Healthy Balance Delivers Impact

During a sit down with government 2.0 wunderkind Steve Ressler a few weeks back I asked him when he knew the GovLoop community he created had the potential to be something very special.

Ressler thought for a moment and then said, “When reporters began to call me about it.”

Readers of this blog know of my conviction to the belief that there has been a shift in influence in the market from traditional sources of credibility -- such as journalists, analysts and industry conferences -- to social networks and online communities. This transition of power will accelerate, further eroding the value and ROI of traditional advertising and public relations programs.

Yet, the media’s sway remains, and respected editors, writers and pundits continue to serve as a critical audience for any company with growth aspirations.

I was reminded of this when Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) was tasked by long-standing client GovDelivery to announce their acquisition of GovLoop.

We tapped into social networks and connected with a myriad of Web 2.0 influencers to share this exciting news. However, it was the good, old fashioned press coverage we generated from business, financial and trade media that truly made this a portfolio-worthy effort.

Social Networking Entrepreneur Taking It to the Next Level

Facebook for Government Enters New Phase


Social Network GovLoop Sold to GovDelivery


Facebook for Feds Social Networking Site Acquired


The take-away here is when it comes to marketing promotion, PR professionals should strive for a healthy balance. It’s critical to connect with key audiences through a mix of both traditional and emerging channels of communications.

Three Phases of Social Media Maturation

At Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) we've been through the cycle.

From start-up to execution and now ROI evaluation, we have lived the maturation of social media and digital public relations programs. Our client work has also covered a broad spectrum of organizations, with representation of global firms like British Telecom (BT), Microsoft, Spirent Communications and BearingPoint, as well as emerging growth companies such as GovDelivery and Epok.

During the last few weeks I have made the swing visiting with clients to share the best practices and lessons learned we've picked up along this journey. It was during one of these discussions at a Starbucks tucked in a corner of a shopping mall in Washington, DC that a client helped define the three phases of a social media initiative.

Phase One: Pockets of Innovation

Strategic typically engages with a client in a pilot program environment, with the scope of work aligned with a funded requirement, such as a product launch, thought leadership campaign or industry conference. I assumed this pilot methodology was easily digested because it kept the budget (and risk) relatively modest.

While this is partly true, it's also apparent that certain individuals within an organization emerge as champions of social media. They may recognize that their customers and partners have become engaged in social networks and online communities. You have to fish where the fish are, right?

Or, perhaps it is a competitive threat in which an upstart has stolen away mindshare and momentum through their use of social media as a thought leadership platform.

Regardless of the reason, the social media champion correctly concludes that how companies position, brand, promote and identify leads has shifted. Their desire is to drive innovation in their communications program in a meaningful and measurable way.

During this initial phase, the social media program wins funding, a strategy is defined, an editorial content direction is agreed upon and tactics move to execution. The benchmark is to attract a community of readers, which is carefully tracked on an ongoing basis.

Phase Two: Bridging to Pervasive

There is a proverb that states success has many fathers, while failure is an orphan. This has proved to be spot on when it comes to a social media campaign.

As readership grows, the word spreads internally about the traction generated through social media tactics. There may even be instances in which direct sales and business development opportunities are identified through online channels. This resonates across multiple departments within a company, such as marketing, sales and product development.

This internal buzz stimulates action. Others in the company closely track the campaign and begin to invest more time engaging in their own social media activities. LinkedIn profiles are updated. Discussion groups are joined. Twitter feeds spring up.

For our social media champion, this second phase is about accelerating readership and encouraging dialogue. The editorial content strategy may evolve and multi-media elements -- such as video, podcasts, customer Q&As, etc. --are incorporated into the program. We also see a more consistent flow of comments, as well as other examples of readers reaching out to engage.

The promotion strategy to drive interest and among target audiences also becomes more effective and efficient. There is now a baseline. Readership and participation is measured with hot topics and themes fed to the sales organization as a form of real-time market intelligence.

Phase Three: The Last Mile

With the social media program now established and clicking along, our champion turns to the issue of ROI attached to measurable benchmarks.


At Strategic, we view community, conversation and awareness as merely the starting point. Is there an appropriate way to cross this last mile to identify members of our engaged community as sales leads, potential partners or new hires? (Image created by Ryan Schradin.)

It's in this phase that interaction with the organization's sales team becomes paramount. Thought leadership-based lead generation tactics -- such as educational Webinars -- combined with good old fashioned sales outreach must be defined and put in place.

Although we never stray from what's appropriate in social media participation, the last mile phase is all about justifying the spend to date and making a business case for continued investment.


What has your experience been with the implementation of social media programs? I welcome your comments to this blog post or you can add specific content to this article at this wiki:

Three Phases of Social Media Maturation

Social Media's Slow Roll in Government

"Social media outlets are catching on slowly (among federal government IT decision-makers). Yet, this will change as the government workforce turns over and gets younger."

Lisa Dezzutti, President and CEO
Market Connections


This was perhaps the most relevant point I picked up this morning at an event to introduce a new market research study entitled “"2008 Federal Media and Marketing Survey.” Research shop Market Connections and Sara Leiman of Sage Communications queried 2,500 federal employees – both civilian and DoD/intelligence -- to gain an understanding of the sources they rely on for industry information and best practices. (Image: Lisa Dezzutti, Market Connections)

Here are a couple of highlights from their presentation:

1. The most widely read trade publications

-Government Executive (50%)
-Federal Computer Week (43%)
-Federal Times (38%)
-Government Computer News (36%)
-Defense News (27%)

2. The most frequently visited Web sites

-CNN.com (41%)
-GovExec.com (37%)
-Washingtonpost.com (36%)
-Federaltimes.com (27%)

3. Social media engagement

-Reading blogs (13%)
-Participating in social networks (4%)
-Writing a blog (4%)


Admittedly, I find the current level of social media participation among federal decision-makers to be disappointing. It’s consistent though with what we are experiencing with our public sector focused clients and validates the importance of implementing a mix of public relations, marketing and business development programs.

I also agree completely with Market Connections’ Dezzutti assertion that social media adoption in government will continue to accelerate. Yes, it will occur as many federal employees retire and a younger workforce takes shape.

However, there is also a clearer understanding in government that citizens now expect to engage via social networks, online communities and electronic correspondence. The continued success Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) client GovDelivery has experienced with the adoption of their Email and digital subscription management platform is evidence of this trend.

The Empathy Balance

As Hurricane Gustav churned in the Gulf of Mexico, public relations professionals across the country bantered about angles to pitch the press to generate high-value editorial coverage for their respective companies or clients.

At Strategic Communications Group (Strategic), we moved quickly on behalf of GovDelivery, a provider of Email and digital subscription management services to government agencies. Our client had a clear tie-in to Gustav because the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) relies on GovDelivery to send Email of emergency plans to Gulf Coast residents.

Strategic’s efforts produced the desired result as respected trade journal Government Computer News published an article that discussed how FEMA was using cutting-edge technology to inform the public.

A natural disaster can sure gin up public relations opportunities. The timeliness of the event enhances the news value of a product or service that can help address the crisis. This window closes quickly, so it is prudent for a company to evaluate how it can appropriately promote its interests when it is most opportune.

Consider the lightning sparked wild fires that plagued California this past summer. Providers of rugged tactical radios and related computer products showcased how their solutions helped first responders tackle the flames. The devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was a catalyst for a number of stories about the reliability of satellite communications. Even a really big storm can’t knock a satellite out of the sky, or so our specific pitch to the media went.

Admittedly, there is a balance that must be struck by any company seeking to leverage the timeliness created by a natural (or man-made) disaster to promote its offerings. Step across this delicate boundary and the promoter can be perceived as too opportunistic or even cold-hearted.

Here are a couple of best practices that can be employed to ensure promotion during a time of crisis is handled professionally:

Make sure the tie to your product or service is credible. In the case of Hurricane Gustav and GovDelivery, FEMA implemented the technology to serve the public good. This was a point we stressed in our media outreach and the resulting story appropriately positioned all parties involved as being responsive to the information needs of Gulf Coast residents.

Start with the trade media. In many instances, they are open to angles that will give them an opportunity to report about a big story in a way that is consistent with the editorial mission of their publication. For instance, after the September 11th terrorist attacks a number of technology journals wrote about how video conferencing allowed companies to continue to conduct global business.

Monitor media coverage to understand a publication’s approach. A PR practitioner’s failure to read the publication is perhaps the most often cited criticism by journalists. This is especially important during a time of crisis when an off-target pitch comes off as callous, in addition to unprofessional.

Be sensitive. If a particular pitch or angle feels too opportunistic, than go with your gut and hold off. Yes…your job is to promote a product or service, yet it’s also to demonstrate compassion and caring.

Cracks in the Cloud

My head has been in the clouds today.

I’m not referring to a day off from work or even a brief mental break in the afternoon. In fact, I had to be sharp as I had three important meetings – with a client, with a long-standing relationship over lunch and then with a prospect with a world of potential.

It was during lunch that I had a fascinating discussion with a senior executive at an enterprise software developer about markets and functionality most appropriate for a software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering. There has been a lot of debate within this person’s company about the viability of SaaS in their core market. Ultimately, they have decided to stick to a traditional server-side license model because of the critical nature of the data their software touches.

Fair enough…yet I argued that innovation in the software space now only truly occurs within SaaS companies because of the economic realities of today’s market. Two of Strategic Communications Group’s (Strategic) clients – GovDelivery and Avectra – are perfect examples of SaaS innovation.

I remain passionate about SaaS and hosted solutions as it allows a company to focus on its business (rather than the technology infrastructure), while better managing resources. However, I recognize the big fall down of SaaS is the availability of the cloud. No access to the Internet or the vendor’s system…no data or functionality.

I imagine Google’s application service customers were frustrated and helpless this morning.

Google's App Engine breaks down
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/06/18/Googles_App_Engine_breaks_down_1.html?source=NLC-TB&cgd=2008-06-18

SaaS Consequences

Microsoft continues to move its focus from the desktop to the cloud with an announcement yesterday of Live Mesh, their new Web-based platform.

Microsoft Reveals a Web-Based Software System
By JOHN MARKOFF
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/technology/23soft.html?th&emc=th


I am a strong proponent of software-as-a-service (SaaS) as it gives a company the ability to concentrate on its core competencies while better managing its technology spend. In fact, one of Strategic Communications Group’s (Strategic) exciting client engagements is with GovDelivery (http://www.govdelivery.com/blog/), a SaaS provider of Email and digital subscription management solutions in the public sector.

However, I’m concerned that an unintended consequence of SaaS is the devaluing of the very solution being delivered. If everyone uses the same hosted CRM then that function within the enterprise becomes commoditized. The same could be said for HR, supply chain and finance.

Unique technology has historically provided companies with a competitive advantage. Is that era now at an end? I’m not proposing a return to the days of complex custom builds. Rather, a blended approach of SaaS and proprietary systems may be the way to go.


New Content Addition (4.24.08): interesting survey about SaaS adoption finds it remains a top priority, yet adoption has slowed.

SaaS, Web Services Top Software Priorities For Businesses
A new research report also shows signs of SaaS's maturity, with fewer businesses reporting they adopted SaaS for the first time last year.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/services/saas/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=5TK03ZVR5IPXAQSNDLPCKH0CJUNN2JVN?articleID=207401640&_requestid=109335

The Great SaaS Debate

I had dinner with GovDelivery’s (http://www.govdelivery.com) Scott Burns the evening before his keynote presentation at the SaaS/GOV 2008 Conference (http://www.siia.net/saasgov/2008/overview.asp). We chatted about a wide range of industry issues and trends, yet Scott really got me thinking when he asked, “What do you think the difference is between SaaS and ASP?”

They were basically the same, I said. In fact, no different than the utility computing solutions IBM hypes. Software as a Service (SaaS)…application service provider (ASP)…utility computing…all vendor-invented marketing speak designed to help customers compare different offerings and make a buy decision.

Scott had a different take. He explained that Software as a Service companies subscribe to a multi-tenant approach. They offer the same features and functionality to all users, who then benefit from a better managed, maintained and supported solution.

On the other hand, ASPs are a single-tenant offering. The solution is still hosted by the vendor and paid for by the customer via a monthly fee or on an as-used basis. However, the specific feature set is unique to the user.

OK…I get it. And I recognize the approach taken by a vendor (SaaS versus ASP) dramatically influences their product development strategy, as well as resources they need to invest in customer service and support. It’s why so many software firms introduce a SaaS solution to move away from customer-requested customization.

Do customers understand this difference? Do they even care? My experience tells me “no.”

Several years back Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) promoted American Management System’s Momentum financial management solution in the federal government market. We competed against ERP offerings from SAP, Oracle and Peoplesoft.

Time and time again, government RFPs were issued specifically requesting ERP software. Yet, the project requirements were exclusively financial management. It didn’t matter. ERP had buzz and the perception of delivering greater value. That’s what the customer was going to buy.

It’s important for every technology vendor to clearly define its market positioning and then remain steadfast in how it promotes itself. SaaS…ASP…utility computing provider? Before deciding on what to call your product talk with customers and prospects. What do they want to buy? It’s often easier (and less expensive) to adjust your business approach than to convince a prospect they need a different type of solution.