What is marketing consulting for IT companies?
The first question that we will consider in this article is “what is marketing consulting” and what is the difference from IT consulting. So:
...IT consulting is the activity of an IT company aimed at providing consulting services in the field of computer technology for the end-users (companies or individuals).
Marketing consulting for IT companies is the provision of advice on the following issues:
- Positioning of the company;
- Marketing strategy of an IT company;
- Choosing target markets for an IT company;
- Description of the ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) of the client and the creation of Buyers Persona;
- Writing texts for newsletters on LinkedIn and email;
- Setting up the lead generation process on Upwork;
- Organization of work with the Clutch platform and other.
Now let’s talk about each point separately.
🟪 Positioning of the company
Positioning in the market is probably the most important moment in the life of any company. After all, its (company’s) future depends on how correctly you do it.
First, you need to decide which model you want to work with:
OUTSOURCING is a way of providing services that cover the fulfillment of some FUNCTIONS for the customer.
OUTSTAFFING – provision of EMPLOYEES for the customer.
Next, you need to clearly understand the prices for similar services in other countries and decide in which category we position ourselves, create a Rate Card, think about discounts.
Despite the way we position ourselves – for the client, we and all other IT companies are equally remote, mentally distant. Therefore it is important for you to understand what specific qualities you can highlight exactly in your company to attract a potential client (for example: all engineers with university degrees, free QA services, low-cost project appraisal, etc.).
🟪 Marketing strategy of an IT company
Marketing strategy is the definition of channels of interaction with the client and the creation of specific steps that allow you to “reach out” to the client.
Channels are divided into:
– OUTBOUND (LinkedIn, email, UpWork);
– INBOUND (SEO, directories, affiliate programs).
🟪 Choosing target markets for an IT company
Choosing your target markets is just as important as any other action because there are many factors to consider:
- development cost in a given country (if the difference is less than 15% – no one will deal with foreign companies);
- mentality and cultural differences. Some countries are simply not worth working with, despite the high rates;
- the difference in time. Even working with the West or East Coast of the United States has a 3 hour time difference.
🟪 Ideal customer profile (ICP) description
For example, you need to sell ice. You will not go to sell it to the Arctic but immediately think about Western Sahara, because it is hot there someone will need your ice. But what about the logistics issues? And, after all, how many of your potential customers live there?
The same is relevant in life – to effectively sell, you need to analyze dozens of factors in order to understand in which countries they live, what positions they hold, which conferences they attend, how old they are, what their interests are, and much more.
🟪 Writing texts for newsletters on LinkedIn and email
“I came across your LinkedIn profile …” is essentially a meme, not the beginning of a LinkedIn conversation. Do you understand that there are more lead generators in India than there are IT specialists in our countries? Everything that worked 2-3 years ago is no longer working due to the “spamming” of channels and to achieve results while creating a marketing strategy for an IT company, texts alone are not enough (even the best ones). We need to use more and more innovative strategies: “warm-up” leads, multichannel outreach, for example.
🟪 Setting up the lead generation process on Upwork
If you have a small company and still do not use freelance exchanges for lead generation, we highly recommend using at least Upwork. There is an opinion that it is impossible to find adequate customers with good rates there, but this is not the case. Yes, in the beginning, you will have to work hard on earning your rating, but after the first 6 months, you can safely reach rates of $ 35-40 per hour under long-term contracts.
🟪 Organization of work with the Clutch platform
Intelligently gathering feedback from your customers is very important. After all, it is very difficult to trust a person whom you have seen two times in Zoom. The issue is solved with the help of such tools as:
- video reviews from customers;
- reviews on directories (Clutch # 1 in this segment). For example, here are the reviews of our clients;
- informative website;
- case studies – describing your previous experience.
The most important thing to understand when creating a marketing strategy for an IT company is that you must analyze all the factors that allow you to achieve success. If you cannot do this yourself, then you can hire consultants to create such a strategy for several months.
The best solution when hiring consultants to create a marketing strategy for an IT company is to select mentally close people with whom it will be easy for you to communicate and make decisions together. Don’t be afraid to ask about results guarantees and prior experience.
And, in conclusion, I would like to say that there are no “magic mailings” or a super-website that will allow you to grow 12 times in 2 months, but there are methods and processes that allow you to organize and bring your marketing activity to a new level, and taking into account the construction of the correct marketing strategy – guarantee it in the long term.
