A Bit Of Marketing In Your IT Group?

Some of my favorite customer time is when I spend 1x1 time with a CIO or other IT leader and just chat.

Despite what you may think, I don't use the opportunity to shamelessly pimp EMC's products and solutions. 

We usually get into all sorts of interesting discussions about the industry, how their companies are evolving, how their IT organizations are changing -- and, ultimately, how they can better engage with the businesses they serve.

And, more often than not, I starting to drop a suggestion in front of them -- have you ever thought of a bit of marketing in your IT group?

You're Kidding, Right?

Sure -- the initial reaction is -- why would I consider that?  We hire technology people, process people -- what would we ever do with a marketing type?

The case is pretty clear, if you look at some of the organizational challenges that most larger IT groups face in large enterprise settings.

See if *any* of these apply to you ...

Does The Rest Of The Company Understand The Value That IT Brings?

So many IT people tell me that they feel they don't get enough credit for all the good work they do for the organization.  They sometimes feel under-appreciated, or at least frustrated that they don't have a bit more cred in the company-wide pecking order.

That, folks, is a classic marketing communications problem.

It's fixed by someone sitting down, and capturing all the good stories from the IT organization, and sharing them with the broader organization.  We're not talking about a once-a-quarter executive review, we're talking a continual stream of anecdotes and acknowledgements.

When someone says "the company doesn't understand the value we bring", I usually respond with "are you investing any quality resources in telling them?".  Frequently, the answer is "no".

Do Your Users Know About The Services You Already Offer?

Nothing can be more frustrating than standing up a cool service for your user base, and it doesn't get used that much.  You go through all the time and effort and hassle -- and there's no payoff.

So I ask -- how did you launch and promote the new service?  What investments did you make to foster engagement and adoption?  I usually don't get a strong answer on this one.

Broadcasting and promoting your capabilities is a classic marketing function.  Getting people to get curious enough to take the time to figure out what you've got is also a marketing gig.

Do You Know What Your Users *Really* Want?

Most IT requirements gathering happens in a very formal setting, usually at a high level in an organization.  Business function meets IT function.  Lists of requirements are passed back and forth and discussed.  I've been to a few of these meetings, and I often wonder how much useful context is being shared.

Good marketing people know how to segment their target audiences, determine voiced and unvoiced needs, and assemble all of the noise into a systematic and comprehensible picture that's somewhat actionable.  They also have a good sense for what people are actually willing to pay for :-)

Are You Getting Your Fair Share Of Industry Recognition?

There are all sorts of "best of" lists and awards for IT groups.  Getting on these lists isn't really all that hard -- pretty much every IT group is doing a few cool things that are worthy of broader recognition.

Being able to put up some "badge bling" from time to time helps your credibility with internal and external audiences.  But someone has to take the time to figure out all the various "best of" lists, and put together an application, which is essentially just another marketing task.

Really want to get your name out there?  It doesn't take much effort, really.  All of us vendors are eager to promote the successes you've had with our products and services.  Every industry conference is eager to have real-world IT professionals present, rather than the endless parade of vendors, consultants and analysts.

But, once again, someone has to figure out the best places to invest, and do a bit of legwork to get hooked up.

How's Employee Morale In Your IT Organization?

There's no panacea here, but a continuing stream of communication to your IT employees is a key part of helping them feel connected, engaged and recognized.  They want honest dialogue about what's working, what's not -- and what to expect in the future.

Putting together a regular menu of internal communication and engagement activities isn't inherently hard, but someone has to do it -- and that's usually a marketing communications type of function.

Really Want To Engage With The Business?

Most organizations have a corporate marketing function.  In a nutshell, they help the company figure out what customers want, and help sell what's on the truck.

Most companies spend a lot of money on marketing people and programs in an effort to do just that.  Not surprisingly, they're big users of IT in many cases.

Is your IT organization well engaged with your corporate marketing function?  Do you want to be?  Having someone -- anyone -- on your staff with a marketing background might help in that conversation.

Thinking About Running IT As A Business?

I'm increasingly picking up a frequent meme from these conversations -- the ultimate goal is to conceive of IT as a virtual P+L within the company -- especially in larger settings.

Jon Peirce, one of EMC's IT leaders, made the observation that -- if IT was a company, they'd basically be engineering, manufacturing and a bit of customer service.  Very little else.

Every company has to figure out what their customers really want -- and why.
How much to charge for their offerings. 
Positioning and comparing their offerings vs. alternatives. 
Promote and generate demand for their offerings. 
Communicate and engage with their audiences.
Ultimately, establish a brand for what they do.

Does your IT organization need to do any of this?

Comments

[David A. Chapa]

Chuck: Good blog post. Back when I was the Data Center Mgr at Foote, Cone and Belding Advertising in Chicago I said the same thing, "we need some marketing for our IT group". It was indeed a foreign concept, even for and Ad agency, but it was wildly successful. It wasn't about "look at us" it was about providing outlets and inlets to and for our customer base of the services we provide, the systems we are working on and probably more importantly how IT helped to drive business.

Everyone needs a little marketing.

[Vince Westin]

Thanks for making this point so well. Just like you need to learn to market yourself, your organization will need marketing no matter how many (or few) external customers it may serve. Trust that I will have this conversation with more IT leaders in the future.