The New B2B Technology Marketing Strategy – Lean, Flat, Targeted

A new focused Strategy for B2B technology marketers’ in creating simple, cost effective and targeted marketing that is sustainable for the long term

What’s Really New?

Gone are the days of broadcasting your product or service marketing message over every and all media possible while spending your precious marketing dollars on hopeful lead generation campaigns, just to find out that a week after you launch all that marketing ammunition, your message has faded into last week’s news. We’ve all done it and that game is over!

Whether your company is small, medium or large, it needs to create a long term strategy on connecting with new and established customers regularly and with value. In B2B markets, the more consistent, strong and long term the relationship with the customer, the more likely you will sustain recurring revenues from that customer and have them as a reference that is likely to spread the good news about your product or service. That takes a patient and a methodical approach. But the side effect is that this approach can be very cost effective and affordable.

New Ideas…

Focused Steps for Lean, Flat, Targeted Marketing for Companies in B2B Technology Markets

1.) Stop letting the marketing tools drive your strategy

• We all so often get excited about fast, fun and easy ways to get the marketing message out with al the new Internet, mobile, social media and video tools, that we forget that a comprehensive and well thought out strategy that has a scheduled and phase approach, a planned budget, parallel supporting activities and alternative contingency plans is more likely to succeed than just using the newest marketing service or email campaign tool.
• New Strategy: Create a marketing plan that is sustainable that uses tools selectively. Choose marketing tools and services based on their fit with your plan, not their cheap price or their ease-of-use.
• New Tactic: Spread a marketing campaign out over a longer period (3 months in stead of one) because you are more likely to engage a broader market.

2.) Advertising: Are you really getting the value!

1. Stop wasting your money on high-end marketing services that can only be used once. A $5000 print advertisement placement for one month in an industry magazine with the added design costs is not going to make an impact with your customers. Neither is a website advert on a magazines website that get hits that are not measuring real interest.
2. New Strategy: Think more directly. How can you use that money to influence the key decision makers and buyers at your top ten customers or your top ten key pending sales opportunities?
3. New Tactic: Try dividing up your monthly advertising budget into five or ten segments and think about specific things you could do with that money to support 5-10 selling opportunities. Ask the sales team for ideas, and then plan, own and control the details of the promotion.