Using Social Media to Build Your Brand – Quick Example

Blah-blah-blah: social media this, twitter that, zoominfo those.

What the hell, right?  Okay, so you’re reading a blog.  Whoopadeedoda!  What’s the big deal – just words on a screen, right?  I don’t know who’s reading this.  I don’t know where it’s going to wind up.  I make no money off of this.  Seriously, that’s weird to me.  The whole “if a tree falls in the forest, does anyone give a crap besides the squirrel it flattened?” has some sense of relevance here.

Ah.

Ah ha.

Wait.

I got an e-mail on Monday.  Nice person named Jackie Noblett asking a question (btw, I’m about to gleefully quote a journalist without their permission):

I just found your blog and saw it had a lot of interesting tips on how to use Web 2.0 in your job search. I am a reporter from the Boston Business Journal, and I was wondering if you would be willing to speak with me about how you are using your blog to attract talent to ZoomInfo.

The article came out today – here’s the link.

So here’s the lesson: build your brand online. Get random e-mails from cool journalists.  Win prizes (ie, job offers…).  Be a participant in the wholesale slaughter of the English language (see: “leet” “tweet” and “mismeeet”).  Be able to say “people know me”, and actually mean it.

You stay classy… planet earth.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

ZoomInfo: Our Customers Love Us

Seriously – it might be why we’re still hiring in this economy.  Don’t believe me?  Smart.  But: I have words with quotation marks around them to back me up…

Sales & Marketing

“ZoomInfo PowerSell becomes the lifeblood of both your marketing and sales departments. With it you can actually get in front of the right decision maker. Your emails actually get through!”
- Matthew Gonnering, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Widen

“I consider ZoomInfo PowerSell to be my silent partner. I prospect new clients all day long – PowerSell connects me with the right people 90-plus percent of the time.”
- Richard Erb, VP, Business Development, CrossTech Media

“I can’t tell you how much PowerSell has opened up doors for me. Using ‘Web References’ I can look for board members, business school classmates, club member names and I don’t have to search. I can look for anyone who graduated from Princeton and lives in Portland – chances are they know each other.”
- Mark Cleve, Division VP, Tom James & Co.

“With ZoomInfo, we’re able to streamline our lead gen process and cut costs by spending less time researching and more time selling.”

- Keith Altman, GM, Bridgevine Business

“ZoomInfo helps me be a better sales person because it makes it easy to research the companies I’m trying to reach. I pick up the phone knowing exactly what to say. I go to ZoomInfo before I go anywhere else.”
- Janet Lerch, Senior Corporate Sales Representative, IEEE, Inc.

Recruiting

“I’ve been using ZoomInfo for a few years now, and I love the tool. It’s helped me be more successful at my job by saving me hours of research and cold calling by uncovering the most qualified and interested candidates.”

- Jan Nickerson, Consultant, FGP International

“The cost of ZoomInfo pales in comparison to the ROI I get from using it.”

- Dave Knutson, President, The Knutson Group

“We spent a lot of time looking at different ‘data suppliers’, and we chose ZoomInfo PowerSearch for its high degree of accuracy and currency of information.”

- Dan Loughman, VP of Research, Angott Search Group

“In a world where customer care is lacking, ZoomInfo excels. We did a thorough investigation and comparison of technologies prior to agreeing to a contract, we found them a good choice at the beginning of our relationship and even a better one since.”

- Richard Andersen, CEO, GoldStar-Global

“ZoomInfo can be much more powerful than a large company’s database – it levels the playing field for smaller firms like ours. I even tell my competitors to use it.”

- Dora Vell, President, Vell Associates

“ZoomInfo is like having multiple employees at your fingertips that do exactly what they’re supposed to do.”
- Steve Brody, Founder, Brody Executive Search

Blogged with the Flock Browser

VIVA, LAS-…. Err, Talent Management Summit…

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So, turns out Vegas isn’t just about gambling, and drinking, and eating, and… well, you know, the stuff that stays in Vegas.

Turns out: it’s also about Talent (no, not that kind – you’re sick, you are truly, truly sick…).  I’ve been invited to the 11th Annual Talent Management Summit, as a member of the press.  The event sounds ridiculously interesting, and barring some logistical challenges I’m hoping to get out there for it.

Fear & Loathing style, that is.  They have no idea what rough beast’s gonna be barrelling down I-15 at ‘em.

Once I’m ensconced, there’s going to be a _ton_ to do.  I’m going to get a peek inside of Zappos.com (no, not the shoe side – they happen to do a pretty kick-tail job on the recruiting and retention piece, too).   I’m also going to get the chance to hear from the heads of talent acquisition at some plum companies like MetLife & Harrah’s about how their focus on talent has been evolving.

Basically: I’m gonna learn a bunch, press some flesh, taunt some old enemies (both real and imagined), make some new enemies, and then go out in a mad fit of ether inhalation.

Annnnd… why am I writing about this? Because they asked me to.  And: to make a point.  This is good – no, great – for my career.  It’s interesting, I’m going to learn a ton, and, well, it’s Vegas.  It’s happening because I write this ridiculous blog on occasion – you owe it to yourself to think up creative ways you can get your name out there, too.  Time, it is awastin’ for all of us…

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We Like Hiring Entrepreneurs (and letting them be…)

We hire really, really great people.  Smart, funny, visionary, all of that.  From the executive level to the front desk to our newest fresh grad hire, they’re all likely to start their own companies – fact is, at least 3 of our people have left in the past year to do just that (among them, Viximo and Bizo).  We’re still close to all of them, and work closely with at least one of their new ventures.

A lot of places would hate that.  Losing a star perfomer can be a drag, but the fact is that these types are the employees who do amazing work no matter what they’re doing, create tremendous energy and excitement, and are generally just kinda awesome to be around.  We’ve bought into that idea, and actually get excited during the recruiting process when we find out that somebody’s chock-full-of-ideas.

I know, I know – “every company claims that, and nobody means it.”  Oh, ye of little faith.  Forbes recently published a profile of our own Sam Tharp, who’s got his own side-business (Otrib).  The full article’s here.  Meantime, why don’t I serve you up a slice of it – a quote from our President, Bryan Burdick:

At ZoomInfo, Otrib founder Tharp told his boss, Bryan Burdick, about his on-line funeral planning venture when he was interviewing in 2007. “Sam was very up front about it and obviously very passionate,” says Burdick. He adds that over the past two years at least three ZoomInfo staffers have left to start their own companies. “It’s important to make sure that everyone’s objectives are clear, and to say ‘This is what success means for you here,’” says Burdick. “As long as they meet those goals, I don’t care what they’re doing in their off hours.”

ZIPI!!! (or, ultra-cool, free Outlook plug-in)

Shameless use of my blog, but also alrtuistic.  We’ve (we being the collective mad genius/ oddballness/ general awesomeness that is ZoomInfo) just launched Zipi.  It’s cool – it’s really cool, actually.  The idea was to provide quick and easy access to our database of professionals (which means 15 million additional email contacts – just a little tick up from your contact list).  Doesn’t take over your personal address book, just provides you a way to search our database from your send line, or through a search bar in your in-box.

So easy, even this guy could use it…

Want to expand your contact list exponentially?  How about having access to millions of professionals, many of them decision makers (ie, hiring managers)?  Annnnd… want it to be easy, intuitive, and free?  Too bad, that’ll cost – wait, no, it actually is free.  And easy.  Did I mention free?  So: if you use Outlook, get Zipi.  All it does is give you more access.  Access to people you can work with and for, sell and market to, and generally chat up.

Here’s the link to the beta – http://www.zoominfo.com/Zipi