5 Keys To Connecting With Social IT
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This document provides 5 keys for connecting with IT professionals in social communities: 1) Win them over by being human and humorous, as IT pros have a self-deprecating sense of humor. 2) Don't shy away from healthy debates, as IT pros enjoy discussions where they can share their technical knowledge. 3) Stay away from marketing speak and be fully transparent. 4) Give them a peek behind the curtain by sharing insider information. 5) Close the loop by sharing how their feedback has been implemented.
5 Keys To Connecting With Social IT
- 1. 5 Keys to Connecting with IT Pros in Social Communities
- 2. Sure, you understand the fundamentals of social media, but truly connecting with tech purchase decision makers requires more than just the basics. It requires you to be an active and authentic participant in the social communities where these IT-types are interacting with their peers. Here’s what we’ve learned firsthand at Spiceworks, where over 2M IT pros spend their days talking tech, sharing insights, and helping each other solve IT problems. So, how do I connect with IT pros in a social media setting? 5 Keys to connecting with it pros in social communities 1
- 3. Bacon! Cooking with Spice Group Mar 16, 2010 at 6:12 AM Steve M. IT Pro 1 Win them over by being human… & humorous! OK, so the word around the IRC channel recently has quite simply been bacon and lot’s of it! This made me think of some questions just for fun. I’ll start: IT pros are a self-deprecating sort. Do you like bacon? Yes! They often talk to one another in a What do you have bacon with? (Fav recipes) A toasted bacon and hash brown sandwich goes down well. tongue-in-cheek manner and tend to Also, bits of bacon in pasta bolognese is nice too! poke fun at themselves and their peers. Smoked or unsmoked? Smoked! But, when you read between the lines, you’ll see that by cultivating these peer Ensure your DR Plan is ready for a Zombie Apocalypse How-tos relationships they’re also learning how May 14, 2010 at 11:10 AM Justin D. IT Pro to do their jobs better. 1. Have the right equipment in stock and accessible Have you ever tried to find your chainsaw and sawed off shotgun in a disorganized mess when you really need them, not fun. In advance Some of the humorous IT “themes” you’ll see in of a zombie apocolypse make sure that you have chain saws, baseball bats, shotguns, and plenty of ammunition stocked in both your server social communities may, believe it or not, revolve room and office in well organized cabinets. Break out the P-Touch labeller and make sure everything is well marked. Have a sign out around random things like bacon, zombies or sheet on the cabinet and make sure you restock anything that is taken regularly. unicorns (yep, we’re serious!). Or, they may even be poking fun at a product or service (or how it’s The Zombie Apocalypse and You marketed). What’s the easiest way to connect with Backup Group them amid these off-the-beaten path topics or Jun 04, 2012 at 01:47 PM Katie D. IT Vendor respond if you’re the target? Dive in, be human, and poke fun at your own company! You’ll be I know I’m not the only one who’s seen news articles about the CDC’s latest comment on the zombie apocalypse. First surprised how doing so will build authenticity for they said there is one, and now they claim there’s nothing to be worried about. I took a few moments to give you my view you and your brand in the eyes of these IT guys of the situation. What do you think? and gals. 2 5 Keys to connecting with it pros in social communities
- 4. 2 Don’t shy away from a healthy debate. Rant warning... I’m DONE with ... Backup Group IT pros love a good debate. Not because they Jun 22, 2012 at 02:31 PM - Keith C. IT Pro like to argue, but mainly because they love to be right. Their specialized skills and technical One of the worst experiences I’ve ever had with an upgrade ... EVER! knowledge are a badge of honor and they’re not afraid to wear it on their sleeves – or to tell you if they think you’re wrong! Jul 25, 2012 at 02:45 PM - Matt S. IT Vendor We can learn a lot more by listening to the The key is to respond, not react. It’s not about being group than we can by rushing into rebut points agressive or taking a defensive posture. It’s simply we may not like or agree with. about making your first response one that shows you’re listening and open to discussing and debating – not Jul 26, 2012 at 07:26 AM - Keith C. IT Pro simply defending. Share technical facts and figures, but Good merit shown by joining the discussion also ask them for more feedback. In the end, talking with them instead of at them will work wonders. And your willingness to engage in a good, healthy debate is an important first step in gaining credibility and winning their trust and loyalty. 5 Keys to connecting with it pros in social communities 3
- 5. one it pro provides a candid review of a white paper ... 3 Stay away from the marketing-speak. Reviews If you act like more of a marketer than a person and try to “spin” instead of RoguePacket - nov 12, 2011 directly address an issue or answer a marketing-speak on endpoint “security”. imprecise on Marketing-speak on endpoint “security”. Imprecise on how exactlyis operating, and if it is a stand-alone how exactly it it is operating, and if it is a question, IT pros will call you on it. stand-alonepart of a layered strategy. product or product or a part of a layered strategy. Being human and fully transparent will go a long another it pro lays down the law ... way. Respect them and their technical savvy. Stay away from buzzwords and canned marketing messages and stick to facts. If you don’t know no marketing speak! we're it IT guys, we’re not No marketing speak! We’re guys, we're not something, don’t be afraid to tell them so. And let interested in making it sound good to the CEO. interested in making it sound good to the ceo them know you’ll find an answer for them. Not We’re interested in how it works and how it we're interested in how it works and how it makes only will they appreciate your honesty, they’ll also our lives easier. easier. makes our lives appreciate your efforts to help them get the info - Kenneth M. IT Pro they’re looking for. 4 5 Keys to connecting with it pros in social communities
- 6. 4 Give ‘em a peek behind the curtain. IT pros love to tinker. They’re the kids who took the radio apart and (maybe) put it back together. This fascination and natural curiosity on how things are built led them Inside the Data Center with OnR amp to becoming the IT pros they are today. Data Center Gr oup Apr 18, 2012 at 09:24 AM Indulge this curious nature by giving IT pros a “glimpse Tell us about your datacenter. How do you keep it up and running securely? inside” of something at your company. Whether it be What's unique about OnRamp? the interior view of a product or the longer-term view of a product roadmap, IT pros love getting to feel like Power Usage : they’re getting special privileges like exclusive access or center in texas to be powered by 100% green energy. sneak peeks. what makes onramp unique is that we take But don’t stop there! Ask them for feedback and insight the time to understand the business on what you’ve shown them. Then, use that feedback requirements and help translate them into customized solutions. and let it guide further discussions or even product planning and marketing campaigns. Aside from a real-time focus group, you’ll gain an entirely new - Don W. IT Vendor level of loyalty and “followership” when you actually incorporate that insight directly into your initiatives. 5 Keys to connecting with it pros in social communities 5
- 7. 5 Close the loop with your own feedback. Don’t leave ‘em hanging. If you ask for Our Response to Bloatware/Trialware insight or feedback, make sure they know OEM Group that their input is appreciated and will May10, 2012 at 03:56 PM - Priscilla J. IT Vendor be acted upon. Then, don’t just tell them that you’ve listened, show them by sharing Behind the scenes, one of Behindhp executives and a what you’ve done to change a product, our the scenes, one of our executives and a manager manager continously service or communication. continuously encouraged me to encouraged me to pass on pass on feedback from Spiceworks feedback from spiceworks Did you change your product specs or about bloatware which I did. We about bloatware which i did. service offering or make changes in how you listened! hp listened! communicate based on feedback from users? Let ‘em know. They appreciate being asked for their opinions in the first place. But they’ll love you for actually listening and doing something meaningful with the info. Now, get started… Keep the lines of communication open and consistent with your strongest advocates. They’ll continue to talk about your company and products and share what they know with other users – your prospects! The more you engage with IT pros on their turf (and on their terms) – the more hearts, minds (and followers!) you’ll win. You’ll find the effort you put into social community outreach takes your brand, your products, and your company that much further. In the end, you’ll be more effective at getting your messages in front of the people who are managing the purse strings for their company’s tech spend. Spiceworks, as a community of over 2M IT professionals, provides a unique view, insight and path to reaching more than 25% of the world’s SMBs. Visit us at spiceworks.com/marketing to learn more and understand how to optimize your IT marketing with IT buyers.