Social Media and Your Professional Services Marketing Mix

By Lee W. Frederiksen, Ph.D.

It seems that just about every conversation I have with a professional services CEO these days eventually turns toward social media. Now perhaps it’s because I’m a social media butterfly (those of you who know me can stop convulsing with laughter now). No, I think it’s because social media is a topic so pervasive in the press (business and popular) that we feel like we’re missing out if we don’t embrace it.

As leaders of our firms, we should be… well, leading. Then along comes this phenomenon — time intensive, intimidating, and not clearly related to important business outcomes. Is it just an expensive waste of time? So we talk amongst ourselves, looking for something solid to grab on to.

Well here’s something solid. A new study on Integrating Social Media into the Marketing Mix was just published by ITSMA. If your not familiar with ITSMA, it’s the association focused on marketing IT services. The survey is comprehensive (277 slides!), but I want to focus on just a handful of take-aways.

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CEOs Weigh in on Government 2.0 at Obama Administration Briefing

By Beth J. Bates, New Media Special Correspondent

On January 14, the Obama administration held a series of events to support its campaign promise to use technology to make government more transparent. A selection of executives and CEOs, largely from the tech sector, were paired with government officials and asked their opinions on how technology could be better used to streamline government programs.

Among those in attendance was Craig Newmark, founder of Craig’s List and Microsoft’s CEO, Steve Ballmer. The administration is pushing for the use of new technology in an effort to improve the efficiency of antiquated government processes using technology similar to the private sector.

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Cloak Yourself in Credibility

Lee W. Frederiksen, Ph.D.

“Cloak yourself in credibility.” That’s the advice Arun Gupta offered to start-up companies trying to gain traction with Venture Capital firms when he participated on a panel at the annual Venture Capital Outlook conference presented by Potomac Tech Wire last week. A partner in Columbia Capital and a very active player in the tech and services arena, Arun knows a thing or two about venture capital. And his comment is obviously right on point for firms seeking venture funding.

What struck me about his advice is how relevant it is to all professional services firms. You see, venture firms are betting on entrepreneurs to solve difficult problems. The same could be said of professional services buyers and the firms they hire. Credibility is the coin of the realm in both cases.

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