Showing posts with label influencer marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label influencer marketing. Show all posts

Learning Content Strategies from the Best with Jenn VandeZande SAP's Editor in Chief for SAP CX

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of spending time with and from learning from SAP’s Editor in Chief for SAP Customer Experience, Jenn VandeZande.  We talked all about thought leadership strategies, working with influencers and other fascinating topics.  Here are some of the choice excerpts edited for readability.

KRB: Jenn, tell us about your thought leadership approach and strategy.

JV: Thought leadership means discussing current trends in a way that is relevant to the market now, and in the future.  I also focus a lot on evergreen content and making sure that we're not putting a timeline on content that we publish.  In addition, I want to be inclusive.  I purposely recruit women and people of color to be thought leader contributors, previously there were just a lot of white men sharing content on the site. I think that to be relevant we must include everybody, and in order to do that we need to be purposeful about recruiting and encouraging them to share.

KRB:  Let’s talk tactics as an editor.  Do you ever feel it would be simpler to just write all the content yourself?

JV: As an editor my job is to polish up the ideas of other people. I think it's rewarding to see other people’s ideas come to life. Some of the most meaningful feedback people have shared is how I have been a source of encouragement to them. I love writing, but my job is to help them shine.

KRB: In my experience leaders often volunteer to write content, but rarely follow through with their commitment.  Why does that happen?

JV: I think that especially this year priorities have shifted so quickly.  What might have been relevant before, just isn’t relevant now, or the content just isn’t right.  Also, some people think writing is easy, everyone will love it and it will go viral.  I have received emails from content writers asking me to make it viral.  It doesn’t work that way.  It takes a ton of work and customization to optimize a piece.

KRB:  I have a rather loose strategy for article writing.  I write as I am inspired with new ideas.  What’s your strategy?

JV: It’s not just what you find interesting or think should be a priority.  It's what your readers are thinking about. I will always look at the search terms on our sites. Covid-19 really changed how we worked, scheduled and published content. We had to adapt our strategy to address the content needs and interests of our readers.

KRB: Let's look back over the past ten years, how have you seen thought leadership and content strategies evolve? 

JV: Ten years ago, thought leadership was still very much part of corporate communications.  You'd have somebody in the C-suite drafting the messaging and giving it to spokespeople. I think thought leadership today is now more customer oriented. It’s about what the customers are interested in, and what they're searching on.  Today thought leaders look more diverse. They are more diverse. So, it evolved from a traditional corporate messaging function to be a really important part of demand generation, sales and keeping customer trust.

KRB:  There are a lot of people like me that have been writing and sharing business and technology strategies for a long time.  What are your strategies on how to differentiate your content and stay above the noise?

JV: That's the tough part of the job.  When I get content submissions, I ask what purpose does it serve? Is it what our audience wants and needs?  I think understanding our audience is very important and I dedicate a lot of time to that.  I review our search histories.  I want to know how people got to our site, and what they're looking for along the way.

KRB: As a futurist, I write a lot about things people haven’t yet thought much about or searched on.  How would you optimize new and unfamiliar content?

JV: My initial thoughts are - what does it mean for my audience?  What will my audience be looking for?  If they are new to a topic – what questions will they need to ask going into their first meeting on the subject? Put yourself in their shoes and create content for them. That’s how you do it.

KRB: If someone wants to be a business and or technology thought leader - what advice would you give them? 

JV: You have to get in the trenches and really experience things firsthand. Don't think your views are always right. A really good mark of being a thought leader is having an open mind and being able to evolve your position.  Keep an open mind and be in the trenches. Get your hands on the work. Don't assume anything. And always, always, always fact check.

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Kevin Benedict
Partner | Futurist | Leadership Strategies at TCS
View my profile on LinkedIn
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join the Linkedin Group Digital Intelligence

***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

The Power of Influencer Marketing in B2B

When many of us hear the term "Influencer Marketing" we immediately think of B2C examples involving celebrities on Instagram with exaggerated appendages hawking wares, but what about influencer marketing in a B2B context?  I've recently had the privilege of learning from and interviewing many experts on the matter - including the Global Head of Influencer Marketing at SAP, Ursula Ringham.  Influencer marketing is about showing that other credible people, outside of your company, have similar views of the world.

Influencer marketing in B2B often involves a company reaching out to associate themselves with a recognized person in an industry or market that has a high level of credibility, respect and positive influence.  Astute companies surround their brands and messaging with influencers that share similar views.

Influencers are not just important in a marketing context, but companies have long chose influencers to join their board of directors, and/or become company advisors, because of the credibility that travels with them. 

Employing influencer marketing is often far more subtle than found in the B2C arena.  Often an influencer simply shares a similar view of industry trends, company values and required strategies.  For example, the bestselling author Nir Eyal was recently invited to speak at SAP's CX Live 2018 conference in Barcelona.  Nir advocates purposefully designing products to be habit forming - his book is titled Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products.  I doubt he has any experience or interest in using SAP's enterprise software or cloud solutions, but Nir and SAP both share an interest in creating great customer experiences.

Influencer marketing can be used to bring credibility to many different things:
  • Companies
  • Leadership teams
  • Business plans
  • Projects
  • Initiatives
  • Products
  • Product direction
  • Specific innovations
  • Methodologies
  • Technologies
  • Strategies
  • Values
  • Brands
  • Business model
  • View of the future
  • Events
I spent several years working for the large consulting company, Cognizant.  I worked in their think tank, the Center for the Future of Work.  The purpose of the Center for the Future of Work was to bring credibility to Cognizant's view of the world, the future, emerging business trends,  strategies, etc.  They recruited a team of influential technology analysts, academics, authors and speakers to be influencers on their team. 

Regalix.tv
In Cognizant's Center for the Future of Work, we found the more customers and prospects would read the books our group members published, the research reports we wrote, and videos we filmed, the more Cognizant's credibility as a digital transformation thought leader increased and we closed more business.  It was a great market and branding success for Cognizant with a multi-billion dollar ROI.

Today at Regalix, where I serve as SVP of Solution Strategies, we also believe and invest in influencer marketing.  In fact, we have even invested in a specialized influencer marketing platform for sharing thought leadership videos, and the insightful opinions of industry influencers in a manner that maximizes its presentation, flexibility and social media reach.  I will share more about Regalix.tv soon.

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Kevin Benedict
SVP Solutions Strategy, Regalix Inc.
Website Regalix Inc.
View my profile on LinkedIn
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join the Linkedin Group Digital Intelligence
Join the Google+ Community Mobile Enterprise Strategies

***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

A Deep Dive into Influencer Marketing and Strategies with SAP's Ursula Ringham

In this interview I recorded with SAP's Ursula Ringham, she shares her insights and experiences operating in one of the largest and most sophisticated influencer marketing organizations anywhere. She details SAP’s thinking around influencer marketing and how it operates. If you are a marketer wanting to organize an influencer marketing effort, this interview is for you.

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Kevin Benedict
SVP Solutions Strategy, Regalix Inc.
Website Regalix Inc.
View my profile on LinkedIn
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join the Linkedin Group Digital Intelligence
Join the Google+ Community Mobile Enterprise Strategies

***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

Digital Expert Interviews: SAP's VP of Influencer Marketing, Jim Dever

In this episode I interview Jim Dever, SAP’s VP of Influencer Marketing, and learn how influencer programs work, the value SAP receives from them and the key strategies and tactics behind influencer marketing.  Enjoy!


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Kevin Benedict
Senior Vice President Solutions Strategy, Regalix Inc.
Website Regalix Inc.
View my profile on LinkedIn
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Subscribe to Kevin's YouTube Channel
Join the Linkedin Group Digital Intelligence
Join the Google+ Community Mobile Enterprise Strategies

***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

Interviews with Kevin Benedict