ITSMA Newsletter Add-ins 2010-05-04
Calling All Innovators: Enter the ITSMA Marketing Excellence Awards
Has marketing helped lead your company out of the downturn? Tell us how. Submit an entry today for the 2010 Marketing Excellence Awards program. New categories include Marketing with Social Media, Senior Client Engagement Programs, and Developing and Launching New Offerings. For a complete list of this year’s categories and to download an application, go to http://www.itsma.com/news/mea/.
Ask ITSMA: Which Type of Event Works Best?
By Dave Munn, President and CEO, ITSMA
Each month, ITSMA receives a number of queries through Ask ITSMA, a resource designed to give members a quick and easy way to get insight on important services and solutions marketing questions they face. In this column, we will publish some of our favorite questions, along with excerpts from our replies.
Q: How should we focus our events so that we get the best response rates?
A: Our research shows that the more targeted the event is, the better your response will be. Attendees will consider the event’s content and provider, and they will want to know who else is attending.
Most attendees, especially C-level executives, have become more careful with their time and are not going to as many recreational events as they used to—no matter how posh the setting or elaborate the event. Instead, they favor focused content, new ideas, and networking with peers. We also continue to see growth in the popularity of councils, advisory boards, and ongoing roundtables versus one-off events.
Given the current economy, more companies are experimenting with virtual events. Virtual events work if you have a well-established community; otherwise they require significant promotional efforts to stand out. They also work well in support of established in-person events, such as having a virtual warm-up meeting before the event to discuss topics of interest or post-event meetings to keep the conversation going.
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Services Marketing News
Symantec exits services, while Oracle and SAP make them a priority; five questions that B2B marketers should be able to help CIOs answer; and more.
- IBM seeing more “transformative” services deals
- The CIO still can’t get out of the CFO’s shadow. Here’s why.
- Have you created SLAs for marketing and sales?
- Acquisitions cement HP’s leadership in tech. But what about the churn?
- Cisco integrates mobile with events
- IBM builds an ISV following by helping ISV startups learn
- How do Oracle and SAP make the shift to services?
- Five questions that B2B marketers should be able to help CIOs answer
- Symantec exits services to mollify partners. Smart strategy or retreat?
For up-to-the-minute services marketing news, follow ITSMA on Twitter: @itsma_b2b.
Upcoming ITSMA Events
Building the Business Case for Social Media in B2B Marketing
Social Media Workshop
May 5, 2010 – Sign up today!
London, UK
Attend ITSMA’s Social Media workshop to learn how to use social media to complement—rather than compete with—existing strategies and tactics. Using ITSMA research data and in-depth case studies from successful B2B social media practitioners, you will learn the skills, processes, tools, and thinking needed to build the business case for social media, to review and develop your social media activity, and to make it a valuable piece of your marketing strategy. More information
Why Marketing Must Be the Catalyst for Social Media—and How to Do It
Web Briefing
May 11 or 12, 2010
(Free for ITSMA members)
In ITSMA’s recent social media survey, we found that in most organizations, marketing is the catalyst for social media being used by others in the company. In this online briefing, ITSMA’s Chris Koch and Katie Espinola will examine marketing’s role as the catalyst and will offer case studies from top B2B technology companies.
May 11, 2010 – More information
8:00 am Pacific – 11:00 am Eastern – 16:00 London (Duration: One hour)
May 12, 2010 – More information
6:00 am Eastern – 12:00 pm Central Europe – 4:30 pm India (Duration: One hour)
Communicating Business Transformation in the Public Sector
Roundtable
May 19, 2010
12:00–3:00 pm London Time
London, UK
Business transformation by its very definition implies a major change in the way services in the public sector are approached; with that change comes the need for new thinking. At this ITSMA roundtable we will be joined by Karen Bridges, Head of Business Transformation for Birmingham City Council, and Doug Maclean, Managing Director of SocITM Consulting, who will provide some valuable insights on how they are approaching business transformation, and addressing the communication challenge. More information
ITSMA’s 2010 Marketing Leadership Forum: The New Vision for Marketing
May 25–26, 2010
Westin Verasa, Napa, CA
(Welcome Reception Evening of May 24)
Join us as we explore the topics shaping marketing. To do this, we’ve invited several experts to join us to share their experiences, mini-case studies, practical tips, future trends, and well-grounded research insights. ITSMA’s 2010 Marketing Leadership Forum will provide ample learning in a peer-sharing environment conducive to sharing new ideas and proven approaches. Register by May 7 and save $200!
To view all events, please go here.
ITSMA Featured Research
ITSMA Online Survey: Integrating Social Media into the Marketing Mix and the Business
Social media have value on their own, but they should also be used to complement other marketing channels, such as events, whitepapers, and Websites. In this report, ITSMA examines how B2B marketers are leveraging social media channels in their marketing strategies.
Join Our Professional Services Brand Study
How strong is your brand? ITSMA is working on the 2010 Professional Services Brand Study.
Services Marketing Budgets and Benchmarks: 2010 Budget Allocations and Trends
This report delivers a detailed look at the state of the services marketing profession as it exists in early 2010. It provides data on services marketing budgets, budget allocations, and marketing priorities from a range of companies across the technology and consulting industries.
Recent ITSMA Thought Leadership
Xerox Global Services’ Competipedia: Using Social Media to Enable the Sales Force
Social media tools expand the possibilities of competitive intelligence by driving collaboration. In this ITSMA Case Study, we show how XGS used social media tools and principles to develop Competipedia, a wiki-based tool where salespeople can go to find and share competitive intelligence on a secure, easy-to-use Website.
Tackling the Primary Impact Points for Sales Enablement and Productivity
This online briefing identifies and discusses the five areas critical for high performance in sales enablement. The briefing was led by ITSMA’s Dave Munn and includes presentations from Ed Daly of Cisco and Charles Brower of KPMG.
Why Marketers Need to Rethink Their Mix and, Ultimately, Their Operations
Marketers are struggling to add social media strategies on top of already stretched marketing budgets and lean staffs. As McKinsey’s David Edelman proposes in this ITSMA Viewpoint, maybe it’s time to start thinking differently rather than just trying to add more.
