My questions appear in bold followed by his answers.  Here’s what he had to say:

Why did PTC create your position?

Twelve to eighteen months ago, the company’s senior marketing executives realized that conversations happen online whether or not PTC participates–and determined the company needed to take a more active role.  They considered various approaches but ultimately decided they needed a full-time resource.  For one thing, PTC is a large organization with almost $1 billion in revenues. For another, it was clear that social media was here to stay.

What does PTC hope you’ll achieve?

Better engagement with customers.  People that participate online tend to be more engaged than those that don’t.

Engagement is the name of the game.  Engagement equals a valuable brand.  Valuable brands attract more customers.

My job is helping PTC marketers determine where to spend time and how to spend it.  The key is figuring out how to create and promote good content.  If you pump out seven blogs in a week, you run the risk of overwhelming your audience.

How does your company view social media complementing other initiatives?

There are several ways.  For one, social media will augment other marketing activities.

Because of the nature of social media, perhaps it will reduce spend.  I use the word “perhaps” intentionally as it will only reduce costs if we can get more data for less money.

Social media can also help you get better qualified leads.  At a recent Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council meeting, Amy Black from Kadient said something along the lines of “A discussion through social media beats a cold call every day.”  If you do something that causes someone to take action–and let you know they’re interested–that’s better than pursuing them.

Today, the focus is on marketing.  In the future, my personal hope is that the entire corporation will incorporate social media into their operations.

What are your primary responsibilities as Director of Social Media Marketing?

My primary responsibility is to help the company leverage social media in its marketing efforts.  I consult with marketers about how they can integrate social media into campaigns they are planning, and how they can put more power behind existing programs.

I also monitor social communications, “separating the signal from the noise”, to identify opportunities for PTC to take a more active role.  For example, I look for mentions of PTC, our products, and keywords, such as “PLM software” (product lifecycle management) that relate to our business.

Because we’re a global company, I also determine what tools to use in other countries by reviewing third-party research, interviewing local marketing experts, and traveling to other countries to learn more about what people are using there. Different cultures consume information in different ways.  For example, some countries, such as Germany, place a different value on face-to-face conversations than others.  If online activity doesn’t influence the conversation, then it doesn’t make sense to invest heavily in social media in those places.

What listening tools are you using?

I’m glad you asked that, because listening is so important.  We use a number of free tools such as Twitter’s advanced search, BackTweets (which effectively reverses “the shorten URL process” to find terms that were in the original URL but are no longer visible), Social Mention, and OMGILI (an aggregator that displays results visually).  We also use BoardTracker to search discussion boards.

In addition, it’s important to search on sites that are specific to your industry–and look through the sites themselves.  For example, I bookmark PLM–and CAD-related websites and then enter my keywords in their search bars.

We listen to traffic on three large networks:  Facebook, Linked In and Twitter; because that’s where audiences have conversations about business–or blur the line between business and personal.  When it comes to Twitter, my main interest is the links that people share.

You need to use a suite of tools.  You can’t rely on a single tool, because none of them do everything. You also need to accept that, initially, you will get overwhelmed–but you need to get over it.  You can refine your process over time–and use aggregators like Social Mention.

You want to get a rough sense of where things are happening.  If you record all the mentions of your search terms, you’ll go batty.

You just want to understand where the conversation is happening, what people are saying about you:  the questions they have, the tips they offer others, how they feel about you) and the media they use (audio, visual, file exchanges), etc.  If we can answer those questions, then we know where to focus our time, what content we are seeking, and how to deliver it.

I also should add that not all the information we get is free.  Our PR agency uses a third-party tool to produce a thick report of all the times that our company gets mentioned and nice-looking graphs.

We pay for this service to leverage our time.  They search many sites (both relevant and less relevant); and we use this data to understand trends, such as where certain types of conversations are happening, and the general content of those conversations (such as the media they use, as mentioned previously).

Where are you focusing your initial efforts and why?

We are listening to hear where the conversations happen so we know where and how to engage: what channels to use, what content to create, who to follow, what media to use.  I’m also teaching the corporation how to engage with social media.

How will PTC know if you’re successful?

The first indication will be 1.0 metrics such as page views over time and unique visitors. Moving forward, though, you need to change what you measure, and measure what you change.

To bridge the gap to 2.0 metrics, we’ll look at better forms of engagement (such as the ratio of comments to posts to measure how deep the conversation is and average unique comment per post that tells you how many people you’ve engaged).

Then, there are intermediary measures.  For example, Facebook now allows users who won’t comment to just click to indicate that they “like” a particular post.

Initially, you’ll want to look at the aggregate, rather than the specific.  There are no widely agreed-upon metrics that I’ve found — but since everything is online, it’s still easier to measure the ROI of social media than the ROI of a billboard.

What’s been the biggest surprise in your new role?

Although there is a general awareness of social media, inside our company, it is very new to most people and initially, they weren’t clear as to how to apply it in their day-to-day marketing efforts. As I’ve dug into this role, I’ve learned that this is not uncommon amongst B2B companies.  Social media is so new that there is a lot of education needed inside a company to aid adoption.

Why do you think that is?

The adoption of online social networking was very rapid, likely attributable to Facebook (and others).  Since Facebook is primarily seen as a casual or truly social site (as in, non-professional), I think people associated it with kids and socializing.  They likely extended this thinking into other forms of online social networking.  However, Facebook is just one form of online social networking.

Other forms of social networking (online and offline) exist, too – for example, moving into a new neighborhood and asking for a good plumber – that’s an example of and ‘old fashioned’ offline social network.  But the social mores and rules are the same.

In addition, some people may have tried something small in one or two social arenas (for example, purchasing ads or trying a reach-out campaign), and may not have gotten the results they were seeking.  In doing so, they may ascribe their less-than-desirable results in one social arena to all social arenas.  For example, I thought that a recent article in the New York Times about how people often base their impressions on a single data point was a great take on this phenomenon.

What’s your largest unanswered question about social media at PTC?

How long until it “pays off”?  By that I mean, “When will I be able to make a stronger correlation between our marketing efforts to stimulate engagement, and its ultimate effect on sales, revenue, and profit?”.

Altimeter produced a report that shows that the more engaged a brand is with customers, the greater their annual revenues are.  Companies that do participate online are more engaged with their customers.

Customer engagement equals a valuable brand.  A valuable brand leads to increased sales.  It also goes without saying that this leads to happier customers.

We’ve covered a lot of ground about your perspectives on social media.  What else should we cover?

I’m glad that you asked about listening platforms earlier.  That’s where it starts.

One of the greatest challenges is getting people to listen before acting.  I wrote a fairly comprehensive strategy from scratch.  You need to figure out what you want to accomplish first. Else, the first time you fail, someone will ask, “Why did you do that?  It doesn’t make sense.”

My own research shows that people who want a social media strategy often want to jump into interaction.  If you don’t know what’s important to your customers, prospects, or users, or where the conversations are happening, how can you have an impact?

I liken this to a cocktail party…You don’t show up at someone’s house and say, “buy my stuff”.  You show up, survey the landscape, and maybe find someone you know.  You listen in on a few conversations before you add a comment or two.  As the evening progresses, in addition to adding comments into conversations, you strike up your own conversation.  Before the night is over, people are joining your conversations and looking to you for what you have to say.

Online social networking and the use of social media is similar.  Starting by listening and offering comments is a better bet than jumping into a sales pitch or a “go look at our stuff” mentality with respect to a web presence.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I love my job.  I appreciate that PTC gave me this opportunity and admire the company for being so forward thinking.

Also, I’d be remiss to talk about social media and not provide people additional ways to find me online.  My Twitter ID is abelniak (@abelniak ; http://www.twitter.com/abelniak), and my blog address is http://www.SubjectivelySpeaking.net

Hear more from Alan this Thursday morning when he’ll be speaking on Social Media: What’s In It For You? in Cambridge, MA at a NEDMA event.  Click here to learn more about concrete steps you can take to succeed with Social media marketing.

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This month, however, I had the pleasure of speaking with Tufts alumni on how to use social media marketing techniques to land their next position. I don’t know which was more exciting doing the actual presentation–or preparing for it.

Looking for a job is just another form of marketing

Now, I’ve spoken on searching for a job before, because it’s really just another form of marketing–only the job seeker is the “product”. The new wrinkle was figuring out when, where, and how to use social media to supplement conventional job search techniques.

I started by making a list of all the normal activities that one would do when looking for a job. Examples include researching the industry, conducting informational interviews to narrow the focus of the search, getting the word out that you’re looking, networking to identify promising companies and opportunities, and figuring out how to stand out from the competition.

Social media marketing accelerates the process

While making this list, I realized that getting a job is a very social activity–and that social media is ideally suited to accelerate the process. Where social media really excels is in quickly finding out what’s hot, showcasing your expertise to colleagues and strangers alike, and staying top of mind with those who may hear about job opportunities.

To help job seekers find out what’s hot, I recommended automated ongoing Twitter searches via Tweetdeck. For showcasing their expertise, I suggested using the status updates in Facebook, Linked In, and Twitter to raise awareness of their accomplishments and direct their network to information these individuals would find valuable.

I particularly recommended Twitter since it is searchable by everyone. Therefore, those that found their content helpful might choose to follow them and join the network of individuals that opt for direct communications.

First impressions count: but marketers say it takes 7 to make an impact

Marketers say that it takes 7 impressions to make an impact. When it comes to staying top of mind, nothing beats social media. That’s because it offers the opportunity to communicate regularly without being a pest.

Most people use social media to keep their finger on the pulse. Unlike email which they tend to use for mission-critical communications, people check social media when they want to know what’s going on in the work, in their industry, with their colleagues, and/or their friends. So, they expect to receive news that’s interesting but not necessarily essential. Of course, it’s incumbent on senders to deliver interesting content if they don’t want to risk being “unfollowed”, blocked, or worse yet, “unfriended”.

Using social media to research the presentation: The medium is the message

The topics I’ve covered thus far are the topics I anticipated discussing when I agreed to do the presentation. What made the preparation so interesting was some of the other things I learned on the way.

About a week before I set out to write the presentation, I created a Tweetdeck search on “job search”. Through that, I discovered that there was a hash tag for job search–so I altered my search.

Shortly thereafter, I stumbled upon some information sources that I never knew existed. Perhaps the most interesting was Glassdoor.com. This site provides the information everyone cares about most– what it will be like to actually work at the company with whom you’re interviewing. Visit it to view anonymous reviews about the pros and cons of working for various employers.

Finally, it came time to give the presentation. To my surprise, most of the people who came were fully-employed. Perhaps some were looking for their next opportunity, but most said they came to learn more about social media marketing. To see a copy of the presentation, please visit my LinkedIn profile and scroll down to the slideshow. Then, please let me know what you would add to improve upon this presentation.

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One way or another, that’s what a lot of people that I know are asking. Here are snippets from five conversations I’ve had in the last week—followed by my own observations.

So what’s the big deal?

Tuesday morning, I gave a presentation on Social Media 101 to the Boston Chapter of the Wharton Alumni club. There was a lot of interest and a lot of questions about how members could use social media to increase their revenues.

Nevertheless, at least one person wondered whether it was just a fad—and a tremendous waste of time. His experience was that most posters’ communications seemed to focus on the details of the publisher’s life—things that would probably be of little use or interest to anyone outside the poster’s closest associates.

So what am I missing?

Wednesday afternoon, a prospective client called to discuss the first draft of her social media marketing plan. She had clearly outlined her business objectives and developed a detailed tactical plan. Specifics included target social media platforms, desired frequency of communications, examples of tools/content needed to foster (internal and external) participant engagement, and resource requirements. Her question was: “So what am I missing?”

So what’s the best use of our time?

Last Friday, I met with the Marketing Director of a sizable division of a large firm. His greatest concern was the amount of time it takes to produce—and even keep abreast—of relevant social media. And, I thought that was mostly a problem for smaller companies.

His greatest need: metrics on the ROI of various social media marketing strategies and tactics. As he said, without that information, it’s difficult to decide where to invest constrained staff time—and impossible to justify decisions to company executives.

So what is working?

While there aren’t as many metrics on the ROI of social media – yet – as there are for more conventional marketing strategies, there are some. Yesterday morning, I attended a meeting of the Business Lawyers’ Network organized by Roger Glovsky where Erik J. Heels spoke about one of his successes. Upon realizing that the ROI he was getting from direct mail – which in the past had returned in excess of 400%–was approaching zero, Erik ramped up his social media marketing efforts.

About six months ago, building on what he had learned from his direct marketing experience, Erik launched a Twitter campaign with a compelling offer–free trademarks for start ups. Since then, other social media publishers have spread the word by retweeting it and commenting on it in their blogs (just as I’ve done here).

The result? Erik broke even in 30 days and has added one new client per week since launching the campaign six months ago. Each client, on average, files four trademarks, so he counts on the follow-on business to pay for the first free filing. The offer keeps on giving since his Twitter bio features the website link: http://FreeTrademarksForStartups.com.

So what can we learn?

Social media marketing, when backed by strong strategic thinking, is very powerful. Witness Erik’s success. That said, having a social media marketing strategy is key. Else, as the Wharton alum noted social media marketing can be a tremendous waste of time—both for creators and for consumers.

For that reason, my advice to the prospect, who yesterday asked me what she’s missing from her plan, was to suggest that she approach social media marketing as she does conventional marketing. That is start by identifying who she needs to reach—and what events need to occur—before she can achieve her business objectives.

Then, it’s a matter of figuring out how to engage these individuals by finding out:

• where do they turn for information,
• what sources do they trust most, and
• what format works best for them.

Only then, will she know whether to invest in testing social media platforms and tactics, which ones to choose, and how to make the most of her company’s time and money…

Finally, I advised her to review her metrics. Her plan had been to generate a large number of visitors, page views, and followers. But, the plan didn’t indicate how she knew that any of these metrics would actually translate to

• greater performance of the actions she hoped to motivate,
• faster performance of the desired actions,
• or achievement of her ultimate objectives.

I suggested, therefore, that she test these assumptions before making major investments. One way to do so would be to collect initial data and then look backwards.

Was there any correlation between execution of the desired actions and passive or active use of social media tools? And, if so, where was the correlation greatest—and did it differ by type of target audience? In short, I recommended that she gather exactly the information that the Marketing Director was seeking to determine where, and if, to invest in social media.

In conclusion

The questions that I heard this past week are pretty similar to the questions I hear every week about social media marketing. Different people are using social media for different things—and some have more experience than others—so it’s not surprising to hear a broad range of questions and/or conclusions.

I believe it’s foolish to dismiss social media just because a lot of people aren’t using it effectively. What matters most is not how others are using it—but what’s in it for you both as a content consumer and a content creator. Much like other marketing initiatives, it’s all about data-driven choices.

So what is on your mind about social media marketing?

Are you thinking about it at all? If not, why not? What’s worked for you and what hasn’t? If so, what questions do you have?

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Today, most B2B companies are just dipping their toes in the social media waters. Some have launched blogs. Others are experimenting with Twitter. Still others are adopting a wait and see attitude.

Yet, if the conversation at a recent event hosted by the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council is any indication, most B2B marketers are ready to move forward. Right now, their biggest challenge is figuring out how to justify social media investments to skeptical management teams.

As I wrote in a recent article on using social media to accelerate sales, I believe the search for ROI is just a temporary hurdle. Early adopters are already beginning to address these questions. Moreover, many conventional marketing investments are difficult to measure—and there’s no reason to believe that it will be harder to measure their social media counterparts.

Social media represents a thin slice of marketing budgets

So far, social media has had relatively little impact on marketing spending patterns. In fact, everything I’ve read reports that companies are still spending most of their money on conventional marketing programs. Moreover, most of the money marketers are spending online is going to email newsletters, search engine marketing, or fulfillment of these and other direct marketing campaigns. Those B2B marketers that are launching social media campaigns are still experimenting–and most of the early adopters are just running pilot projects.

That’s changing very quickly though and the question in my mind is, “How will marketing spending patterns change as companies’ use of social media increases?” Here are some predictions.

Spending on content production will increase

Spending on content production will increase as word of mouth marketing moves online. Traditionally, word of mouth spread from person to person—usually one at a time. Most people only had conversations with those they knew and trusted—or those that these individuals introduced to them. Moreover, these conversations didn’t start until after the buyer identified a need.

Today, conversations start earlier. Rather than just contacting their colleagues for information, prospects turn to blogs to explore their options. That means that marketers who want to guide the conversation need to join the conversation earlier—either as a blogger or as a commenter on others’ blogs. Either way, they need to produce engaging content if they want to capture attention and shape prospects’ buying criteria. And, since there’s no barrier to publishing blogs, marketers often need to produce a lot of content to cover all their bases.

Once they identify a need, buyers usually turn to others for help with selection and to validate their impressions. In the past, these influencers included others at buyers’ companies, trusted advisors, and perhaps reference accounts proffered by Sales.

In the future, prospects may tap their social networks for customer reviews or to identify others who have had direct experience with the vendors they are considering. This means that marketers will need to maintain a presence in all the places where those that influence the buying decision congregate. They’ll need to create content to keep fans engaged—and address detractors’ concerns.

This spending will span all media

Today, most marketing communications are delivered in print. Now that it is no longer expensive or difficult to produce and deliver content in other media, more companies will deliver audiovisual communications online and audio communications via podcast.

Companies will bring content producers in-house

Due to the sheer volume of communications, companies will require full-time personnel to prepare engaging content for humans, optimize it for search engines, and measure its success. Rather than outsourcing creative and analytic functions to agencies, marketing departments will bring writers, graphic designers, and videographers in house.

Companies will allocate funds for social media platforms

Rather than re-inventing the wheel, companies will invest in browser-based solutions that will help them easily and cost-effectively develop, launch, test, and adjust social media campaigns. They will “rent” SaaS solutions rather than “buy” off packaged software to ensure they always have the latest technology.

Companies may reduce spending on public relations

Reporters are already trolling the web in search of news—rather than waiting for company press releases. If this trend continues, companies may reduce the money they spend on PR professionals to raise aware of their companies and solutions.

Small companies may increase spending on business intelligence

Today, few small companies invest in business intelligence on an ongoing basis—mostly because this information is not readily available. While they couldn’t afford in-depth marketing research, travel to customer sites, or even analyst reports, small companies may be able to justify lurking and listening to conversations among bloggers and within social networks.

What are your predictions?

If these predictions prove true, tomorrow’s marketing staffs will look very different–even though their goals and objectives will remain the same. Online marketing has already changed marketing spending patterns. Social media will also have an impact. Where do you think we’ll see these changes next—and how do you think they’ll impact the overall marketing budget—and the way companies structure their marketing organizations?

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