Want to connect face to face?

One of the biggest budget crunchers for most businesses is travel.  But sometimes, there is no substitute for a face-to-face conversation.

But then again, maybe there is.

Cisco's Telepresence is technology that takes video conferencing to a whole new level.  You can check it out in the video below.

Why am I telling you this?  Well, first because you can access this technology by the hour.  I was able to find five re-sellers in Des Moines, so I am pretty sure you'll be able to find at least one in your neck of the woods.  For many organizations, this might be a very attractive and cost sensitive solution.

And…Cisco, in this social media age, is holding a contest.  You create a video telling Cisco why you'd benefit from having access to Telepresence.  You can win $3,000 and 5 free hours of access.

You can view the contest's webpage by clicking here.  Check out some of the videos.  People aren't doing anything overly high-tech.  But boy are they giving Cisco some smart sales messages. (If you enter, let me know and we'll share your video with the blog readers!)

Don't dismiss this as a "big company" tactic.  You could do the exact same thing.   Here are the benefits:

  • Very shareable…note how Cisco is letting people rate the videos.  Now if you entered, wouldn't you tell your friends to go vote for yours?
  • Introduces a whole lot of people to your product/service
  • Creates a want for your product that probably was unrealized before the contest
  • It's like a mini focus group.  Listen carefully for sales nuggets and ideas

There certainly are other perks to this sort of a contest.  What benefits do you see?

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6 comments on “Want to connect face to face?

  1. Hi Drew,

    What a smart strategy. Messaging, brand awareness, and doubtless some new customers as well.

    More broadly, I’m always excited by companies and technologies that facilitate leveling the playing field by giving small businesses opportunities to compete with the big boys.

    Best,
    Daria

  2. Hi Drew,

    Clever Work. I was interested in the product technology when I looked at this post, now I’m going away with ideas for a new marketing campaign.

  3. Tracy says:

    Cool! I hadn’t heard about this. Thanks for sharing.

  4. Cris says:

    I met with someone that was selling this type of technology in an MLM system,
    I was kinda turned off by the MLM aspect, but after checking out the technology it self, it seems pretty neat. CHESAPEAKE LANDSCAPING

  5. It is very cool technology and I love the idea that you can rent it by the hour. That makes it smart for businesses of all sizes.

    I think a blend of face to face and technology driven meetings is probably the future for most of us. I don’t think anyone is going to argue that in the ideal world, we’d always do things face to face.

    But somewhere along the line, practicality has to come into play!

    Drew

  6. Nice technology. And the marketing strategy is worthy of a closer look .

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