become a tech marketing gold medalist for your data center hardware buyers

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MILE

26.2+1

But often, slow and steady wins the race — as is the case when marketing to buyers of Data Center hardware.If you’re with them during each stride, your odds of

winning the gold will improve significantly.

BECOME ATECH MARKETING

FOR YOUR HARDWAREFOR DATA CENTER

BUYERS

Marketing to the tech buyingcommittee is a marathon, not a sprint.

GOLD MEDALIST

Servers

68%

YOUR GOLD-MEDAL ROSTER:TITLES OF TOP IT BUYERS

GOING FOR GOLD:TODAY’S MOST SOUGHT AFTER

HARDWARE PRODUCTS

Interaction with your brand is high throughout thebuying process, but you’ll want to break from the packwhen you hit the Vendor Selection, Hardware Management and Renewal stages.

Buying stages are evenly paced,and each one takes about

4–6 months.

Storage

64%Routers

49%

Switches

45%Racks

36%

Power andCooling

31%

Fewer than 1 in 5 companiesare considering new vendors.

LIGHTING THE TORCH:HOW DO YOU COME OUT A CHAMPION?

GOING THE EXTRA MILE:WHAT ELSE MATTERS TO

HARDWARE PURCHASERS?

STAYING AHEADDURING EACH LEG OF THE

DATA CENTER HARDWARE RACE

A specialized subset of buyers.

Unlike other technologies where different businessfunctions take on leadership roles throughout the buying

process, this committee is led by IT, Engineeringand Operations during key buying stages.

Highly advanced,technical content wins.

Demonstrateexpertise and

a thorough understanding of

your customer’s business model.

THE DATA CENTER PURCHASE PATHIT’S A STEADY BUT COMPETITIVE RACE

WHO IS ON YOUR GOLD-MEDAL TEAM(A.K.A. THE BUYING COMMITTEE)?

NEEDS STAGE FOCUS:Cost, reliability, speed and storage. Gold Medal Tip:Share proof of credibility, motivatinguse cases and positive peer reviews

BUYER’S NEEDS AND SPEC ANALYSIS STAGE FOCUS:Pricing is by far the most important. Gold Medal Tip:Conferences and events make animpact at this stage only.

HARDWARE SELECTION STAGE FOCUS:Most intense stage for communication. Gold Medal Tip:Vendor websites are the mostimportant at this stage (69%!)

TECHNOLOGY IMPLEMENTATION STAGE FOCUS:A smooth implementation is critical.Gold Medal Tip:Buyers want specific content on storage,reliability, support and security

TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT STAGE FOCUS:Reaching out directly to sales and support. Gold Medal Tip:The buying committee stops consumingcase studies/success stories at this stage.

PURCHASE RENEWAL STAGE FOCUS:Priorities remain the same, with focus on pricing.Gold Medal Tip:New product features or hardwareupgrades will generate excitement!

Earn their trust by speaking their language and

proving your brand’s industry knowledge.

LinkedIn

2015

IT MANAGER

LinkedIn

2015

SYSTEMADMINISTRATOR

LinkedIn

2015

IT COORDINATOR

LinkedIn

2015

SENIOR NETWORKENGINEER

LinkedIn

2015

INFRASTRUCTUREMANAGER

LinkedIn

2015

CTO

LinkedIn

2015

BUSINESS SYSTEMANALYST

LinkedIn

2015

DATATECHNICIAN

1

2

3

4

5

6

Brand perceptions,above all, help

determine whomakes the

vendor short list.

Events andconferences weigh

in less whenit comes to the

buying decision.

IT is the team MVP

Make sure you have what it takes to go the distance by checking out our in-depth research e-book, “Beneath the Surface: Taking a Deeper Look at Today’s Empowered Tech Buying Process.”Go for the gold with your tech buyers!

LinkedIn Tech Research, “Beneath the Surface: Taking a Deeper Look at Today’s Empowered Tech Buying Process,” September 2015.

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