Marketing IT Services What’s Working, What’s Not

April 24, 2008 Marketing IT Services What’s Working, What’s Not Presented by: Leslie Vickrey President & Founder ClearEdge Marketing

NACCB Trivia When and where was the first annual NACCB conference?

NACCB Trivia When and where was the first annual NACCB conference? 1988 – St. Petersburg, Florida

Content • Who is ClearEdge Marketing? • From Your Prospect’s Perspective • Marketing Trends: What’s Hot • Hot or Not Debate • Inside the Biz: Audience Shares Marketing Approaches • Today’s Critical Marketing Questions • Social Networking & the Staffing Industry • What is Your Value Proposition? • Marketing Across the Entire Sales Cycle • Solution Marketing Tactics • How to Stay Top of Mind at the Top

Who Is ClearEdge Marketing? Outsourced marketing services provider offering extensive specialization in IT services and solutions Clients include… 6

From Your Prospect’s Perspective 7 Source: ITSMA, How Customers Choose

Marketing Trends: What’s Hot? Blogging Is Sizzling Hot Marketing Opportunity • Gets your business experts out into the public discussion in an informal, hip medium • Allows you to rapidly share expertise • Enables linking strategies with other expert organizations to demonstrate knowledge, derive association with leading entities • Blends well with a range of Internet marketing • Linking • Digital direct mail • Search engine optimization Who’s blogging? • Everyone from CEOs down the corporate hierarchy (not to mention movie stars, politicians, grandmothers, teenagers, etc.)

More on Blogging • Blogging Stats • 120,000 new blogs being created worldwide each day. About 1.4 blogs created every second of every day (Technorati) • Technorati tracks about 1.5 million posts per day • The blogosphere is doubling in size every 6 months (Technorati) • Approximately 2% to 7% of adult American Internet users write blogs (Pew) • 61% of the blog readers are over 30 and 75% make more than $45,000 annually (eMarketer)

Why Blog? • Customer RelationshipsBlogs are a fast way to join the customers' discussions, provide tips and insights or receive feedback • Media RelationsCreate a channel where media regularly check what you have to say • RecruitmentIf you establish your company as a thought leader, professionals in your industry will pay attention. Chances are good they will see you as an attractive employer • Test ideas or productsA blog is informal. It's part of a conversation where people (often) can comment, and the blog can provide you with a measure of value. Publish an idea and see if it generates interest. Does anyone link to you? What do they say? • Rank higher in search enginesTechnorati,Google and other Web engines reward sites that are updated often Source: http://www.corporateblogging.info/basics/why/

Insight into Blogging “Readers won't ever trust the typical corporate blog. The defining quality of blogs is that they are personal. As an employee of the company, you would never want to take a controversial stand on something in the corporate blog without first figuring out whether it accurately represents the opinion of your company and your bosses. There will be press releases for broader consumption. The point is not to get a message across anymore; it is to engage people who are, or may someday be, customers, peers, or partners in a dialogue—not with the amorphous corporation, but with smart individuals who want to help.”(http://www.itsma.com/News/ezine/current_issue.asp) “The bottom line: we're seeing explosive growth in the tags index. People are clicking on tags, people are using tags, Google features tagged media in its results pages. Tags adoption has become a phenomenon across the Live Web, and we are seeing a correlative explosive growth at Technorati.”http://www.sifry.com/alerts/archives/000493.html 14

Who’s Blogging?

Your Turn: Blogging Questions for Audience • Are you blogging? If so, who’s your primary audience and tell us about your experience/return. • Is blogging a flash in the marketing pan? • Should businesses really be out in the blogosphere? • Can blogging have a measurable marketing impact? • What should and should not be blog material?

Marketing Trends: What’s Hot? Social Networking... Marketing Opportunity • Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networking sites have quickly become a top tool for hiring IT staff. • According to 58% of IT recruitment firms, such sites are more useful in finding staff than traditional print ads. And 49% said they were now more effective than Internet banner advertising. • But 7 in 10 recruiters said job boards provide better quality of candidates. • "Social networking sites make it very easy for recruiters to become trusted advisers to candidates. Candidates often reveal far more about themselves on these sites than they would do on the phone or in interview." Who’s networking? • 57% of Internet users are now part of a social network. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/139037/tech_recruiters_turn_to_facebook.html http://www.theequitykicker.com/2008/04/23/state-of-the-nation-in-social-media/

Staffing Firms & Social Networking Adecco 20

Staffing Firms & Social Networking Vedior 21

Marketing Trends: What’s Hot? In slide show view, click on image to read full article.

Your Turn: Social Networking Questions for Audience • How many of you leverage Social Networking tools for clients? Candidates? • Do you believe Social Networking should be accessible during work hours and made part of the Corporate culture? • What are the risks (downside) of Social Networking?

Marketing Trends: What’s Hot? Marketing Opportunity • What is your business value proposition? • What message is sent out to your clients? • What value are your clients/customers expecting from your organization? RESOURCE: Crucial Question for Business Owners: Will You Know How to Answer? http://www.clearedgemarketing.com/blog/crucial-question-for-business-owners-will-you-know-how-to-answer/ Look around the room. How is your company different than the person sitting next to you? What are YOU known for?

The importance of a business value proposition Value proposition is easily confused with a business’ services, capabilities, offerings or features. Instead, it’s the ultimate value an organization delivers to customers. If the owner of the business can’t sell someone on what makes their own company and services unique, then how can the sales team, or anyone on staff for that matter, be expected to do so? Marketing Trends: What’s Hot? 25

Writing your value proposition • Clarity • Eliminate overstatements and use adjectives sparingly to ensure a simple and uncluttered message. • Brevity • No more than two sentences are needed to convince an audience that the company has worthwhile value to deliver. • Persuasion • There is nothing more convincing than numerical confirmation of the value delivered. 26

Your Turn: Value Proposition Questions for Audience • How many of you can clearly state your value proposition? • If you polled your clients, do you think they could state your value proposition just as well? • How about internal employees?

Marketing Trends: What’s Hot? Target Account Programs Marketing Opportunity • Puts your sales team in front of the prospect on a weekly basis • Offers a fun, creative way to communicate with prospects • Your message stays behind long after the program ends (through giveaways and message cards) What Does It Take? • Sales team willing to make numerous in person calls for a series of weeks • Creativity & Concordance – message and giveaways should relate to company and service

Target Account Program Example Poor choices theme… 29

Sample TAP Schedule

Why TAP? • Customer RelationshipsGet in front of decision makers regularly. • Push Your Sales ForceGet your sales team out to pound the pavement regularly, give them focus. • Measurement This is a simple way to measure sales and marketing message effectiveness as the target group is small and the program carefully managed.

Your Turn: TAPs Questions for Audience • Can TAPs grow old/lose their impact? • Should sales teams be so strictly armed and messaged in their sales approach? (Do TAPs limit sales creativity, spontaneity?) • Are you TAPing?

Marketing Trends: What’s Hot? Thought Leadership Marketing Opportunity • Showcases the knowledge and expertise within your organization, become a Knowledge Broker • Press hits • Can be delivered through numerous vehicles such as print, Web, events, surveys and more What Does It Take? • Inside talent willing to take time to help develop thought leadership content (papers, podcasts, presentations) • Outside expertise – help getting thought leadership content distributed to the press, through associations at events, etc.

Harvey Nash CIO Survey

Galmont Articles Build credibility…stay top of mind

Why Thought Lead? • PRThe press loves good stats, a good interview and/or an expert to quote. It’s an excellent way to build strong media ties • Archive & Showcase Your KnowledgeYour business is rich in expertise but marketing lingo cannot communicate that. Thought leadership offers you many ways to give the industry and your prospects a direct look at the expertise you offer • Endurance Some marketing tools expire, but thought leadership tools (articles, surveys) can be used again and again across the sales cycle from introducing your company to maintaining contact

Your Turn: Thought Leadership Questions for Audience • What is the most effective way to distribute thought leadership today? • How important is thought leadership to your clients? • Are you capitalizing on your own thought leaders?

Hot or Not? • Search Engine Optimization • Makes it easier for prospects and candidates to find you • Improves ranking on major search engines • Drives traffic to Web site • Generates sales leads • Questions for the Audience:Does search engine optimization work for services firms? How are you taking advantage of it?

Hot or Not? • Case Studies • Demonstrates ability to successfully deliver service/solution • Serves as testimonial from satisfied client • Questions for the Audience:What makes a case study a truly valuable marketing and sales tool? Is the client’s name enough or does it need more to successfully market and sell?

Hot or Not? • Mass E-mailing/E-Newsletters • Anything that looks like SPAM or a form letter (impersonal, grouped) is quickly dismissed • Mass marketing is obsolete. Even today’s largest marketers (McDonalds, Coke,) consider themselves target marketers • Questions for the Audience:Should businesses use mass e-mail and if so, how? What are the benefits of producing monthly e-newsletters?

Sample e-newsletters 42

Audience What innovative marketing approaches is your business taking today and why?

Audience Five Critical Marketing Questions to Consider NOW!

Question 1 What Social Media (Live Web) tools are you leveraging to strengthen relationships with clients and candidates TODAY?

Question 2 What Are You Known For?

Question 3 What Phases of the Sales Cycle Is Your Marketing Program Omitting?

The Sales Cycle Sales Win/NewClient Orientation Prospecting Researching the marketplace and existing accounts for new client opportunities. ClientIdentification/ Qualification Identifying and qualifying strong new prospects & client opportunities. Account Maintenance Ensuring the client’s ongoing satisfaction/retention. A company’s arsenal of marketing tools should support every phase of the sales cycle. Generating Interest Courting prospect/client by providing information about company and its services. Post-pitch Follow-up Maintaining contact after the pitch and responding to questions/ information needs. Pitching Services & Solutions 48

Question 4 What Solutions Sales Tactics Can You Put to Work for Your Business?

Question 5 How Can You Market at the C-level and Stay Top-of-Mind with C-level contacts?

Marketing IT Services What’s Working, What’s Not

Marketing IT Services What’s Working, What’s Not

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