New Airfoil white paper examines IT marketing strategies in a down economy

Our economy has entered or stumbled into a new marketing revolution.  America is being battered by forces ranging from unprecedented energy prices to high food costs and a collapsing financial sector.  Yet, according to industry pundits, businesses need to sustain, if not increase, their investments in IT products and services now and for many years to come to keep from falling behind when the economy turns upward again. 

How can technology innovators break through the wall of caution when it comes to IT and gain a position as a trusted advisor to customers battling the economy s impact?  A whitepaper about to be issued by Airfoil explores the answers to this very question.

Throughout its white paper, titled  IT, PR and the GDP, Airfoil offers a number of tips and strategies for innovators trying to market products and services to businesses in a tumbling economy.  In the white paper, Senior Vice President Eric Kushner offers this advice:

 Developers of IT solutions, resellers, IT consultants and others attempting to overcome the budget restrictions among corporate customers need to focus their marketing efforts as sharply as the budget-watchers focus on their bottom line.  To be successful, IT innovators must persuade prospective customers that each solution being recommended meets one of the three following criteria:

1. 1. is truly mission critical, that it is vital to keeping the company from faltering;
2. 2. will reduce operating costs, freeing up scarcer resources for projects that expand the organization s capabilities while attracting and/or helping to retain consumers; or
3. 3. increases revenue, driving top-line growth for the company.

The innovator needs to make the case for these benefits directly when marketing to CIOs, other IT managers, purchasing and procurement managers, or business owners. The IT provider, however, also can help the CIO make his or her case to top management regarding the importance of the IT solution to the organization.

The general manager of Airfoil s Silicon Valley office, Sue Barnes, points out that  public relations professionals can help IT innovators communicate choices to their customers. The flexibility offered by such options as on-premises software vs. hosted services or dedicated telecommunications systems vs. unified communications is especially important in times of flux.

 Corporations want the capability to choose and move freely among optional solutions for optimal savings in time and costs, Barnes says,  and communicators understand how to present that capability to a variety of audiences.

To download a copy of  IT, PR and the GDP next month, or any previous Airfoil white paper at any time, please visit Airfoil online at www.airfoilpr.com/insights_white.html 

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Metrics count as technology cycle enters evaluation phase

According to Andrew Bartels, a research analyst at Forrester Research Inc., technology comes in eight-year periods of innovation, followed by assimilation, and 2008 brings entry into the second half of this cycle.  In a New York Times technology blog, Andrew Bartels forecasts a future increase in technology investments that will automate business operations, rather than just business process, including a forecasted future increase in technology investments.  With this bump in spending on the horizon, it is important for technology companies, particularly those that specialize in IT infrastructure, to anticipate and respond to how prospects will be soon evaluating their products and services.

Externally, implementing technology can lead to relationships that are more effective with partners, suppliers and customers.  Internally, technology tools are relied on for increasing efficiency and encouraging greater collaboration between employees. These are specific areas that customers will be looking to for a track record of measureable success, a predictor of the future return they might realize on a potential technology investment.

To be a valued partner during this evaluation process, IT companies must offer metrics that communicate the benefits of their tools or services in the upfront. With Bartels forecasting technology spending to rise, while the number of IT companies remains relatively unchanged, winning new business becomes a game of one-upmanship. While an already stable customer base may lead to incremental organic revenue growth during this cycle of capital reinvestment, there will be many IT budgets up for grabs. The smart technology company seeking to command a premium for its wares will not compete on price (alone), it will aggressively market its ability to deliver a higher ROI than its peers.

Assuming that the company has historically captured metrics for its projects and customers, some fundamental marketing and public relations strategies can make the most of those numbers:

* Case studies that conclude with a section highlighting measureable results paint a simple yet vivid picture of the company s offering eleading to meaningful success
* Press releases announcing completion of major projects, or that round up a series of successes for customers, can fill the media and an online news room with hard evidence of ROI
* Customer testimonials featured on websites and customer advocacy in press release quotes can be tailored to map to the technology company s goal message  that they drive real results for real customers.

Metrics can provide a picture of how technology should be working for companies.  As a technology vendor, it is essential to highlight not only the advantages of tools and services, but also to communicate that adoption translates into real dollars well spent and real dollars saved. 

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CIO Magazine combines insight for technology, leadership 

CIO magazine and its Web site, http://www.cio.com/ offer professional and personal resources and news for the IT industry. Regarded as a barometer and influencer in the IT world, CIO content ranges from research to opinion in all aspects of IT, from leadership issues to technology solutions.

The magazine regularly features news and reviews of the latest in IT including today s hottest acronyms: SaaS, SOA and VoIP.

Complementing the magazine, CIO.com offers videos, podcasts and how-tos for the latest tools in technology.

 CIO in all of its forms is an essential resource for anyone in IT, said Aaron Petras, Airfoil s IT manager.  I can learn about everything from the most recent viruses to be aware of, to in-depth reviews of software and hardware implementations.

In addition to technology news, CIO has leadership development resources, an extensive job board and networking areas for IT professionals. The site offers leadership articles and information from an IT department perspective to managing vendors and partners, with features including how to talk to and sell to the CEO and the jobs outlook for IT in 2009.

CIO.com s advice and opinion section is where IT professionals can ask and answer questions, submit rants and develop their own blogs.

 Research and implementation results are highly valued by IT departments, Petras said.  When you have case studies and white papers at your fingertips for all IT subjects, it can make life a lot easier.

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Airfoil expands client roster with three new clients

Airfoil Public Relations has announced the expansion of its client roster with the addition of three clients that have developed versatile software solutions for business.

Airfoil is providing media and awards support for Mountain View, Calif.-based DreamFactory, a publisher of cloudware  business applications built native to cloud/utility computing platforms, including Amazon Web Services, Cisco Connect, Intuit QuickBase and Salesforce App Exchange. The DreamFactory Suite offers project, document and data collaboration capabilities for all businesses.

 For North Mankato, Minn.,-based Interprise Software Solutions, Inc., a Taylor Corp. company, Airfoil is supporting the planning and execution of the launch of the latest version of Interprise Suite, which offers business processes in a single location, from ERP and CRM to accounting and e-commerce/point-of-sale tools.

Airfoil also is managing a comprehensive public relations program for solidThinking, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Altair Engineering, Inc. solidThinking, headquartered in Troy, Mich., develops and markets industrial design/styling software that helps designers invent, explore and evaluate new ideas easily, rapidly and cost-effectively, without the limitations of traditional software. 

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Barnes joins Airfoil as Silicon Valley Office GM 

Airfoil Public Relations announces the addition of Sue Barnes to its management team, where she ll serve as the general manager of the company s Mountain View, Calif., office. She has broad management responsibilities for the agency s Mountain View location including client service, business and staff development. 

In particular, she ll lend her expertise to the agency s Web 2.0, business intelligence, telecommunications and consumer technology clients.

Most recently Barnes served as the technology practice leader at Zeno Group, an Edelman company, where she held leadership roles on established brands such as Oracle, as well as providing C-suite counsel to fast-moving start-ups in burgeoning technology areas such as e-discovery. 

During the previous 18 years when Barnes was at Waggener Edstrom, she held a leadership role on the Microsoft account creating and supporting campaigns across the company including Windows Server, storage and management businesses and the corporation s licensing initiative. 

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Airfoil named gold sponsor of seed, venture fund conference 

Airfoil has become a gold sponsor of the National Association of Seed and Venture Funds (NASVF) annual conference, scheduled for Sept. 10-12 at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center in Detroit.

The National Association of Seed and Venture Funds is an organization of innovation capital leaders including private, public and nonprofit organizations committed to building their local economies by investing in local entrepreneurs.

 We re proud to be involved with the conference and are pleased that NASVF chose Detroit as its latest destination, said Eric Kushner, Airfoil partner and senior vice president.  Despite economic uncertainties, huge opportunities still remain for startups and entrepreneurs.

Conference attendees include seed fund manager, angel investors and state venture capital leaders. Quicken Loans Founder Dan Gilbert is scheduled as the keynote speaker for the event, and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm will be in attendance at the opening reception. 

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