Text Box: Notes From The STC Board Text Box: Page 2 ò Return to Page 1 Text Box: STC LINES—January 2005 Text Box: Text Box: Text Box: The Public Relations Committee has been focused on encouraging consultant members to utilize its public relations firm, The SKM Group, to help make introductions to their local media, in particular, advising them of specific expertise areas, availability for comment on major issues, and willingness to contribute op-ed pieces on special topics. Contact Martha Buyer at martha@marthabuyer.com for more details. The Education Committee, under Matt McCormick, is planning more of its popular Roundtables for 2005, and, as noted on Page 8, is researching certification options. A primary goal of the committee is to plan Roundtables six months in advance. In addition, this year’s committee would like to make fu-ture Roundtable audio files avail-able for post-discussion review via the STC web site. With regard to outward-facing programs, the committee would like to develop and publish a document via web/print that might be called, “How to Hire a Technology Consultant.” Text Box: In several meetings since October, the STC Board and the standing committees have already begun the implementation of several points of discussion: As of mid-December, the 2005 budget was almost finished. Challenges with this budget have included accurately determining the expected number of new members and current member renewals. By the date this issue of LINES is published, the budget should be complete. This completed budget should be posted on the STC intranet before the end of January. In order to minimize the risk of further budget shortfalls and help ensure that the STC finishes in the black during 2005, the Board has authorized a three-pronged new member recruitment effort. First, a large-scale e-mailing is being conducted by The Brook-side Group, an STC affiliate member. In addition, with the assistance of the Marketing Committee, a calling campaign by a professional telemarketer has been planned. Finally, a postal mailing with tear-out reply card has gone out to Schooley-Mitchell consultants in the wake of that organization’s recent upheaval. These efforts will focus on obtaining membership applications from qualified consultants and/or registrations for the spring conference . The Internet Committee has reported that the basic design work on the STC’s revised web site is complete. They expect to have worked through the remaining service issues with the STC’s new web site host by mid January, clearing the way for the posting of the revised site.

STC LINES

A Quarterly Publication of The Society of Telecommunications Consultants

                                                                                                                                                                     HENRY BAIRD, Telecom Directions, LLC  - EDITOR

ROBERT HARRIS, Communications Advantage - ASSOCIATE EDITOR

MELISSA SWARTZ, Swartz Consulting, LLC - ASSOCIATE EDITOR

CATHY CIMAGLIA, STC Administrator - DISTRIBUTION

 

About the STC

The Society of Telecommunications Consultants is an international organization of voice and data communications professionals who serve clients in business, industry, service organizations and government. For over 25 years STC consultants have         delivered independent and ethical telecommunications expertise. This objective       guidance and support enables clients of STC consultants to benefit from the efficient  and effective use of voice and data communications technologies.

  © 2005  The Society of Telecommunications Consultants, Inc.    

¨ The Marketing Group reports that through its efforts to in-crease the STC’s prominence on the most popular Internet search engines, the STC now breaks into the Top 10 under major engine searches for "Telecom Consultants."  This group, an offshoot of the Public Relations Committee, has also been studying the use of Adwords to attract Internet users. In a test, the STC arranged to pay a search provider only if an Ad-word for the STC website was clicked. During an initial two-week trial period, over 200 clicks, and subsequent deliver- ies of users to the STC web site, were recorded through the Ad- word placements. Subsequently, a total of about 8,000 Internet search ads and 400 new visitors to the STC website occurred over about 45 days during the last 3 months. The Marketing Group is now preparing to sur- vey the STC membership to ask if they have received any leads based on this trial, or the P.R.

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