Rick Short’s B2B Marcom Blog
Recent Blog Postings
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New B2B Marcom Newsletter
Terri Rylander has established a monthly B2B Marcom newsletter to discuss "content development, design, writing tips, the sales & marketing cycle, and freelance ideas."
The newsletter,called the B2B Marcom Mind, has a website where you can opt in. Terri has this to say on his site:
I welcome guest authors and articles. You will get your name and website in lights in the article credits. Just e-mail me your ideas. Articles should be relatively short, probably 200-400 words.
This sounds like a cool idea - one that could allow us B2B Marcom practitioners to help each other out.
Interestingly, Terri communicated this project by using the LinkedIn B2B Marcom group.
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"I don't get paid to be average!"
I don't get paid to be average in B2B Marcom.
This is something I have been saying for quite a while - and I mean it.
Face it, who wants to end a career and sum things up by saying, "Yup, all these years and I blended right in, never made too many waves." This is especially true in the B2B Marcom arena. Don't we all want our websites to be more effective than the competition's? ... our product data sheets to be more valuable than the competition's? ... our exhibits to be more attractive and compelling than our competition's? etc.
Why am I thinking about this now? Because it is my time to begin developing goals, strategies, and tactics for 2009 and beyond.
I guess I'm just reminding myself that, whenever I feel that comfortable sense that I've done it this way before and that this is the way we've always been, I had better repeat: I don't get paid to be average!
Image: screen grab from barringer1.com
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Virtual Trade Shows in the B2B Environment
Our good friends at Circuits Assembly Magazine staged a virtual trade show (called Virtual PCB) several months back. According to the organization, VPCB offers:
- On-demand educational presentations
- Attendee-attendee and attendee-exhibitor communication
- Worldwide access to exhibitor booths and sessions
- Downloadable literature and product brochures
- White papers
- Live scheduled group chats with industry experts
- Live group chats with peers
And here is a bit of feedback that, I think, succinctly sums up the feedback received from some participants (as reported by the organization):"Not nearly as good as an actual PCB Show. Felt isolated and out of touch with other attendees and vendors. Technical content was limited. Really missed out on the interactive networking with peers and face to face activity with vendors. Found that my interests were harder to keep focused because I am actually still at work. People still bug you, phone still rings, email still comes in and the value of this event gets diminished. I did however get something from it: downloaded some product info, watched some technical presentations, emailed a coupled people."
I say that this sort of sentiment is NOT written in stone. A virtual show may soon be THE way to go for many. For whom?:
VENDORS:
Increasing numbers of equipment vendors are finding it harder and harder to justify the total set of costs associated with preparing, shipping, handling, setting up, running, maintaining, downpacking, and returning extremely heavy equipment. Additionally, when the total costs of services (water, electricity, air, gases, etc.) and staffing (packers, shippers, unpackers, set-up staff, operators, packers, shippers, receivers, inspectors, etc.) are added up, things get really expensive.
Materials people often complain that their exhibits can end up looking like a packaging display (with their products hidden inside the containers). And, without process equipment to help show how their products work, there is little value associated with bringing it all to the show.
Vendors are more and more interested in depicting their products' performance in a low-cost but effective manner.
CUSTOMERS:
Customers are also affected by the high costs and distasteful experiences associated with travel. Additionally, they suffer from the "opportunity costs" of attending a trade show - the time away from home, family, and the office/factory. When a show turns out to offer only a few really cool new things and a bunch of retreads from last year, customers have to wonder how they benefitted by travelling hundreds or thousands of miles only to be disappointed.
THE MEDIA:
Often the media wants a story angle, an interview, some video and/or a few good photos. All of these can be obtained via the internet, the phone, etc. Most of the story can be covered in a virtual fashion, saving costs and, sometimes, actually enhancing the story or the time to press.
I agree that virtual trade shows have a way to go before they are really well-suited for everyone involved, but they are alive, happening, and getting better every day. I applaud Circuits Assembly Magazine, and everyone else who experiments with and develops the state-of-the-practice of virtual trade shows. These shows won't solve every issue, and there are certainly times when face-to-face has no substitute. Still, we're on our way to ehancing productivity, effectivity, and profitabilty via the virtual trade show.
Please comment with your experiences and opinions on virtual trade shows.
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MEET THE BLOGGERS!
Rick Short being interviewed by PCB007's Steve Gold.
Indium Corporation discovered that several of our blogging team would all be at Semicon West last week, so we staged a MEET THE BLOGGERS event.
One of the many benefits of the event was that, because of the MEET THE BLOGGERS! event, I was interviewed by PCB007, the top video news service in our industry. As I am prone to saying, "This leads to that!"
Image: screen grab from the PCB007 interview.
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Good B2B Marcom ENGAGES THE CUSTOMER
My youngest son, Andre, grabbing some first-run corduroy with me last season.
My grandpa was a charter member of the (now defunct) Big Tupper ski patrol. He was born and raised in New York State's Adirondack Mountains and lived his entire life in the great outdoors. Back in the ‘60s he taught me to ski (at a very young age) and I've been on the slopes (and traipsing around in snowshoes) ever since.
Q: Did you know that the Winter Olympics have been held in New York two times?
A: Yup! 1932 and 1980 - both in Lake Placid.So, it is a natural that I am on the mailing list for promotional information from Gore Mountain, a New York State-owned ski area that is a couple of hours from my home.
Interestingly, just after I swiped Jim Hisert's idea of posting a TOP 10 LIST of things to do at Semicon West 2008, I received a B2C email from a gal named Em from Gore Mountain. Em totally gets it - and schooled me with her great work.
In my B2B effort, I gave away all Top 10 reasons and called it a day. You (the reader) read it and called it a day, as well. Kind of lame on my part.
Em showed me how it's done by including in her newsletter her TOP 9 LIST (an excerpt of the letter is here):Em's Top 9 Reasons for Loving Her Gore Mountain Season Pass. The best reply with reason number 10 wins the hot new Burnt Ridge hat (now on sale when you pick up your pass!):
1) It's the quickest way to grab the fresh pow- or the clean corduroy. I'm direct to the lift every time.
2) No need to worry if I can't put in a full day, I can ski a few runs on my own schedule.
3) Let's face it. Having a season pass is cool. Status, you know? Especially featuring my great mug shot...yeah right.
4) Old ski passes make the best Christmas ornamentsEm masterfully engages her target audience - seeking an emotional connection.
Gore Mountain and Indium Corporation have a lot in common. We both:- appeal to a unique, long-tail-type audience
- enjoy passionate, experienced, customer groups
- enjoy enthusiastic, committed, dedicated teammates
- do what we do well, and are well known for this
- originated in New York
- enjoy creating exciting new products and sharing them with our customers
One difference is that Em is a full step ahead of me with her Marcom, but I'm a fast learner.
Good luck to Em on her contest (I sent in a few reasons).
PS: I love skiing at Gore Mountain. The terrain is super, the grooming is fantastic, and the staff is fun. And I have very fond memories of skiing there with my sons.
DIGG This | Bookmark at del.icio.us - appeal to a unique, long-tail-type audience
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MEET THE BLOGGERS event announced
Indium Corporation offers 9 blogs from 12 bloggers.
Indium Corporation's industry leading semiconductor bloggers are hosting a Meet the Bloggers session on Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at Indium Corporation's Semicon West exhibit, booth #7834, from 2-3pm PST.
The technology experts will lead discussions on topics including:
- Flux deposit measurement using non-contact metrology
- Two upcoming white papers (currently under development):
- Wafer Flux Spin-Coating Topography
- Wafer-Level Flux Printing
- Recent hot semiconductor blog topics, including:
- Semiconductor assembly materials
- Future trends in first- and second-level assembly
- Halogen-free semiconductor assembly materials
- Engineered solders in MEMS assembly
- Thermal interface issues
- Solar device assembly
Indium personnel who will be discussing these topics include Jim Hisert, Paul Socha, Fez Sayed, Dr. Andy Mackie, and Rick Short.
All attendees are welcome to participate in, or observe, the session. Snacks will be served, too!
Indium's blogs can be seen at www.indium.com/blogs
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Rick Short's TOP 10 MARCOM Things To Do At Semicon West
Chocolate Shakes (OK, just ONE this year) are REQUIRED while visiting Semicon West.
Stealing a great idea from my colleague, Jim Hisert, I am offering MY Top 10 things to do at our upcoming major exhibition, Semicon West, which will be held in San Francisco next week (in reverse Letterman order):
- Prepare WELL in advance: In fact, Indium's B2B Marcom team has literally been preparing for this show more than one year in advance. We always make a list of the things that went well (to retain) and things that could be better-done next time (to fix). We use these lists for each and every show - and we refer to them frequently. They are the basis for our ongoing improvements. We review each show floor looking for next year's locations, vendors we can partner with, really effective exhibit designs, and anything else we can find that will help us get our message out in a better way.
- Set goals: I'll give you one specific example - Indium Corporation wants to leverage the great experience, knowledge, and networks created by our blogging teams. Rather than sitting in our exhibit and waiting for customers and industry partners to show up, we are staging a MEET THE BLOGGERS event in our exhibit. We will issue invitations to this informal info swap and try to make something special happen. We've held brainstorming sessions, written down quantitative goals, and worked to make these goals come true. Special bonus note: It isn't a goal if it isn't in writing.
- Meet with industry movers & shakers: It's important to meet and greet visitors to your exhibit, but there is a treasure trove of expertise in a small group of VIPs. Make a list, ideally set up meetings before the show starts, and get face to face.
- Hold critical media meetings: the media is a critical part of any B2B Marcom team. Set an agenda, a time, and a place a month before the show opens. I have.
- Plan to do something you've never done before: We don't get paid to be average. If we, as B2B Marcom professionals, think we're simply going to "do what we did last year" we're on the wrong plan. Yes, we've got to understand and respect what we did, but we've also got to build on it. I recommend mixing and matching ideas and concepts until you create a winner. I just may have a winner in the above-mentioned MEET THE BLOGGERS idea. We'll know next week.
- Walk all over San Francisco: this city is perfect for walking. The sites are captivating (for an East Coaster) and the hills make for some good exercise. Try to NOT take a taxi to lunches, dinners, shows, etc.
- Have dinner at Il Fornaio: I love the perfect (for me) combination of formality and warmth. The food is tremendous and the ambiance is perfect for relaxing. The service makes for either a great friendly business dinner or a purely personal night out.
- Mel's Diner for A Chocolate Shake: I gotta' agree with Jim on this one. Dropping by Mel's during Semicon West is TRADITION (and tasty). As you can see in the image at the top of this posting, I downed TWO chocolate shakes back in 2005 (not happening this year). It's one of the coolest places on Mission Street.
- Visit someplace special: There are things that can only be done in San Francisco: sightseeing, music, architecture, and so much more. Make the effort to do at least one special thing while at the show.
- Travel safely: It's getting wild out there. Reduced flights, delayed flights, cancelled flights, reduced airplanes, reduced airline staff, extra charges for baggage, cramped seats, no meals (and we haven't even arrived yet). Taxis, hotels, security, lack of security, the show floor, etc. add to the potential trouble a traveler may experience. There is a lot to watch out for while on the road. Plan ahead, think, be smart (don't open your hotel room door for any unexpected person - ever).
Enjoy the show, enjoy ALL shows. Make your own Top 10 list that suits your particular needs and goals - then go for it.
Thanks, Jim!DIGG This | Bookmark at del.icio.us -
B2B Marcom and Rock & Roll
"You do not merely want to be considered just the best of the best. You want to be considered the only one who does what you do. " - Jerry Garcia
“And instead of being in a rock and roll band -- who the hell wants to do that? I don't -- I want to be in a rock and roll brand.” - Gene Simmons
You may not agree with their music, lifestyle, or antics, but you gotta' admit that their business instincts seem spot on.
Image: nerve.comDIGG This | Bookmark at del.icio.us -
Bad Press is B2B Marcom
Sometimes Marketing Communications comes at the B2B Marcom practitioner - and sometimes it is bad.
Case in point, an article that is, in my opinion, pure trash, appeared in The Riley Report, a regular feature on the www.apmag.com site. The author seems to have followed an ultra-simplistic outline:
- cite and copy findings from a widely respected information source
- go wildly off the tracks, making unfounded speculations, accusations, and allegations
The factual findings discuss how the electronics industry spent US$38 billion dollars during the recent conversion from SnPb to Pb-free soldering. The cited work, performed by Technology Forecasters Incorporated, is very likely to be very well founded. Riley does well when he quotes and paraphrases their report.
But, then Riley alleges that "materials suppliers, such as solder manufacturers"are saying and doing anything"continue to preach lead-free benefits and minimize the faults" of Pb-free soldering in order to perpetuate the switch to Pb-free electronics assembly because it is delivering much of the $38 billion to our coffers.
What does a responsible B2B Marcom practitioner do when the target market is exposed to this? In my case, I drafted a rebuttal and shared it with my colleagues. In places they calmed me down. In other places they encouraged me to take things a bit farther. After the rebuttal was complete, I submitted it to the website on which the initial article appeared. They printed it.
Bottom line, everyone is entitled to an opinion. So, when a professional B2B Marcom practitioner feels that someone has made potentially-damaging, inflammatory, and unsubstantiated claims against their industry, I think it is proper to make a measured and speedy response directly to the target market. Hopefully setting things straight - but at least going on record with the other side of the story.
Please read, The $38 Billion Blunder: ARebuttleRebuttal, and tell me (after reading both pieces) if you think I did the right thing. If I didn't, please tell me what you would have done.
And for all you future B2B Marcommers out there ... please don't ever publish unsubstantiated claims and accusations. It hurts everyone and it's the wrong way to make a point.DIGG This | Bookmark at del.icio.us -
Social Media Isn't Always Online
I recently wrote an article for the Frost & Sullivan quarterly Sales & Marketing eBulletin titled, "Social Media Isn't Always Online".
First of all, I sure picked a dumb title. MOST social media occurs between two or more people, face-to-face, chatting, like we've done for thousands of years, not online. But, the point I was aiming for was that there is such a hype about "online this" and "online that" that people are forgetting that we can make a very effective buzz between real people.
My article went on to discuss how Indium Corporation stirred things up at a trade show, right on the floor, getting the industry buzzing. You can also read about this cool B2B Marcom event on my blog.
PS: Hey Frost & Sullivan! You distorted my picture and added a few pounds to my face! Like I need that!DIGG This | Bookmark at del.icio.us
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Rick Short's Bio
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Marcom Stars
Anita Brown
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Dr. Ralph Oliva
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Want to read more? Browse the archive of past entries.
