Print.IT Reseller - issue 53

VOX POP ...continued Content marketing is also hugely significant with video and mobile playing an increasingly important role 01732 759725 44 Phil Madders: “We are trying. We actually can boast selling our Dashboarding solution – PAe BI to an IT VAR in Munich via Facebook. It has only happened once but I am very proud of it. We have invested in the time and energy needed to manage our activity across social media in Europe. I feel whilst it is hard to identify and exact correlation between this type of activity and new prospects and referrals I do get the feeling that if you don’t have a presence you are making your life a little bit harder, and it is already tough enough.” Michael Burke: “We believe in regular and targeted communications using a variety of channels to ensure that our customers receive product, application, technical or training information that is relevant to them based on the software they have installed. Companies are deluged with so much information, and business platforms are increasingly becoming social channels, so much so that it can be difficult for true business messages to be seen. Targeting is therefore key, as is a mix of media, etc.” Mike Anderson: “Creating a digital experience is hugely important. You can typically find 16 people involved in the buying committee at an SMB, and as many as five people can be involved in the signed-off purchase. The vendor’s website is one of the first places they’ll visit on their research journey, so it’s essential that a standout digital experience is delivered here, which showcases how you understand their business by serving content that’s relevant. “We’ve created a content strategy which delivers awareness and inspirational content through our blog, Brother Spark. It’s designed to appeal to potential customers at the exploration stage, and we then create and serve further relevant investigation and evaluation based content as they move through their buying journey. “The key is to understand the customers’ needs and then to qualify the opportunity so they can have a meaningful, worthwhile conversation about if or how we could support their business. Plus, by providing knowledge and information that’s relevant, they’re more likely to share this, which can drive referrals.” Nigel Allen: “The last two years have seen KYOCERA’s marketing approach revolutionised from an outbound strategy to inbound marketing. Utilising the latest digital techniques we are focusing on providing value added content and white papers to ensure that KYOCERA is providing great thought leadership pieces to educate and inform end-users. This has helped KYOCERA achieve its best ever year with sales increasing by over 10 per cent in a market which is declining. You cannot do this without focusing on providing the best possible customer experience to everyone.” Carlo Longhi: “Nowadays, providing a digital experience for customers is critical. We know that in the A4 space, 80 per cent of buying decisions are carried out digitally and within one hour of researching. With these insights in mind, at Xerox, we have dedicated significant focus and investment in driving digital demand generation in this space and working with our partners to optimise the customer search and buying experience. “Content marketing is also hugely significant with video and mobile playing an increasingly important role in nurturing customers through social and digital platforms, prior to them making a purchase. We leverage this integrated marketing approach across all of our products and service offerings.” Tatsuo Murakami: “Creating a great digital experience for customers is a part of the whole marketing mix. We use email marketing and social media to spread the message about how people can benefit from using inkjet printers, and of course, RISO’s. We can talk about our great products but we have specialist industry and sector knowledge that we try to share also, showing people they can solve everyday problems and also create new opportunities.” Lars Hargaard: “We live in an increasingly digital world where we have the exciting opportunity and flexibility to interact with our customers across many different mediums. We are constantly working to develop our digital strategies to make sure we are engaging with our customers across these platforms and provide the content they want to see via their chosen medium. “This enables us to be visible in these domains and therefore attract new customers particularly through social media.” PrintIT Reseller: How important is creating a great digital experience for customers? How are you using content marketing, email marketing and social media to communicate with your current customer base, as well as a way to secure new prospects or referrals? Nigel Allen Mark Smyth Carlo Longhi