There is much debate in current theory over how appropriate it is for social media to be implemented in the recruitment processes of universities. Many argue that it’s a dangerous step given the additional management and time required to control the messages and opinions that are expressed. However, it cannot be denied that the social media sphere is where the majority of a university’s target audience hang out and so it would be idiotic to ignore the obvious potential…

Universities and Social Media

It cannot be denied that the vast majority of prospective students are social media connoisseurs so it makes sense for university marketing teams to venture down this trail in their recruiting activities. The days of paper leaflets and bulky prospectuses are fading fast and in order to stay relevant to students, it’s imperative that universities drop the obsession with tradition and pride and remember as Renault keep telling us… we live in modern times. Many universities have already adopted these strategies encouraging students to engage in friendly banter on their Facebook pages, or use it as a source for prospective students to engage with the experiences of current students. The big worry many universities have is, how do you stop people publicly slating you? Well the answer… you can’t really so get over it. If someone wants to write something derogatory, they will and at least if it’s on your page you are able to monitor such comments for any validity and perhaps get to grips with some of the truths that you choose to ignore but which are preventing recruitment! The fact is social media sites are basically self-regulating and all you have to do is facilitate. That is, for every negative comment made there will someone waiting to refute it often a happy student! It’s important not to shy away from the bad because the fact is; no university is or has ever been, above ridicule. Rather than becoming obsessed over whether or not to take the plunge into social media universities should perhaps be more concerned over the growing issue of online security, both on a practical level and in an educational context. Given that all university students are legally adults there seems to be less of a concern about protecting their online experiences. However, it’s still important that students are deterred from visiting inappropriate sites on campus, for their own safety, for the comfort of others and indeed to allow for optimum productivity on the student’s part. Additionally universities, as institutes of learning should be a primary setting for educating people on the actual threats and dangers inherent with unprotected online activity to make them more astute. Most universities offer IT course in some format but very few devote any time to increasing knowledge on the area of cyber security, either through research or practical workshops. One exception which caught my eye online today was the actions of 2 Newark Law schools.

Law school students, prosecutors and homeland security agents, as part of a project sponsored by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, will have the chance to learn more about cyber security law and the emerging concern with online terrorism. This was one of the top story’s released by the Northjersey.com news this morning, reinforcing the growing realisation of the link between education and online security. The Cybersecurity Law Project, which will be held at two Newark law schools, is one of the first of its kind nationwide, said Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli. Overall this points more than anything to the acknowledgment for the need of for education in regard to online security, and were better to further the gaps in knowledge than at universities, noted as the pillars of academia in society!

Pupils taking an ICT GCSE falls 17 per cent

However it’s perhaps wrong to pile all the pressure on the universities given it can be often the student’s relationship with IT formed through their secondary school education that forms their online behaviours and knowledge of the subject. A latest report suggests that almost a fifth less students took the ICT GCSE this year, which is a significant fall from last year. It is perhaps more surprising given the fact that this age-group spend a considerable time online; actively engaging in social media, online shopping, gaming and general browsing. In many ways for the majority of these teens, such an absorption in online activity coupled with a deficiency in knowledge can leave these students the most vulnerable. Introducing the need for an education solution.

As Osborn from Symantec points out, the fall in ICT participation by 17per cent, is strange given the national shortage of skilled IT professionals. The reason given by The Royal Society is because that ICT GCSE lessons are too boring! Osborn suggests that adding information security to the IT curriculum would make it more interesting for pupils and help them to engage more. Additionally, it would also help young people to protect themselves online, which is crucial given the continuous fears that social media sites such as Facebook have brought to the fore. However, increased student awareness into the importance of online security should be complimented with a similar teacher and administrator awareness. That is, the onus on schools throughout the country to implement a managed service such as Maildistiller’s Webaware to safeguard students online. Such a service allows schools to control the type of sites students can visit whilst on campus. They can choose whether to totally block access to particular websites, simply limit access to lunchtime or better still limit the number of posts made on a certain site! Therefore, enabling a school, to reassure parents and guardians, of their commitment to student’s safety.

So Education and the web….. the perfect match?

Overall, the point remains that educational institutions rely heavily on the internet; for secure email correspondence between staff and students or peer to peer, their website to provide updates and information, student browsing through the wealth of information and tools available online to help with studies, access to online research journals and much more. Therefore it is not unreasonable to assume that online security should be at the fore. Is there?

20+ tips when selling SaaS!

I could spend ages elaborating on the ins and outs of each selling tip, but just as we advocate offering your customers the information they want on your SaaS service in the most simplest of forms,  I figured the tips should be granted the same courtesy…

1. Sell SaaS offerings as part of a managed service package not as individual entities.
2. Look to your existing customer base  to sell extra features and add-ons to
3. Forefront one feature e.g. back-up and run with promoting that
4. Beware of IT terms such as ‘off-site’ ‘cloud’ etc as jargon can be off-putting to customers.
5. Focus on the practicality of the service and how it can help the customer specifically in their business.
6. The least technical person should be used to do the selling! Speak to your customer on an understanding level they don’t want to left confused and feeling that such a service is over their heads
7. When dealing with sectors such as healthcare and banking where security is paramount, make security the selling point along with the importance of backup, you’ve got to tailor the offering!
8. Introduce more a-la-carte solutions dependent on client’s needs
9. Approach with a new customer with a particular SaaS solution that makes great business sense for that client, this way they will be more receptive to the idea rather than forcing all features at once. These can be added on as the relationship develops.
10. Spam filtering or online back-up are enough to grow a business out of!! Do the small things well don’t try to be everything to everyone.
11. Don’t over-stretch yourself, your business and your resources. Stay local for as long as you need to, a poorly managed business that cannot offer the same level of service will not stay worldwide for long.
12. Price should never be an issue, if it is the client is not understanding the actual value of the product and service provided
13. Privacy remains the biggest issue among consumers and they want to know their data is secure with you! Make their privacy your biggest issue and shout about it! Cheaper solutions will not make the same impact.
14. A customer giving a financial objection shows they are missing out on an understanding and this needs addressed. The value of your service and its importance for the customer has to be communicated clearly before a sale is attempted!
15. Don’t preference larger businesses over smaller ones, think about the impact the cancelation of huge corporation would have on your monthly sales projections as opposed to a smb.
16. Don’t walk away after a sale, build a relationship with your client as a trusted IT provider – this will allow for the selling of future add-ons and to spread brand reputation.
17. STRESS SIMPLICITY nobody wants complication!
18. Position online security and/or back-up almost as a customer’s online insurance policy.
19. Don’t lead with price – but price in conjunction with value
20. Use the tool itself to sell… show people how good this service is. Trial periods can be highly influential providing they are managed by a member of the sales staff,  so there is someone on hand to guide customers through the process and make sure they are realising its full potential
21. Don’t forget customer retention is much more cost-effective than continuous recruitment so crm is essential
22. Guide staff on the importance of customer satisfaction. On-going commission on accounts for management can be a better tactic than huge one-off commissions on the acquiring of an account as this could lead to a failure to follow up on that account and loss of relationship

So when it comes to selling SaaS…

Overall the thing to remember is not to over complicate the sales process. Think how you like (or don’t like) to be approach by sales people. What makes you want to purchase, what do you most value when choosing between similar providers? Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and be realistic as to what your sales strategy should be. Never forget the value of reputation and a tarnished one is difficult to recover from, so be careful when making wonderful sales promises that they are actually achievable. Remember service value is decided on by consumers and as no two consumers are the same, service value is more readily identified as perceived service value. That is, how well the service meets customers initial expectations! So off course get customers excited about your product and shout about all the fantastic advantages you can offer, but don’t delve into fairy-tale territory. Be honest with customers from the outset and build a strong relationship on keeping marketing promises and adding on more as a loyalty incentive. Be consistent in the service you offer yes but this doesn’t mean produce a mass type service whereby everyone receives the same treatment. Yes this might seem ideal from a business perspective but come on, we all want to be made feel special! Tailor tailor tailor! This doesn’t imply the need for a huge increase on resources or manpower; this can be done very simply by a prior understanding of the nature of your customer’s business and what they’re looking for before presenting your service in a way that fulfils these needs. So a bit of research and a well-informed, personal pitch can often do wonders!

Happy selling

Software as a service (SaaS), sometimes referred to as “software on demand,” is software that is deployed over the internet and/or is deployed to run behind a firewall on a local area network or personal computer. With SaaS, a provider licenses an application to customers as a service on demand; through a subscription or a “pay-as-you-go” model.

So what is it about SaaS that makes businesses weary about introducing it to their sales model? They’re afraid SaaS will ruin their business, be an added drain on resources and ending up costing them in time and money. Sound familiar? But this should never be the case

Too focussed on cost

The service element you are offering is paid for by the customers, your price should reflect the service that is expected. Don’t put yourself under pressure trying to keep to rock bottom prices when this, more often than not, can be more damaging to your business if, in order to keep these prices the level of service and quality of product suffers as a result.  Don’t allow you or your business to become too focussed on cost; pricing should be nothing more than a logical value given to a product or service that reflects the value your customer will garner from it. As I’ve said before, if a customer thinks they are paying too much for your product or service but you whole-heartedly know you are at your most competitive and offering a good value for money product, then the problem isn’t your price but rather you’re not communicating that value! Make sure you TELL your customers about what all they are getting for their money, don’t keep it hidden in the copy of a sales pack that gets flicked through!

Businesses often have this thing about keeping  all their ‘tricks’, the extra value inherent with their offerings until stage 2 of the sales process, when you’ve allowed others to be deterred at the first stage by a standalone price?

Shout about how good you are, win the battle with your level of service and what you offer in terms of measurable value and the price will be a mere formality…

If people want cheaper, i.e price over value, then strip down your service offering to the bare minimum, let them see what their money gets them (this way you can build it up again in stages, sometimes people just need things broken down)

Single service or a-la-carte?

So what to do?

Do you supply a single holistic service or allow your customers to pick and choose. Well there’s good and bad points for both. Holistic may be much easier for you to provide, as all your customers are getting the exact same provision and all aspects of business from marketing to accounts are singing from the same hymn sheet. However, as we’ve said above sometimes holistic services may hide some of the value they hold and it may be harder for customers to understand pricing or what they’re getting. Also with holistic you run into the people who don’t want that bit and could you take out that feature this month…. Yada yada yada.

Allowing customers to pick what they want gives them the feeling of control, and they don’t seem to mind paying the extra 30p every month for an extra feature when they’ve chosen it themselves, and not had it forced on them in a package. This way they can account for what they’re getting and they can easily associate the value with each individual offering. It also allows tailoring for specific business needs and from your perspective when you break down all your offerings and price them individually, you’ll actually find your profit will increase because some features that just get ‘thrown’ in to bulk up or make a single package offering more attractive, now has its own price tag. Obviously though, breaking everything up and designing tailored packages takes a bit more effort on the employee front and it can be a little bit more difficult to manage.

Bundles are perhaps the middle ground needed! Design a gold, silver and bronze offering of your SaaS so you’re still giving customers the ability to choose and offering different budget choices that clearly reflect differing features, but this way you are still in control, it just means you now have three holistic packages now rather than one… tripling your market appeal

What do SaaS customers want?

The thing to remember about your customers is that they’re not all computer geniuses! What they want is to know what they’re getting in plain English. It’s important to remember that for your customers, service is often much more important than the features themselves. If you do want to showcase how great your features are, you should do so in terms of the relative business productivity that these features offer your customers!

Tec guys can tend to get too hung up on features but what the clients really want to know, is how these features increase efficiency and profitability

You (and I don’t just mean the marketing people)  should talk to customers in real terms that they’ll understand, don’t baffle or overwhelm with jargon because it’ll just put them off ringing back, and let’s be fair most of the stuff can be reduced down to pretty idiot-proof instructions.

If someone does want a more techy answer then go for it, but 9 times out of 10 people want to understand what they are being sold without feeling totally lost. It’s to your benefit to make your customers feel confident in and fully understand what you’re supplying them with!

Security and privacy are constantly coming up in surveys as being the big issues that consumers have when online. Listen to this research!! These people are your customers so listen to what they’re saying and offer them a solution in your service… Worried that emails containing viruses are entering your inbox… we can stop them before they get there and keep you protected!

You need to reassure your customers too of data protection and that their details and email is safe in your hands as this can be a big issue for them, particular if your end-users are working in health, legal or government professions, so make sure they’re  comfortable dealing with you! Some businesses also feel that admitting to outsourcing data works in their favour, ‘we provide much higher security by outsourcing data’.

The important thing is to work out what’s right for you and for your customers!

So… when your selling SaaS

So, in my opinion the best thing to do when you’re selling SaaS to the end-user is to climb of the techy high horse and get back to basics.

Customer’s should be able to know what your service is doing for them in the plainest of terms, this jargonless approach will also be much more market friendly, meaning if your customers see and understand your value fully they will spread the word much more quickly!

My advice, find the least techy person in the office and let them explain to the customer what you do and how you can help them, they’ll appreciate this much more than being left more confused than before they lifted the phone! It makes sense! And remember don’t allow yourself to be ruled by price, rule your price by your value, and depending on your customers work out whether the bundle strategy could work for you!

At this point I was going to go on and talk tactics but eh I’ve kind of rambled on quite a bit already so I think I’d best give you a chance to digest these ramblings and leave Selling SaaS Part 2 Tactics for another day!

The Working Scrum

Here at Maildistiller, we use a framework for our development work that grew from the Agile programming methodology and Object Oriented movement called Scrum. It is also directly related to the principles laid down in the “Toyota Way” and lean manufacturing process. You might ask yourself why and how a manufacturing process could be related to software development, and why a company that specializes in cloud security would embrace it to run the entire company, but we’ll answer that for you!

One of the realities of software development is that requirements change. Sometimes they change faster than the project can be completed, and sometimes they change because what the customers thought they wanted was different from what they actually wanted. How many times have you walked into a coffee shop thinking “Non-Fat Vanilla Late” and looked at the menu and the other customers and decided on the Caramel Macchiato? How many times have you used the latest App and said to yourself “wow, this is cool, but what it’s missing is this?” more times than not, what you see just helps you understand better what you actually need and really want.

Sometimes the market changes too. Competitors enter all the time and old competitors are constantly changing and upgrading what they offer just as much as you do. Why is it that Apple gets it so right and upsets the order in the market and is profitable, and others get it so wrong? How do you quickly and efficiently respond to changing customer needs and competitive pressure from others in terms of product offerings and cost? At Maildistiller our answer is Scrum.

The foundation of the Scrum methodology is iteration and small exact steps that deliver real business value. So instead of focusing on the “Enterprise Solution” all the time, while trying to implement the entire project with all items defined beforehand, Scrum starts with the “how can I deliver the most value with the least resistance” – in development terms the “most desired and required processes with the smallest module extensions” or the least amount of work and deliver the most value.

This doesn’t mean working less, it just means working RIGHT with FOCUS. We believe that, while thinking of the “Big Company Picture” is important, it isn’t as important as developing software & services that your customers really want and find it easy to use. It follows that our customers will know what they want as they see it, and developing software is as much of a partnership with them as it is an engineering feat. We believe that trying to do it all up front in the traditional waterfall method doesn’t work when your partners and customers are the focus, and the market is constantly changing. In order to get it right, you have to be agile in the true sense of the word, and Scrum provides the way to be truly agile.

Maildistiller aims to provide the most secure and easy to use Email & Internet Security solution on the market, for small to medium sized businesses. We aim to continue to provide a solid platform for our partners who choose to integrate our services with theirs. In order to achieve this, our entire company runs using the Scrum framework.
In future posts we’ll talk more about the Scrum process – We’ll keep you up to date on what is happening with our product, and how we’re doing on the journey to deliver it to our customers. Because, after all, our customers are all that matter, and the reason we chose Scrum as the best practice to give them what they expected and wanted, not what we thought they did.

Please tell us how we are doing by using our brand new Getsatisfaction page

Partnerships come in all formats from friendships to relationships to business movers and shakers. Many of the great names in entertainment too came in pairs and where the better for it; think Abbott and Costello, Bonnie and Clyde, the Two Ronnie’s, Laurel and Hardy, Fred and Ginger and batman and robin just to name a few. Then if we dive into the world of music, who can imagine Simon without Garfunkel or Sonny without Cher… I got you babe! Those power couples such as the Kennedy’s, Posh and Becks and the Clintons all represent strength in numbers! And if you are to follow the religious beliefs on creation without Adam and Eve where would we be today? Check out loads more at http://www.indopedia.org/List_of_famous_pairs.html

The importance and relevancy of partnerships is not solely confined to individuals but commercially partnerships make sense too. Think Abercrombie and Fitch, Ben and Jerry’s, Dolce and Gabbana  and Rolls and Royce to name but a few lucrative pairings!  So why do we not make more of an attempt to form successful partnerships in the business world? Why let all those famous duos have all the success….

Partnering in business makes sense

For years academics the world over have been singing the praises of formulating partnerships for business value.  The very definition of business partnerships suggests its value;

Business partnering is “the development of successful, long term, strategic relationships between customers and suppliers, based on achieving best practice and sustainable competitive advantage“(Lendrum, 1997).

Mohr and Spekman in their research into characteristics of partnership success, indicate that the primary characteristics of partnership success are:

• Partnership attributes of commitment,
• Coordination
• Trust
• Communication quality
• Participation
• Conflict resolution technique of joint problem solving

Hence the importance of finding the right partnership for you!! It’s a matter of simply assessing your needs and finding the best solution, or taking advantage of how a partner’s offering can enhance your market position and success!! After all a partnership is about increasing the strength of a business and should be always seen as an advancement in the company’s growth model rather than viewed as a step-back as some (thankfully a minor majority) of ill-informed cynics do!

A pig-headed determination to always go it alone, may no longer seem the entrepreneurial dream  you first thought, when John in the next office block, has took a chance on a carefully selected partner and as a result maximised his profits and reach, whilst alleviating much of the associated pressures of doing this single-handedly!

Personally I think it all comes down to the fact that you can’t be good at everything! Work hard and capitalise on your forte and get help for weaker areas that are someone else’s forte, making your entire business model one big forte!!!! Ok so practically things aren’t always as simple as that but the thought process isn’t far off!

The benefits

OK, so there’re plenty of partnerships you’re rhyming off in your head right now as not being successful at all… though to be fair of recent times these relate mainly to personal or marital relationships… I’m thinking of all those Tigers and Ashley’s that make the Medias job way too easy!

To be fair when it comes to business partnerships, the absence of heart over mind can often be the saving factor! That is not to say you enter a partnership solely on a corporate match, obviously an ability to effectively communicate with a partner and to ‘like’ what they do and what they stand for is a must also! Generally in business however, we have the ability to be much more objective, focussed and clear in our decision making processes!

In choosing the RIGHT partnership there are lots of benefits to be gained:

• It’s more cost efficient!
• It increases a company’s competitive advantage
• Increased opportunities in revenues, occupation and investment in the sector of application
• Strengthens a company’s position and product/service offerings
• Additional support available
• Increased knowledge in certain areas
• Reputation advances – you gain the reputation and customer loyalty that your partner has worked hard to acquire, simply by association!
• Partnering takes a new approach to achieving business objectives. Business partnering creates a no more traditionally-based solidarity or “organic”, but a rationale form of “mechanic solidarity” (Durkheim, 1893)

Essentially, Partners work together to achieve an agreed common aim whilst each participant may still retain different reasons for achieving that common aim.

Partnering with Maildistiller

If you’re already familiar with Maildistiller’s company ethos you’ll know where all about our partners! Our partners are literally our primary focus second only to supplying them with the best in internet and email security! So confidently I can agree with all of the above. We have seen major success in our partner network and this is where we intend to continue our efforts! See how a partnership can help you and your company achieve more, after all two brains are better than one!  Anyways, I’ll leave you with some very wise words from Alan Greenspan:

I have found no greater satisfaction than achieving success through honest dealing and strict adherence to the view that, for you to gain, those you deal with should gain as well.

The percentages… Online time-spend

The stats show the extent of social network’s dominance, when placed in comparison to other relatively popular online activities.

The research revealed that Americans spend a third their online time (36percent) communicating and networking across social networks, blogs, personal email and instant messaging.

Email which, in relation to the working day, you would expect to occupy a high percentage share time, holds just over a third of the time that social networks do. Nielsenwire go on to do something really interesting with the said data which is illustrated in the figure below, breaking up how internet usage would look if all U.S. internet time was condensed into 1hour!!

So with ALL U.S. internet time condensed into one hour, blogs and social networks take up almost 15mins!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow, that really shows the preoccupation people have with Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and the likes!

The big question – Is social networking productive?

To be fair this is quite difficult to measure because these percentages are made up from a whole cross-section of the population, from school kids, university students, males, females, office workers, construction workers, housewives, the elderly….. you get the jist.

However the over-ridding dominance of social networks and blogs cannot be ignored. Clearly those who work in an office type environment, with easy internet access, may be accused as being the most susceptible to concentrating a little too much on what their mates and co-workers have been getting up to at weekends. However, the boom in usage of mobile internet means that such a distraction is now available for almost all employees regardless of occupation… apart perhaps from miners who may find the signal a little difficult!! The point is the usage and time-spent on social media during work is becoming a concern for Boss’s the world over. Numerous reports point to the link between increased usage of social media sites and the paralleling decrease in employee productivity and efficiency. For many the rash answer has been to totally ban all access, this involves both verbal bans and physically disabling connection to said sites from work computers.

In my opinion this is not the best option unless you want to completely kill employee morale. Completely outlawing this ‘take 5’ activity may have an even less productive affect. Employees may become more disgruntled and less content in their employment, for those desperate for the info that would have taken 2mins online they may instead engage in a ten-minute phone-call, or the more adventurous may spend time online looking for other ways of accessing these sites from the many cheat sources of info available online. The happy medium I believe is monitored or controlled access.

Allowing employees access to their social network kick is believed to actually increase productivity as a result, as it gives the employee a ‘take-5’ from work pressures to regroup. It also fills them in on the latest talking point or plans for the weekend so that they don’t waste time throughout the day trying to find this out through a series of texts, or by sitting daydreaming about what the weekend may bring!

So… a solution for employees and Boss???

So it’s all about balance… too much access is obviously damaging to productivity but so too is a complete ban of social networks. Obviously mobile internet is harder to control but work computers are a much easier target! What’s required is the use of a service such as Maildistiller’s Webaware. With this product, managers and C.E.O.s the world over are able to control the social network settings of their employees whilst they’re at work. You can decide on the amount of time each employee is able to access such sites, as well as what time of day access is available and the number of posts they make etc. Pretty perfect eh!

This way you get the best of both worlds, employees are happy to get their daily fix and as a boss your keeping employee morale high without worrying that you’re paying people for 10% work 90% networking! Social networking isn’t going anywhere guys so there’s not much point simply ignoring it. The stats in the above report prove the reality of the U.S. web-user’s mindset, but I’d confidently say a similar U.K report would mirror very similar findings!

As for any of you employees out there banned from accessing your favourite social network site at work… pass this blog on to your boss… some middle ground could benefit you both!

Note – I know I’ve totally left out those (such as myself) who use social networks  and BLOGS on a daily basis as part  of their job! But that’s very different, using these sites to further your company’s brand message and reach (as I’ve blogged about before) is quite different than what happened after a few pints last weekend

Maildistiller as an Example

Maildistiller, for instance offers a service. However there are two services at work in the company’s one offering. On the one hand, the ‘service product’, is the actual physical benefit offered by the company, i.e. protecting mailboxes from spam and viruses and safeguarding web browsing. Although this is in essence the company’s ‘product’, due to its nature as a cloud-based service and the fact that the company is web-based, the output is therefore more aligned with a service and can’t really be labelled as a product. A company that offered anti-virus protection through software packages, is a much more obvious product-based supplier and hence would follow the typical marketing approach. Maildistiller, as well as offering their ‘product’ in a service form, have to offer the additional benefits bundled into traditional ‘service’ offerings. This is referred to as the additional value and intangible benefits that a company attaches to its initial product, e.g. 24hr support, advice and tips, loyalty and approachability etc. Is this then describable as a service accompanying the ‘service’? Is their room for the existence of a third category, which has evolved from the increase in web-based IT companies offering ‘cloud’ services, the ‘service as product’, which expels characteristics of both the traditional product and the generic service benefits? If so, does that mean a new marketing strategy also needs to be born?

Services

In short, a service can be described in 5 words:

(1) Lack of ownership
(2) Intangibility
(3) Inseparability
(4) Perishability
(5) Heterogeneity.

In quantitative terms the marketing and services are simply separated by 3P’s!  People, Process and Physical evidence, factors associated with the services marketing mix being added to the traditional 4P’s of the marketing mix; product, price, promotion and place!

So then if a company’s offering is more than just a product but has more tangibility than your typical product, how do you market this???

Marketing the quasi service-product

The newness of the cloud phenomena means the associated marketing process is more trial and error than concrete theory. The best advice I can offer is to go with what best represents your company and the image you want your customers to perceive. The actual tools you use to do so are more important in creating the right perceptions than guaranteeing sales!

Believe in your product/service thoroughly and others will follow… choose what’s right for your company, employees and customers rather than worrying what you should do!! For instance social media though it’s something I firmly believe in as an invaluable marketing too, if you haven’t the staff to control, monitor and remain proactive on these sites they are ultimately useless. In some cases they may even be damaging, as an unattended Facebook page, may create the negative perception that the company simply doesn’t really care or they’re unorganised or overstretched. It gives frustrated customers or competitors a platform to ridicule your company and if you appear unconcerned by leaving these sites unattended for long periods of time, this reflects badly on the company’s overall image.

Likewise, if your company is struggling to put aside the finance in the monthly budget for the outbound marketing required to keep up with your competitors, scrap it! Yes… I said it, cut any anchors loose! The fact is that inbound marketing is a much cheaper alternative and if executed correctly can be much more effective! Make it easy for people to find you, rather than spread yourself and your message thin trying to cover ground on the web with the best advertising you can afford on a tight budget (these don’t look great). Instead concentrate on making yourself known and accessible, create a strong brand that people will be drawn to.

In my opinion if you can’t keep up with the big guns don’t try to! Find your niche and dominate that market. SMBs often make the mistake of trying to emulate the market leaders from the outset, and whilst it is good to see how they do things, its best to understand your position in the market and what your business is offering that makes you different! That’s your message! If you do something well and within your means, dominating a particular niche, your brand and service will grow without the same conscious action. When this happens go after the big dogs if that’s what you want!

Cloud-based services, i.e. the service-product, are in reality no different. The general rules apply in relation to both product and service marketing; it’s simply a matter of deciding which methods will work best for you. The point is product and service goes hand in hand. We live in a time where even the most basic of products are accompanied by a service, or at least the product’s brand is wrapped up in the service attributes presented by the company. In the current economic climate and the rifeness of competition in all sectors, a sole ‘product’ no longer cuts it, and the intangible benefits that an accompanying ‘service’ represents, are expected! If the service element doesn’t exist this is when problems arise!

Price thus is often the greatest hurdle for many companies. Do you slash your price to ward of competition and attract more customers, or do you stand your ground as you know you are offering the best value? In my opinion, if you are certain that your price is as competitive as you can offer given the quality of your product and any add-ons, then it’s your marketing that’s the problem. If your customers think you’re too expensive, the quality and additional benefits inherent with your service, as opposed to that of your competitors, has simply not been communicated to your customers properly! They aren’t being made aware of what exactly your price is inclusive of and what the cheap alternatives are missing.

So don’t be afraid to shout… sing your praises, because you can be sure if you don’t there won’t be a queue of strangers waiting to!

Great… job done!

That was my somewhat flippant and hopeful first thought! In the security market education is the first hurdle, if people at least acknowledge the risks of online security and privacy threats, then our job of preventing these threats from manifesting into reality, is much easier!! Well that was the theory

Online scams… It’ll not happen to me today

From a U.K. perspective the report announced that we too are concerned with these issues; 88percent of U.K users are worrying about their online security and 86percent about their privacy!

So… this all seems pretty positive. I’m thinking we’re going to be inundated with calls from hundreds of partners, looking to set up thousands of these new ‘aware’ customers! Not quite lol.

The problem is that like many things in life we often opt for convenience, regardless of what are heads are screaming at us! In the main when it comes to investing time and effort into safeguarding ourselves online or taking a gamble that ‘It’ll never happen to me,” the latter tends to be the safe bet! I’ll be fine today and I’ll get protected tomorrow…

So as interesting as it is to see the percentages of those security concerned peeps worldwide, a much more useful figure, I think, would be in relation to what percentage of that 90% have actually done something about it! Let’s be honest, the problem is that with mobile internet everything is just way too CONVENIENT! The easy option would be to just avoid engaging in the relinquishing of any personal info online….. but let’s be real.

In a world where social media, online banking and online shopping are the major engagements for cyber users, that’s really not an option.

The conflict

The main reason this report caught my attention, apart from the relevant stats, was the ironic conflict in the information.

The fact that in the same report the percentages for those concerned about online security are equally as high as the number of people now engaging in mobile commerce, had me screaming WHAT???

It reinforces my point above that the usefulness of the service often outweighs the concerns. Practicality is reserved for tomorrow!

As we’re told by KPMG;

Despite concerns over privacy and data security, people around the world are adopting the mobile internet at an astonishing pace as an easy and convenient method of carrying out everyday transactions including banking and shopping.

Compared with only 18 months ago, the global percentage of consumers who have used their mobile device for banking has more than doubled from 19percent to 46percent, while the percentage who have used it to buy goods and services has gone from 10percent to 28percent.

What to make of it all….

As worried as everyone is about online security, the advantages of mobile internet are just too much of a lure. The solution… get protected!!!!!  None of us want to give up on the convenience mobile commerce poses but at the same time, as online scams and identity theft become more sophisticated , the reality is, the chances of being targeted is another increasing percentage!

Tudor has his say

Tudor Aw, Head of Technology, KPMG Europe, notes the obvious contrasts in the report and draws his own conclusions;

“At first sight, these concerns over privacy might seem to conflict with our findings that consumers are more willing to have their profile information tracked, but there seems to be a clear distinction in consumers’ minds between uncontrolled use of personal information, and properly regulated use. They do see the value in allowing service providers to have access to the information necessary for more tailored services, but they are only prepared to do this if the risks are controlled and, crucially, if there is some value in it for them.

“But the twin issues of inadequate privacy and poor security are definitely uppermost in consumers’ minds, and may be holding back the further development of the internet as a commercial tool. Consumers around the world see solving these issues as a joint responsibility of service providers, who should improve systems and be more transparent in their reporting on security matters, and regulators, who should introduce tougher privacy and security regulations.”

So, what do you think? Ask yourself the same questions and identify what percentage you make up? Does your concern over online security simply remain a concern…  or is a more proactive approach your smug security?

It’s not all about that one-off spontaneous purchase! For providers of a service in particular, the path to success is all about your customers!! Gaining loyalty by building relationships with them, understanding their needs or difficulties, helping them to further understand your product and any product advances, treating and rewarding their loyalty and giving them an open forum to express their opinions in a much more relaxed environment!!
Solution… Social Media!!!!!!

Stats Please!!!

Marta fills us in on the fact that when Facebook was first launched in 2004, it reached a few thousand college students… that was it! A year ago that figure stood at 200million!!!!!!
So as the number of facebookers reach the 500mil mark this week, I think we can all see this is one band-wagon worth jumping on!

What caught my eye initially in relation to the Expresso blog, (other than the mad stats) was the point made that so many businesses continue to disregard it’s usefulness, considering it nothing more than an outlet for moody teens!! What is that about??? Seriously who are these people?
I mean why would you totally ignore such an opportunity! I get that social media is not always appropriate for certain businesses and that’s fair enough. My amazement is reserved for those who have suitable business needs and refuse to even evaluate the potential that social media holds, surely that’s not good business sense… or perhaps its simply stubbornness… or a fear of the unknown.
My advice… GET STUCK IN!!

The majority of people online are far from social media experts (myself very much included!!) It’s all about learning as you go along, picking up tips and yes MAKING MISTAKES!
I couldn’t help but pass comment on this article when I saw it, so for you haven’t read it yourself here’s what I had to say in my disbelieving rant!!!lol Enjoy!

My pre-lunch rant…..

“Wow those figures are very impressive and a sign of just how influential ‘social’ media is, and has the power to be! Why people are so ‘anti – the social’ is beyond me….. It’s free, easy to use, provides direct feedback from customers and competitors and gives you a chance to advertise products, services and people, from all strands of life!!
Surely this is an absolute dream for businesses, as we all know how little there is for free in the world of sales and marketing, that can actually make such a direct impact!!!

As for the idea that social media platforms are, not very ‘grown up‘ these are clearly the words echoed by some grumpwho just enjoys being negative and holding a controversial stance, or is afraid to get involved in what is the future, or at the very least undeniable,the present!

Danielle’s Philosophy

I believe we have come full circle with regards interaction in the business sphere……
In the beginning it was all about the travelling salesman, travelling the country generating interest in his product or service, through talking and pitching to the masses in town centres or knocking on doors (i.e. the art of actually talking and building relationships!!!!)

Then when technology started to take over initially we all became much more introverted and office (or bedroom) based! Emails and websites became the voices for products and services, as businesses saw how much money this could save them… but at what cost??? The personal touch that often was the ‘selling point‘, the human interaction and selling of personality, was lost to save pennies…. But what about the old lesson.. speculate to cumulate…?

NOW we’ve regained our voices through social media platforms and are actively using these voices to personalise our brands and introduce the people behind them… The untouchable C.E.O. can be found tweeting about what he’s reading on his lunch break…… pretty cool if you ask me!!!

Perhaps it’s not a case of domination of one style over the other but a combination of the both that works for you! So if that email you sent strikes interest with the recipient…. Or leaves them needing more… as a very proactive company you are able to supply an outlet for immediate feedback, questions and the chance to develop customer relations which I firmly believe is the key to it all! After all what is any business… regardless of the brilliance of the product, without customers!

Maildistiller’s very new to the whole social media world and we admit we’ve a way to go to achieve the same functionality as others, but the point is we’re trying!!:)

I love the idea of being able to build a relationship with our Maildistiller customers in a relaxed forum whereby sales is not the concern but rather customer satisfaction! Building an honest reputation for being approachable, helpful and genuinely concerned about our partners!!!!!

……Finally!

Would love to hear your views on this so shout up! Or better still join us on facebook or follow us on Twitter and help us achieve the potential I believe that these social media platforms hold!

Plus…. I just really like to talk

And a thought to remember… as quoted in the new 2010 film The Social network in relation to Facebook…. You don’t get to 500million friends without making a few enemies…

Apple recently released the iPhone4 and an update to the iPhone operating system (iOS4), which is available for download for older iPhone devices. Devices running iOS4 require a configuration patch to continue using ActiveSync with Exchange Online.

Steps Organization with iOS4 Devices Must Take
Organizations with devices running iOS4, must install an updated configuration profile from Apple on their device. Information about obtaining and installing the profile can be found in the Apple support knowledgebase, Article TS3398.

Failure to install this patch may result in a degraded performance for iOS4 devices, including the inability to connect to Exchange Online via ActiveSync to synchronize message and calendar items.

Read more at source: http://blogs.technet.com/b/msonline/archive/2010/0…e.aspx