Effectively Marketing Your Global Software Company

There is a lot of content out in the cyber sphere to help small business owners and entrepreneurs develop and implement their marketing strategy.  We’ve written a lot about that too.  But, it is important to note that global companies benefit from a strategic and concise marketing plan as well. 

More often than not, national and international companies have large teams dedicated to the entire marketing spectrum.  But, it’s tough to manage such a large team, hold them accountable and obtain the KPIs needed to determine if the ROI is positive or not.

It’s also tough to determine the starting point.

Let’s take a global software company as an example.  A strong marketing strategy for this industry isn’t as easy as it may sound.  Tech marketers have to clearly convey the complexities of their products and services, while fighting for a spot among a market flooded with new technologies. To stand out, you need to take your brand’s marketing strategy to the next level.

Developing a Quality Marketing Strategy for Software Companies

It isn’t enough to get a few placements in a trade publication or invest in a few Google Ad Words to achieve maximum brand exposure. A good marketing strategy for software companies requires a multi-platform approach backed by an experienced, talented team that can turn the spotlight toward your company and products.

• Tell your brand’s unique, personal story. Many tech companies make the mistake of giving in to overly technical jargon in their communications. While you need to explain exactly what your software offers, don’t forget to personalize your marketing efforts. Tell the story of how your software has changed businesses for the better. Also, weigh in on broader conversations in your industry to establish yourself as a thought leader.  What is the problem you are solving and what do customers have to say about it?
• Understand who is buying your product. When it comes to software, the buyer journey isn’t always obvious (especially for B2B companies) because the user isn’t necessarily the one making purchasing decisions. A marketing strategy for software companies might target buyers, users, purchase influencers and even the C-suite. You need to develop thorough, accurate buyer personas that guide your web design and digital marketing process to ensure you’re reaching the people who actually make buying decisions. Decision makers receive a lot of proposals and pitches – make sure yours speaks to their needs and include the differentiator.
• Invest in social media for the long run. It’s easy to build a Facebook page, but it’s harder to master the platform. You need to commit to investing time and money in your social strategy. While many companies quickly dole out social media responsibilities to part-time interns, use an experienced, talented communicator that can effectively represent your brand. More often than not, you get what you pay for.  Understand where your target audience is getting their information and invest in those platforms accordingly.
• Employ a steady, consistent SEO strategy. Like social media, SEO is not necessarily a quick and easy endeavor. A robust online presence comes gradually. Don’t abandon your SEO efforts if you don’t see immediate effects. To get real results, you need consistent keyword research and shareable content that will cement your website as an information hub and boost rankings on search engines. Again, what is the problem your product or service addresses?  What are your prospective clients searching for?  Do you have the right terms embedded in the content throughout your website, marketing collateral and other platforms?

If you work for a software company or other technical company, make sure you employ the right team to translate and properly promote your services.  The landscape for your industry is quite competitive, so you have to be smart in how you define, promote and sell your products.  

If you don’t have the budget of a Fortune 500 company, but do compete with them, contact the team at SK Consulting.  Our dedicated team helps maximize your exposure while minimizing your cost.  From concept to creation to implementation – we’re there for you every step of the way!

Creating and Sharing Your STORY is Essential to Marketing

When you’re explaining or promoting your business, you’re telling a story. It’s up to you whether it’s a thriller, a horror or a feel-good, curl-up-on-the-couch-and-take-it-all-in story.

Everything you do to market your business is another paragraph, page, or chapter in the story people hear from you. And the story people hear is the one they act (or don’t act) on, and repeat (or don’t repeat) to others.

Purposeful marketing stories are a sure sign of a great content marketer.

How can you make sure your story is great and worth sharing? Here’s how.

1. Know your audience

The battle is won or lost right here. The better you know the audience, the better able you will be to connect, engage and convert them – giving you a leg up on your competition. 

What do you need to know? You need to know who your audience admires, and what they aspire to, despise, fear, and cherish.

Instead of sitting around dreaming up content you guess people might react favorably to, you tell an educated story based on one or more individuals who represent the whole.

Understanding your audience at such an intimate level makes creating buyer personas important. It also helps you be a part of the market you’re speaking to, which results in a more authentic story.

Research doesn’t sound sexy, but it’s the foundation of any smart marketing plan. The more time you spend understanding the people you’re talking to, the better story you’ll tell them.

2. Select your frame

When you understand the worldview your prospects share — the things they believe — you can frame your story in a way that resonates so strongly with them that you enjoy an “unfair” advantage over your competition.

You can cater to audience beliefs and worldviews without resorting to name-calling. For example, the simple word “green” can provoke visceral reactions at the far sides of the environmental worldview spectrum, while also prompting less-intense emotions in the vast middle.

Framing your story against a polar opposite, by definition, will make some love you and others ignore or even despise you. That’s not only okay, it’s necessary.

You’ll likely never convert those at the other end of the spectrum, but your core base will share your content and help you penetrate the vast group in the middle — and that’s where growth comes from.

3. Choose your premise

The premise is the way you choose to tell the story so that you get the conclusion you desire. It’s the delivery of the framed message with dramatic tension and one or more relatable heroes so that your goals are achieved.

• It’s the hook, the angle, the purple cow.
• It’s the difference between a good story and an ignored story.
• It’s the clear path between attention and action.

It’s important to understand the difference between the beliefs or worldview of your audience (the frame) and the expression of that belief or worldview back to them.

Think about your favorite novel or film … the same information could have been transmitted another way, but just not as well. In fact, stories have been retold over and over throughout the ages — some are just better told than others.

The premise is essentially the difference between success and failure (or good and great) when it comes to copywriting and storytelling.

Content marketing as storytelling

“Marketing succeeds when enough people with similar worldviews come together in a way that allows marketers to reach them cost-effectively.” – Seth Godin

That’s exactly what content marketing allows you to do. In fact, it’s the most cost-effective (and just plain ol’ effective) online marketing method ever devised when done properly.

Even better, people aren’t just coming together. They’re coming together around you.

What’s YOUR story?  Whatever it is, remember to make it remarkable! If you need help finding, developing and sharing your story, contact SK Consulting today!