Some well known tech brands have well established personalities. Often those personalities may not be exactly what their managements would prefer. Google, Microsoft, AT&T, and Comcast come to mind. But tech brands can help themselves by establishing or nurturing a personality that connects with their customers in a positive way just as many consumer brands…
This isn't meant to be an all-encompassing view of media relations. Many books already exist on the subject. However, a recent experience made me realize there are marketing people who may benefit from a review of the basics. Here goes: Start early. Get your story down clearly and concisely, including how your new widget stacks…
In most tech sectors, journalists want highly relevant news for their readers, which may be delivered in any number of ways, including the now often-questioned news release. The information just has to be newsworthy . There's nothing at all new about this. Yet many organizations still issue “My Cat Had Kittens” sorts of announcements and…
This goes to the heart of tech content development. An organization doesn't have to be SRI International, MIT, Gartner, or The New York Times to discover and provide the world valuable new information. In fact, as I've said in previous postings here on EBN, being informed is at the core of effective content development. Having…
Business great Ross Perot once complained that if someone at General Motors saw a snake, instead of immediately killing it, a committee would be formed to study snakes. Do marketing initiatives take way too long at your company? If so, you're probably lagging your competitors. Working from both within and outside the corporate structure, I…
You've seen them coming and going, and perhaps occasionally conferred with them, but are they out in the world talking for your company and industry or just signing off on news release quotes? This commentary is about executive spokespersonship (a gender-neutral term). How often is the CEO, or any of your top executives, booked as…
In the technology sector, we're always looking for what's next. It must be different, disruptive, and truly better, and it must solve a real problem. Obsoleting your product is certainly common in the technology businesses. Intel and others have been doing it since the mid-1970s. How a product is made can differentiate it. Is it…
Whitepapers are among the most overused and abused promotional tactics short of news releases. The consistently made mistake is they are merely revised sales literature and don't deliver a clean, clear, informative story. Self-publishing is an inexpensive and effective tool for tech marketers but just don't call product promotional stuff a “whitepaper.” However, whitepapers can…
Marketing strategy grows out of separating your brand from those of competitors. You can't overemphasize your competitive difference. If you don't have a marketing and communications strategy based on clear, competitive differentiation, go back to square one and get that done. I have discussed developing strategy in several earlier posts. (See: Content Is Key to…
While being a category thought leader creates the potential of competitively differentiating your brand, any B2B tech marketer should be producing informative content for its prospects, leads, and existing customers. Today's buyers are not talking to sales until late in the purchasing cycle. Tech marketers need to act on this by developing an array of…