This series will focus on the various elements of building your PropTech marketing machine: People, Tools, Strategy, and Execution. This is Part 2, Tools.
When it comes to your PropTech marketing toolbox, there are some fundamental basics you need to get right - ideally from early on, so that you don't have to rip-and-replace later. You will need to make changes and iterate over time, so there's a balance to be made between comprehensiveness and flexibility. Ultimately, your unique needs as a business are going to dictate your requirements - so do be sure to consult with an expert in order to know what you need, and when you'll need it.
When building your PropTech marketing stack:
Make sure you understand your target market, first and foremost. If you're not entirely sure, it's fine to cast a wider net... but once you do, you should be testing your messaging and your sales process to see who engages and who converts, to get a really good idea of who fits your ICP.
Once you know who you're targeting (and you've got some ideas around the messaging you'll need to reach them) you need to know what channels to use in trying to reach them. This will form the basis of your stack.
Choose tools that will let you test and iterate. Keep experimentation in mind - you need to be able to see the results and get an idea of what works, and what doesn't. Some of your ideas will land, some won't! A data-driven approach will protect you from some of your biases.
Don't rule out "old-fashioned" channels like email or even direct mail. Email in particular is a great way to test messaging at scale. You do have to be careful to protect your sender reputation though, so when selecting email tools, don't just think about delivery: also consider data cleanliness. And direct mail is a great way to get slick, well-produced marketing materials in front of decision makers! You can use broader channels like email to test ideas and then use the results of those tests to craft direct mail campaigns.
Prioritise managing your data. Whether you use a fleshed-out CRM solution like HubSpot, or simply hold your campaign data in spreadsheets or an email platform... you need to be able to see details. This is especially important when you've got a B2B service which a niche audience - the devil is in the details! You may even want to be able to set up alerts for your salespeople so that when, for example, a contact clicks on a particular link in an email, they are made aware of that fact and can potentially follow up with that person.
Consider how you might use and track the effectiveness of advertising. There are a lot of publications in our space selling advertising packages, but few of them offer effective tracking, or can benchmark campaign effectiveness. As a general rule, display advertising is ignored. If you can find a specific channel that you think may be especially effective (like a really targeted podcast or email newsletter) then it's worth considering ad space, but make sure you've got some messaging that you have tested yourself fist (to ensure it works) and that your expectations from the advertiser are clear - particularly around engagement. My favourite advertising channel is LinkedIn. You pay a hell of a lot more per click/interaction/lead, but when used with great care, the targeting is incredibly detailed and effective. I have never felt that a LinkedIn ad campaign is "wasted", because even if it doesn't generate impressive results, you always learn something really valuable from the process!
Remember there is no "one size fits all" solution, and there is no platform built specifically to market your product... you will need to stack together solutions that work for you, and balance the effectiveness of those solutions with their cost and flexibility.
I'll write a separate post on the specific tools I like to include in my stack, and share the pros, cons, and some pricing so that you can get an idea of how they might work for you!
Did you find this post useful? Would you like some support in making it all happen? Book a call with me today - I'd love to chat with you!
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