Speaking at Linc15

Linc is an annual conference in San Francisco hosted by Lithium Technologies.

I always look forward to attending Linc because it allows me to meet the virtual communities I support from my cubicle in Boise and interact with my counterparts from other companies. During the event, I can share my experiences and learn from others. Additionally, it is great to meet and network with HP colleagues worldwide.

This was my third Linc Conference, but my first as a presenter. HP has a long relationship with Lithium, and one project we’d worked on was to identify and nurture buy conversations of HP products.

I was asked to discuss the social lead generation and key learnings from implementing it on HP's community forums. I was happy to share the stage with Louis Peters of Lithium, who was a key component of the implementation at HP.

Over three-fourths of buyers conduct online research before making a purchase, and that number is only increasing. People search online and read reviews. The days of solely relying on salespeople for advice are gone.

This shift in behavior has led to an increase in public discussions regarding purchases. These conversations exist: Should companies engage with customers or risk indifference?

In our presentation, we discussed the process for identifying the conversations, putting together the right team, properly engaging, creating content that works for search engines and future customers who will view the response (the long-tail effect), and how to use metrics to create ROIs and associate value.

The individuals at Lithium who organized the event made everything effortless for me. All I had to do was show up and speak, and for that, I would like to express my gratitude to them. Additionally, I would like to thank my management team for their support and encouragement.