Q&A: Nancy Nolting, Marketing Programs Manager at Intelsat General Corporation, Discusses the Value of Customer Satisfaction Surveys
April 16, 2012
Intelsat General Corporation is an industry leader when it comes to providing communications solutions to commercial, government, and military customers through fixed and mobile satellite systems and associated terrestrial communications services. As a large organization offering commercial satellite communications solutions, Intelsat General deals with significant government contracts that are highly complex, often involving multiple partners and many levels of decision-makers from both the civilian and military agencies. In 2010, Intelsat General Corporation began working with Market Connections to implement its first customer satisfaction survey, and repeated the program in 2011. We sat down with Nancy Nolting, Marketing Programs Manager at Intelsat General, ... Read moreFederal Decision Makers Still Reading the Printed Word and Attending Trade Shows
April 12, 2012
Today, more than 200 executives from the DC area convened at the fourth annual Federal Media and Marketing Study (FMMS) breakfast hosted by Market Connections to learn how to effectively reach government decision makers when selling to the federal market. Knowing how to target those leaders who, ultimately, make the buying decisions can be highly challenging. Fortunately, the 2012 FMMS presented by Market Connections, in conjunction with Sara Leiman, vice president, media director at TMP Government, aggregated the use of print, television, radio, mobile, social media and Internet-based news media by senior federal employees. With than 3,700 decision makers — the ... Read more4th Annual Federal Media & Marketing Study to Help Marketers Refine Strategies for Selling to the Government
April 11, 2012
In today’s government contracting environment, companies and organizations selling products and services to the federal government need to keep every arrow in their marketing quivers as sharp as possible. One of the core components of marketing success in this new contracting environment is knowing where and how to reach senior decision-makers at civilian and defense agencies. This involves understanding exactly which print, radio, online and social media venues federal leaders embrace on a daily basis. Market Connections and Sara Leiman, VP Media Director at TMP Government, are excited to announce the release of this year’s Federal Media and Marketing Study on April 12, 2012, ... Read moreWhat’s New, What’s Next? Emerging Government Trends in 2012
April 11, 2012
Market Connections’ staff has reviewed several sources focusing on emerging government trends and topics for 2012. Similar to last year, we will focus on trends and recommendations discussed in conferences, roundtables, news articles, and Market Connections’ own studies. Continuing to do more with less? There is agreement among experts that the budget environment will continue to be an issue in 2012, making for an increasingly competitive landscape with limited market growth. Overall, government budgets for discretionary appropriations are down from 2011 to 2012. Air Force and Navy plan a 25% reduction in IT costs with emphasis on consolidating IT Acquisition (Fed Focus ... Read moreNew Study Sees Opportunities in Federal Health IT
April 11, 2012
The federal healthcare IT market is undergoing rapid change, in part driven by technological advances and in part by policies mandating better sharing of medical data while maintaining patient privacy. These conditions are creating opportunities for companies to gain market share and stand out as leaders in health IT. Last fall, Market Connections completed a multi-client study of the federal health IT space to assess the competitive landscape within federal health agencies, uncover the “pain points” that a successful vendor can help to alleviate and identify the top federal healthcare IT initiatives and solutions being considered by decision makers and influencers. Respondents ... Read morePush Polling Isn’t Proper Market Research
April 11, 2012
We are deep in the season of political polling, and regardless of anyone’s political leanings, it is easy for us all to get swept up in the who’s up and who’s down of the Republican primary battle. The scrutiny will only build as we get closer to November’s general election, when polls will try to predict everything from the presidential winner down to mayoral races all over the country. Political polling is a highly specialized niche of market research. At their best, market research surveys of all stripes allow us to gain insights into people’s behaviors and opinions, and tease out ... Read moreDeciding Between Phone and Online Surveys
April 11, 2012
Now that online research software and panels (pre-screened individuals who agree to participate in surveys in exchange for an incentive) are commonplace, our clients often ask whether surveys are best conducted on the internet or via phone. It’s a good question, but unfortunately the answer isn’t clear cut. Like most business decisions, it requires an assessment of the pros and cons of each option within the context of your specific circumstances. Telephone surveys offer several key advantages. With the help of various automation tools, making random contact with a representative sample of the targeted population is fairly straightforward in many markets. ... Read moreMaximizing Research Response Rates
April 11, 2012
An ever-present challenge in market research is maximizing survey response rates. In fact, voicemails, caller id, gatekeepers and spam blockers are so pervasive, that it’s common for the response rate to be less than 10 percent of the study’s sample size. Here are some must-haves for achieving an adequate population of completed surveys. A Quality List: Optimally, the list is 5 to 10 times larger than the reasonable sample size established for the study, is tightly aligned to the target audience, includes names and titles, and has been recently cleaned and updated. Well-Prepared Interviewers: Even highly experienced interviewers must be trained for ... Read moreNew Study Release: Social Media Use Expands in Government Space
April 10, 2012
The growth in the use of mobile devices to stay connected is expanding the use of social media, which in turn will affect the form and content of information on the Internet. This is just one key finding of Market Connections’ second annual Public Sector Social Media Study released October 18. Strategic Communications Group (Strategic), a PR firm specializing in the use of social media, collaborated on the project. Market Connections’ President and CEO Lisa Dezzutti presented the study findings to a standing-room-only crowd at a breakfast event October 18 at the Tysons Corner Marriott. “We are seeing mobile usage driving social media,” ... Read moreThe Poor Performance Problem
April 10, 2012
From GovSupervisor, April 11, 2012 If you are ever in a conversation lull at work and need to generate some immediate energy, bring up the topic of federal employee poor performance. The issue is resonant and generates great emotion. We’ve all heard the stories of the sleeping employee, the one who could never complete a simple assignment without asking endless questions and involving the entire department in high drama, or whose products had to be reworked every time. Yet, as we shall see, this issue is widely misunderstood. There’s more to the picture than meets the eye. It is also no small matter. OPM’s ... Read more