In this IT Experts blog, I share with you how marketing activity alone won’t help you grow your business, in fact, it will potentially regress your ability to obtain fresh leads and improve your profit margins. We will also discuss what to do if you ever ask yourself the question, “How do I market my IT or Tech Business?”
Over the past few months, I have seen and spoken to many clients, prospects, and contacts who have thrown thousands and thousands of pounds down the drain while trying to grow their IT & Tech business.
They engage with a marketing agency and expect them to have all the answers to open the door to a flow of fresh leads………however, the reality is that they normally get limited or NO results.
Now, don’t get me wrong marketing is an absolute essential part of growing your business, but without aligning it to your bigger picture, it’s like setting sail in the ocean without your Sat Nav or a map!
When you “Go to Sea or Market” you must have a map with you, as this guides your direction, focus and in this case, your business growth plan.
The plan contains simple fundamental elements like a crystal-clear view of your customer avatar, your value proposition, what business problem you are going to solve and who you are trying to help and attract.
Your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) is key and you must have spent time on working this out internally in your business before you even contact a Marketing Agency. Also, clarity around what products and services are you offering that align with your customers’ business needs and requirements.
Finally, the one thing that everyone forgets is really understanding how you are going to measure your Return On Investment of your Marketing Spend.
I ask people on a daily basis, “Who is your target market?” and the response I normally get back is “Well…….” When the response starts with “Well” it tells me a tale that they don’t really know!
So, where am I going wrong?
Marketing a Tech Business can be challenging, mainly because you compare yourself to your competitors. You think that all you need to do is compete on price and you will be successful.
This is where 99% of all IT and Tech businesses go wrong!
When you engage with a marketing agency you think your world is saved. You sit back and wait for the abundant flow of leads pour in through your door.
The best bit, is that generally they won’t tell you how many leads you will get for the £,000 of your monthly spend (and don’t forget the additional Advertising spend). There is a reason for this – because they simply don’t know.
A reputable marketing agency will be able to give you some idea of what channels you should be using and where your target market is hiding. The most important part is knowing what they’re doing in those channels and tailoring your messaging that you created to ensure you resonate with their painpoint, while they are on those platforms.
Remember that all Social Media platforms have different purposes, for different reasons and you need to ensure that your message aligns with your outreach and content strategy.
One of the biggest areas where you will hinder your marketing performance while using social media channels today is that people just don’t create relevant value-based content.
They don’t take the time to sit down and write an article where they can add value and resonate with their target client which then prompts them to contact you.
Over the past few months, I have been working with many IT businesses on refining their target market, refining their niche, and working out exactly how we going to move forward and generate more leads in a sustainable and strategic way.
Then, and only when we have completed this exercise can we then pass the tactical side on to a marketing agency to help them turbo charge your profit and performance.
So, before you engage with a marketing agency, today I have three IT Experts Golden Nuggets that will help you get better value for money and faster results from your marketing activities:
Tip 1
Understand Your Target Market
The first tip is that you must have an absolute understanding and clarity on your target market. Start with who are currently your best customers? If you don’t know who your ideal target market is, then run this exercise with your team and identify who you are best serving and why. What business problem and solution are you fixing? Why are you unique? Answer these questions honestly and dig deep so you have tangible unique differences to your competitors. Then test this with a small sample of your prospects (not your friends and family though!)
Tip 2
Enlist Help! Know Your Business Model
The second tip is to have real clear understanding on your own business model and exactly how you are going to help your target Avatar through your customer journey. Where do they start, what happens when they first come into contact with you and how do you start to build up that all important trust. Does it start with a free audit or a trial period? You need to demonstrate your expert status quickly and build up trust from there. Draw this out and see what steps you will take your prospect on before they commit to engaging you.
Tip 3
Know Your Marketing ROI
Finally, number three is all around how you are going to measure the performance of your marketing agency. They will be more than happy to take £1,000 a month to run a few campaigns PLUS Marketing and Ad spend, (which would quite easily be another £500 pm).
You could easily have a £1500 a month expense and you need to know your numbers. How many customers you need to secure to #1 break even and #2 start making a profit. You must hold the agency to account and although they won’t guarantee your results, you must have a handle on what their expectations of your campaign are.
As with everything when growing your IT/Tech Business its all about small steps and ensuring that you have a structured and connected Growth Plan.
At IT Experts we use our very own tried and tested Model to help you market and generate fresh new leads into your IT Business. We help you understand the day by day steps that you need to take to sustainably grow your business and increase your profit margins.
For further details you can check out our website at innovatetosuccess.com OR or Free IT Experts App
I hope you enjoyed this blog, if you want to have a quick chat about how IT Experts can help you and your IT Business then click the link on our website and I look forward to connecting with you in person.