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!
You come across an announcement that one of your customers has won an award because of your products or services. You immediately feel a sense of pride… you think, “That’s pretty cool!”
Aside from sending a congratulatory note, you don’t do much with it, right? I mean… it’s their award. They submitted. They won.
But don’t let a good PR opportunity pass you by. Why not promote your customers’ achievements – their success is a reflection of your company.
In my last post, I mentioned Kodak Gallery winning a 2009 Effie Award for The Idea Center, an online community developed with Neighborhood America’s technology in partnership with their agency Ogilvy & Mather. Around the same time, min honored the Men’s Health Belly Off! Club with a 2009 Best of the Web Award for Community/Social Networking (Yep, that’s another one of our communities!).
So we distributed a news release announcing both customer awards. It got the word out that:
1.They’re our customers
2.Our solutions help them succeed
3.Our company enables them to achieve business results and industry recognition
It’s a win-win (just remember, be very clear that it’s a CUSTOMER AWARD, not yours!).
Neighborhood America CEO Kim P. Kobza accepts 2009 CODiE Award
This week, it was our turn. For the second straight year, our enterprise social software ELAvate nabbed the software industry’s most esteemed award, the CODiE for “Best Social Networking Solution.” We submitted. We won. Woohoo!!
So besides the typical news release, all of us employees have been twittering (more to come on Twitter and its benefits soon) like crazy about the news and connecting with analysts. It’s a chance to get in front of them, brag a little… okay, brag A LOT… about this once a year accomplishment.
24th Annual CODiE Awards Gala; San Francisco, CA
Awards are hard to come by, for your customer and for your company. So when either get one… don’t think twice about yelling it from the rooftop!!
Sounds like a listing of the most popular baby names for 2009, but it’s not. These are the names of industry awards in advertising, video and film, TV, and marketing.
Just add a ‘y’ or ‘ie’ to a couple letters and BAM it’s an award. But in our industry the Effie Awards are special because it honors the one truly significant achievement in marketing: results.
So how excited were we to find out that one of our customers, Kodak, won a 2009 Effie for The Idea Center, developed with Neighborhood America’s technology in partnership with their agency Ogilvy & Mather. The Idea Center is 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. It’s our social software in action!
Kodak Gallery banked on the idea consumers would be more likely to buy a coffee mug with a picture of their dog or a photo book for mom on Mother’s Day, if other consumers suggested these cool gift ideas. It’s one thing for Kodak to push these products but another when it’s a peer, a fellow digital photo junkie, or a Martha Stewart-type that has come up with a creative idea. And boy was Kodak right!
On average 10%, and as high as 25%, of visitors to The Idea Center buy products, compared to the rest of the site. Not to mention, their average order size is 50% larger. How’s that for results?
Check out the other finalists sharing the stage with Kodak Gallery.
For all the naysayers that refuse to believe social media can deliver real metrics and refuse to see the business case… the Effie’s showcase industry trailblazers like Kodak Gallery.
If you’re a Will Ferrell fan or just love to laugh, you HAVE to watch the movie Step Brothers. It’s hilarious! One of my favorite scenes is when the new stepbrothers (Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly) finally put the bickering and rivalry aside and start to get along (even funnier since they’re 40-year-old grown men living at home!).
John: Did we just become best friends?
Will: Yup.
John: Do you wanna go do karate in the garage?
Will: Yup.
Makes me think of our new relationship with Microsoft, what brought us together, and what’s the story that needs to be told.
Consider two software companies like ours. Rivals, right? Well, that’s not the case here. Microsoft’s play is desktop support, while we excel at SaaS and online environments, hence an amazing opportunity to work together.
Fittingly, in light of Easter weekend, what comes to my mind are elements of the biblical story David and Goliath (minus any stones thrown!) — the software giant and the ‘little guy’ with its sharp focus.
In our story, we’re not trying to bring down the giant, we’re trying to build him up. Microsoft relies on our product to help them connect online with their network of public sector partners and customers.
What will surely be powerful: their potential endorsement, or customer testimonial, based on a successful venture, attached to the prestigious Microsoft name. Who wouldn’t want these guys in their corner?
So did we just become best friends? Heck yeah! (Minus the sibling rivalry!)
In the coming months we’ll be working with their team to actually bring this story to life in a compelling video. I’ll share with you the thinking that goes into such a video production and what you can do to showcase your own customers.
Bogus news is an April Fools’ tradition. And every year, many of us still fall for the joke.
Take me for instance. You would have thought “Gullible” was my middle name this morning driving to work, listening to the radio D.J. rattle off the top, local headlines.
“FGCU installs wet bars in all of their dorm rooms today.” What?! Awesome! But why would the university do that? That encourages drinking. Isn’t that illegal?
“A five-year-old boy swims to Cuba.” Really! Wow, I can’t even swim a quarter-mile. Why would he choose Cuba to swim to?
And moments later, I hear, “Ha… April Fools!” Ugh!!
So I thought it was ironic that on a day when rumors and bogus news run amuck, our company and new partner Microsoft announce HUGE news!!A project the companies have been working on for nearly a year, and today, the announcement comes to fruition.
In a nutshell, Microsoft launched an online community, Public Sector Idea Bank, developed with Neighborhood America. The Idea Bank features several solutions Microsoft announced today and serves as a central collaboration vehicle for Microsoft, its partners and public sector customers to interact, discover new solutions and share ideas for new tool development.
This is HUGE because it’s a living example of what a company… any company, or government entity, can do to capture those amazing ideas that can revolutionize a business… an industry… a nation. And of course, the Idea Bank utilizes our newest product REVEAL (which we also announced today) to make it happen. That’s no joke!!
In the job that I do for Neighborhood America, what selfishly comes to mind is: How does this help strength our story?
Like the Oasis song (okay, dating myself here, but great 90’s song!)… What’s the story morning glory?
Some story elements are obvious… it’s MICROSOFT for Pete’s sake, but I would love to know how you would tell this story. What elements would you highlight? How do you envision the story between a software giant and… now, now I’m stopping there… I’ll continue sharing my thoughts in my next post.
Kathy Saenz
Corporate Communications Manager
Neighborhood America
I’m a former TV news journalist turned marketer for an award-winning social software technology company. My job entails telling compelling stories about the company’s customers, technologies, and accomplishments through a variety of communications formats, but my expertise lies in producing corporate videos.
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.
Fittingly, in light of Easter weekend, what comes to my mind are elements of the biblical story 
Bogus news is an April Fools’ tradition. And every year, many of us still fall for the joke.
