Marketing your Technology in Economically Trying Times

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Taking creative approaches can help you succeed now and when the upturn comes.

Marketing Your Technology in Economically Trying Times
by Michael Kowalski

Staffs are cut and budgets are scrutinized. Departments suspend travel and restrict discretionary spending. Does this sound like today’s business headlines? In times like these, we seldom hear the word “budget” unaccompanied by the word “cut.” For many companies, it’s difficult to justify expenditures, especially technology spending, unless there is a tangible, measurable business return. As your customers and prospects scale back, your own budget may be trimmed, and conditions like these make marketing your technology solution even more challenging. But, it’s not all bleak news, because you can employ tactics and strategies to keep the sales force engaged and the marketing wheels spinning. Once you have evaluated strategies and aligned with corporate goals, you can consider taking new and creative approaches to your marketing communications. A downturn is the

time to get the message out more

broadly and loudly than ever. Taking creative approaches can help you succeed now and when the upturn comes.

Make it Tangible
Tight budgets mean strong proof points, metrics, and testimonials become even more important and valuable. Tangible proof points and metrics will go farther toward convincing your prospects and helping them convince their superiors. You may not have to expend much time or resources to obtain these metrics.

Mining information and data you already

have on-hand can reveal valuable, tangible proof points. For example, there might be undiscovered facts or statistics hiding amid product documentation; customer quotes, and testimonials. ROI metrics might be sitting on the hard drive of key sales people. The time spent playing "sleuth" to bring these valuable metrics to light is time well spent. Once in hand, if it’s communicated properly for your audience, this proof can serve as the showstopper in your marketing collateral and can resonate strongly with your audiences.

Get Creative
Just as your marketing approach and strategies change during a recession, your actual deliverables change along with them. As budgets shrink, successfully getting the most for your marketing dollar requires fresh, creative approaches to accomplishing your goals.

Several strategies and alternative types of materials offer creative and affordable approaches to accomplish your marketing goals:

Making more of customer references and case studies. Consider developing a marketing white paper on a given topic that compiles several customer testimonials, references and quotes, or examples to support your value points.
Extending the value of existing assets. Incorporate an existing asset into two or three deliverables. For example, you can take an audio file from a customer interview (used to create a written case study) and turn clips from it into a brief audio case study.
Accomplishing the same goals in new ways. Instead of creating separate white papers for BDM and TDM audiences, prepare one paper that condenses key topics and still articulates the value to both audiences. Document formatting and layout can help you present value propositions to both audiences in a compact yet compelling way.
Audio, video, and multimedia. Convey your key message in a two- to three-minute, budget-conscious package that appeals to today’s busy professionals.
Networking sites. Join groups and conduct discussions with peers, customers, partners, and others, through networking sites such as LinkedIn. You gain the opportunity to dialogue with people and extend your marketing reach in a low-key way.
Blogging. Use this inexpensive and fairly low-maintenance way to reach prospects and others by sharing your expertise using a venue that is nonthreatening and easy to access.

Once you’ve developed your plan, you can market your technology through your key communication channels with the most creative, innovative deliverables and stories possible.

The team at Washburn Communication understands the issues that drive business, move markets, and influence purchase decisions. As professional communicators, we take the time to understand your audiences and your goals. Applying our understanding and appreciation of both business and technology, we can help you develop content that communicates your concepts and connects with your audience in a compelling and targeted way. Contact Michael Kowalski.