1. Internal analysis.

The internal analysis of a company is the first phase of a marketing plan. To do an introspection of your own business, you should ask yourself why your technology was born, what makes it unique and what audience can it reach with the resources you have, following these two key steps:

1.1. Know the WHY of your business.

Does Simon Sinek’s “golden circle” ring a bell? With this concept, the English popularizer states that most businesses are clear on WHAT they do and HOW they work to perfect their processes and methodology. However, there are few companies that have the same certainty about WHY they do it, or what their mission is , which, in short, is one of the most powerful questions in marketing.

And if you think about it, all technology companies aim to sell their technology. It is even possible to compete with the same product or service. So how can you differentiate yourself? With that WHY that allows you to configure your own corporate identity, that is, that helps you to generate a unique company profile.

Keep in mind that consumer trends have changed drastically, especially at this time in which we live and that, for this reason, today’s buyers need something more than quality products: they need to see themselves reflected in the company’s identity, in their values . That is why, to attract buyers to your business, you must answer the following questions:

• What is the reason that led you to create your technology? What is the mission you want to fulfill by providing technological solutions to your clients?
• Why do you think your service or product can better satisfy your customer? What do you offer that other technology companies do not have?
• What are the differentiating values ​​of your company? What makes you special? Which brings us to:

1.2. Highlight your technological product among the competition.

But have you ever stopped to think about why companies like, for example, Coca Cola, Nike or Camper triumph in the crowd? Yes, Coca Cola has the magic formula , but both it and Nike or Camper are unique. Do you know what the secret is? They transmit passion. Behind each one of them there is a personal story …

Nike does not convey to its customers the quality of its sports shoes, if they are sewn with a special fabric or if the sole, which hides an air chamber, is made of an unbreakable material. What Nike transmits is that if you wear them, you will feel unique. Nike and the big brands, the ones that have really invested astronomical amounts in traditional marketing, transmit passion.

Another example of a leading technology company: Google doodles . This is the most popular graphic element in your browser. As you know, it periodically changes or modifies its logo to commemorate an event. They are so popular that there is even a page where you can find the latest doodles . And techniques like these are part of the companies’ marketing plan? Of course.

Think about how you can offer your customers something special , that moves them and makes them feel unique . In the technology industry sector, competing on price is not a good long-term strategy. Offer something more, something personalized, something that touches the heart. One of the many phrases that Steve Jobs , the founder of Apple , left us goes like this:

Innovation is what distinguishes leading companies from the rest.

In conclusion, to make yourself known, you must first define yourself and then differentiate yourself . In this way, even your employees will understand and be able to correctly convey the identity of your company and the message you want to convey to your target audience .

1.3. Find your target audience.

One of the reasons why we put so much emphasis on defining and differentiating ourselves is because there is no company that can satisfy all types of consumers. Not Google, not Apple. For this reason, it is essential to find that class of consumers who can align with the values ​​of your brand , that is, find those profiles of buyers most likely to appreciate and consume your products or services.

Think that only in this way will you be making your marketing efforts profitable, that is, you will be improving the chances of converting your online visits into contacts and potential buyers since, to begin with, you will be attracting the right users. For this, it is necessary to create buyer profiles that we know as buyer persona and that will differ depending on the technology:

• B2B : a technology company whose product or service is intended for another company must take into account the idiosyncrasies of each sector to which it is directed and the particularities and needs of the decision-maker of the purchase (the person who carries out the research on the product or service) and that the beneficiary is the company. Since the person is the one who must justify the expense and the suitability of this investment based on the needs and challenges of the company in which he works, his position within it must be taken into account, but also how much he knows about the technology you acquire and the type of research you have done.
• B2C : a technology company that sells to the final consumer must carry out a detailed analysis of their socioeconomic characteristics such as gender, age, place of residence, who they live with, family income, what studies and work they have, what their online consumption habits are and offline, their hobbies, concerns, motivations, challenges… It is also advisable to establish segmentation by other variables, such as, for example, if they have bought or used the same technology repeatedly, or by their behavior in the online environment: how they consume content and if they share information etc.

If your company does not work with CRM tools that greatly facilitate the management of contact data, it may be the right time for you to consider implementing this software to collect, analyze and segment all the information that you will be getting about your buyer persona. .

 

2. Study of the present.

The second step in this marketing plan will involve carrying out a study that contextualizes your situation in the present time, starting with an assessment of the market in which your company competes, that is, both of the sector in general and of those companies that can be considered competition or potential allies.

2.1. Evaluate the market.

First of all, you need to study the current market situation . What are the latest trends, what’s new, what are the new needs of customers, economic data, turnover, etc. The more information you collect, the better your chances of finding opportunities in the market where there isn’t as much competition .

Of course, this information needs to be up-to-date so you know you’re heading your marketing efforts in the right direction. So he regularly spends time keeping up with what’s new in the local market. And if you are a B2B technology company, also keep in mind all the necessary updates of those sectors to which you sell.

2.2. Analyze the competition.

In a sector as competitive as technology, you must also be aware of what competing companies sell and how they do it . What businesses are direct competition? What methodology do you use to attract customers? What impact do they have on your catchment area?

On the one hand, it is vital to stop to analyze the marketing strategies of other technology companies. Knowing them will help you discover opportunities that they are not taking advantage of, but it will also allow you to differentiate yourself from them .

On the other hand, observing the technology companies in your sector will allow you to see which businesses can be allies since, sometimes, the global solution to a problem presented by your buyers will have more than one perspective . In this case, you could contemplate the possibility of making partnerships and for this you must select those technological companies that share your values ​​and that address your buyer persona with solutions that you do not offer, but that are complementary.

23. Study your situation.

From all this information that you have collected so far, you will be able to carry out the SWOT analysis of your company. In other words, define the weaknesses, threats, strengths and opportunities for your company.

The weaknesses will allow you to detect the internal weaknesses of your company to solve them. While the threats , even if they are due to external factors (some unpredictable), will allow you to be prepared and be able to adapt your strategy.

On the other hand, you can focus your strategies on making the most of your strengths , especially if they are what set you apart. As well as the opportunities that you can include in your next marketing plan objectives .

3. Definition of objectives.

The marketing plan is a tool that allows you to make the most of your resources and maintain a line of work. It is ideal to organize yourself and prepare a roadmap with specific marketing actions. And that is why, in addition to asking yourself how to make a marketing plan, once you have the bases that we have mentioned before, you should ask yourself what you want to achieve with it .

Defining SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Temporary) should be the next step in creating your marketing plan. In this case, it is recommended that you organize your objectives according to priority , that is, short, medium and long term, for which you must dedicate 60%, 30% and 10% of your efforts and resources respectively.

Of course, never forget that marketing objectives must support company objectives, which is why all departments should be aligned . On the other hand, after the estimated time, it will always be necessary to determine if these objectives have been met, that is, to evaluate and measure the marketing actions carried out, optimizing them, changing them or maintaining them based on their success.

4. Choice of online strategies.

Another of the important sections of the digital marketing plan of a technology company is to choose the appropriate strategies according to the objectives you want to meet based on all the contextualized information you have collected . This means that each company will have an online strategy that best suits its current situation and priority objectives.

4.1. Positioning strategy.

If what you need is to consolidate yourself in the market and attract your potential clients, you should think about implementing a search engine positioning strategy. SEO, SEM and content generation are the marketing techniques that can help you achieve your goals. Of course, remember that you do not want to attract any consumer, so always keep in mind who your buyer persona is.

4.2. brand strategy

You need to improve the positioning of your brand in the market, or present your new project in the technology sector. This strategy is suitable for those companies that need to define themselves and differentiate themselves. In this case, online advertising, the generation of content on social networks and the collaboration with industry experts and/or influential people for your buyer persona can help you achieve your goals.

4.3. Conversion strategies.

As we have already mentioned before, segmentation allows you to better focus your marketing efforts, and therefore greater conversion probabilities. The segmentation and generation of content for each stage of the purchase cycle of your customers together with the appropriate conversion techniques (chatbots, chats, content offers through CTAs, subscriptions, webinars, demos, free-trials, etc.) They will be useful for targeting a specific market niche in your current situation.

4.5. Loyalty strategy.

If your goal is to improve your customer retention and loyalty, this strategy will improve your relationship with your regular customers. In addition, a satisfied customer can become an excellent promoter of your brand. In this case, you will need to have your CRM in order, generate relevant content for your customers and use appropriate email marketing techniques such as lead nurturing.

5. Alignment of all departments.

Both during the preparation of the plan and after its completion, you must share your marketing plan with all the professionals that are part of the company, with all the departments . Team alignment is critical to the success of marketing strategies. And it is that marketing does not depend only on the department that carries it out.

Getting all your employees involved in achieving the objectives is essential. Make all employees feel committed and share with them the vision of where you want the company to go. In fact, your employees should also be part of the analysis of the marketing plan : check that all marketing actions are going the right way, or even complement the plan with new opportunities that your teams detect.

Now you know the essential steps to create a marketing plan document adapted to your technology. It is a useful tool that adapts to any business opportunity and that will surely help you save time and effort and continue achieving positive results.