I learned this the hard way a few years back. I wrote some brochure copy that I thought was pretty good stuff. My marketing counterparts agreed. When I put it in front of a CIO, he shredded it. Hated it. Called it junk. It was at that moment that I realized that techies…IT folks….CIOs… DON’T WANT TO BE MARKETED TO. At least not in the same way that consumer marketers try and get you to think you’ll be cooler if you drink Coke, than if you drink Pepsi.
What the tech sector wants is useful information. Information that will make them better at their jobs and put them in a position to make more informed decisions. If it has even the least scent of marketing or "slickness" to it, see ya! They are outta here.
So what that means is that content becomes king. White papers, practical guides, surveys and studies, trend papers, fact-based case studies, analyst reports, demos; these are the things that allow a marketer to engage with a tech audience. It is also a key contributor to building a trust between the tech buyer and your company.
Now lest you misunderstand me, the tech buyer still likes a free t-shirt now and then, but it isn’t anything that will influence his buying decision. He just thinks it looks cool.
So fellow marketers, knock it off. Quit treating the tech buyer like a consumer shopping for running shoes. Build great content, make it easily available, then get out of the way. You’ll find that you have far more tech buying prospects talking to you as a result.
Consider yourself a tech buyer? Give us your perspective.
Joe Staples
I was fortunate enough to join Interactive Intelligence in January of 2005 as senior vice president of worldwide marketing (an overly long title that barely fits on one line of my business card) and since that time have managed our corporate and product marketing/management groups, as well as our public relations efforts. I spend the majority of my time in the world of branding, advertising, lead generation, product strategy, and media/analyst relations. I’ve been at this for more than 25 years with experience in technology and marketing, including assignments in the areas of contact centers, computer telephony, unified messaging, mobile wireless, computer networking, and computer-based education.
Technology is complex enough to let marketers mess things around and trying obfuscate what should be crystal clear.
Tecnhology is serious business. It’s expensive and because of that it’s due to solve real needs and improve performance.
Recently, i read an excellent article that warned again tech marketectures and advised to search for serious tech architectures that assist in address real problems..
When I thumb through a magazine, it is not the full page slick that depicts how cool I might potentially look if I acquire said technology, it is the "what’s in it for me" and what will this product do for me in the grand scheme of things. It is not the cool stickers, or the trendy model name, but facts on how a new piece of technology can provide me with an added edge, or things of that nature.
Free t-shirts are cool, and everyone loves a good gadget or gimmickeries, but in my world it is nothing but performance and real world applications that motivate me to buy. Cool graphic depictions, yeah…interesting. Stats or competitive analysis of real world applications by trusted sources, priceless.
Thanks!