Vice President of Marketing, Versata

Pleasanton, CA—May 10, 2007—Speaking at the Advanced Technology Ventures CEO Summit, Susan Trainer, CEO and founder of Trainer Communications, addressed the summit’s audience in San Martin, California, on Friday, April 27, 2007. Presenting a talk entitled, “Internet Marketing: Fact and Fiction,” Trainer explored the realities of one of the hottest issues concerning business executives today.

Trainer’s talk focused on how the Internet is “the ultimate Swiss army knife for marketeers” and described how best to leverage it as a key component of an integrated marketing approach. Before addressing the audience, Trainer conducted a quick survey of her vast network of start-up executives on Internet marketing. Their responses highlighted the fact that online marketing is recognized as an important lead generation component for company sales teams but that online communications isn’t necessarily a substitute for print articles. In particular, survey participants felt that print coverage of a product or company can be more effective when marketing and selling to C-level executives. The survey also revealed exciting new opportunities for the use of video in online marketing strategies.

“We asked Susan to address our summit because of Trainer Communications’ track record in developing edgy communications programs that produce results,” said Wes Raffel, general partner, Advanced Technology Ventures. “Trainer’s unique approach is geared toward emerging-growth companies and ensures that early stage companies can successfully execute outbound communications programs that support critical business objectives.”

Citing data that reveals that education is the second most important form of lead generation, accounting for 20% of all online marketing leads, Trainer regaled audience members with savvy tips and tools about education-focused online marketing, including:

• Providing online editors with information on industry events and trends using tactics such as contributed articles, white papers, case studies, and influencer opinions
• Conducting webinars and e-seminars that feature customers
• Presenting online survey results
• Creating public service pages or sites that deliver important information (such as security alerts)
• Providing customer tips pages and links to resources
• Producing video B-roll for web coverage
• Pointing out that quick customer access is paramount to increasing lead generation results, Trainer suggested tactics that encourage customer interaction, such as:
• Interactive e-newsletters
• Site optimization
• Banner and online ads
• Landing pages that measure campaign effectiveness

“The number-one use of the Internet today is for educational purposes. This creates a tremendous opportunity for companies creating new categories of products or inventing new technologies to leverage the Internet. To find a leading edge, one sound strategy is to become the expert and publish useful information,” said Trainer. “Our Trainer team of senior strategists is well-versed in helping emerging growth companies fully develop educational initiatives such as this. We focus on delivering three core ingredients in our outbound marketing programs: vision derived from the expertise gained from supporting more than 150 emerging-growth initiatives in a broad range of domains; value based on a business model that has specific accountability with a guaranteed results contract; and velocity that comes from assigning only senior staff to customized programs that are executed in start-up-time metrics.”

According to Tom Steding, CEO of Liquid Engines, the audience appreciated Trainer’s advice. “The unique approach that Trainer Communications uses was reflected throughout the speech. I find the emphasis on accountability to be most intriguing and refreshing.”

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Trainer Communications is dedicated to delivering customized marketing communications and public relations campaigns to emerging and high-growth companies. Trainer’s services enable companies to effectively communicate with their customers, partners, and investors, as well as the media and analyst communities. Trainer is the only agency that guarantees quantifiable results directly related to its clients’ business objectives. Established in 1995, Trainer Communications has aggressively grown by successfully working with more than 150 companies, supporting approximately one-third of the portfolio through a positive liquidity event. Some of Trainer's most notable successes include BookCrossing, Brocade, Cloudscape, Credant, CrossWorlds, eBoodle, G-Log, Itronix, Jericho Forum, ONStor, Presidio, Oblix, Sygate, Trigo, Versata, and WhereNet. Based in Silicon Valley with nationwide coverage, Trainer Communications offers deep domain expertise across a range of technologies, including storage, information security, enterprise software, networking, consumer technology, and communications/optical/wireless.
For more information, visit www.trainercomm.com.