With limited budgets and staff counts, most technology marketers have been relying on social media as their main marketing initiatives. Rightly so, as the popularity of social media in marketing continues to grow with more technology buyers taking this form of communication seriously every day.
But don’t forget about traditional marketing activities
While social media is an important element to technology companies marketing efforts, it’s not a complete replacement for traditional, proven forms of marketing . With its low-cost and seemingly widespread reach, it’s tempting to think social media can replace all other forms of marketing. But it’s important to remember that social media in and of itself isn’t a marketing strategy: It’s only one marketing communication tactic
Marketing your technology should rely on a strategy that integrates your online and offline campaigns. A fully integrated strategy using both traditional and social media can take a message platform and build awareness, generate leads, nurture the target audience during a longer sales cycle and build credibility for your technology solutions.
Technology buyers consume media differently during their purchasing cycle. Traditional efforts such as vertical trade ads, direct mail even trade shows can build up awareness and create an established perception of your organization and technology solutions during the early phases on the tech buyers purchasing cycle. If they are not aware of your organization, many lead generation effort can fall flat as there will be a hesitancy to react to an unknown organization. These traditional efforts can truly provide reach and air cover for the rest of your activities.
Driving leads using both direct mail and tele-marketing as an example, as well as, on-line activities such as emails, blogs and seo/sem can work hand in hand to deliver an effective presence in the marketplace, all the while attempting to generate qualified leads among the tech buying audience. I am a strong believer that using “snail mail” still can be quite effective if the message and call to action are relevant to the audience. I also belive that strategically, using both on-line and off-line communication vehicles can enhance the response of each if coupled together within a campaign.
Certainly social media will allow your organization to continue the conversation and create relevant content in a quicker time frame than some traditional methods will allow. But both are important for success today. I suggest your organization should learn how to integrate both of these strategic approaches into a markeing plan to ensure you effectively reach your tech buying audience.
