I Love Rewards & Recogni(zing) that something is, well, Different.

I came across a new HR product that doesn't neatly fit into an existing product category. Yet, it's not a new category either. The company/product I am referring to is I Love Rewards.

More on them later.

But first, let's talk categories.

There are lots of product categories in the HR marketplace. It's a vast and diverse space. So vast that a rising tide in this market rarely lifts all vendors. It can be raining on some HR product categories while others are enjoying clear skies and bright sunshine - we've witnessed this on an extreme level the last several years. Trust me, this is unique as not all industries have such economic diversity (which by the way, happens to be an HR product category).

From the clouds (not the Internet ones) the HR "marketplace" is quite simple to conceptualize. It consists of the products and services that relate to locating, hiring, compensating, managing/developing, retaining and eventually saying farewell to employees. Strategically, it's about putting the right people in the right positions to drive business performance.

But when you come down from the clouds and get into the trenches you begin to appreciate just how vast, diverse and complex the space is:

Vast: Every organization with employees will need one or more HR products. That's big time demand folks (and one reason why so many smaller HR vendors flourish).

Diverse: There are a lot of products (the 'categories') that help companies locate, hire, compensate, manage, develop, retain and retire/terminate employees.

Complex: When you're dealing with people - and HR is ultimately all about people - it's always complicated. What makes the HR marketplace so complex is that there are hundreds of product categories associated with the function of human resources and these categories don't operate in independent silos. They are all interrelated components to a larger ecosystem that in itself is constantly evolving - like Big Bang meets String Theory meets HR.

Adding to this complexity is the seemingly constant emergence of new disruptive technologies. Most recently, "cloud" and "social". And every time, we assume the new technology will "change everything" (remember the paradigm shifts of the '90s). But eventually most HR vendors who need to adapt and weave these strange new technologies into their offerings (lets not forget that delivering HR products over the Internet was once considered science fiction).

What's happened, perhaps a result of technology advances, is that more and more HR products are cutting across multiple 'categories' (think end-to-end - gosh I hate that phrase).

All this makes the marketing, positioning and even the use of these HR products increasingly complex. (Selfishly, this complexity has been good for our own HRmarketer software - a product that aggregates the right HR marketplace information and gives HR vendors the tools to effectively use this information in their marketing and PR).

OK. With categories covered we can get back to I Love Rewards.

What's the product category?

I Love Rewards describes themselves as "an employee recognition solution that helps companies recognize brilliant performance and empowers employees to choose their own rewards. Unlike traditional service award programs, I Love Rewards creates authentic moments of recognition that resonate with workers of every generation."

Their words, not mine.

Product category?

Simple. Rewards & Recognition, right?

Not so fast.

I had the opportunity at the recent WorldAtWork Total Rewards Conference to speak with I Love Rewards Solution Specialist Rob Bianchin who gave me an in-depth look at the company's software. I was truly impressed. There are a ton of amazing HR products but when you take the time to understand this company's offering you quickly realize something is, well, different.

This is not a commercial for I Love Rewards. I single them out because they are an example of a refreshingly new type of HR vendor that is effectively using disruptive technologies to offer an "HR" solution that cuts across multiple product categories and gets to one of the core strategic functions of HR - to help companies identify and retain key talent while recognizing and rewarding the specific behavior's of these "achievers" to drive business results.

My words, not theirs.

This transcends beyond the typical reactive recognition program to a product that can have a direct and lasting impact on recruiting, retention, development, communication/morale, customer service, sales and even employee wellness. All of which drive business performance and impact revenue and profitability (and the company can actually measure the impact that their product has on much of this stuff).

You tell me - is this just rewards and recognition?

I don't think so.

Honestly, I'm not sure how to categorize their offering. This is not about taking an established HR product category and dressing it up with some social cloudiness technologies (don't get me wrong as there is value in doing that). This seems to be an entirely new type of HR product.

Will the company succeed?

I have no idea. I've been in business long enough to realize one cannot predict with absolute certainty who succeeds and who doesn't. Too many variables go into achieving business success and even the best of companies cannot control each variable. It's a long, long, long marathon, not a sprint.

But one thing I can promise - I Love Rewards will disrupt the "rewards and recognition" and perhaps other HR product categories. It's a refreshing new product that regardless of what happens will have a significant and positive impact on the HR marketplace.

Take some time to learn about what they do - and you too will learn something.

Post by HRmarketer CEO Mark Willaman. Join Mark on LinkedIn and Twitter.

I want to buy from them again! The experience was that good!

Recently my husband purchased something through e-bay (and if you know my husband, that is almost an everyday occurrence like getting out of bed, brushing your teeth, taking the dog for a walk, buying something from e-bay. That’s his day.) He bought it through a company called blinq.com, and he said that it went wonderfully smooth. Clear concise details, easy to read and using the proper “lingo” and all the shipping information he needed to make a decision. The purchase even arrived before they indicated it would which is also a lovely surprise – but it was the packing slip, giving full information of internal staff that worked on the order (if I needed the reference) that really took our attention. It was done with a twist.

Here is what it said:

Hello John – Good Buy!

You snagged that deal just in time … it was gone in a blinq!

Hello! Grand Gadget Guru OptoroW. Received your item, vetted it like an overbearing mother-in-law, and welcomed it to the family on May 1, 2011.

Deal! Bargain Hunter Extraordinaire John Jackson (You!) spotted an amazing deal, did a two-minute happy dance, then quickly placed the order on May 2, 2011.

So Long! International Super Spy Peter J. received your top-secret order notification, parachuted in, and hand-picked each item on May 3, 2011.

Good Buy! Double Black-Belt Ninja Aaron N. expertly packaged your order, recited a farewell haiku, and sent it on its way May 3, 2011.

Can you say that your customer service is this much fun? This accurate? Gives this much information? Can you even say that you have customer service?

I would like to think that I give exquisite customer service at HRmarketer, attention to detail, take as much time as my clients need and go over the top with performance. I would encourage any of my clients who might read this to post in the comments if they have NOT received great customer service from me. Look out because you will certainly be “smothered with the Rita love”.

What can you do to truly understand if you offer customer service that is worthy of the value of your product, and that is the key – if you feel that your solution is valuable and worthy to the industry, you need to respect your company, your employees and especially your clients to back it up with “BEYOND” customer service.

How can you figure it out? I would say the first step is admitting that you need to improve this – NOW. Word of mouth can make or break a product offering and a company – seriously. Even the big guys.

SelfGrowth.com – the Online Self Improvement Community has a wonderful, albeit fairly obvious, list of “The 10 Guidelines for Successful Customer Service” . To these I would like to add:

* Doing exit interviews with outgoing customer service representatives

* Rewarding employees who have done a great job in a customer service situation

* Approach a company that you know is doing an outstanding job – even if it is a competitor. You might be surprised how willing they are to assist you in making the industry a well thought of and respected part of the industry.

* Never shake your head and say – “I don’t believe it”. Truly be honest with what you hear, and strive to make it right.

All this to say – You can have the BEST product or solution out there. You may have the most BRILLIANT technology and development team. You may have the most TALENTED sales and support staff. But if you do not have a quick, efficient, thorough and caring Customer Service team – Just call it quits now.

PS – we certainly do intend to buy from Blinq.com again. We loved the experience.

Content Marketing: To require registration, or give it away, or possibly both?

OK Marketers, how do you handle your content? Do you require every prospect, client, or visitor, to fill out a form to get your content? Do you mix it up and give some things away for free and require registration for others for lead gen purposes?

We do quite a bit of content marketing for ourselves and for our retainer clients. For our own content, like our Annual HR Buyers Report , or even our latest eBook, The Right Mix: A B2B Marketing Allocation Guide for 2011, we did not require registration.

Many marketers are of the mindset to give away content because more people will read it and share it when there are no barriers (no form required). David Meerman Scott and his book “World Wide Rave” speaks to this concept of letting control of your marketing. And yet, there are a lot of marketers who don’t do this for various reasons – they fear “losing control” of the results of their campaigns, or there is the pressure from Sales for leads, leads, leads.

What got me thinking about this subject again is that I receive emails every day from a particular marketing firm that is a HUGE proponent of content marketing. I’ve participated in many of their webcasts and downloaded their content over the past few years. And yet, for EVERY new email I receive offering their latest report, article, etc., I have to fill out the same form. And it’s not even what I would consider a short form, asking for name, email, company. They have 10 REQUIRED fields, yes 10, before you can download their content!

So some questions popped in my mind:

1. Is this company’s content so valuable, is their brand so respected that they can require everyone to provide all that information every time?
   
   There is always the fine line with forms of how much information to ask – not wanting a prospect to give up filling out the form because it’s too long, or they don’t feel the content is valuable enough to give up their contact information.
   
   
2. If you must have a form, should you require known prospects to go through the barrier of the form every time?
   
   What about designing marketing campaigns so that prospects that are engaged: i.e. they open your emails, they click on the links, etc., don’t have to take the time to fill out the long form yet again. It is possible to give them a direct link to the content, bypassing the form. Then use the form only for newer prospects.

With the latest email I received, I was interested in the content, I clicked on the link and saw the same darn form and I gave up! I didn’t want to take the time to fill it out again. I wonder if anyone else on their “list” feels the same way?

So how do you handle your content campaigns and forms? I’d love to hear what other marketers are doing and how it’s working for you.

Dahli Lama, Charlie Sheen, Social Media and Influencing the B2B Marketplace.

HRmarketer team member Dawn Passaro had the opportunity to see his Holiness the Dahli Lama when he visited Long Beach, CA recently. His efforts on behalf of human rights were recognized as part of Amnesty International’s 50th anniversary celebration. It was an historic occasion, and he was humble, in the face of receiving the inaugural "Shine a Light" award. He is a visionary with very down to earth solutions to problems.

Dawn described the experience to me with this email:

"During his acceptance speech, He described his interactions with the Government of China over the past decades. He said that sometime around 1979 he was able to negotiate with the Chinese Government, but he was unsuccessful. He spoke of his long and determined efforts to achieve his goal, lasting years and decades. He is still struggling with this same goal.

I think businesses can learn something from the Dahli Lama's approach.

Determination, and vision, coupled with small achievable goals is the key to making significant progress. His example inspires us to remember that continuing to make efforts every day will yield long term success.

I was surprised when He mentioned social media. The Dahli Lama has a Facebook page! And he Tweets.

Who knew he was so tech-savy?"

The topic of social media influence came up as he described his efforts to encourage the Chinese Government to recognize Tibet. He told of the (on-the-whole) unsuccessful results.

But something has changed since the advent of Social Media, and it has given him hope. It appears that there is a grassroots support by some citizens of China and he credits social media for some of this progress.

He was able to reach "groups" of Chinese people who support this common cause; more importantly – they found each other. In spite of the risks social media can bring to individuals he pointed out that because of Social Media, many Chinese citizens are better able to reach out to each other, and to the Tibetans still in China. He has seen the result - human rights supporters have more impact that ever before. It was a hopeful viewpoint, and one that supports a belief in the power of social media to influence positive change.

Maybe we can be invigorated and inspired by his view. Slow and steady wins the race, or at least, keeps you in the race!

In B2B market segments including human resources, companies are increasingly attempting to use social media to "influence" buyers. As a result of this demand we are seeing numerous new technologies that attempt to identify or rank "influencers". In fact, our own HRmarketer.com software is in the process of developing algorithms and technologies to help human resource vendors identify the most "influential" media outlets, journalists, conferences, analysts, etc.

But in B2B can social media or social media "influencers" (whatever that means) really influence people to buy your products?

Saul Colt, the self proclaimed smartest man in the world, takes a humorous look at social media's influence in his blog post If Charlie Sheen told you to jump out a window: A lesson in Influence.

But there is more serious research on the topic that a recent Information Week article titled Online Influencers: How The New Opinion Leaders Drive Buzz On The Web summarizes.

In this article, Dave Balter, CEO of BzzAgent, says "We actually believed in the idea that influentials drove market trends….but upon closer look, we found out it didn't add up. Today, when a client comes in with the goal of influencing the influentials we tell them that's fools' gold. It sounds really great, it sounds really sexy, but the results simply don't fly."

And Duncan J. Watts, professor of sociology at Columbia University who studies networked communities, recently conducted research that indicates there is no hard evidence that the long-held belief in opinion leaders as, well, leaders, has any basis in fact.

So what's a marketer to do?

The buying process in B2B is complex and we wrote about this extensively in our recent e-book, The Right Mix: A B2B Marketing Allocation Guide.

In our e-book we discuss the role of social media to help companies raise awareness about their company/products, strengthen our brands, and monitor what others are saying. It helps us position our organizations – and our company leaders – as trusted subject matter experts and thought leaders and improve relationships with customers, the business press and other key audiences.

But does it influence?

There is little evidence that suggest your actual buyers are even paying much attention to the the social media chatter. I have had conversations recently with several CEOs of established HR vendors who tell me they have given up on social media because their buyers are not paying attention.

Ouch.

We're not sure anyone really knows who the real influencers are and who exactly is paying attention to them. And the truth is it’s extremely difficult to measure the results of your social media efforts. But it would be a huge mistake to ignore social media in your marketing plan. Conversely, allocating all your resources to social media at the expense of other, more traditional marketing and PR tactics is a huge mistake.

Marc Cantor, founder of Macromedia and CEO of Broadband Mechanics, divides online marketing into first, second, and third-level strategies. First-level strategies are the traditional mass-media campaigns. Second-level campaigns are more subtle and involve "giving something to the community" (e.g., useful educational content). The third-tier approach is to "circle the end user experience with a compelling product, and let people decide for themselves what's in it for them. It involves listening to consumers and actually giving them what they want."

Well said.

Effective marketing means you are investing in a broad range of marketing activities to move buyers from awareness to purchase: distributing a steady stream of news and content through a variety of distribution points, attending conferences, direct marketing (email and print), advertising (on and off line), speaking, awards, webcasts, etc., etc, etc.. Each tactic, including your social media initiatives, plays a unique and important role in moving buyers through the buying process.

As for relying on social media and the "influencers" to do all this for you. Not going to happen.

In B2B marketing, the tried and tested fundamentals are still relevant and critical for long term success.

Stay tuned for more on this topic. HRmarketer will be releasing a position paper on social media and influence later this year.

Post by HRmarketer CEO Mark Willaman and Dawn Passaro. Join Mark on LinkedIn and Twitter.

So, What’s the Big Deal about Hashtags (#)?

If you use Twitter, you probably know about #hashtags. If you don’t, then WOW are you ever missing so much! Twitter users identify tweets with specific hashtags to make them easily “findable”. Or search for tweets by hashtags to find topics of interest to them and their business – like #staffing, #SHRM11, #justsayin, #katyperry and just about anything you can think of. Attend a webinar and follow the hashtag to see the twitter “conversation” during and after the webinar. And more and more conferences are using hashtags for their events so that twitter users can follow along and join in the twitter "discussions" about the conference.

Hashtags, which started organically by twitter users several years ago, are a wonderful tool in blocking out the noise on twitter – i.e. pulling out of the thousands tweets each day information that is of interest to you.

As a marketer would you find it useful to access the tweets about a specific conference to see what attendees and exhibitors thought of the event? What did attendees like, what were the hot session topics, what were vendors saying about the expo? Let’s face it, exhibiting at conferences can be very expensive and getting this kind of historical information can be an invaluable piece of measurement. This kind of unsolicited feedback would be helpful in deciding to participate in the conference next year, right?

But a key sticking point to using twitter hashtags as a research/planning tool is that twitter doesn’t store tweets for more than a week, so accessing this kind historical data could be challenging. But if it were stored somewhere, would it be seen of as a great resource? I can hear the roar of YES’s all over the place. Good.

This week HRmarketer.com is adding “Event Twitter Hashtag” data to our Conferences & Expos Database Profiles. HRmarketer.com software users can now find the event hashtags and monitor the tweets directly from their account. And once the event ends, we will “archive” the tweets that were posted during the event so users can view the previous year’s “conversation” for that event.

Check it out . . . another cool tool to help busy marketing and PR pros!