By Leslie Vickrey, President & Founder, ClearEdge Marketing
When you work in marketing, you work in a world of metaphors. One that we often hear in the IT services industry, especially when times are tough, is the ubiquitous “silver bullet” solution. IT services leaders want an all-in-one marketing solution that they can embrace today to get miraculous results tomorrow: What is the one message we can deliver that will bring new customers with deep pockets, increase client retention and expand our brand?

When it comes to IT services companies, searching for that one silver bullet is a dangerous distraction that will keep a business from achieving integrated marketing excellence. While it can be hard to let go of the idea that one incredible marketing message will leapfrog your company into the position of “most sought-after industry leader,” there are numerous reasons why it’s important to say goodbye to silver bullets and focus instead on strong messaging fundamentals.

Origin of the “Silver Bullet”
The marketing silver bullet has been around in full force since the Internet emerged as a creative and cost-effective venue for marketing. In the early days of Web mania, companies embraced this new marketplace with vigor and unprecedented branding fervor. Companies began adopting fanciful, futuristic names—think Razorfish, Xoom and Netscape. At a time of incredible marketplace change, supported by a healthy economy and nonstop technology buzz, a memorable name and flashy Web site were enough to drive tremendous interest, investment and even sales. Thus, the legend of the marketing “silver bullet” was born.

Legends are legendary because their fame outlives their lifespan, and that is doubly true for the silver bullet mania of the Dot com gold rush. When it was found that many companies had extremely visionary-sounding names but no business plan, strategy or true innovation fueling them, it all came to an end, which we now know as “the Dot com bust.”

The Big Lesson
If memorable names are not the valuable marketing legacy of the Internet’s infamous beginning, what is? The lesson is this: high integrity and dogged consistency in company messaging are fundamental to successful marketing.

For businesses with slapdash messaging, today’s linked-up, online, instant era is full of hazards. I have seen businesses cut in the early rounds of the RFP process because the services they present in proposals do not match the content on their Web sites. On the other hand, businesses that carefully cultivate and manage their messaging throughout the public domain are businesses able to create consistent, strong brands that attract interest and command marketplace respect.

Take Inventory
Gain control of your brand and messaging by taking a full inventory. Review all marketing tools: brochures, slicks, Web sites, sales scripts, job board content, recruiting materials, advertising, PR messaging, proposals, presentations and content found on partner, industry and association Web sites and materials. Most businesses will find a dangerously wide range of messages out in marketplace. In some severe cases, the company described on a Web site does not sound at all like the company described by its sales representatives during presentations.  

Mismatched messaging can happen easily in busy times, but a company that is slow in updating its messages will lose opportunities. The following anecdote is just one example of the high price businesses pay for lazy messaging upkeep. An established IT services firm had just sent one of its top sales representatives to speak at a national conference. The presentation was a rousing success, and many attendees approached the speaker afterwards with questions and interest in the company’s services. However, the sales representative found it almost impossible to get even one of those previously eager prospects to agree to a meeting. What went wrong? One candid prospect told the sales representative plainly: I loved what I learned in your presentation. But then I went to your Web site. The services and company described didn’t match what you spoke about. After I saw the site, I assumed you were an exceptional salesperson working for a typical staffing firm.

Grossly inconsistent company information and messaging will cost you important business and sales opportunities. With such open access to information online, it is more challenging and more important than ever to ensure marketplace messages accurately reflect the company you are and the capabilities you have.

Gather Messaging Input
Finding out which company messages are working best has never been easier. Online survey solutions have exploded in recent years, making it simple, rapid and affordable to poll target groups. Want to know how satisfied customers are? Survey your customers today. Want to test your company messaging with prospects? You can.

Interviewing key audience members and using focus groups are ways to gain in-depth messaging feedback. Present a sample audience with your key messages and proof points (quantifiable data that prove the claims you make in your messaging) and see what piques their interest.

Gathering marketplace insights is an important first step in streamlining messaging for maximum impact. In our surveying experience, ClearEdge Marketing has found time and again that IT services buyers find proof points or what we call “metrics that matter” extremely persuasive. Prospective clients respond to company performance data that prove value, such as:

•    Number of placements (annual, monthly, etc.)
•    Average submittal time
•    Average time-to-fill (average number of days required to fill positions)
•    Re-deployment ratio
•    Extension ratio
•    Contract-to-hire percentage
•    Industry and consultant referral rates
•    Assignment/project completion percentage
•    Customer/contractor satisfaction rates
•    Staff and consultant retention ratios

By audience testing key messages or proof points like those listed above, a business will quickly learn what its strongest brand attributes are and why it’s critical to keep them consistently communicated in the marketplace.

Think Arsenal, Not Bullet
Rather than searching for a silver bullet, businesses need to think of marketing as an evolving arsenal. When the arsenal is well stocked with a range of messages and proof points that tell a consistent, provocative story, a business will be able to produce campaigns that reach the right audience, drive significant business leads and expand brand awareness.  

No marketing trick, silver bullet or otherwise, will turn an IT services company into a Microsoft, Google, Starbucks, Nike or Disney brand overnight. Smart, accurate and thoroughly consistent messaging today is the foundation that will allow successful companies to become tomorrow’s preeminent industry brands.


About the Author
Leslie Vickrey is president and founder of ClearEdge Marketing, a marketing communications firm specializing in the IT services industry. After beginning her career in marketing for well-known companies such as McDonald’s Corporation and Junior Achievement, Vickrey quickly found a niche in the technology services industry, where she has worked for the past 10 years managing marketing operations or providing consulting services for companies such as Spherion, TAC Worldwide, Harvey Nash, NACCB, The Armada Group, TransTech, Galmont Consulting, RiverPoint, Pierce Technology and Technisource. For more information, please e-mail lvickrey@clearedgemarketing.com or call 312.731.3149.