Susanne Dansey’s Blog

That’s right guys, we’re going to talk a bit about marketing, so just re-adjust yourself after recoiling at the thought and have a think about how you are currently making potential and existing customers aware of what your business is about.

Firstly, how successful has your marketing gone so far? Good? Not sure? Haven’t done any?

Let’s lean right out there and forget for a moment the word ‘marketing’ and replace it for something else:

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

My job title in the business I work for is Business Development Manager; I develop business, and I’m willing to bet a fair amount of my match sticks on the proabability that you do the same whether or not you realise it.

Here are some things to think about:

• Every time you or a member of your business talks to someone other than a colleague, they are marketing themselves. That means the techie, the receptionist, the in-house courier team, are all creating an image of the business when they answer the phone, or make an on-site visit. It is important that everyone who works for your business understands the core values of it and looks for new opportunities whenever they are in contact with a customer. For example, if the techie goes in on a break/fix job and sees that the MD is having problems with something else, then it is a perfect opportunity to a) log the job there and then to do and b) to talk to the MD to see if there are any other issues and to re-inforce the message as to why he picked you as a service provider in the first place.
• Putting all your money on one horse that may fall at the first hurdle is too much of risk for most small businesses to take. Split your budget into two for example, narrow down your target list, and hit them with the same message twice.
• Don’t buy up big contact databases unless a) you have the manpower to deal with it and b) you know exactly what you are trying to communicate in the first place. So you have £500 to spend on marketing postcards to announce how great you are and that you sell IT services. £500 is a lot of money and no matter what size of budget you have allocated to the project you want to make sure that it is well spent. Here’s what you can do, either invest the budget and market to your existing customer base if you think there is mileage in it, or visit your local commercial/industrial estate and look around you. By wandering amongst them you will get a feel for who they are and what they do. You may even feel brave enough to wander into a few or even hand deliver your marketing so that you get the chance to chat and get real feedback (and a bit of business!) there and then.
• The next bit has worked for us, but you will have to do a little bit of playing around with this to see what is best for you. When you send out marketing, or decide on content for your website, sit back and put yourself in the shoes of a customer. Most customers aren’t technical so seeing a list of accreditations and qualifications isn’t going to mean as much to them as the thought that the guy they would like to hire for their IT support is reliable, easy to get on with, and has a good track record. If you are a one-man-band or a small business services provider then think about what your Unique Selling Position (USP) is. Understand that some companies don’t want to deal with the larger providers and become another number. Small Business Specialists pride themselves on understanding the customer and this is usually done by selling on empathy, trust, and your expertise. Make a point of emphasising customer comments (positive ones of course!) and why the reader should pick you. Don’t be afraid to shout about the best bits of you! A leaflet full of text and jargon can be off-putting to someone who just wants you to tell them that you are the best business for the job because you know what you are doing, vendors back you, and you enjoy (debateable) what you do. Get more of a personality in your communications - customers don’t want to talk to faceless service providers when their PCs have kindly blue screened on them! Stick pictures of you and your company in.
• Finally, marketing isn’t all about printing catalogues and flyers. Put some aside to create an event or take a few bigger company clients out for dinner. Spending time with them and listening to them and let them get to know you.

Don’t forget to ask how other partners in the community get the message out there. Factors such as what area of the country you are in and who the local competition is all make a difference to how you approach new business and re-inforce the message with your existing clients. To find out more about where your local group is, click here.

Just because you’re a techie doesn’t mean you don’t market yourself and your company. Marketing isn’t a job that needs a department of its own (especially if it’s just you) and it definitely shouldn’t be the first thing you cull when times get hard.

The easiest way to approach talking to the outside world about your business is to think about what your customers want from an IT solution provider. If it’s not in line with what your message is now, then change it to suit!

‘Marketing’ comes easily when you enjoy your business so take time out to think about what type of customers you are looking for and go get them!

Here are a few partner sites that hopefully show what I am talking about. These sites are public access so I’m not showing you anything that isn’t already out there, it’s just that they are doing it before most:

Matt Dickerson: Axxis (Microsoft Partner of the Year 2006 Sales & Marketing - SBSC) - Australia

Vlad Mazek: Ownwebnow - America

Julian Sharp: Vigence (Microsoft Partner of the Year 2006 Technology Innovation - SBSC) - England

Jeff Anderson: BulletProof Networks - Canada

Mark Mulvany: SwiftTrain - Ireland

Leen Kleijwegt: The (Internet) Database Company (BV) - Netherlands

So whether you choose to go for a great looking website with the content needed for the client to understand exactly what you are about or you choose to blog about your competencies, make sure you do it properly and keep at it. There’s no point telling the customer about why you are great only once - they forget and need topping up regularly as to who you are and why they should be with you.

That’s enough from me, go away and think about what you want to do and hopefully you’ll have a few answers worth writing down.