spiceworld 2011 for marketers

A Founder’s Eye View

Jay HallbergCo-Founder & VP Marketing

jay@spiceworks.com

IT circa 2005

“Which tools do I use?”“What information do I need

and where do I find it?”

“What do I have?” “Is it all working?”“How do I fix it?”

“Where can I find anexpert to help me?” “What products should I buy?”

Could we create the “iTunes of IT”?

IT Inventory is the Foundation

Q: How do we make money?

Hmm, if ads work for Google…

corporate branding and logos.

…for $2k.

… it could work for IT!

July 24, 2006

January 2007

October 2011

1.7 Million174 Million643 Million3.4 Billion

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ‘11’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ‘11 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ‘11

Workers

58 Million

Devices

97 Million Budget

293 Billion

Vendor Pages Connect Everyone IT

IT Vendor

Spiceworks Connect for IT Sites

IT

Vendor

IT

IT

IT

Simplify Everything IT

What next?

Buy Printer Ink

Request for QuoteRequest a Quote

IT Wish List

The Shopping Cart for Everything IT

Wish Quote Buy

Dashboard for Everything Spiceworks

A Founder’s Eye View

Jay HallbergCo-Founder & VP Marketing

jay@spiceworks.com

What can we do together / icons?

by category, lifecycle, audience

Solutions for each – grow subscribers, launch product, research, awarenes.

IT

WorkflowAutomates

NetworkDataPersonalizes

LocationFinds Help

Community DrivesRecommendations

Discounts

Connecting Everyone IT

IT Vendor

Connecting Everyone IT

I love y’alls product… I can’t tell you how much money it has saved me by

cutting down on hours of research with the vetted products

rec’ed by other Spiceworks pros and also just making me aware of

some great deals on products. Keep up the great work! – Chris

Jowaisas

IT Vendor

Connecting Everyone IT

IT Vendor

Angels in the Architecture(The Spiceworks Community)

Reginald HerdeDirector of Marketing

reginald@spiceworks.com@SpiceWired

Brand Advocates on Your Site?

Marketers are Catching the Social Wave

Old guard publishers are left on the beach

• Media cos. decide what content matters

• IT pros “on an island”• Social is a ‘bolt-on’ offering• Old data, older methods• Poor registration/targeting

Traditional Media B2B Social Networks• IT pros and vendors share insights• Word-of-mouth amplifies reach• Influencing one = influencing

many• Immediate feedback/impact• Highly targeted

IT

IT

IT

IT IT ITIT ITIT V

IT IT ITIT ITIT ITIT V

IT ITVV

V

IT

IT

IT

V

Vendor = Passive advertiser Vendor = Interactive, trusted participant

The SpiceHead, aka the ‘Angel’

In the Community…

…In the Application

benhar

Fans/Followers Are True Brand Advocates

What’s next? What should you do?

1. Well, make sure you’ve got your Vendor Page up, running and optimized

2. Get engaged in conversations with SpiceHeads3. Recognize that a little goodwill can go a long way

Angels in the Architecture(The Spiceworks Community)

Reginald HerdeDirector of Marketing

reginald@spiceworks.com@SpiceWired

Zombies, Unicorns and Green Guys  How marketing can be funky, fun

and successful.

Misha RangelProduct Marketing Manager

misha@spiceworks.com

IT IT ITIT ITIT V

IT IT ITIT ITIT ITIT V

IT ITV

IT IT ITIT IT ITIT

IT IT ITIT ITIT IT ITIT

IT IT IT

IT Marketer: Meet SpiceworksGroups

Questions

How To’s

Watercooler

You’re Not in Kansas Anymore…

Whoa! This is kinda scary!

Green Guys listen

Sign Up for a “Sales Call Paper"What do you think about

registering for whitepapers??

52 replies later…

Overall, this feedback thread is so amazing that after a quick conversation we decided

to change the way white papers are published on the NetWrix website. Thank

you everybody for your eye-opening opinions.

Green Guys lend a helping hand

Best UPS solutionI’m lookin’ for some UPS

solutions

Check out Eaton 3S and 5PX in Ratings and

Reviews…

Cool! Know where I can buy in Ottawa?

I’ve made a few calls and found a reseller in your

area. Here’s their contact info…

The do’s and don’ts of participating in the community

Don’t: Spam users and forums Slam your competitors Hard sell

Do: Be factual and accurate Embrace all feedback Be an individual Have fun!!!

Zombies, Unicorns and Green Guys  How marketing can be funky, fun

and successful.

Misha RangelProduct Marketing Manager

misha@spiceworks.com

The Wisdom (and Creativity and Silliness) of Crowds:

A Unitrends Case Study

Ashley ConnellMarketing Communications Specialist, Spiceworks

ashleyc@spiceworks.comJennifer Sipala

Marketing Director, Unitrendsjsipala@unitrends.com

Does anybody else see a problem with the Unitrends ad?

Phone-to-Face Ratio?

Head = 10”

Phone = 14”

Elvis Sleeves?

Anyone see a resemblance?

= CENSORED

Describe your ‘Oh $hit’ moment!

Image from thechive.com

Million Dollar Idea: A Crowd-Sourced Ad Contest

A few gems…

The Winner: Ryan.Johnson!

The Community Spoke…

“If it’s true that no publicity is bad publicity this ad is the best ad in the history of Spiceworks – judging by the number of posts about it.”

The Community Spoke

“I do not work for Unitrends. I love

Unitrends. And they make a seriously

awesome product.”

The Community Spoke…over a year later

“(Unitrends) consistent positive involvement …grace and humor with which they handled criticism of their ad got my attention. The quality of the product… kept my attention.”

Campaign coming full-circle!

“As the other Justin (Jaguar) and I will attest, this is a really good backup solution. So good, that we are about to order a 2nd unit.”

A Breakthrough Marketing Moment

Pearls of Wisdom from Jenn

Don’t be afraid to move fast, and use a “Read, Fire, Aim” approach.

Pearls of Wisdom from Jenn

First iterations will often suck, but just work to make them suck less every day.

Pearls of Wisdom from Jenn

When it’s appropriate, give the community a peek behind the curtain of the official brand message.

Moral of the Story: Turn lemons into lemonade by simply

being Human!

The Wisdom (and Creativity and Silliness) of Crowds:

A Unitrends Case Study

Ashley ConnellMarketing Communications Specialist, Spiceworks

ashleyc@spiceworks.comJennifer Sipala

Marketing Director, Unitrendsjsipala@unitrends.com

Ads That Don’t Suck

Reginald HerdeDirector of Marketing

reginald@spiceworks.com@SpiceWired

But first, let’s start with some that do…

Yes, you’re not selling consumer goods...

although…

Which Ad Performed Better?

.34%.01%

LogoLogo

Which Ad Performed Better?

1.08% .01%

Logo

Printer Brand

Which Ad Performed Better?

.21%.01%

LogoLogo

Which Ad Performed Better?

.46% .02%

Logo

Top tips, in order to not suck:

1. Identify with SpiceHeads2. Be problem/solution oriented3. Be free with dynamic

imagery

1. Showing product without context

2. Be IT relevant3. Appealing to a narrow

audience

What to embrace: What to avoid:

I can’t help but fall into the second category, what should I do then?

Kristin SomersMarketing Manager

kristinsomers@eaton.com

Cracking the Code on Community Involvement

Want a great experience? Get to know the community

− Begin with an introduction – get your feet wet

Become a trusted advisor− Provide expert advice and connect

with members Toss out the hard sell tactics

− Nobody likes in-your-face-marketing Jump at the chance to network

face-to-face Be unique, creative, wear your

heart on your sleeve and have FUN

How it all began…

Booth @ SpiceWorld 2010 Web banner advertising

designed by Spiceworks Local TX sales team began

meeting community members

SpiceCorps meeting sponsorships

SpiceWorld 2010 booth

Green IT Group

100% SOV Banners

Microsite Product Advisors

Over 10K Members

700+ Posts

UPS Group

Nearly 1,500 Members

Over 1,000 Posts

New group! 100% SOV

Banners Microsite Product Advisors

Discussions about Eaton

November 201050 conversations

about Eaton

TODAYOver 19K mentions

9,900 topics125 reviews

Eaton has the best answer!

SpiceCorps User Groups

Grass roots engagement opportunities Local sales teams show return on investment

― Quote activity― Sales

Measurable Sales Results!

From Russell to the PowerAdvantage (Eaton) partner:

NET: 40-60 products purchased & more to follow…

“The response I have gotten with Eaton and you has been great and that makes me want to do

business with you.”

Set Yourself Up for Product Advocacy

Question:

Recommendation:Community

members recommend

Eaton

Featured Ask the Expert (May 2-8)

Group as a whole garnered 1,186 pageviews

“From a quality point of view, David’s answers were top notch and the response from the community to his answers was very good.”

- Nic Tolstoshev, Spiceworks Community Manager

Spiceworks Community

Eaton vendor page26k+ followers!

Provide Resources of Value

Tools they can use…think education!

Eaton Advertising Campaign for IT Pro’s

85

Community members offer great advice and candid input

Eaton Campaign Promotes Spiceworks

For more about Eaton’s campaign for IT pro’swww.switchon.eaton.com

Spiceworks Dashboard UPS Manager

Spiceworks In-Flow

Click-Thru-Rates are So… 2005How to Measure Success of Marketing

Campaigns in 2011…And Beyond

Azim NagreeDirector of Monetizationazim@spiceworks.com

Click Through Rates and Boy Bands

Industry debate on the value of click through rates continues in earnest

 ”Looking at click through

metrics isn't going to show you

how aware we are of your brand… [L]ooking at how much

you get talked about in the

community is a better metric

there, or how many people

follow your vendor page”

Clicked Visited website

Asked reseller

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

7% 10% 5%

What did you do when you saw the [advertiser’s] ad?

Within Spiceworks, click through rates are just one measure of success

Gathering data from Spiceworks users

IT IT ITIT IT ITIT

IT IT ITIT ITIT IT ITIT

IT IT IT

Insight into:• # of Devices• Device Age• Market Share• Versions/Model• Trends

Change in Install

BaseAugust 2011

Change in $

ValueAugust 2011

Change in Install

BaseQTD

Change in $

ValueQTD

Total Install Base

Total $ Value‡

Product #1 4,091 $8.5M 8,806 $18.5MK 68,919 $144.7M

Jan-11 Feb-11 Mar-11 Apr-11 May-11 Jun-11 Jul-11 Aug-11 Sep-110

40

80Install Base of Product #1

Track the impact of all of your campaigns with Product Dashboards

Followers can be used to measure brand affinity

Follower Dashboard

What, what, what!?!

Followers can be used to measure brand affinity

Follower Dashboard Follower Demographics

Use a Social Engagement Ratio to measure involvement with your brand

Social Engagement Ratio

Community MentionsFollows= (x 100)

Brand Advocates Brand Passives

Use a Social Engagement Ratio to measure involvement with your brand

Vendor #1

Vendor #6

0123456789

108.5

6

3.9

2.1 1.9 1.5

Social Engagement Ratio by Vendor

Key TakeawaysClick through rates will continue to be an important measure for your campaigns

But look at other metrics that may be more aligned with your campaign goals

– Sales/Return on Investment: Look at actual product data, not just click or conversion rates

– Brand Affinity: Measure and understand your followers

– Brand Advocacy: Track the level of brand advocacy

Click-Thru-Rates are So… 2005How to Measure Success of Marketing

Campaigns in 2011…And Beyond

Azim NagreeDirector of Monetizationazim@spiceworks.com

SMB IT Pros Sound Off

Why are we here?

Sales Pitch?Product Demo?

This session is between me and happy hour?

…okay, maybe

What do you know about Spiceworks?

Cool name.

Lame name.

Isn’t that a BBQ place nearby?

They’re the ones trying to ‘Spice IT Up.’

Free network management software.

They’re paying for this gig.

Social business app for IT.

Something about zombies.

…bless you.

Solve Problems

Buy

Manage Track

Research PurchaseGet Advice

Managing Their Networks 9-to-5

Now, our panel…

Unplugged Panelists

Richard Gallo – Systems Administrator, Applied Visions

Zak Glover – Network Administrator,Lexicon, Inc.

Joseph Reyes – IT Manager,Vanguard Urologic Institute

Todd Zboyan – Systems Administrator,Karr Tuttle Campbell

Richard Gallo

Unplugged Panelists

Richard Gallo – Network/Systems Administrator, Applied Visions

Zak Glover – Network Administrator,Lexicon, Inc.

Joseph Reyes – IT Manager,Vanguard Urologic Institute

Todd Zboyan – Systems Administrator,Karr Tuttle Campbell

Zak Glover

Unplugged Panelists

Richard Gallo – Network/Systems Administrator, Applied Visions

Zak Glover – Network Administrator,Lexicon, Inc.

Joseph Reyes – IT Manager,Vanguard Urologic Institute

Todd Zboyan – Systems Administrator,Karr Tuttle Campbell

Joseph Reyes

Unplugged Panelists

Richard Gallo – Network/Systems Administrator, Applied Visions

Zak Glover – Network Administrator,Lexicon, Inc.

Joseph Reyes – IT Manager,Vanguard Urologic Institute

Todd Zboyan – Systems Administrator,Karr Tuttle Campbell

Todd Zboyan

That’s it. We’re done (mostly)…