Analyst Relations Could Result in a Twofer
A ‘twofer’ is when you get two things for the price, effort, or time of one – two-for-one. Another reason to connect with analysts: media coverage and awards. This week, one of our customers beat out Motorola and Sony to win an impressive marketing award. How did it happen?
On a couple occasions, we’ve had the pleasure of briefing Jeff Zabin, Research Fellow at Aberdeen Group; super nice guy and very knowledgeable! Jeff is always looking for vendors to provide real world examples of companies leveraging social media to enhance the customer experience and drive overall business growth. It’s the focus of his research.
Recently, we suggested Jeff talk with our customer, Kodak Gallery. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Kodak has had great success with the Idea Center, an online community that empowers members to exchange ideas on how to use Kodak products to create personalized gifts and other creative projects using their digital photos.
Before any research was published, Jeff wrote this article for CRM Buyer last month: “If You Build a Branded Online Community, Will Customer Come?” He included his findings and interviewed the Chief Business Officer, Jeffrey Hayzlett. Besides great details on the brand’s overall approach to online communities and ROI, it’s always powerful to see your customer quoted (a happy customer!):
“When it comes to storing, saving and preserving memories, people look to Kodak. They think of us immediately. The key for us is to extend that trust to a whole new generation. Online communities like the Idea Center help us do that,” says Jeffrey Hayzlett, Kodak’s Chief Business Officer. And our technology solution played a big part.
Again, reporters and editors will often times seek analysts to provide insight on the market. So isn’t it nice when an analyst includes your customer in their story? And, even better when they get an award!
Recently, Aberdeen Group recognized five organizations for their marketing excellence with an Aberdeen Industry Achievement Award at the second annual Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Summit. Kodak won for “Excellence in Building Online Communities.” Not bad, eh?
Besides research, media coverage and awards are likely by-products of improving analyst relations. Connect with the right analyst and you might get a twofer!
