Why Technology Companies Need B2B Marketing Agencies

Why Technology Companies Need B2B Marketing Agencies

Just because you’ve got the best tech on the planet or you are the first to market, it doesn’t mean you will rule the world.  Just ask the folks at Pebble Watch, MySpace, AltaVista, Blackberry, or AOL.  To continue to stay relevant, you must evolve to continue to meet customer demands. Your company needs to stay on top of emerging trends, and be an expert at taking advantage of opportunities.

It works the same way in a B2B marketing agency. You need to know everything that is happening in the marketing arena and have specialists that are experts in each area. It is only then that your agency can create the right marketing content and position it in the right marketing channels.  Then, they must evaluate the effectiveness and optimize your campaigns to maximize ROI.

For technology companies, it can be tempting to rely only on tech to handle marketing. Targeted email campaigns can handle lead generation. The company website will tell our story effectively. Social media can spread the word for free.  At least that’s what some think. Savvy companies know that a B2B technology marketing agency will employ technology, strategy, and experience to engage potential customers.

Marketing Challenges for Technology Companies

There are five fundamental challenges tech companies have in growing sales and marketing their business:

1. Communicating the value proposition
2. Understanding the needs of multiple buyers
3. Marketing and sales alignment
4. Creating engaging story-telling
5. Connecting with buyers emotionally

Communicating Value

Tech-focused companies often focus too heavily on product details and specs. That’s not why customers buy.  They buy because products offer solutions to their problems. B2B sellers have to diagnose the problem, showcase the solution, and demonstrate how their particular solution is better than others on the market.

B2B salespeople’s number one challenge, according to a Sirius Decisions study, is the inability to communicate value differentiation.

Understanding Buyers’ Needs

A one-size fits all approach to marketing simply doesn’t work. Different customers have different needs. They are researching and looking for these solutions in different places. You have to be able to customize the message to meet buyer needs at each step of the buying journey. Customers look for significantly different information at the beginning of a search versus the end.

Aligning Sales And Marketing

If your marketing doesn’t reflect your sales goals (and vice versa), this disconnect alone can be enough to turn away potential customers.  Beautifully crafted creative marketing won’t work if it doesn’t create leads and conversions.

Engaging Customers

Facts are important. However, they won’t mean anything if people aren’t paying attention. You’ve got to tell a compelling story to get them to listen.  It also must be the right story at the right time. Ask the people at Pepsi about the Kendall Jenner campaign that told the wrong story at the wrong time.

Connecting Emotionally

Harvard professor Gerald Zaltman shared that 95 percent of purchasing decisions are made subconsciously. You have probably heard the saying that people buy based on emotions and then justify it with logic. It’s true.  Neuroscientific studies demonstrated the connection between emotions and decision-making. They found patients with damage the area of the brain that generates emotion were incapable of making even simple decisions.

Why Do I Need a B2B Marketing Agency?

If it sounds complex, and maybe even a little risky, that’s why most successful technology company has turned to a B2B technology marketing agency for help. It does not matter how smart you are; you have to be smart in a specific way. It’s the same reason why you wouldn’t ask a Nobel Laureate in Economics to perform open-heart surgery or ask a heart surgeon to wire your home for electricity. It takes experts in the right areas to be effective.

You need someone that understands the intricacies and nuances of different marketing channels, strategies, and tactics. They should be experts at inbound marketing to capture and convert leads. They should excel at outbound marketing to target and nurture leads, including Account Based Marketing, to engage high-value leads.

• As much as 70% of the buying process has already occurred before a prospect ever reaches out to you. Prospective customers are doing their research online before ever contacting you. Inbound marketing uses engaging content, SEO, social media, and mobile to help prospects find you when they are looking.
• It can take between seven and sixteen touches with a prospect before they become a viable client. Outbound marketing provides consistent, strategic exposure with opportunities and helps with your brand awareness.
• Account Based Marketing focuses on strategic accounts with a targeted and customized strategy.

You can spend a lot of time and frustration, trying to figure this out on your own. It could take years of researching, testing, and trying different strategies. You can also waste great sums of money doing it. 

The right B2B marketing agency can save you time, save you money, and help grow your business.

Let us introduce ourselves. We’ve been perfecting B2B technology marketing for 20 years, and we’re really passionate about it. We’d love to talk to you.