7.pdf This presentation captures many uses and the significance of the number...
Spice world london for marketers 2012 final
1. The Social Network for IT Professionals
Changing the Way IT Works
Jay Hallberg
Co-founder & VP Marketing
jay@spiceworks.com
2. VISA $$$
IT MKTG
$1 Trillion in
7M IT Pros Technology Spend 10K Tech Vendors
18M Companies 250K Marketers
Source: IDC, Forrester, U.S. Dept of Labor, ITAA
3. Manage Connect
Discuss Research & Buy
“it’s like the Facebook of IT”
4. 2,000,000 IT Professionals IT Pros in Spiceworks
3.0
2.5
2.0
Millions
+2,000 / day
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012*
in 200+ Countries
* 2012 estimate
5. Usage by Industry Usage by Company Size
1000+ 11%
Other
Gov 2% IT Solutions 500 - 999 19%
17%
Retail 17%
/Wholesale 250 - 499 24%
5% Education
100 - 249 26%
Heathcare 15%
6% 20 - 99 14%
Mfg
Non-Profit Tech 13% 1 - 19 6%
7% 8% Services
10% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
6. Time in Spiceworks
3.0
2.5
Billions of Minutes
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
-
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
7. 6 5
,6 3 1
,2 5 8 min.
1 ,4 0 4 ,1 5 6 min. Total Time Spent in App
,5 6 0 ,4 7 9 (in thousands)
min.
,2 4 1 ,9 7 5 min.
06:33 hrs.
04:29 hrs. Avg. Time per Unique
(in hours : minutes)
00:36 min.
00:17 min.
Source: US Traffic Feb 2012 – comScore, Compete, Google Ad Planner, Statisa, Spiceworks
8. Reach Learn Connect Sell
Targeted Advertising Market Insights Social Media Commerce
9. IT
IT
IT IT
IT
IT IT
IT
IT
IT IT
IT
IT
IT
IT IT IT
12. We‟re All in IT Together
Matt Barnett – Account Manager
Our IT Just International
Marketing Jennifer Norton – Sr. Marketing Manager
Windows Server WW, Microsoft
Panelists
Kim Verbeek – Marketing Manager
New Business EMEA, LogMeIn
13. State of SMB IT Report 1H 2012
Semi-Annual Report on Small and Medium Business Technology Plans and Purchase Intent
14. Summary Findings
Strong Hiring, Stronger Spending
Cloud and Virtualization Technologies
Continue to Grow
BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is a
Fact of Life
Tablets are Finding Their Space
29. Marketers are Catching On
Old guard publishers are playing catch up
Traditional Media B2B Social Networks
• Media cos. decide what content matters • IT pros and vendors share insights
• IT pros “on an island” • Word-of-mouth amplifies reach
• Social is a „bolt-on‟ offering • Influencing one = influencing many
• Old data, older methods • Immediate feedback/impact
• Poor registration/targeting • Highly targeted
IT
V IT
IT IT IT
IT V IT IT
IT IT IT IT IT IT IT V
IT IT IT V
V IT IT
V IT
IT
Vendor = Passive advertiser Vendor = Interactive, trusted participant
40. Social Engagement Ratio: Measure Involvement
Social Engagement Community Mentions
Ratio = (x 100)
Follows
Brand Passives Brand Advocates
41. Social Engagement Ratio: Compare Your Brand
Social Engagement Ratio by Vendor
10 8.5
8
6
6
3.9
4
2.1 1.9 1.5
2
0
Vendor Vendor
#1 #6
42. Community Participation: Do‟s/Don‟ts
Don’t:
• Spam users and forums
• Slam your competitors
• Hard sell
Do:
• Get the most out of your Vendor Page
• Recognize the value of a little good will
• Be factual and accurate
• Embrace all feedback
• Be an individual
• Have fun!!!
45. Quick Quiz: Winner!
.05% CTR .39% CTR .07% CTR
Message not IT-relevant Upfront value statement Text is cluttered
Not SMB targeted Clear call-to-action No call-to-action
No differentiation Stated product benefit Pic not SMB relevant
46. Align with IT Pro Care-Abouts
How can you
make my job
easier?
How can you
save me
money?
What can you
do for me right
now?
47. CTRs: A Single Measure of Success
What did you do when you
saw the [advertiser‟s] ad? ”Looking at click through metrics isn't going
100% to show you how aware we are of your
75% brand… Looking at how much you get
talked about in the community is a better
50% metric there, or how many people follow
25% your vendor page.”
7% 10% 5%
0%
Clicked Visited Asked
website reseller
48. Key Takeaways
Click through rates will continue to be an important
measure for your campaigns
But look at other metrics that may be more aligned with
your campaign goals
– Sales/Return on Investment: Look at actual product data, not
just click or conversion rates
– Brand Affinity: Measure and understand your followers
– Brand Advocacy: Track the level of brand advocacy
49. The Wisdom (and Creativity
and Silliness) of Crowds
A Unitrends Case Study
56. The Community speaks…
“If it‟s true that no publicity is bad
publicity, this ad is the best ad in
the history of Spiceworks – judging
by the number of posts about it.”
57. The Community speaks…
“I do not work for Unitrends. I
love Unitrends. And they
make a seriously awesome
product.”
58. The Community Speaks…even over a year later
“(Unitrends) consistent positive
involvement …grace and humor
with which they handled criticism
of their ad got my attention. The
quality of the product… kept my
attention.”
59. Of course, it‟s also about making the sale
“As the other Justin (Jaguar) and I
will attest, this is a really good
backup solution. So good, that we
are about to order a 2nd unit.”
66. Want a great experience?
• Get to know the community
• Become a trusted advisor
• Toss out the hard sell tactics
• Jump at the chance to network face-to-face
• Be unique, creative, wear your heart on your sleeve
and have FUN
67. How Eaton got started with Spiceworks
• Booth @ SpiceWorld 2010
• Web banner advertising
designed by Spiceworks
• Local TX sales team
began meeting
community members
• SpiceCorps meeting
sponsorships
SpiceWorld 2010 booth
68. Monitor the Discussions
November 2010
50 conversations
Eaton has the best answer!
about Eaton
TODAY
Over 19K mentions
9,900 topics
125 reviews
69. Get Involved: SpiceCorps User Groups
Grass roots engagement opportunities
Local sales teams show return on investment
― Quote activity
― Sales
70. Choose Groups Wisely: Green IT Group
100% SOV Banners
Microsite
Product Advisors
Over 10K Members
700+ Posts
71. Choose Groups Wisely: UPS Group
New group!
100% SOV Banners
Microsite
Product Advisors
Nearly 1,500 Members
Over 1,000 Posts
72. Feature Your People: Ask the Expert
Group as a whole garnered 1,186 pageviews
“From a quality point of view, David’s answers were top notch and the response
from the community to his answers was very good.”
- Nic Tolstoshev, Spiceworks Community Manager
77. The Eaton Hub in Spiceworks: Vendor Page
Eaton vendor page
64k+ followers!
78. Measure: Sales Results
From Russell to the PowerAdvantage (Eaton) partner:
“The response I have gotten with Eaton and you has been great and that makes me
want to do business with you.”
NET: 40-60 products purchased & more to follow…
80. Spiceworks: The Social Tech Marketing Platform
2 Million IT Pros reached by hundreds of tech advertisers
Reach
Marketing tools to reach an
audience of over 2M IT pros
Sell Learn
Link your sales force or reseller Uncover IT buyer behaviors/preferences
directly into our marketplace that shape purchase decisions
Connect
Network with buyers inside the
leading social network for IT
81. What our products help your brand do
Reach Learn Connect Sell
Build awareness Increase insight Engage/discuss Convert to sales
Goals Grow presence Monitor trends Build community Enable new channels
Drive leads Track sentiment Direct interaction Drive social commerce
MarketView Vendor Pages RFQ
Display Media
Products Voice of IT Published Brand Expert Integrated Product
Targeted Email
& Reports Participation Promotions
Capabilities Live Events
Custom Insights SpiceButtons Lead Generation
82. How do we approach vendor products?
2006 – 2011
How we‟ve traditionally approached it…
Create brilliant Figure out how to
experiences for IT pros monetize it
2012 – Future
The above plus…
Deeply understand Identify the best Craft solutions that drive
marketer needs and opportunities to deliver the most success for
wants value marketers
OUR GOAL
Deliver the richest and most valuable connections
possible between IT Pros and Vendors
83. What have we done for you lately?
Introduced more ways to target and
deliver your message
• Partner Spotlight Emails
• Integrated Contests
• Business Case Generators
Created new ways of engaging
within our community
• Vendor Page Dashboard Improvements
• New Vendor Page Director
• SpiceButtons
Introduced new commerce
opportunities into the platform
• Spiceworks RFQ
• SpiceDeals
84. What are we focused on today?
Advertising Insights
• Updating core ad serving technology • “Best practice” studies (i.e.
(for improved targeting, delivery and Awareness, Penetration, Preference)
reporting) • New report formats and sponsorship
• Scaling and optimizing sponsorable models
email inventory
Social Commerce
• Metrics, metrics, metrics • Catalog integration
• New tools and training for your team • Quotation automation
• Increase visibility/placement for • RFQ advertising
vendors and vendor pages within the • Content and programs to help
Spiceworks experience identify/capture users earlier in the funnel
85. You make the products
Feedback is our Friend! What features/capabilities can we
add or improve upon?
What new product opportunities are
You‟re a Product Expert
you seeing?
We‟re In This Together How can we be better marketing partners?
We’re committed to helping you solve your
toughest marketing challenges
89. Unplugged Panelists
Paul Bourne – IT Manager,
Artesian Solutions
Kirk Kerr – Network/Systems Administrator,
Arcus FM
Tino Todino – Technical Consultant/SI,
Forza IT
Who are these crazy IT pros that make the world’s networks run?Q - So marketers, do your customers identify with your brand? (show of hands)Q - Do you have any customers who have branded themselves? Well, we do.
Here is a photo of eWoman, a user in the Spiceworks Community, who just recently permanently inked herself with the Spiceworks brand. After she posted this photo, she was immediately glorified in the Spiceworks Community with over 150 fellow users chiming in showing their approval of eWoman’s Spice-Ink and true brand loyalty. So much buzz that…
Meet SpiceRex. SpiceRex, the self selected mascot for our Community of 1.7M IT pros that use Spiceworks to do their job. Originated here in the London-area by user, Andy Phelps who is here in the panel today. SpiceRex first took form as a paper orange dinosaur that our users mailed to each other. They then would takephotos of SpiceRex in their neck of the woods and post them in the community.But what SpiceRex truly represents is sticking up for theSMB IT pros or “the little guy”, and getting them the same access to tech vendor info and discounts as their Enterprise counterparts.
And the SpiceRex phenomenon quickly caught on and was adopted as the mascot of the force to be reckoned with community of over 1.7 M IT pros.But what SpiceRex truly represents is sticking up for theSMB IT pros or “the little guy”, and getting them the same access to tech vendor info and discounts as their Enterprise counterparts.
Q - Other than tattoos and an orange dino, what keeps our IT pros coming back to Spiceworks? And the answer is the wealth of information provided in the community. It’s truly a give and take relationship in the community where our IT pros can earn points for the number of Best Answers, How-tos and responses they provide to other IT pros in the community. From these points, the SpiceHeads are able to achieve different levels of status or “spiciness” starting at pimento all the way to the spiciest molecule on earth, pure capsaicin. And ladies and gentlemen,the creator of SpiceRex is the first person to not only make it to Pure Capsaicin, but has completed that TWICE. With that I will hand it over to RegHerde to introduce our stars of Unplugged, the IT pros that use Spiceworks to do their It jobs.
Intro the problem (Show Ad): Ash: K, marketing-gurus, to echo Spiceworks user, Phillip Moya “Does anybody else see a problem with the Unitrends ad?” Wait for audience to chime in. Ash Transition: All great calls, tech marketers… let’s hear some of the super-specific feedback from the IT pros in the Spiceworks Community – the target audience that Unitrends was trying to reach with this ad….CLICK, CLICK, CLICK, CLICK
Ash:And here’s what they had to say… “The phone to head ratio is way off” The average human head is 10 inches long, meaning this phone receiver would be at least 14 inches tall! Ash Transition: Pretty perceptive SpiceHeads huh? (pause).. CLICK
Elvis sleeves?Ash:Is The King making a comeback? The Spiceworks IT pros or self-proclaimed fashionistas think the sleeve have got-to-go! Ash Transition: …CLICK
Ash: They were even suggesting that the girl in the ad looks like a “not-so-Grandma-appropriate” Blow-up doll… who says our IT pros don’t have a sense of humor? And this went on for about 35 more posts. Ash Transition: Now turn let’s turn our attention to the marketer in the hot seat, Jennifer from Unitrends, who, being a Green Guy, is the go-to-gal on behalf of Unitrends in the Spiceworks Community…. CLICK
A few gemsAsh: Here are a few gems of the 153 entries! Ash Question: Can you describe how the rest of the contest went?Jenn’s Response: We thought we would get a few entries, but never anticipated over 150.Ash Transition: and let’s check out who the winner was… drum roll please… CLICK
Ash Question: The Unitrends Ad Contest Winner, Ryan.Johnson!Ash Question: After the contest, how did you continue to drive buzz inside Spiceworks? Jenn’s response:The Spiceworks thread continued for days, so we took advantage of the opportunity to help drive Spiceworks users to our website. We spun up a gallery of entries, where users could scroll through the entries and then vote online.Ash Transition: Great story! But as good marketers, I know what you’re all thinking…. Show me the results… CLICK
And the Community SpokeAsh: Check out this quote from a Spiceworks user. “If it’s true that no publicity is bad publicity this ad is the best ad in the history of Spiceworks – judging by the number of posts about it.”Ash Transition: …CLICK
The Community SpokeAsh: Now hear from a Unitrends Ambassador in the Spiceworks Community, and how he happily vouched for Unitrends and their product. “I do not work for Unitrends. I love Unitrends. And they make a seriously awesome product.”Ash Transition: …CLICK
The Community SpokeAsh:Then over one year later, SpiceHeadJustin.Davison chimed in about Unitrends, and his experience with them throughout his purchasing process. “(Unitrends) consistent positive involvement …grace and humor with which they handled criticism of their ad got my attention. The quality of the product… kept my attention.”Ash Transition: …CLICK
Ash:Campaign coming full-circleAsh:The same SpiceHead who started this thread, shining light on the ad that missed the mark, is now a happy (and repeat) Unitrends customer.Ash Transition: …CLICK
Ash Question: After conducting this contest, what are the 3 pearls of wisdom you’d give to the tech marketers in the audience that are looking to interact with SpiceHeads in an unique, fun and valuable way?Jenn’s response:Don’t be afraid to move fast, and use a “Read, Fire, Aim” approach. It’s important to be timely and relevant, if you wait to long, you miss the wave.…CLICK (picture fades in)….CLICK (content fades in)
Ash:And the second?Jenn: First iterations will often suck, but just work to make them suck less every day. This is really my mantra. One of the gals who works for me says “iteration” could be a drinking game for how often I say it.…CLICK (picture fades in)….CLICK (content fades in)
Ash:And the third?Jenn: When it’s appropriate, give the community a peek behind the curtain of the official brand message. We do so much online, its easy to forget that there are people behind the logos. And ya know, things happen… when things hit the fan, I think the best thing you can do is let your human side show. …CLICK (picture fades in)….CLICK (content fades in)
Ash: As you can see, what started off as a marketing disaster for Unitrends, a new-to-Spiceworks brand – ended up creating a ton of awareness for Unitrends to the 1.6M IT pros inside Spiceworks. Simply by listening to feedback and being human, Jenn on behalf of Unitrends, created one of the best campaigns in Spiceworks history, thus spreading the word about Unitrends, which ultimately converted into customers.
Get to know the communityBegin with an introduction – get your feet wetBecome a trusted advisorProvide expert advice and connect with membersToss out the hard sell tacticsNobody likes in-your-face-marketingJump at the chance to network face-to-faceBe unique, creative, wear your heart on your sleeve and have FUN
The home base if the IT Pro.If he is at his desk, he likely has the dashboard up.We want to be able to share on this slide.. The # UPS Devices we are going to be able to report on. Time on BatteryOutput LoadLast Major Power EventBattery CapacityTake away.If the IT pro is at his desk, he likely has the dashboard up. The information in this view should be simple, clear and concise. Will the UPS on my Exchange Server be effective if we have a power spike? If not we highlight that information and take them to the device view for debugging.Highly contextual messaging.
Lightbox Extremely high profile branding opportunity.
First business application to embed crowdsourcing, social networking and community collaboration features directly into an IT pro’s daily workflowNetwork management solution for over 1.9 Million SMB IT ProsA business application AND social network communityFree to download, Free to use and Free to engage in the communityGrowing by over 2,000 new users per day
We’ve been paying careful attention to what’s working well and what needs improvement on the product front. For each of those 4 main product areas we discussed there are some core areas where we’re focusing. This isn’t everything but it should give you a good read on our product priorities for the rest of the year.With our advertising capabilities, we’re undertaking a pretty significant upgrade to our core technology. This is going to make our ad platform much more manageable – and for you it’s going to mean improved targeting, delivery and reporting. We’re also looking at new ways to offer more in the way of email ads and sponsorships. This has been a very successful channel for Spiceworks advertisers, so we’re working to keep up with the demand for inventory as well as exploring new email series.On the insights side, we’ve been finding that our data offers one of the best ways marketers have to ask key questions they need answered to make informed decisions. Many times we’ll work with customers on proprietary surveys – but now we’ve done enough of those to where we’ll soon be able to let you pick from the menu based on our best practices. This will let you get those critical answers even more quickly. Additionally, we’ve heard a lot of interest from vendors in teaming up on commissioned reports or being able to sponsor core market studies that we’re already publishing – so we’re planning several new opportunities there.On the social front, there are really 3 big areas that we’re investing in right now: (1) helping you get a better understanding of what kind of reach and engagement your vendor presence is earning inside of Spiceworks. This will come in the form of a new set of metrics that aren’t currently part of your vendor page dashboard. (2) since our Vendor Page product is now about a year old, we’ve got a ton of great info on best practices. We’re currently testing several programs to help get you and your teams more proficient with our community. (3) and last but not least, we are taking a fresh look at how we can make your brand’s participation in Spiceworks more visible. Some of this will happen directly in the community, but some of it will happen via email – an example of this is our new vendor digest email that summarizes activity by vendors followed in the form of a weekly blast to followers.With our commerce capabilities, we’re obviously very focused on making it easier and more likely for SpiceHeads to buy stuff. We’re making this happen by getting catalog information integrated and automating the quote response process. For both the user and the vendor this helps to streamline the purchase process greatly. We’re also working on some new ways to tie purchasing hooks into ads as well as creating new content and programs that will help spot buyers or potential buyers higher up in the funnel.So clearly there is a ton of activity happening with regard to vendor product development, and we’re very excited about how moving the ball forward on all of these fronts can help our vendors be more successful.
