The Science of Connecting with SpiceHeads and Art! ^ True stories from the Spiceworks marketing trenches…
Sep 20, 2014
The Science of Connecting with SpiceHeads
and Art! ^
True stories from the Spiceworks marketing trenches…
Jen Slaski Brand + Marketing Communications
Nicole Tanzillo IT Product Marketing
& Education
Science Art
Execution is critical…but it’s the unique, unexpected touches that woo.
Skeptical?
Give us ~30 mins…and trust us.
July 2006: Spiceworks beta launches.
(crickets)
180 days later…
In every single country in the world…
Today: 2.5 million IT pros…
~2000 joining daily. 50% of them FREE.
A crazy little thing called LOVE…
SpiceHeads Babies
Mascot Board Games
Books Blogs
…a real tattoo (seriously)...
(Party-on. Spiceworks. Excellent.)
(flashback)
2006: Real people. Real conversations.
Hi Jon, I’m Jen...I like meatloaf too!””
2008: The good ol’ fashioned truth.
Keepin’ it real… was really effective!
23, 260 views!
Authenticity = the core of our brand..
Personal
Honest Fun!
What do we mean by FUN?!
The 5 “Cs” of connecting with SpiceHeads.
Conversation
Camaraderie
Candor
Creativity
Comedy!
Meet Jeff ‒ Spiceworks IT pro!
The 5 “Cs” of connecting with SpiceHeads.
Conversation
Camaraderie
Candor
Creativity
Comedy!
Conversation: Get to know ‘em.
Ask…listen….learn…respond..
Conversation: Get to know ‘em.
From BERATED….to BRAVE…to BELOVED...
Conversation: Get to know ‘em.
• SpicePanels • Polls • Surveys
• Vendor Pages • Product Pages • Dashboard
The easiest way? Be yourself!
The 5 “Cs” of connecting with SpiceHeads.
Conversation
Camaraderie
Candor
Creativity
Comedy!
Camaraderie: Hang with ‘em.
Connec?on (n): the state of being connected. Camaraderie (n): a spirit of friendly good-‐fellowship!
Camaraderie: Hang with ‘em.
“”Finally, a place where people understand me.”
Camaraderie: Hang with ‘em. “I feel Iike for the first time, I really
GET what SW is all about, it's not
about marketing to you guys and
shoving our products down your
throat, its about being a part of a
community and making sure we
connect with you on a 1x1
level….Thanks for keepin’ it real.”
Camaraderie: Hang with ‘em.
• 114 Worldwide • 16 in Europe • 6 in the UK!
Creativity: Speak their language.
Camaraderie: Help them out. The Hero The Innovator The Champion The Advisor The Guardian The Ar?st
Camaraderie: Help them out.
The Advisor
The Guardian
The Artist
Ummm, what about resources?
The 5 “Cs” of connecting with SpiceHeads.
Conversation
Camaraderie
Candor
Creativity
Comedy!
Candor: Tell IT like it is.
Candor: Show IT like it is.
The 5 “Cs” of connecting with SpiceHeads.
Conversation
Camaraderie
Candor
Creativity
Comedy!
Creativity: Contests and then some…
The 5 “Cs” of connecting with SpiceHeads.
Conversation
Camaraderie
Candor
Creativity
Comedy!
Comedy: Laugh about IT
Comedy: “IT comedy”
Tune into Spiceworks Studios!
The bonus? CONTENT!
One “C” that doesn’t apply?
CHECKLIST.
(pause)
This may go longer than our regularly scheduled programming….but it’ll be worth it.
So, what does this look like in practice? Let’s walk through some present-day examples…& RESULTS.
Conversation
Camaraderie
Candor
Creativity
Comedy!
And one more…
The five “Cs” of Connecting with SpiceHeads.
Jeff’s back for round 2!
Case Study: Conversation Building buzz for MDM… without an announced product.
Timely topic.
Educational content.
Beyond education to conversation.
User content: “IT pros like me…”.
Lots of personality (the bacon suit!).
Practices. Not products.
Case Study: Conversation Building buzz for MDM… without an announced product.
Spice U Webinar Spiceworks Live! Interop Session • 2,000+ Registered • 1,000+ Attended
• 790+ Live Attendees • 190+ Attendees • Standing Room Only
Case Study: Camaraderie Make product training something users relished.
Content with a human touch.
Taught by fellow IT pros.
Injected plenty of humor.
Took training on the road.
Kept costs low with franchise model.
Focused on most impactful classes.
Regional Online • 2,000+ students/year • 45% usage lift • Franchise model w/minimal costs
• 10,000+ students/ year • 15%+ usage lift • Very low costs and lots of scale
Case Study: Camaraderie Make product training something users relish.
Case Study: Candor Start doing right by our MSP users.
Owned up to the situation and had an honest dialogue.
Put them at ease with videos. And bacon.
Sought to understand.
Relationship New Initiatives • Build trust and excitement • MSPs feel “heard”
• “Best of” content • SpiceWorld track • New user email • More…
Case Study: Candor Start doing right by our MSP users.
Case Study: Creativity Making cool videos. Fast & on a budget.
Streamlined production/ creative burden.
Ungated: engage, then drive usage.
Used real people.
Mistakes are okay – humanizing.
Creating tons of “snackable” content.
Video Results • Produced 10+ videos in <1 month • Average time on /tutorials: 15 minutes • Great content for campaigns & support
Case Study: Creativity Making cool videos. Fast & on a budget.
Case Study: Comedy Standing out in a sea of booths.
Designed to draw people in…with fun... And zombies.
Videos were a huge hit.
Game show and money machine
drove tons of traffic.
Real people… not actors. Authentic.
Interop Show Results • Constant booth trafic • 40+ people participating & watching game • 300+ packed SpiceParty
Case Study: Comedy Standing out in a sea of booths.
Case Study: Content Engaging new users right from the start.
Reduced from 5 emails to 1.
Consistent experience across email and web.
Focused on excerpts of relevant topics.
Testing & segmenting like crazy.
Community Series • Open Rate: 23% à 30% • Click-through Rate: 16% à 33% • Unsub Rate: 1.35% to .65% • Excerpts perform 2x better
Case Study: Content Engaging new users right from the start.
Conversation
Camaraderie
Candor
Creativity
Comedy!
Content
The five “Cs” of Connecting with SpiceHeads.
Wanna keep the conversation going? See you in the Tech Marketers Group!