6000 tech marketing jobs cut during 2009

Barbaramarketing

IDC is putting numbers around something tech marketers already know: 2009 is the worst year for vendor-side tech marketing jobs and budgets since the dot-com bust. IDC projects that 6,000 tech vendor marketing jobs will be cut by the time the dust settles at the end of 2009. Marketing budgets will be down 8.3% over 2008 levels. That’s the inhouse … Read More

B2B decision-maker influencers: 24 categories involved in purchase decisions

BarbaraInfluencer identification, Influencer marketing, influencer relations

Lots of people play a part in a typical B2B purchase decision and naturally, identifying them is an important activity for any influencer relations program. You need to know who they are, including their name, job and location. First, you have to figure out who they are. That’s no so easy. The big temptation is to start by asking the … Read More

Please, no Managers of Twitter Relations

BarbaraBloggers, social media

Around mid-decade we went through a phase where corporations and agencies considered creating jobs such as “Manager, Blogger Relations”.  To this day that makes a lot of sense if you happen to work for a company that provides blog software, blog design, blog hosting, blog monitoring. For other kinds of companies, not so much. Because for other types of companies, … Read More

Building scalability into influencer relations programs

Barbarainfluencer program

Influencer relations programs focus on 1-to-1 relationships and therefore can be resource-intensive. So it’s a good idea to figure out where you can achieve economies of scale and how to go about doing it. Here are 3 areas with big potential. Flexible, modular playbooks. A grand plan may work well with a handful of influencers, but it won’t scale across … Read More

What’s another word for influencer?

BarbaraAnalyst relations, influence, Influencer marketing, influencer relations, marketing

There are several good reasons to replace the terms “influencer” and “influencer marketing” in the marketing vocabulary. What are the best  alternatives? I don’t know the answer, however I see signs of a backlash against misuse and abuse of these terms. What are the issues with the word influencer? To start, not everyone likes being branded as an influencer. As Evan … Read More

Analyst relations skills: building a checklist for wider influencer opportunities

BarbaraAnalyst relations, influencer relations

Analyst relations is entering a time when the tech industry not only acknowledges – but celebrates – the rich diversity of decision-maker influencers. This shift to influencer marketing presents new opportunities for transforming AR programs and careers. Many of the skills that contribute to successful analyst relations translate smoothly to relations with other types of influencers.  And some skills do not. … Read More

Join me for Looking Ahead: The Future of AR

BarbaraAnalyst relations, Events, Industry analysts

Where is analyst relations going? How is it changing? What are the implications for people and programs? What can you do about it? I’m delighted to announce that I’ll be leading a discussion on these points early next month with the Forrester Research Analyst Relations Council. It will be a lively exchange with practical and worthy ideas. Special thanks to Trisha Mirel … Read More

How to schmooze with style

BarbaraInfluencer engagement, influencer relations, Marketing classics

Succeeding in influencer relations requires a skill most often associated with sales and HR: schmoozing. Don’t think for a minute that business networking is best left to the natural-born schmoozers. Most of us spend a good part of our day working with information or brainstorming on strategy or listening in on conference calls. Telecommuting is further rooting us in our … Read More