A programmer friend of mine very interestingly defined what marketing meant to him. He said, "To me 'networking' means LAN, 'industry groups' refer to chips and fabs, and 'classes' are an attribute of Object Oriented Programming." This is what has been hurting the traditional image of technologically-forward companies who more often than not fall behind when it comes to going out and creating relationships. Information technology has traditionally been segregated to a bunch of programmers churning out code from some back room. The fault lies not only upon the management of the firm, but equally on the programming fraternity. In this day and age it is more important than ever to break out of this shell.
I would like to first discuss "relationships." The key to any project is not only the service or product you provide, but also the relationship you maintain with clients. It is extremely important for the entire project team — from the business manager right down to the programmer — to maintain a relationship with each client. Golf trips as well as business luncheons are all part of maintaining a relationship. It is very important for a manager to sit down and talk with each client, face-to-face, on a periodic basis.
Another integral part of success is marketing. Having the best pool of employee skills and technology does not always guarantee success. Even as marketing-challenged as some may be, several marketing experts and consultants suggest the following four steps to create a marketing plan-of-action:
- Describe your market position:
One of the most important steps in any marketing effort is determining a clear, concise message that describes your service. The message is really a positioning statement and it helps differentiate your product from the competition.
- Establish business goals:
A successful marketing effort cannot be executed without defining, in advance, what goals it plans to achieve. Goals can be measured with benchmarks such as how much revenue would you like to generate? How many clients would you like to add? It is extremely important here that the goals are measurable, only then can a marketing campaign be deemed successful or not.
- Outline your marketing strategy:
The next step should be outlining your strategy. Some of the most common marketing strategies employed by companies are direct mail advertising, attending trade shows, joining industry or networking associations, following up with individuals met at networking events, etc.
- Prepare your marketing materials:
The final step to realizing your marketing venture is preparing appropriate marketing material. Business cards, portfolios, websites, client testimonials, and case studies all help illustrate your experience. Additionally, all your marketing material should carry a common brand presence to ensure brand recognition.
Published in 2003