Conceptual Brain Storm - How would you go about this?

7 replies
I'm working for a company and right now the plan is to try to attract a number of specific companies in a very specific niche. The goal is to get these companies to recognize us on a large scale and get at least a few of them to sign a purchase order. The company I'm working for is a new startup and not many people know about us yet. We have a revolutionary technology that is not widely known - we do high speed wireless data transfer at ridiculously high speeds, for very low cost, and with a very small device (think a couple of millimeters long by a couple millimeters wide).

I thought about a few different methods - mining the ideal customer companies sites for the keywords they're targeting (which almost all companies in this niche will be targeting), and dominating them in the SERPS for those keywords;
dominating their suppliers (our competitors) in the SERPS for our competitors keywords
dominating buyer specific keywords (keywords they would use to look for new-old solutions [as they dont yet know about us yet])

these methods include videos in the SERPS and blog posts for keywords that may get decent search volume but we may not have direct relation to

Can you think of any other ways to catch the attention of specific companies? Or better yet, to find out what companies are searching for when they search the web?
#brain #conceptual #storm
  • Profile picture of the author avjoseph
    any ideas?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8570863].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author SamKane
      If the product really works, why not just knock on a door and sell it?
      Seems like you would be wasting time trying to outsmart Google.
      And like you said yourself, they don't know about you. And might
      not be looking.

      Make a list of the top 100 companies you need to target.
      And get in their face. Focus on just those companies and
      eventually if your product works, someone will give you a
      check for it.

      Create some free report or presentation you can offer them
      to get into the door.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8571017].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author avjoseph
    because from a business development standpoint that might not be the best idea. were still doing a lot of r&d right now and if a large manufacturer gave us a P.O. right now it might not be AS good as if we got it in half a year.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8576915].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Steve B
      Good old-fashioned keyword research should show you what terms and phrases people in the niche are searching.

      Anything you can do to promote your brand in an intelligent, cost-effective manner should help your cause.

      I would think about a series of press releases building up to your release date.

      And don't overlook the power of a product launch. Jeff Walker seems to be the expert in that regard (Product Launch Formula). Since you are still months away, you have time to develop a thoughtful and systematic approach.

      And, as others have suggested, I would get on the phone and make some friends with your targeted companies. Businessmen buy from people they know, like and trust. So start that process right now.

      The best to you and your company,

      Steve
      Signature

      Steve Browne, online business strategies, tips, guidance, and resources
      SteveBrowneDirect

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8576976].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Originally Posted by avjoseph View Post

        because from a business development standpoint that might not be the best idea. were still doing a lot of r&d right now and if a large manufacturer gave us a P.O. right now it might not be AS good as if we got it in half a year.
        So start building relationships right now. Aim for a major launch in six months.

        All this "dominate the serps for" stuff isn't going sell a single gizmo for you if your target companies are not looking for new solutions. No discontent on their part means no interest in you.

        So spend the six months on a product launch. Start positioning yourself in a way to sow discontent with the status quo. Make "what if" type videos and just get your targets to start asking themselves questions about what you are doing now.

        A white paper (digital or otherwise) is another way to establish yourselves in the market. Perry Marshall has (maybe 'had') a great product on using white papers for B2B. If you have the funding, sending one of your people through his "bobsled run" might make sense.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8577223].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Michael Rosmer
    My initial reaction to this was the same as SamKane's, generally I find in B2B especially where large sales are involved a targeted direct sales effort trumps something like Google pretty much every time. However, based on your response to him it sounds like you're wanting more of a branding/reputation building campaign in which case I'd still ignore search engines, etc. and instead go with the "Mint Marketing Plan". Basically, what this refers to is building strategic alliances with targeted influencers such as blogs, magazines, newspapers, etc. In other words do some research on what kind of publications your target market would find influential and what publications (these might be digital by the way) would have an especial interest in your technology. Cross reference those lists and narrow it down, then start approaching the people there not trying to sell anything or getting them to promote it but rather saying "hey, what we've got is really cool, would love for you to check it out and see what you think", then show them the technology and build a network of enthusiasts who are also influencers. Then, when the time comes ask if they wouldn't mind writing an article, doing an interview, etc. on you guys and your technology. This will go a long way towards establishing credibility and awareness, which you can use later in your sales efforts but will also help to draw interest towards your company in the mean time.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8579270].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by Michael Rosmer View Post

      ...Then, when the time comes ask if they wouldn't mind writing an article, doing an interview, etc. on you guys and your technology. This will go a long way towards establishing credibility and awareness, which you can use later in your sales efforts but will also help to draw interest towards your company in the mean time.
      You could even offer to write an article for them. Highlight and analyze the problems your new tech is especially suited to address without making it sales-y.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8579293].message }}

Trending Topics