Whether to outsource marketing in the tech sector
Can an outsider create great marketing in a complex industry?
One of the greatest challenges for owners of engineering and technology businesses is that nobody else understands their customers and their products as well as they do. Some sectors are inherently complex, and it can take a lifetime to understand how all the different people, processes and parts of organisations interact.
None the less, as our businesses grow, we find ways to delegate ever more areas of responsibility to other people. The up-front effort (and to be completely honest, the switch in mindset) can be a challenge. But, when we appoint the right people, we not only make more time for ourselves to lead and to innovate, we also see real business benefit as new people bring different ways of thinking and approaching the work.
Marketing sometimes feels different to other parts of the business – more personal and directly connected to your customer experience – but we think that the right person can deliver great marketing results without being an industry insider or on your payroll.
Read on to see why…
What does it take to create great marketing?
For a marketer to do justice to your products and services, they need to build an understanding of where your solutions fit and add specific value in your customers’ operations. They need to work out where your competitors are strong and how to position you for the greatest advantage. They need to be clear about where the best opportunities lie and what you are better avoiding.
In practice, most business owners will benefit from revisiting these questions with the fresh eyes of an outsider. A marketer who is experienced in engineering and technology will add a lot of value as they ask pertinent questions that help you form a marketing strategy that sets you apart from the rest of the industry.
To create high quality marketing and sales tools, a marketer needs to quickly pick up the terminology that your customers use, so they can apply it judiciously in what they write. But more importantly, effective marketing starts by putting yourself in your customers’ shoes, understanding their needs and empathising with their situation.
Someone who has developed marketing for a wide range of people in engineering and other decision-making roles will have no problem considering the challenges and mindset of your customers. From that start-point, it is not such a daunting task to pick up the specifics of your solutions and usage scenarios, to create informative, persuasive marketing.
Understanding the terminology and empathising with the customer
Our products are complex and intangible, but your marketing makes them understandable while drawing out their full value. Your case studies cut through the complexity, telling an engaging story and conveying the benefits that we delivered, clearly and convincingly.
Bridget Mason, Director of Marketing, DeltaXML
Choosing the right marketer
If you are considering how best to take your marketing forward, it’s worth thinking about the short-term investment of time against the longer-term value and time savings that the right marketer could deliver for you. Starting with a clear plan and compelling market propositions will take a bit more time up-front and may force you to rethink some assumptions. But it will also provide excellent foundations and take a lot of the back-and-forth out of bigger projects like your website, events or campaigns.
I have worked with many of my clients for years, starting with marketing strategies and propositions, then going on to manage and deliver a wide range of marketing, web content and sales tools. Yes, the learning curve can be steep at first, but clients have always been pleasantly surprised at how readily we communicate the most important aspects of what they do, and how well we tap into the various needs of their customers.
So to return to the original point: Yes, it can be hard entrusting your marketing to someone else, but choosing someone from outside your business, outside your immediate sector is not only an acceptable option, but often the very best one.
Next steps
If you’d like to discuss how we could help with your marketing, please get in touch.
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