One of my activities for 2010 is helping get the word out on the CIO Summit of America in New York and the full 2010 CIO Leadership series. I’m supporting this event series because I believe it offers compelling value as part of a tech company’s influencer relations agenda. Peer-to-peer events are growing more important. Research keeps telling us that … Read More
SNCR study maps social media to B2B decision-making process
I’m pleased to find that a new study validates what I’ve been seeing in client projects and industry conversations: social media is taking on a larger role in business decision-making processes. Social media is enabling decision-makers to reach out to larger numbers of people (the size of their unique influencer ecosystems) and to tap into their influencers through online as … Read More
Putting CIO peer groups into perspective
It’s a sure bet that when CIO and IT decision makers gather in groups, tech sales people circle nearby, angling to slip into the crowd. The common wisdom is that every member of these groups is a sales target. Each member is ripe with purchasing potential. That’s certainly a practical way for tech providers to look at IT peer groups. … Read More
Do awards influence decision-makers?
Can winning industry awards help sell products and services? According to the Influencer Marketing book, the answer is no: “Industry awards are primarily self-congratulatory ‘feel good’ exercises, which have limited marketing value and all but zero influence on the top decision-makers.” — Nick Hayes and Duncan Brown They do credit awards with some value in the early stage of a … Read More
Don’t turn decision influencers into fans
It’s tempting to think of influencer programs as master plans for turning objective decision influencers into your company’s bona fide fans. The truth is, that’s not a desirable goal for your influencer programs. Valuable influencers maintain a high level of objectivity. Some call it integrity. Others describe it as independence or ethics. Whatever label you prefer, compromising it is a … Read More
New podcasts: decision-maker ecosystems
One of the new features on the Influencer50 website is a library of resources for building effective influencer programs. We’ve recently posted a pair of podcasts on decision-maker ecosystems. In part 1, Nick fleshes out the concept; in part 2, he digs a little deeper into how DMEs work. You can download the complete podcasts from the online library (register … Read More
SMB IT decision-makers rely on consultants
The high tech industry analysts aren’t making much headway among the SMB decision-makers, according to this week’s Sage Market Pulse from Chadwick Martin Bailey. In this survey, independent consultants and colleagues lead all other types of external advisors on IT needs and solutions. You can see that SMB decision-makers are a smart bunch. They set up a well-balanced decision ecosystem … Read More
Survey: Tech decision-makers split on social media
There’s quite a debate raging over whether IT decision-makers are influenced by blogs and other forms of social media. No matter which side you take in this debate, you’ll find good news and bad news in the latest installment of the “IT Social Media Index.” The IT Social Media Index is becoming a twice-yearly survey conducted by ITtoolbox (now part … Read More