When considering fresh approaches in B2B marketing, I always advise looking at who constitutes your audience and who makes the final purchasing decision. It makes logical sense to target the users of the product or service you’re selling, but you also have to consider the individuals who will be supporting or maintaining that product or service. For many organizations, this is usually the architecture or IT department—particularly in software. Whether you’re selling an HRIS system, a CRM system, or you’re getting a reseller or partner involved in an integration, the IT group will always determine reasons why—or why NOT—to buy your product or service. In fact, a recent report from Forrester (Survey Data Shows Enterprise Architects Are Gatekeepers of Technology Acquisitions; July 13, 2009) showed that in most enterprises, chief architects have a strong influence in most—if not all—technology purchase decisions.
So try appealing to the IT group from the start by incorporating these ideas into your next newsletter or prospecting send:
1. The most highly anticipated feature from a 2009 ExactTarget release was Social Forward. Why not create a technology-centric blog page, Twitter page, and/or Facebook page to engage in tech talk? Technology folks love talking about code on social networks. Prove you’ve got what it takes to support an organization’s technology group with smooth sailing integrations—and more.
2. Flaunt your ROI through the power of application performance. ExactTarget sends billions of messages per month on behalf of subscribers—and we’re proud of it! Without telling the world the intricacies of your application architecture, you can convey what’s needed to build confidence in your products and services right out of the gate. Consider including an ROI calculator. Akamai has a great one on their site:
So try appealing to the IT group from the start by incorporating these ideas into your next newsletter or prospecting send:
1. The most highly anticipated feature from a 2009 ExactTarget release was Social Forward. Why not create a technology-centric blog page, Twitter page, and/or Facebook page to engage in tech talk? Technology folks love talking about code on social networks. Prove you’ve got what it takes to support an organization’s technology group with smooth sailing integrations—and more.
2. Flaunt your ROI through the power of application performance. ExactTarget sends billions of messages per month on behalf of subscribers—and we’re proud of it! Without telling the world the intricacies of your application architecture, you can convey what’s needed to build confidence in your products and services right out of the gate. Consider including an ROI calculator. Akamai has a great one on their site:
But what if you don’t sell software? Perhaps you’re offering packaged goods, a service, or some other tangible product. No matter what you’re selling, think about how your product saves your users’ money. Maybe you’ve packaged your product more effectively to improve shelf space, and that knowledge will appeal to the operations team’s bottom line. Find out the person within the organization who benefits the most from your product, and appeal to him or her from the start. More money left in your customer’s pocket means more money in yours.
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