iDEA JOURNAL

Information Technology (IT) companies that provide managed services generally describe themselves as managed service providers (MSPs). They are engineering companies at heart. In the early stages, a real focus on providing service  brought enough referrals from happy customers to start the company growing. But, marketing a technology company is very different than providing service. To really succeed over the long term, MSPs need a growth strategy beyond the referral base. They need a process of finding and converting new customers. The difficulty is that most potential customers are already working with someone, and there is no visible trigger as to when a company will switch providers. It takes a creative strategy and commitment of time and money to raise awareness of their service.

Storytelling is at the heart of successful content marketing. Think about a few of the most impactful ad campaigns you’ve seen in recent years: Dove’s ‘Real Beauty’ campaign, Budweiser’s 2017 ‘Born the Hard Way’ Super Bowl ad, and Nike’s Equality Campaign.

You don’t have to be a major brand to have a story, and you don’t have to be in B2C marketing to share a story. It’s human nature to be drawn in by a good story. Many of the most ancient and referenced writings capture stories of the heroes and events of a time thousands of years ago, yet they often serve as a theme in mainstream marketing materials and entertainment. Every company in any industry should appeal to their target audience through brand storytelling.

The entrepreneurial dilemma of high tech is that more often than not they are ran by engineers who are focused on producing code and delivering service. Engineering excellence is the hallmark of the company, and marketing is an after thought. In the early stages, word of mouth can be enough to get a new company off the ground. Word gets out about all of the remarkable work, and the referrals come flooding in at a pace that keeps the company busy.