Everything is evolving, including the way how technology companies market themselves.
Technology companies in the B2B sector are doing everything they can to get the attention of decision-makers, a feat that is becoming more challenging with the increased competition on different digital channels. Connecting to these decision makers has a significant impact on the success of their companies.
Despite all the competition, however, some companies manage to rise and do the unexpected. This article will look at various practices that made these companies a success.
Manage your expectations
Most, if not all companies, know how important managing the expectations of their customers are. It makes customers happy which, in turn, increases sales. The sad reality, however, is all the strategies for management expectation barely gets done.
Are they difficult? No, but they can be challenging because it requires a change in whatever wrong you’re doing in your marketing strategies.
Managing expectations has primarily three essential components – provide more solutions, be transparent, and provide clear timelines. These simple components are what give your marketing solution a human touch.
Now, expectation management does not start when you negotiate the purchase. It begins at the very touchpoint – on your landing page, when you reach out to your clients first, and even when clients are talking to your customer service support.
When everything is evident at the beginning, especially the pricing, your customer will trust you. And that can translate into sales.
Related: Becoming an Online Entrepreneur: The Expectations vs. The Reality
Tell better stories
Stories are an integral part of culture and society. People connect through stories. People relate to stories. In other words, stories give your marketing a human touch.
Stories are abundant, even clickbait advertising has a story. Your competitors also have their stories to tell. Your challenge, therefore, is to create better stories. Observe great and long-lasting brands – what kind of stories do they show?
These stories usually provide a solution to their target audience’s pain point, an idea that impacts the lives of their clients, or simply showing your client an exciting side of your business or company.
What kind of story do you want to tell? Better yet, how do you want to consume information? Use this to tell a compelling story packed with emotion.
Related: A Complete Cheat Sheet to Social Media Branding for Consulting Firms
Create a contrast
What makes an exciting story? One which has conflict or contrast.
Not only are these stories exciting but they also stick to your brain. That’s because it affirms what people are already thinking in their minds. Your clients or customers might have liked your product already, but they still have reservations in their minds. Contrast allows you to reframe any objectionable element in your product, such as price or product features that might be unclear to them, so that your audience will proceed to purchase your product.
If you don’t believe that, consider this example:
A person who has plans to go on vacation to a tropical island might be dreaming of getting a tan and reclining on a lounge chair, sipping some piña colada, and reading their favorite book. However, that might change if he or she learns the statistic saying that falling coconuts kill 150 people each year than shark attacks.
One SaaS company that has nailed this strategy is Miva. They created contrast by talking how downtimes happen every time there’s a software update. They used that pain point and created a difference by saying that they don’t break on upgrades.
By creating contrast, they show their difference from their competitors.
Make your product appeal to humans
Even if you are a tech company, you are still selling and talking to humans. Thus, it makes sense to give your marketing solution a human touch. You might be offering to solve a technical problem, but you don’t need to sound like a robot.
Humanizing your brand is very simple – think about how you interact or talk to your friends. If you notice, each of you has their unique voice. The same goes true when you communicate with your customer. Find your unique voice and maintain it when talking to your customers and prospects.
Another way of creating a human touch to your strategy is by putting a spotlight on your employees. It tells your audience that they are dealing with humans, who grow the brand. Do this by sharing stories with your employees or sharing the story of an employee on social media. Not only will it humanize your company but it will also boost the morale of your employees.
It’s not easy to market your product
The tips given above should guide you towards making a more thoughtful marketing campaign.
Why thoughtful and not successful?
A thoughtful marketing campaign builds trust as people realize you understand them and their pain points.
Eventually, you will increase your ROI rate as they trust you more and more.