Lately I’ve been working with, and meeting, a number of tech start-ups who are launching some fantastic new products. One has even found a way to make the world wide web faster.
Anyway, what I’m finding is that while the products are great, the way they are delivered to the world is lacking in sex appeal. In fact I think I’ve stumbled upon a little marketing gold mine…
Ok, so what I’m saying might sound a little obvious, but I think there’s a real need for good communications advice in the IT industry – especially to start-ups. It’s during the start-up phase that IT companies need to sell themselves the most. To potential investors and potential customers.
But so often the message communicated is focused towards an IT and tech audience. Now I don’t blame the business owners for this. When your engrossed in the day to day development of your business it’s easiest to stick with what you know. But in New Zealand especially, the tech audience is small and there isn’t a lot of money to be found. The key may just lie in making IT sexy - changing the message appeal to a wider business audience.
This means not talking product in terms of what it does, how it works or who it’s for. In fact it shouldn’t even be about the product in the first instance.
It should be about a need. What need exists that this product is out to solve? Why should I care? What’s the so what that makes this product unique?
There are, of course, a few IT products that cannot, and do not need to be made sexy. But I challenge any tech/IT start-ups to think about how they communicate their business in a fresh light. It may be a case of getting a communications consultant in to give the business the “outside in” perspective required to create a message that appeals to those fat cat investors.
