Don't Be Cool, Be Great
This is the story of a small high-tech services company in North America whose Marketing Department 
is challenged to create a "cool" image around its B2B services. Those services include: network maintenance, monitoring of critical systems, IT fixes, new user set-ups, procurement of hardware and software, and consulting work. They also offer a green service that is used to cut down on energy use and waste.
The company faces two major challenges: 1) potential customers don't see the value of IT services and 2) the company's pricing point is perceived as too expensive and not worth the value. The Marketing Department wants its audience to understand the value of outsourcing IT and to change its perception of the return on investment.
As always, I like to keep solutions as simple as possible to understand, and that may be part of this company's problem. Instead of trying to convince an audience we are cool and we offer value, we need to show the audience that partnering with us will save them money in the long-term and that we will provide them and their clients and customers with a great experience by maintaining their online presence and making that online presence not only reliable but a great experience for everyone to use, especially their clients and customers.
How do we get that message out? At the end of the day, we want to create a loyal customer base rather than one looking for a bargain. I would analyze our price points but I don't believe that is a long-term solution. Instead, I would focus on building solid relationships with my ideal customers. Here's a few ways to get that strategy moving forward:
- Identify the ideal client: Before we can communicate with our best clients, we have to know what they look like, both the business profile and the decision-maker's profiles. Who do they serve? What do their customers want and need? How would we rate their current IT services? What are their wants and needs? How do we meet their wants and needs? Can we save them money in the long-term? Are they interested in a green solution and how can we help them get noticed for their green efforts?
- Word of Mouth Marketing: This is key and should be the first step of any business trying to grow its customer base. I recommend that we get as many of our leaders out of the office as possible, as often as possible. Where should they go? They should go wherever their ideal customers are and begin building relationships with those customers to learn what they want and need. Networking is not about sales. It is about building a relationship around trust and credibility. It is about creating a brand image based on human touchpoints, not marketing materials. It is about being there for the potential client when they recognize that they need our services.
- Direct Mail Campaign: Direct mail continues to rank as one of our best vehicles for return on investment, when done correctly. Direct mail is not a post card, it is not a sales letter. It is a series of pieces communicated to the right person, at the right business, using a variety of tools, from our web site, to e-mail, to snail mail and telemarketing. The messages must be about the client, not about our business. It must be a message that resonates, inspires and motivates. And it is wise to be a message with an offer and an action point to take advantage of the offer that is clear and easy to use. When we create direct mail campaigns the goals, strategies and tactics are detailed and can take several pages, so I can't describe it here. However, I will repeat that to succeed, everything we say and do in this campaign must be about our customers, not about us. It is always about them, not us.
Obviously, there is much more to be done to get us where we need to be. Building brand and growing a business are a marathon, not a sprint. These two strategies are where I would begin.
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