AddingValue Blog

by Randle Stonier, CEO, AddingValue

 

Benjamin Franklin, who as far as I know is not on Twitter, once said that it takes many good deeds to earn a reputation and just one bad deed to lose it. If this was true in Franklin's day, how much more apt it is in the world of social media. Just ask Stuart MacLennan (and if you are thinking ‘who’s he?’ then the point has been made irrefutably).

We can influence our reputation, we can hope to build it in a certain direction, but in reality, we are indebted to others for the state of our reputation and the reputation of our events. Reputation is earned.

To keep a handle on our social media status, AddingValue uses Trackur, socialmention.com,123people.com and Tweetdeck and we regularly search the main search engines for any brand or personnel name references – just in case. However, there are many other tools, their usefulness dictated by size, budget and interest.

Why do we bother? After all, a survey commissioned by Citibank and conducted by GfK Roper found that some businesses see little reason to leap onto the social-network bandwagon.

Based on interviews in late August last year, with 500 executives running businesses with fewer than 100 employees, the survey said that 76 percent of them found sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to be of little help in finding new business leads and that 86 percent of those questioned have not used social-networking sites to look for business advice or information.

 
According to Maria Veltre, executive vice president of Citibanks's Small Business Segment, the survey: “… suggests that small-business owners are still feeling their way into social media, particularly when it comes to using these tools to grow their businesses. While social media can provide additional channels to network and help grow a business, many small businesses may not have the manpower or the time required take advantage of them.”

So who cares about AddingValue’s reputation?

Our shareholders certainly do, as does our staff. Everybody who works here wants to be proud, not embarrassed, when they tell their friends and family who they work for. Our suppliers care a lot – they don’t want to see us collapse overnight. Our competitors have sleepless nights worrying what business we’ll win next, so they keep an active eye on whatever we’re up to; our clients want to be sure that they are doing business with a good partner; and our prospects want assurance that if they buy our services, they will not be embarrassed or hauled up for not doing their due diligence properly.

We think social media – and the way we handle it - it is crucial. I would suggest you take social media as seriously as you take any other aspect of your business. If you care what others think about you:

1.         Don’t dismiss social media out of hand.  Master it now, before it can turn around and bite you.

2.         Keep your grip on it. Social media is everyone’s responsibility. It is about reputation management, PR and influencer outreach, customer service and social customer relationship management, channel marketing, and human resources.

3.         Be crystal-clear about who in your organisation can use social media and why.  Give the power to key people in different functions, who should use social media for defined different purposes.

4.         Don’t waste time on futile turf wars.

5.         Monitor and measure social media strategies - your own and your competitors.

The sooner you get a grip of what people are saying about your brand and plan how you will respond and manage those relationships, the more successful you will be in social media. This area is still relatively new and no company has a 100 per cent track record. As we keep hearing on our news bulletins at the moment – there is everything to play for.

 

By Tina Morris, Managing Director,
AddingValue Events

Passion, like laughter and Gary Barlow’s melodies, is contagious. I was given a great example of this scientific fact recently when the AddingValue events team worked with Peugeot on the launch of the new RCZ model to the dealer network.  Everybody involved in the launch demonstrated truckloads of enthusiasm which was transferred to AddingValue events team. We were thrilled to be part of a project generating so much energy and commitment.

Mind you, the sleek sexy nature of the product was a help. The bold new design, a funky rear screen and low-slung style has garnered praise in the press.  The Sun said it was the ‘sexiest Peugeot for years - but it has character too’; the Telegraph called it ‘gorgeous’; and Top Gear magazine said: ‘ (It)... may just be 308 in a dress, but it's an immensely sexy dress that men like us would quite like to wear’! No wonder all the management team at Peugeot are driving this car, and that all employees want to drive one. I’ve have worked with Peugeot since 1985 and not since the 205GTI have I seen such excitement.


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Right now, AddingValue is running a five-and-a-half week customer service training programme for Peugeot and Citroen, three-and-a-half weeks of which are up at the company’s offices at Pinley House, in Coventry. We are spending a lot of time there and it is evident that everyone is really upbeat about the RCZ.

Now, you might say ‘So what? Isn’t every company bullish about its own brands?’ and I’d have to answer ‘Not always.’ It makes a real refreshing difference when a client is clearly exhilarated by its products and it has rubbed off on us – everyone at AddingValue loves the RCZ too.


The dealer launch took place at the Battersea Evolution in London in January (yes, we defied the horrendous weather!) during Peugeot’s National Business Meeting and it was immediately clear that it was going to be a winner. Don’t just take my word for it – have look at the Facebook site, which is great example of using social media to promote your brand (more of which anon) and also take a look at this video coverage.

I could go on but, by now, I think you’ve got the message – at the risk of sounding like an Agony Aunt, I’ll sum up by saying that if you are genuinely excited by what you are doing, chances are you partners will be too...

By Randle Stonier
CEO, AddingValue

The World Wide Web is becoming a more gregarious place – but many British business leaders remain to be convinced of the value of social media.  The McCann Erickson UK Social Media survey shows that more than half of the UK’s leading marketing experts are “not up to speed” with social media as a marketing and communications tool. Two thirds (65.6%) of marketers in the survey said they do not have adequate knowledge on how to use social media correctly in marketing.

We are here to help. You don’t need to be an internet guru to know that in a weak economy, it is essential to focus on your best customers.  Building online communities is really all about connecting with customers and building deeper relationship.

 If you’ve read this far, you’re obviously open to the idea that online communities can improve your business. What’s the next step?




1 Don’t start with the technology
You’ll be relieved to know that you don’t have to grow a pony tail and buy a baseball cap – nor should you immediately hire someone with these things. First, work out what you want your community to achieve. Are you hoping to build supplier relations; attract new clients; improve the existing clients’ experience; network with competitors and allies; all of the above?

2 Who’s allowed to join? 
Based on your answers to the questions raised in the previous paragraph, you will decide who the community members will be - existing clients; potential clients; suppliers; other players in your sector. Your community’s success or failure will flow from getting this right or wrong. Participation is crucial, and the best way to make sure this happens is fulfil a genuine need.

3 Measure up
How will you measure your community’s achievement and return on investment? If you don’t know what success looks like, you won’t recognise it when it arrives.  Some sensible metrics include:
Activity levels: page views, members, blog posts, comments, and time spent on site
Sales leads and an increase in revenues
Getting talked about – in a good way
Not getting talked about in a bad way
 
4 Make a new plan Stan
No community flourishes in isolation. Yours must be the central point for all marketing efforts across your business. And that means planning. If you want to drive membership and user engagement, you will need community-specific marketing activities, such as contests, members-only content, giveaways, and rewards. Each marketing campaign must encourage customers to join and participate in your community thereby maintaining awareness of your brand and encouraging people to talk about it.

5 Show me the money
That is, if you have decided to monetize your site – it may be that your site is aimed at non-monetary targets, keeping competitive and in touch with your customers’ needs for example.
But if monetization is a key aim than you should consider one of the following;
- Advertising. Classic display advertising, forum and group Sponsorships, Pre- or post-roll video ads (the ads you see before and after a video plays), ad overlays (ads that take up the bottom third of the video), and partnerships through which you can products featured in videos can be bought, all help you generate revenue.
- E-commerce. Integrate the online buying process and translate customer excitement into immediate sales.
- Pay-to-participate. Users pay a membership fee to receive members-only content (similar to online magazine subscriptions) or a nominal entry fee to participate in a contest or tournament.   

Through careful planning you can quickly establish a vibrant and attractive online community. Isn’t it time you joined the conversation?
 

By Randle Stonier
CEO, AddingValue


What Twitter provides and then some, a few thoughts from us:-
 

• “An alternative medium that lets you listen widely and communicate specifically.”
•  “Transparency ensures people don’t hear the anonymous body corporate but listen to a specific individual making the engagement more personal.”
•  “A place to share and consume where you can cut out the clutter and focus on the rich and relevant.”
•  “A real-time search engine that lets you filter by specific sources of your choice and that you value saving you time and making the results richer and more relevant.”
•  “A medium for listening and analysing that’s succinct, incisive and often rewarding.”
•  “A traffic generator, helping to build your network of followers, prospective customers and promotional participants.”
•  “A means to meet new people, to create new connections that helps expand your network.”
•  “A way to talk about what you are doing right now, a feedback mechanism and a vehicle for discussion.”

And richer thoughts from them:-

5 ways I benefit from Twitter

50 ideas on using Twitter for business

Research by Vanson Bourne in 2009 surveyed around 500 SMEs and estimates 700,000 UK small businesses are now using Twitter (i.e. 1 in 6 of the total UK SME population):-

Nearly one in five (17%) SMEs surveyed said they were tweeting regularly, with more than a quarter (28%) of those signing up over the last 4 weeks.

According to the research marketing and recruitment cost savings are cited as the main benefits of the much hyped micro-blogging service.  One in ten firms claim to have saved £5,000 by using Twitter and nearly a third £1,000.

In addition to the 74% who highlight cost savings and marketing advantages, small businesses found the service useful for keeping in touch with customers and suppliers (42%), monitoring competitors (34%) and generally feeling the benefit of being connected to other small companies (28%).

The simplicity of Twitter may also be seen as a plus.  Four in ten say they are using it more than either LinkedIn or Facebook.

A video guide on how to get started on twitter – signing up and setting up.

 

By Randle Stonier
CEO, AddingValue

Introduction

Leeds Metropolitan University (LMU), the UK's leading university in event management, through the country's first Centre for Excellence in Event Management (UKCEM) have just awarded me an honourary doctorate.

As you can imagine, this is a great personal honour. I remember as a 6 year old winning a school raffle for a budgerigar (it was a few years ago) - this was another budgerigar moment - I was all at once stunned, delighted, disbelieving and so so happy - things like that don't happen to me. And my mother is once again in a state of shock.

Back in 1995, I came across a small article in one for the events magazines saying that Leeds Metropolitan University was considering introducing a degree in events management and requesting feedback from the industry. I dropped them a note, saying it was an excellent idea and that if I could help please give me a shout. Never slow off the mark they replied asking for input from a practitioner and employer's persective, and so I became "an industrial advisor" - something akin to a vision technican (a window cleaner). I went on to become an external examiner for LMU's BA (Hons) and HND in their Events Management course for six years and continued to work with them on various projects.

Growth & Courses in Events

Since the early days of 1996, Event Management at Leeds Metropolitan University has gone from strength to strength, from an initial 35 undergraduates to a 2009/10 freshers intake of some 450 students, and the faculty have developed a raft of events courses and strands. On a full-time or part-time basis, students can study from degrees to postgraduate certificates, diplomas and masters programmes. These include:-

 

• BA/BA (Hons) in Events Management,
• BSc in Sports Events Management
• BA/BA(Hons) in Conference & Exhibitions Management,
• BA/BA(Hons) in Event Fundraising & Sponsorship
• BA/BA(Hons) in Managing Cultural & Major Events,

post graduate qualifications:-

 

• Certificate, Diploma or MSc in International Events Management,
• Certificate, Diploma or MSc by distance learning in Events Management,
• Diploma or MA in Responsible Events,
• Diploma or MSc in International Festivals Management,
• Certificate, Diploma or MSc in Sports Event Management

 

Randle Stonier, CEO of AddingValue, receives an honorary doctorate in education for services to events management from LMU.

LMU/UKCEM have also developed short courses designed to address specific industry professional development needs including courses related to event planning, marketing, finance, risk management and evaluation. Why the need for standards in Events I've been asked why? Why did I believe that back in the early 90's we needed a set of standards to emerge in Events Management, why did we need to professionalise the industry? In short, fully-fledged professionalisation carries the virtuous badge of statutorily underwritten integrity and expertise centred on a carefully policed register, codes of ethics and credentialism.

credentialism. We have an increasingly diverse, discerning and demanding population, including corporate and public bodies as well as individual audiences. Back in the 80's and 90's incidents and issues arose all linked to the need for rising standards and quality, which would in turn gave rise to more legislation.

This, coupled with growing international competition, and the subsequent need to generally 'do more with less', 'do better', provide consistency and transparent qualifications, meant we needed a lot less of the enthusiastic amateur (and dog) operating from their front room delivering self catered events, unintentionally providing vol au vents filled with e-colli, or parachuting groups into remote landscapes devoid of risk assessments, contingency plans and medivacs and a lot more professionalism. Professionally recognised qualifications whether from trade bodies or universities have a huge role to play in this journey.

Leeds Met - helped raise standards in the events industry

Since LMU's first events management graduate course, I've watched that baby grow - not only walk and talk but sing and tap dance. It has been an immense priviledge to work with a highly dedicated academic team (both past and present) and even more so, to experience at first hand the raw enthusiasm and progressive talent of successive waves of Leeds Met events graduates. It's more than compensated for having to wear a Dreamcoat gown and a dodgy hat.

Speaking as a doc, my prognosis is for increasing excellence in events, we just have to ensure we are now rewarded appropriately for this enhanced professionalism.