TMCnet Online Community News
TSG's Marketing Mix: A Two-Part Online Community Case Study
Part 1
After TSG Global went to a trade show in 2010 to demonstrate their products and services, they quickly realized that they needed a way to further build their brand awareness and distinguish their powerful technology in the market place. As Noah E. Rafalko, CEO of TSG puts it: “[Being at the trade show] showed us we needed to invest more into education and bringing this revolutionary but very well-known technology to the forefront.” Education was a key objective of TSG’s marketing campaign from the onset and in 2011 they determined to start an initiative to boost all marketing activities and focus more attention on them than ever before.
What did this new era of marketing look like for TSG? Starting with support and drive from the top-down, new initiatives were brought on board such as SEO strategies, blogging, social media, educational content and an online community with TMCnet. The end goal? Make it easy for people to find TSG and view them as the industry leader.
Educate or Perish
What prompted this need for a boost in marketing efforts? Rafalko explains that with the rise of popularity of mobile interactions, the ability for companies to communicate with their customers via text message is a “revolutionary engagement” because companies can “communicate with them at whatever level is most comfortable to them.” This is the wave of the future, and one that businesses are still grappling with understanding how it will affect them, and benefit them, in the future. And, as one of the earliest adopters of this technology, TSG is in the perfect position to educate the marketplace about the implications of utilizing this service. Another challenge TSG was faced with was that not many people understood or knew about the use of long-code for text messaging, so the initiatives launched by TSG were focused on increasing people’s knowledge in this space, a knowledge that has, according to Rafalko, “started to grow” as a result of their marketing efforts.
As any marketer has realized in the past few years, customers are picky about when and where they receive information, and are very focused on “on-demand” information (which really just means “give me the information I need right when I’m looking for it.”) TSG’s technology allows companies to give this power to their consumers, which would require a large shift in the way communications between these two parties currently happens. By using online content through social networks and their online community, TSG is able to share their deep knowledge of how this technology works and benefits businesses with the broader community. And, with a sharp SEO focus, high-ranking online community and placement on a high-traffic media site, their content is accessible for interested audiences quickly and easily.
An online community with TMC (News - Alert) was a natural fit for TSG, who decided to integrate the site into their broader marketing strategy after realizing that it would be a great way for people to learn who TSG is and what they do. Other initiatives TSG implemented included re-building their own company website with SEO, getting more involved with social media sites like Twitter (News - Alert) and HubSpot, and blogging.
Content at the Center of TSG’s Marketing Campaign
In addition to SEO, social media and blogging, TSG was also focused on developing educational pieces, press releases and articles throughout industry websites and their online community. This low-cost activity started to make a real impact for TSG, as they state “people started finding us, and we started ranking in the search engines when people were looking for solutions.” The content developed through the TMC online communities supports this initiative, as regular articles get written about Text Messaging for TSG’s site every month. Producing enough content to meet their goals originally posed a challenge for TSG, however Rafalko states that “this is where TMC comes in. TMC casts a very wide web, so if anyone is looking for solutions they are going to find us one way or another.”
Working with a TMC editor has been a benefit for TSG in getting enough online content developed to meet their marketing goals. Rafalko states, “the [Text Messaging] channel is perfect. It’s clear why I chose TMC; [we want to reach] a very specific audience and space and we worked very hard to build our community, so introducing it into the right “pond’ is key.” TMC worked with TSG to find the right “ponds” to target with their channel content, and therefore can provide industry news and content to their audience in a streamlined and targeted way.
Online community sponsors must be focused on contributing content to their sites in addition to the content that’s being developed on their behalf by TMC. As David Vaughan, director of projects at TSG Global writes, “contributing to your channel ensures your information is not stagnant and encourages readers to constantly engage with you to see what's new. The channel is a tool, you would not be buy a shovel and then dig a hole with your hand, you would use the shovel to dig the hole. The ability to increase your reach by using the power of TMC is nothing short of awesome.”
Stay tuned for Part 2 of this case study, which explores the fun things TSG is doing on their site, and their methodology for trying out new marketing techniques.
Join the Discussion: What are your stories of marketing tests, online community content, or social media? Share your reactions and stories – and bring your own innovative techniques – to the Online Communities social sites. Twitter|Facebook|LinkedIn
About TMCnet Online Communities
TMCnet Online Communities are news-generated, content-rich portals that position your company as the leading “go-to resource” for your industry group. TMC has been building Online Communities for over 10 years, and continues to be the market leader at developing these successful sites for our customers. To learn more about the TMCnet Online Community program, please contact Anna Ritchie [email protected] or call 203-852-6800 x 107. You can also visit us online at http://www.tmcnet.com/community.
Anna Ritchie is product manager for TMC's Online Community Program. Previously, she worked as a change and communications practitioner for a global consulting firm, and as a freelance marketing and communications specialist. She received her master's degree in English from Seton Hall University and her bachelor's degree in English from Loyola University.
