Marketing Services for Software VARs and ISVs
How We Help Acumatica, Microsoft Dynamics, and Sage Resellers with Marketing
Website
Your website is the first impression your prospects have of your company. It should have the following attributes:
Professional Look
- You can do a lot with WordPress and you can also do a lot poorly with WordPress. Be sure your site is effective and pleasing to the eye.
Good Copy and Messaging
- Nothing screams “amateur” like multiple grammar mistakes or poorly written copy. Make sure your copy is helping you reach your objectives.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- People need to be able to find your site. Your web page copy (and other attributes) should help you with your SEO goals.
Pay Per Click (PPC) Online Advertising
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- Again, people need to be able to find your site. Depending on your budget, PPC will help. But, you need effective ads with specific calls-to-action.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is today’s direct mail postcard solicitation – plus more.
Email Nurturing
- Keeps you in touch with prospects and customers until they are ready to buy by providing salient information periodically.
Email Blasts
- Focused on events (e.g., webinar or seminar attendance) or specific call-to-action (e.g., download white paper). Drives immediate action.
Email Newsletters
- Keeps you in touch consistently with your customers and provides them with valuable information that reinforces your trusted advisor status and differentiates you from other resellers.
Content Marketing
Content creation is key to all marketing efforts, especially SEO, web and social media marketing.
Blog
- If you publish articles consistently (i.e., the same day of the month or week) and provide content your prospects and customers will value (e.g., how-to articles and original product reviews and trends), then your blog will (1) make your business more “sticky” as customers and prospects come back to read your latest article, (2) establish your company as thought leaders and (3) communicate that you are product experts.
- Key SEO activity.
White Papers
- Generate multiple activities (e.g. blog, press releases, social media marketing, email blasts, webinars) and establish you and your firm as thought leaders and product experts.
- Another key SEO activity.
Press Releases
- Helps with SEO and reaching a wider audience than your twitter feed echo chamber.
Social Media
Millennials are the largest group of buyers in the world, and they live in social media. You need to be here.
Engage with Your Customers and Prospects
- Publish to the LinkedIn groups your prospects frequent to drive site traffic and new prospects.
- Follow your customers and communicate with them via Twitter.
- Listen to your prospects on social media platforms and generate leads.
- Participate in various social platform groups to raise your profile.
SEO
- Social media activity (e.g., shared links, likes, etc.) affect your website’s rankings.
Trade Shows
Trade shows “died down” for a couple of years following 2008, but they are still part of a 360° marketing plan. Key considerations are listed.
Select
- Ensure you are selecting the right show to attend. Be where your prospects are.
Target
- When you’re at the show, target your correct audience by role (e.g., business owner, VP of Sales, CFO).
Results
- Broadens your footprint (aka, increases name recognition).
- Generates prospects.
- Ties into social and content marketing when you tweet from the show floor and blog about presentations you attended.
Direct Mail & Print Ads
Some people still look at direct mail and print ads. Print ads are of dubious effectiveness for a small- to medium-sized software reseller, but direct mail can be a fundamental part of an integrated marketing campaign along with email and phone calls by sales people.