Have you ever received a very nice looking piece of junk mail or misdirected IT marketing collateral?  Chances are the person that created it spent a lot of money (upwards of $1,000).

IT Marketing and Bad Positioning

In order to avoid positioning problems with IT marketing, here are some tips for avoiding some of the major problems with a lot of ads.

As an example, I received an IT marketing ad in the mail with a headline that said, “Computer Repair, I Come to You.”  This particular benefit of making “house calls” is no longer really a benefit.  Yes, if you are doing retail, it can be nice … but, with B2B, people just don’t haul their 25-node LANs into a shop for work, so having someone that will come to them is pretty much expected.  

If you have a bad headline with IT marketing, you’ve just missed a chance to get someone’s attention that could be a potentially great client.  

Why Not Mention Price?

The ad in question next said, “Computer Repair A+ and Microsoft Certified Professional, Repairs, Upgrades, One-on-One Lessons and Tutoring.”  Again, none of this is unique in the computer business world.  But, the most disturbing part of the ad was the part in big letters that mentioned price:  “Don’t pay $40, $60 or $80 an hour for computer repair!  Call us!”  The price mentioned was $20 … which is really not even possible for anyone that wants to make any sort of a living in computer consulting (or be at all respected for the specialized services they provide).  

The Big IT Marketing Mistakes

1.     The IT marketing ad has no target.  The company is trying to go after about 7 million businesses.  The ad doesn’t even narrow its focus to the small business segment.  And the company is basically promising it will do everything from pulling out stuck disks to repairing a $79 printer.  

2.    The company is advertising price.  $20 is not a sustainable price for a computer consulting business.  Even at 75% utilization rate (which is unlikely given this IT marketing campaign), the company will not make it.

3.    The company is expressing nothing unique.  If you want to be successful at an IT marketing plan, you have to think about what makes you unique and narrow your focus and specialization.

Added By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit