Technology Marketing Agency vs. Generalist B2B Agency – 7 Things to Consider When Choosing Your Marketing Partner for Tech

Are you searching for the right marketing partner for your tech company? Dozens of B2B agencies are out there for any marketing needs, whether content creation, lead generation, or search engine optimization. The problem, however, is that generic B2B marketing agencies often lack specific expertise in tech markets and industries.

Even though it can be hard to find a true technology marketing agency, the search is worth the effort. It can save you time and money and bring you higher ROI!

7 Essential Qualities of a Technology Marketing Agency

These seven traits of Technology Marketing Agencies set them apart from the vast crowd of B2B marketing agencies. Use these traits as part of your checklist when scouting the market for the right marketing partner. If you find an agency that checks most boxes, you should consider putting them on your shortlist.

Here are seven things to consider when choosing a tech marketing partner that can meet your business goals:

1. Subject Matter Expertise

When choosing a marketing agency for a tech business, the first thing to consider is industry knowledge. Do the agency’s team members have solid industry and technology-specific subject matter expertise?

If you have worked with an external marketing partner, you know that teaching the fundamentals of specific technology areas and industries can hog a lot of your team’s working time. It will cost you money!

If you retread this route, expect that countless hours will be spent teaching the agency’s people with the basics.

How do you benchmark a marketing agency’s level of subject matter expertise? Not easy, but you can learn a lot by reading an agency’s previous deliverables such as tech blogs, thought leadership articles, and whitepapers.

2. Robust Tech Marketing Strategies

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Selling tech products in international markets and industries requires a robust differentiation strategy and unique value proposition. Why? Because competition is tough -- customers can choose between dozens of competing products.

Even if you think your product is unique, there are multiple substitutive solutions -- and you need to compete against them, too.

So, when you benchmark prospective marketing partners, vet their strategic product marketing competence to see if they understand how to create a unique marketing strategy for tech products.

3. Successful Lead Generation Track Record

Why is solid lead generation a must-have capability in tech marketing? Because the outbound sales approach does not work in the international tech business anymore. It’s not in sync with a customer’s buying journey, so you cannot know what the customers need and when they need it.

With inbound lead generation, you let prospective buyers and specialists find you when it best suits them.

Lead generation in niche tech sectors and highly specified industries requires an in-depth understanding of your subject matters, B2B sales process, and sales-driven search engine marketing (SEM). When making up your mind on the next marketing partner, don’t forget the due diligence for the past lead generation track record, such as generating 400 sales leads in IoT in 3 months.

4. Thought Leadership Marketing Experience

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Technology thought leadership is one of the hottest marketing strategies for tech companies. And it’s easy to see why CMOs invest in it.

The research found that companies with a strong thought leadership position reap a greater reputation in the industry and get better sales results than the others.

If you want to succeed in the international tech markets and industries, make sure your marketing agency is capable of helping you to climb up the industry food chain and strengthen your company’s thought leadership image.

5. Tech Public Relations Experience 

If there is one thing all tech companies struggle at some point, it’s how to earn credibility in the industry. Yes, everybody knows it comes with time and evidence. The trick is how you communicate your evidence (of credibility) in the global market space so that it doesn’t take ages.

Customers believe information when trusted third-parties deliver it. That’s logical. If you write a blog, customers might consider it self-pitching. However, when you channel your message via respected tech and industry media, it increases credibility.

Whichever agency you choose, check if they will be able to help you write and publish great industry articles to build your credibility as fast as possible.

6. In-depth Understanding of Tech Buyers

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According to Gartner’s B2B buying research, 77% of B2B buyers say that buying has become very complex – even more so in tech and industrial sectors. The buying teams are big, stakeholders have conflicting interests, decisions take a long time – and you, vendors, are engaged late in the process.

Understanding how the expert tech buyer-teams work is critical in tech marketing. When a generalist B2B agency speaks about buyer personas and linear journeys, it can be a sign of a lack of tech buyer understanding.

7. Solid Experience Working with Tech Companies

Generalist B2B marketing agencies may have worked with tech companies at some point. Technology marketing agencies, however, typically have a consistent track record of working with tech companies from various locations, markets, sectors, and industries.

That’s why technology marketing agencies have broader tech experience and can most likely work with less supervision. In which case, you save time and money and enjoy a better ROI.

How to Learn about Technology Marketing?

Are you working as a CMO or marketing manager at a tech company? Should you want to hear how Grip Agency has worked with tens of international tech companies in IoT, Industry 4.0, telecom, 5G, manufacturing, machine learning, green-tech, and more – you can drop us a line and we call you up to discuss more.