands, PCWorld, Macworld and TechHive. PCWorld includes PCWorld.com and PCWorld magazine, reaching nearly 16 million readers each month who look for advice on getting the most from the PC ecosystem. TechHive.com launched in Sept. 2012 and gives it’s growing audience of almost 2 million visitors a fresh, enthusiastic perspective on new technology and its active role in our lives. Both PCWorld and TechHive can be found in apps and readers across many smartphone and tablet platforms, along with responsive, HTML5 websites, built to flex to virtually every screen size.

IDG Consumer & SMB is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world’s leading technology media, events and research company.

Additional information about IDG, a privately held company, is available at http://www.idg.com. Additional information about IDG Consumer & SMB is available athttp://www.idgcsmb.com/.

Contacts

IDG Consumer & SMB
Jim Hopkins, 415-978-3380
jhopkins@idgcsmb.com

Categories: Digital Media Blog, Social Media Blog, Tech Business & Marketing Blog | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

11 Big Tech Trends You’ll See in 2013

December 11th, 2012

Mashable

Writing prediction pieces is a funny thing because there is really no such thing as “next year.” Time is a continuum, and the calendar is a human construct designed to help us keep organized. Things that will happen “next year” are already happening now, we may simply not take note of them until the sun rises and sets dozens and dozens of times.

So as I look to 2013, I realize that much of which I expect to see in the coming 12-to-14 months has been quietly (or not so quietly) developing for months, even years. From my point of view, it’s unlikely 2013 will contain any revolutionary or ground-breaking advancements in technology, social media or even the nexus of the two. Believe me, I want breakthroughs. But in order for them to be such, they have to be things I’ve never seen before, which means I have little chance of predicting them. Let’s be honest, I’m no Nostradamus.

Continue reading… 

Categories: Digital Media Blog, Innovation Blog, Mobile Blog, Social Media Blog, Tech Business & Marketing Blog | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Twitter to be ‘hero’ social media channel for media brands in 2013

December 11th, 2012

The Wall

With half a billion Twitter accounts, over 1 billion Facebook accounts and an estimated 200m more online users across the world by end 2013, social media is changing the way media brands connect and engage with their audience. Over the past four weeks, we’ve interviewed experts across all media channels – TV, radio, magazines, newspapers – and asked about the challenges they’ve faced from social media, the lessons they’ve learnt and their preparation for 2013.

From this audit with heads of social media, communications experts and business leaders, along with our own experiences working with UK and international media owners, we’ve put together a series of observations and insights, identifying clear trends for social media use by media brands in 2013:

http://bit.ly/TWHYvN

Categories: Social Media Blog, Social Media News | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Research: What Media and Devices Motivate BtoB Tech Buyers

December 4th, 2012

Research logo Research: What Media and Devices Motivate BtoB Tech Buyers

Business and IT professionals are taking to social, mobile, and video in a big way in the US.  They also have several favorite sources of information on tech products.  These are some of the findings in a recent IDG Research Services survey of more than 2, 200 visitors to IDG sites such as CIO, Computerworld, InfoWorld, Network World, and PCWorld.

Tech savvy users, across multiple segments from healthcare to finance and manufacturing to government, are key indicators for marketers as they plan to reach a broader business audience. More than 40% said vendors presence on the social web positively influenced them related to satisfaction with the company (45%), likelihood to purchase (43%), and willingness to recommend a company (43%).  As to what buyers look for in social sites, just over 50% seek information about product offerings/directions, see product reviews/rankings, and respond to customer questions.

Massive Mobile Use

            Use of mobile devices is pervasive.  Seventy-five percent own/regularly use at least two smartphones and/or tablets.  The vast majority use the devices for everything from email to apps, and content consumption including multimedia.  Tablets topped smartphones in every application category.

Users are doing more than collecting information.  Forty-one percent purchased a product in a six month period and 40% looked for a product in a retail store.  Again, tablets led smartphones in this BtoB survey conducted last summer.

Lights, Cameras, Action

For 95% of BtoB tech buyers, the web is a constant source of tech-related videos: 82% of the respondents post, forward, and/or share such videos.  Many are not passive viewers, either.  Almost half purchased a product, nearly three-quarters research an item, and approximately half visited a vendor site, contacted a vendor for more information, or looked for a product in a retail store.

Grazing for Information

            The reliance on digital media is a given but what media is preferred is not as clear.  Ninety-two percent do go to technology web sites, 60% tech vendor web sites, and 58% tech-related print publications. The importance of tech related media and vendor web sites is important data for marketers as is almost a third of the survey respondents turned to the social web in their search for information.

While search is an important tool for discovery, when choosing what to read on the web, 88% of buyers say they are more likely to click on a link from a familiar and trusted source as they strongly prefer unbiased product test/reviews/opinions (93%) and relevant content (86%).  As for what content they will register for the top items are newsletter (56%), mobile apps (49%), and white papers (46%).  Again, trust in the source of the information drives more engagement.

Granted, some tech buyers are pioneers and out front compared to other users.  But, they’re trendsetters and good indicators for marketers across industries and titles.  As mobile and social converge both need to be a major part of your 2013 marketing plans.

 

 

 

 

Categories: Digital Media Blog, Digital Media Research, Lead Generation Blog, Lead Generation Research, Social Media Blog, Social Media Research, Tech Business & Marketing Blog, Tech Business & Marketing Research, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Social Collaboration for Sales: Cutting Through the Hype

November 29th, 2012

You know that you need to improve sales productivity and effectiveness. But where do you focus your company’s resources? Top items on the list include evolving your sales operations function, better leveraging customer intelligence, getting your pipeline in shape, and treating sales enablement as a strategic initiative versus a tactical maneuver. But what is this social media craze that sales automation vendors keep pushing for improved sales productivity?  Can on-line chat applications really help here?IDC’s research in this area clearly demonstrates that there is opportunity to leverage these types of applications from a sales perspective.  However, don’t fall into the trap that all you need to do is simply turn on the social collaboration switch!  Key findings from work by IDC’s Sales Advisory Service include (case study companies are also referenced in the below insight):

  • Buyers demand that sales representatives (reps) and their support teams evolve. Buying teams are larger and more sophisticated than ever before, and only the most knowledgeable and prepared sales teams will succeed in winning and retaining their business. This new reality will demand more advanced techniques to be used by sales teams to leverage all the resources available across their organization – with social media being an example of a new technique.
  • Social collaboration for sales enablement offers the opportunity for sales reps to improve the productivity of their time spent preparing for customer interactions. (refer to below figure) Inefficient use of this time today can equate to up to 10% of revenue, from an opportunity cost perspective. Toshiba’s sales reps have full access to subject matter expert moderators and user-generated content through Toshiba’s social collaboration platform to rapidly identify and locate sales intelligence (e.g., competitive information) and sales tools. Another study participant’s sales reps can collaborate more effectively among their own sales teams by leveraging a social collaboration platform versus email and shared drives.

Social Collaboration for Sales: Cutting Through the Hype

  • Identify your location along IDC’s Social Collaboration for Sales Enablement Maturity Model (refer below) and learn from the key success factors (and mistakes) of other companies in developing and executing your own strategy. LivingSocial’s sales operations team focused on specific “value-add” activities relevant to sales reps to encourage adoption prior to focusing on more advanced areas of social collaboration. (i.e., focus on existing business processes) Toshiba executed specific tactical activities for launch of its social collaboration initiative to accelerate adoption (additional key success factors and case study details are provided in this document).
Social Collaboration for Sales: Cutting Through the Hype

Just a few key success factors for deploying and maintaining your social collaboration application:

  • Deploy social collaboration as part of existing business processes. (e.g., use it to support your sales help desk)
  • Collaborate with teams outside of sales. (e.g., product and field marketing teams live for the opportunity to help your sales reps through on-line interaction)
  • Put community managers in place. (i.e., don’t reply soley on your sales reps to respond to on-line/chat inquiries)
  • Enable sales reps to access on-line chat capabilities directly through your existing sales force automation application. (i.e., don’t give them another place to go in order to tap into your social collaboration capability)

Clients of IDC’s Sales Advisory Service should refer to doc. #233340 for a complete review of how to develop, execute, and sustain a social collaboration for sales enablement strategy including case studies (e.g., Toshiba, LivingSocial) from leading firms in these area.

 

Categories: Advertising & Marketing Blog, Social Media Blog