Growing your business means employing IT marketing techniques and getting out in the community to mingle with people that are decision makers.  You need to find people most likely to be decision makers to make the greatest impact as part of an IT marketing plan.  

If your target audience is small business owners and managers, you will probably meet a lot of bank branch managers upon a first IT marketing campaign attempt, but these will probably not be ideal clients.  Similarly, you might meet non-profit organization executive directors that don’t have much money to spend, or people working at Fortune 1,000 companies that are too big for your current level.

Decide before starting your IT marketing efforts what type of decision maker you want to reach and maximize your attendance at the right trade group meetings, conferences or networking functions you go to.

IT Marketing:  Partner Programs

When you join a partner or reseller program, you increase your visibility in the local community.  If you join Microsoft Certified Partner Program as a smaller firm, you need to find out who the local field representative is and make friends.  Shake hands, exchange business cards and attach your name with your face in his/her mind.  Then follow up with the field rep. as part of your IT marketing efforts and send emails every couple weeks to update on your progress.  You can even try to get together for coffee a couple times a year for ideas on opportunities and general conversation.

IT Marketing:  What Are the Problems?

Ask the people you meet through IT marketing efforts what problems they are running into with people they talk to in business and how you might be able to help with these problems.  Are there any people that are part of channel programs that might want to partner with you?  Your local channel representatives are a great source for sniffing out opportunities and problems in your community and help expand your IT marketing effectiveness.

Blogged By:  Joshua Feinberg