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The buyer ecosystem

The Rubicon Agency
In Event & experiential marketing, Marketing resources

Tips to avoid becoming a social pariah in tech marketing

Tips to avoid becoming a social pariah blog header

Have you ever started a conversation with someone at a social occasion only to realise that it’s either running out of steam; is too one-sided; or takes a turn that you or the other party is not prepared for?

In technology marketing terms, that’s how social campaigns or programmes can sometimes unfold.

Take for example the campaign that bursts into the digital equivalent of a low-key cocktail evening. Wearing an outfit that screams ‘look at me’, it proceeds to work the room with the promise of scintillating conversation and insightful anecdotes. Whilst the guests are slightly taken aback they may be willing to engage with the new arrival if only to lighten what could be an otherwise uneventful gathering. However, it quickly becomes apparent that the usurper is either drunk on their own self-importance or is simply a crashing bore. The room is soon emptied as guests beat a hasty retreat to waiting taxis.

Top social tips for technology marketers

Let’s rewind. How could this scenario have been better? Advice for our social pariah could include:

In an era where time is precious and ‘productivity’ is the watchword on many boardroom agendas, surely keeping things to the point and getting the important information across as succinctly as possible should be the goal.

  • check that it’s the right venue
  • don’t gate-crash
  • dress appropriately
  • start a conversation if it can be sustained
  • take the conversation in different directions
  • think laterally and creatively
  • ask questions and show interest
  • get fresh input to grow the conversation

Finally, when enough food and drink has been consumed and the buffet is beginning to look stale, it’s probably best to leave and plan for the next successful social gathering.

Take a look at our quick guide to discover how content can be more ‘killer’ and less ‘filler’.

The Rubicon Agency
In Digital lead generation, Event & experiential marketing, Marketing resources, Thought leadership

Webinar wasteland

Wasted Webinars blog header

In the marketing cannon, webinars are an interesting proposition.

On face value, it’s a great medium for a crash course on a subject which combines demos, expert opinion and commentary, coupled with the traditional PowerPoint slideware. What’s not to like? Most of us would rather voyeur at our screens for an hour than trawl the internet or read white paper after white paper in an effort to uncover the gems of information that we can otherwise be spoon-fed via a webinar.

With so much potential, it’s not surprising to see that marketing departments are keen to take advantage of our webinar expectations.

Gone in 60 minutes

It’s almost a given that once you decide to produce a webinar (regardless of subject matter) that it will last an hour. After the initial introductions, house rules and agenda (which if marketed correctly should already be obvious in the lead generation part of the campaign), you’ve already burnt through the first 10 minutes. Add the traditional, and very choregraphed Q&A’s at the end and that’s 20 minutes of the hour that could have be shaved from the length.

In an era where time is precious and ‘productivity’ is the watchword on many boardroom agendas, surely keeping things to the point and getting the important information across as succinctly as possible should be the goal.

Case study cop out

Another staple of the webinar is the good old case study. The chance for the webinar owner to showboat customers that have bought and benefited from their technology. In theory, this section should provide real insight which can include watchouts and potential added audience interest and value.

The reality though is that these examples are often over-sanitised and thus offer very limited value to the webinar participant. Devoid of budget allocations, lead times, tangible monetary savings or quantitative productivity gains, case studies merely become a beauty parade of brand names and or an exercise in customer ego stroking.

All mouth, no trousers

The final, and probably the most infuriating tactic webinar marketers use to attract both volume and quality of audience, is the topic headline. Employing the mantra that ‘every day is a school day’, participants register for these online events with the expectation that they will discover something fresh. Razzamatazz headlines, high-calibre speakers and stellar brand case studies all help to convince the participant that the subject matter is going to be innovative, revelationary and… new. Alas, many webinars promise a lot but deliver little – dusty content is repackaged and rolled out, case studies are devoid of actual insight and thought leadership material is revealed as thinly disguised sales pitches.

Take a look at our quick guide to discover how content can be more ‘killer’ and less ‘filler’.

The Rubicon Agency
In Enterprise demand generation, Marketing resources, Sales enablement

Unenabled sales delivery

Unenabled Sales Delivery blog header

The road to sales nirvana is often a bumpy one. Punctuated with budgetary roadblocks and the occasional RFP speedbump means that coaxing prospects into a sale can prove problematic.

Once these obstacles have been successfully negotiated, sales teams are responsible for steering prospects in the direction of choosing their companies offering as opposed to the competitions. Enter the role of sales enablement materials.

A well-crafted sales toolkit can deepen relationships, increase order value and accelerate the purchase process of prospects. That said underprepared, underequipped and underwhelming sales enablement content can put stop a sale dead in its tracks.

Here we look at 8 common sales enablement mistakes that could side-swipe your best laid plans.

Speed limits apply

By default, there is an over-reliance on product content – the main thread relates to technical features with little/no business value for sales to latch on to. The sales presentation maybe about speeds but the journey towards closing the deal a slows to a crawl.

Roundabout ahead

Understanding of the product/solution is critical to any sales conversation. Lack of crisp articulation and differentiated description of what’s being sold – and to whom, means the conversation goes around in circles without any clear direction about where the technology could take you.

Risk of grounding

Armed with the trusty sales presentation, the pitch to the customer is bound to be ‘on the money’ but with little/no articulation of use cases or product visioning there is a real chance that the sale could end up beached.

Warning low bridge

Lack of aspirational and or business messaging for ‘those upstairs’ could result in your pitch hitting a glass ceiling in terms of value, buy in and ultimately funding which could put the sale in jeopardy.

Dead end

Talking with the product blinkers on could close the sale of point products but failure to express the inherit value of solution within whole portfolio could limit the length of journey you take with the prospect.

Diversion in place

Having a clear engagement roadmap to enables sales teams to structure content depending on the level of relationship with the prospect. Failure to do so will result in unexpected or unwanted diversions out of their comfort zone with irrelevant or premature solicitation of content.

Queue caution

Doing nothing isn’t an option although limited or staccato outreach, conversation and ‘by the way’ communication to prospects may cause the sale to hit a proverbial traffic jam, or worse still take an alternative route with one of your competitors.

No U-turns

Sale opportunities often mature organically, although failing to bridge the messaging gap between your sales conversations and existing/relevant thought leadership material when the opportunity arises could be a missed trick. As the nurture process continues there is no time to throw the conversation into reverse in an attempt to help bolster your credentials.

Take a look at our quick guide to discover how content can be more ‘killer’ and less ‘filler’.

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