Over the last several months, we have advised many IT companies on creating a marketing strategy, setting up a marketing function and running marketing programs. We have also managed marketing programs or worked as an extended arm of in-house marketing teams. The range of services has covered the entire spectrum- from repositioning, global and India-centric brand building programs, lead generation campaigns, event management and customer satisfaction programs. Suffice to say that companies are beginning to realize the importance of supplementing sales initiatives with meaningful and relevant marketing programs.

In our interactions, we have been asked many questions- how do I create a marketing roadmap and making the right choices in terms of initiatives, can I afford to spend dollars on marketing, the business environment being what it is and so on.  Through this issue’s Focus article, we have attempted to answer some of these " Frequently Asked Questions".

Prayag’s view on building successful marketing programs, also articulated in the Focus article is as follows- the effectiveness of marketing is not so dependent on how much money is spent, but the attitude with which the company approaches each and every stakeholder interaction. Marketing is all about detail, it is about consistency, and  is about approaching programs with the objective of doing  better every succeeding time. It is about introducing elements of creativity into everything we do. It is about looking at a different and innovative way to approach what seems to be a mundane program.

Let’s take lead generation as an example. Most companies look at this as a mundane activity, with a low success rate. But take the example of Wipro Technologies. They have taken this initiative to a new level. Confluence had covered their program in the best practices section of its first issue. Yet another Prayag client, Interglobe Technologies, has put in place a process for lead generation that is scalable and results-driven. Clearly, the approach and diligence in implementation have made a marked difference in the case of these two companies. In today’s difficult business environment, every method of increasing the sales funnel is welcome. And hence, offshore based lead generation and sales support programs should figure as a must do activity of the marketing function.

Another trend that we have seen is that companies are slowly but surely realizing the importance of communication. Customers and prospects, employees, and the media, and to a lesser extent analysts, have been the audiences that mid-sized companies have sought out. The means used have been varied- newsletters, improved websites, e-mailers, and press releases and lastly custom events.

Take Barry Wehmiller International Resources, a Chennai based IT solutions company focusing on providing IT solutions to the manufacturing segment in India and the US. Prayag helped them launch a brand building program in India through a special event aimed at prospects, customers and the media. This has paved the way to a series of initiatives now being pursued by the company with the view to increasing its brand awareness.

We see more and more companies holding focused events to reach out to specific target segments. Prayag has put together, based on its experience, a ready reckoner on how to hold a successful event. Read the best practices section of this issue of Confluence to find out more.

We have often been asked questions about the relevance of analyst relations, and what kind of investments would be required to kick-start an analyst program. We have Sudin Apte, Country Manager, Forrester Group, answer many of these questions in this edition’s Tomorrow Maker’s section. 

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