In the first company update of the year, our CEO Alastair Turner discussed the benefits of reflection and its importance to strategically growing our business. The idea? When the going gets tough, reflecting on the accomplishments of the past can help the tough get going.
Inspired by this, the Aspectus Energy team looked back on a challenging year and realised that we didn’t just survive the turbulence of 2020 – we thrived.
There were lots of strands to this achievement. So, from strong pieces of coverage to remote new joiners – what does success look like for Aspectus Energy?
Coverage stars
First and foremost, by taking us out of the office and away from the pleasure of our colleagues’ company, COVID-19 left us in solitude with our craft. We took joy from every piece of coverage we could get our hands on. And of course, we had our favourites!
For instance, Tamsin landed an article in the Guardian supporting clients’ endeavours to champion women in STEM. Workplace diversity is crucial to the energy sector and it’s really rewarding to facilitate much-needed dialogue on the subject.
Next in #20from2020 is this important piece in The@Guardian from July. We’re proud to support our clients’ endeavours to increase diversity in the industry and champion women in STEM. Account Manager, Tamsin Jackson, shares why this is her top win.https://t.co/TYOV1UBNhPpic.twitter.com/DAl2eP5YmW
But, while securing coverage is at the heart of PR, there is so much more we offer as a business to our clients. From refreshing clients’ brand strategy, creating the world’s biggest and best annual energy industry workforce trends report, the Global Energy Talent Index (GETI), to launching Acoustic Data’s remote operating model for downhole monitoring – the team proved that working from home is no barrier to achieving great results.
Home sweet home
Perhaps most exciting, we grew as a business introducing four new team members. As fresh-out-of-university account executives, three of us (Olivia, Shannon and myself), started our careers from our own homes.
Overwhelming? Yes, but easier than anticipated, we feel lucky to have been so well supported by the team in making that transition. Our new account director and industrials lead, Astrid, talked on how ‘to be made to feel at home’ is often harder than working from one.
Last but not least, let us introduce you to Astrid, our latest addition to the team and new Account Director and #industrials lead!
But that feeling of support didn’t stop once we’d bedded in. With our intimate home lives invading work video calls, we built an even deeper sense of camaraderie. As our head of Energy, Laura says, “We learned more about each other than ever before!”.
The process of reflecting proved extremely rewarding, bringing the team closer in celebrating each other’s highlights of the year. One might say actions speak louder than words – well then 2020 was one of the loudest years in the Aspectus Energy team’s history.
Check out some more of our reflections on Twitter, using the #20from2020 hashtag.
By Chris Bowman, Strategy and Content Director at Aspectus Group
When we started pitching the concept of impact investing as an agency, way back when in 2013, it carried a whiff of the vaguely lefty and luvvie and hippyish. Journalists were sceptical, investors were sceptical, the audience was sceptical.
Oh, how things have changed. Now, a book like Impact by Sir Ronald Cohen makes it onto lists of 2020’s top economics books – including that of venerable FT commentator Martin Wolf CBE. Note the titles there – a knighthood for Cohen, a CBE for Wolf – it seems that impact has infiltrated the Establishment™ or, as Cohen argues, “is an idea whose time has come”.
So, what about the book? It’s a solid introduction to the topic of impact investing for newcomers, running through its definition and history with illustrative examples in the early chapters. The telling understandably holds a slightly British skew given the author.
Said author devotes a chapter to the scale and momentum of the impact movement which brought an odd but gratifying sensation of seeing a report referenced that you and your colleagues helped pitch and promote (the GIIN’s 2019 Sizing the Impact Investing Market). The following chapters run through Cohen’s vision for embedding impact in business, philanthropy and government respectively.
In fact, Cohen is clearly an ardent believer in the power of impact, not just in investment but in reshaping the entire global economy head to toe. He envisages every economic decision, whether made by an investor, a government or a regular citizen, will be made with both profit and impact in mind. After all, the book’s subtitle is: “reshaping capitalism to drive real change.”
This is a lofty goal, and Cohen confidently pronounces impact capitalism as the next grand sweep of economic history following on from Rousseau then Smith, Keynes and Friedman. What’s more, he is confident this will be welcomed across both the left and right of the political spectrum.
Is that the case though? It’s in these latter chapters that the book is the most engaging yet arguably less convincing. I can’t imagine the more libertarian end of the right welcoming impact/ethical limitations on their investment choices. Nor do I think the left will be content to leave the so much of the cash and decision-making power in the hands of the wealthy (i.e. where the investment capital is) rather than through redistributive taxation a la Rutger Bregman. Welcomed by the centre perhaps, but if the phenomena of Trump, Bolsanaro et al. has taught us anything in recent years, it’s that the centre may not hold.
Ultimately this is my bugbear with the book. I am a believer in impact investment, and at Aspectus we’re passionate about our work in the space. It’s undoubtedly a powerful tool, but is it a panacea?
From a comms perspective, the biggest reputational challenge for the sector remains scepticism and credibility. At first, it was doubt about the concept itself, now it is more to do with ‘greenwashing’, ‘impact washing’ and questionable sincerity. I worry about the effect that big claims such as these might have with the sober-minded economic and financial audience that impact investing must still win over. Will it stretch their ambition, or their credulity?
Cohen’s vision is a world where we “overthrow the dictatorship of profit,” and he is adamant that we “cannot solve our social and environmental challenges by merely tinkering with our existing system”. Yet ultimately, isn’t that what impact capitalism is? This isn’t a revolution, it’s an evolution – a modification of the existing capitalist system to ensure its survival over radical alternatives. Profit isn’t overthrown, just joined at the top-table and tempered by basic concern for people and the environment (which in turn means more profit down the line).
This book convincingly argues the position that impact investing is an incredibly powerful tool for change; even a vital one. But in my opinion, grander claims than that (at this stage) risk denting the hard-won credibility the sector has built over the last few years.
That’s a comms issue: a balance needs to be struck between aspiration and validation. Tilt the scales too far in either direction and you risk stunting momentum or authority. Really, it boils down to skilled storytelling.
I, along with my colleagues, take pride in having contributed to telling that story in the past, and look forward to helping visionary investors add their voices to subsequent chapters. If you’re looking to work with an agency with a heritage, passion and critical eye for impact, why not get in touch?
Agency eyes diversification with double-digit growth set to continue
Aspectus has announced the expansion of its B2B offering with a dedicated industrials arm. The news follows the appointment of Edelman alumni Astrid Dickinson, who will lead the charge in growing the business’ industrials portfolio in areas including agriculture, manufacturing, and chemicals.
The move will see the agency build upon a decade’s worth of experience representing a broad spectrum of brands within the energy and engineering sectors, including construction, infrastructure and manufacturing.
Astrid will be responsible for establishing a dedicated industrials practice, with a focus on translating highly technical subject matter into memorable, results-driven campaigns. With more than seven years in industry, including positions at Weber Shandwick and Edelman, Astrid’s experience spans a wide variety of industrials sectors. Most recently, she played a lead role on the Shell downstream account, overseeing the delivery of award-winning content marketing campaigns.
Commenting on the announcement, Astrid Dickinson, Industrials Lead at Aspectus, says:
“This is an incredibly exciting time for industrials. Productivity remains in acute focus, but increasingly, sustainability, technology and regulatory dynamics are adding new layers of complexity for brands to navigate. Ultimately, the levers that dictate business success are evolving – and with change, comes opportunity.
“At Aspectus, we’re experts at making the complex simple – our work sharpens strategies, engages audiences, and most importantly, delivers measurable business outcomes.”
From brand, insights and strategy, to content, media and digital marketing, Aspectus delivers fully integrated campaigns, underpinned by considered creativity, that builds brands, increases sales, attracts investment and supports business growth.
Laura Iley, Managing Director and Global Head of Energy and Industrials, comments:
“Industrials has long been an area earmarked for growth, and our current client portfolio reflects that. Energy and industrials go hand-in-hand, and with many brands facing both challenges and opportunities around decarbonization and digitization, it was a natural next step.
“Our unique commercial approach, where clients pay for results not time, has been adding financial value to industrials brands for a number of years. But to make the deliberate and considered shift required the right people to make that happen. With Astrid’s specialist sector knowledge and more appointments on the horizon, we believe now is the perfect time.”
Following a record year in 2020, the energy and industrials team has gone through a period of rapid expansion, adding six new sector specialists to the practice in the last six months. The agency operates globally from its offices in London, New York, Aberdeen, Lucerne and Singapore, supported by its European affiliate network, the Aspectus Cloud.
Anyone else been binging Industry on iPlayer this month? The series follows a set of socially diverse graduates learning to navigate their way through the intense world of investment banking. With graduate applications reaching a staggering 19,000 total at Goldman Sachs this year, it is not difficult to believe the ruthless competition and intimidating superiors portrayed in the show.
Moving away from the extreme and often historically negative portrayal on film, it is refreshing to see the media finally expose the sector in a more realistic light. Perhaps this is down to the fact that the show’s writers, Konrad Kay (@konradmkay) and Mickey Down (@mnadown) both started as investment banking graduates.
The writing strikes a delicate balance of keeping the viewer engaged through classic love triangles and conflict, while drip-feeding enticing market nuances that shoot down longstanding City stereotypes. It is impossible not to Google jargon phrases such as “half a yard” while watching. It means half a million by the way. I would equally defy anyone to find a better example of a drama that meets the traditional Beeb storytelling principles of inform, educate, and entertain. Originally created by the BBC’s first ever DG John Reith back in the 1920s, Industry is a timely reminder to comms professionals that while the channels we communicate client stories through have changed, the basic principles of what makes a compelling story are the same.
Whether it’s comparing the battles between superheroes to the conflicts between a treasurer and a chief risk officer, or using the release of the latest Star Wars film to talk about MiFID, Reithian values are at the heart of our clients’ stories in the Capital Markets practice. Attaching a compelling hook to an esoteric market issue instantly more relatable to the wider audience. This is not dissimilar to what the writers of Industry have done for those less acquainted with investment banks. So aside from recommending a great binge-worthy series, Industry is proof that Reithian values in modern-day storytelling are very much alive and well. Roll on season two!
The last few months have been tough for everybody. But Britain’s creatives have extra cause to feel aggrieved. Venues remain closed, funding has been far from forthcoming and just last week the chancellor responded to concerns about the health of the sector by advising people to retrain – indicating that, as far as this government is concerned, creativity is not a priority.
Indeed, a government-backed ad circulating in mid-October caused uproar by appearing to advise those with an interest in music, dance or the arts to get a job “in cyber”, whatever that means. In response, Twitter was overrun with people taking the government’s online career matching tool, an odd number of whom finding themselves nudged towards careers as boxers or football referees – quite esoteric choices in industries that may not be able to accommodate quite such a flood of new entrants.
But before making the leap, and abandoning their passions entirely, creatives should be made aware that theatres, concert halls and galleries aren’t the only places where they can showcase their talents. The UK is a global hub of commercial, considered creativity. It’s home to a vibrant advertising, marketing and PR agency scene that offers a wonderful platform for people to express themselves, while making a valuable contribution to our economy.
Agencies like ours offer creatives an opportunity to do what they’re good at, whether it’s writing, directing, design or something else entirely, and use it as they think creatively to solve a company’s critical business challenges.
This may not always mean complete creative freedom – instead, it requires a flexible mindset. The question we ask ourselves is “how do we express this client’s truth in a way that not only reaches as many people as possible, but inspires the audience to think and behave differently?” Once we land on a solution, we go out and create content – in whatever form we think will work best.
It’s a fun process and there are few more fulfilling feelings than seeing your work really impact an audience – making a difference to your client’s business and the lives of its employees.
If this sounds like something you’d be up for, then we’d love to hear from you. We’re always on the lookout for talented creatives, able to lend a unique new perspective to our work. Either way, rest assured – your next job doesn’t have to be in cyber. It could be with us. Contact us today to find out more or check out our career opportunities.
“Can we repurpose that byline and get that release on the wire for the AM please?”. It’s fair to say that as an industry, PR comes with a whole new language to learn, and unpicking some of the complexities is no mean feat.
Thankfully, though, there are vital hacks and tools of the trade to guide and support you. Especially if you’re starting out your career and are primarily media-facing, moving up and handling comms, there are a variety of PR tools available to reduce time spent on admin and streamline your tasks.
In this blog, we’ll look at both free and subscription-based PR tools, and how to use them.
Free PR resources
The best things in life are free. When it comes to the best online PR tools, this is certainly true. Many of the most useful resources can be downloaded free of charge and registering only requires an email sign-up.
Keeping a finger on the pulse of the news, and monitoring for brand coverage, is a huge part of what we do.
Compiles all news stories and filters by topic, making morning news sweeps more efficient. Allows you to proactively jump on news stories, comment in good time and capitalise on newsjacking opportunities
The SimilarWeb browser plug-in provides stats on a publication’s reach, audience demographic, and bounce rate along with other useful data to share with a client or stakeholder. You can use the site or add the Chrome plug-in.
Journalist asking for photos to go along with the piece you’ve submitted? It can be tricky pinning down some media-friendly and non-cliché photos to share with them, but this site has got you covered. Everything from cloud computing to, well, anything really – and all royalty free.
News usually erupts on Twitter first. Journalists find their tips from the Tweet grapevine, so keeping a firm eye on the #journorequest hashtag can often mean landing some very impressive media opportunities and helping to form some solid media relationships. Arguably one of the best online PR tools out there for media interactions.
Think: Google alerts, but more niche. These personalised keyword searches deliver search engine roundups of coverage straight to your inbox which makes it ideal for PR monitoring.
The original, and one of the most effective, ways to monitor for coverage appearing online using specific keywords. Choosing the right search terms and setting them up in Google alerts means you can have your ear to the ground and spot any mention of your brand as it happens.
Another free PR monitoring tool that picks up print coverage. Very useful if you can’t get your hands on daily broadsheets.
Tasks that would ordinarily take hours of manual searching and input can be reduced to minutes with the use of free online PR tools. For research tasks, like developing events and awards calendars for your brand, more often than not, there will be sites dedicated to offering compilations of the best-in-class industry ones.
Reaching out and prospecting isn’t just limited to the sales function, either. PR professionals, when trying to expand their portfolio, need cost-effective ways of approaching new business contacts. Hunter.io accurately suggests the email domain structure for a company you’re trying to contact, free of charge.
Investments: subscription-based PR tools
Equipping teams with the knowledge they need can sometimes come at a cost, but they are definitely worth the investment. Some of the best online PR tools to invest in are undoubtedly:
Roxhill is an extensive database of journalists and their preferred contact details, keeping you up to date with career moves and industry trends. What’s great about this tool is how it pins down the specific beats and topic focuses of the journalists, allowing PR professionals to approach them with tailored knowledge as to what they’re currently writing on (B2B tech, for example). Valuable, very valuable indeed, for getting the right attention. The interface is extremely user-friendly and there’s also pre-made press lists available.
The original, the go-to for media requests. Journalists put out requests via ResponseSource regularly and have been using it as a valuable resource for some time now. The subscription allows you to choose to receive alerts for sectors and topics that are relevant to your brand, and sets you up with regular email alerts – an essential PR tool.
The holy grail for compiling and sharing press coverage. Simply add the links, add the hard copy coverage pictures, and voila – site metrics, social shares, embedded links, estimated views – everything you need to show off your hard work. All in a slick format.
All of these investments pay for themselves in dividends, and used wisely can wield some seriously impressive results.
Trade secrets, not so secret
Fortunately, there are lots of savvy programmes to help you navigate this career path. PR comes with an arsenal of digital tools to help connect with the media and expand your brand’s presence beyond simple email marketing techniques.
The best PR tools don’t need to break the bank. Keeping pace with breaking news and tracking for press coverage doesn’t require a mammoth budget. All it takes is the know-how and a few trade secrets.
In recent years, the letters E, S and G have never been more popular. In the world of finance, environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues have risen to the top of the agenda with market participants across the spectrum discussing it in one way or another. Investors have become more socially conscious, choosing ESG over more traditional investments and with good reason given their performance in recent months.
The growth of ESG investing also brings with it various opportunities for all market participants, especially for data information providers who have the knowledge and information that the market requires.
According to a recent report by UBS, the ESG data services market could more than double to over $5 billion by 2025. Even assuming a worst-case scenario in which ESG performs poorly and the focus on ESG reporting falls, UBS anticipates the ESG information services TAM to only dip to $2.1 billion by 2021.
These results indicate that ESG data, research and analytics represent a meaningful opportunity for information services providers. There is also likely to be an increased focus on system reliance following the disruption caused by COVID-19, placing even more importance on the role of data and analytics in assessing the outlook for ESG, which should benefit information services providers further.
Financial data has long been the most valuable asset in the financial industry and with ESG continuing to increase in popularity and relevance, there exists a growing part of the data pool for financial information providers to tap into. The mining, refining and provision of relevant ESG data will go a long way in servicing the financial industry, helping companies define their strategies and their definitions of ESG, allowing investors to make informed investment decisions and potentially helping the industry as a whole take steps towards reaching a consensus on what constitutes as ESG.
As ESG continues to dominate headlines, it is clear that now is the time for financial information providers to work on increasing their profile in the market to make the most of the business opportunities this boom will create. They will need to look at the bigger picture, creating a strategic communications plan that incorporates their current view of the benefits of ESG data and also the future of ESG data – explaining why it is here to stay and what’s next. Most importantly, they must develop messaging with strict definitions of the E, S and G requirements they place on data, ensuring they follow these standards and are able to explain why they have chosen such definitions.
These factors should all come together in a proactive approach to communications on ESG, using global events such as COP 2020 to raise awareness around the need for ESG data and highlighting their unique offering and approach to defining, refining and processing such data. Doing so will ensure that they stand out from the crowd of numerous data providers looking to capitalise on the popularity of ESG. They will be able to demonstrate that their focus on ESG data is done with the long-term future in mind and that this is more than a passing fad in investor behaviour – it is quickly becoming a mainstay of investing. At Aspectus we are experts in this proactive approach to communications. We help clients stand out from the crowd and position them as experts in the field of financial and ESG data, as well as in the broader socially responsible investing (SRI) and impact investing spaces.
As these three letters continue to dominate the investment press, it will be interesting to see market participants and financial data information providers in particular develop innovative and competitive ESG data offerings that evolve with the market and investor demand. ESG is most certainly here to stay and it will be fascinating to see how the industry reacts to these ongoing developments.
Do you ever get the feeling that a brand is just everywhere? You see their ads on billboards and bus stops, they were mentioned in that article you read the other day, and their presence is dominating your social feeds. Whilst it might feel like the brand is everywhere, the chances are, they are running a very effective integrated marketing campaign.
The concept of integrated marketing communication campaigns is not new. However, it is a phenomenon that many businesses fail to truly get right. But, when you do nail it, they can have an enormous impact.
Take the infamous “you’re not you when you’re hungry” campaign from Snickers as a well-known example. From what was initially a TV advert that launched at the 2010 Super Bowl, Snickers evolved the campaign across online and offline channels including their website, social media, and creative out-of-home advertising. By tapping into what is a relatable human truth and associating it with their brand, the campaign been a success, running for over 10 years, spanning across 80 countries and winning awards at every creative gathering, including Cannes Lions.
Do you want to replicate that same sense of being ‘everywhere’ for your brand? Read on to learn more about integrated marketing communications and how you can build your own award-winning integrated campaign.
What is integrated marketing communications?
Integrated marketing communications (IMC) is the process of aligning all of your marketing channels, both digital and traditional, to promote your products or services. Integrated marketing usually takes the form of a strategic campaign delivered using your marketing channels and assets.
Why is integrated marketing important?
Integrated marketing communications are vital to ensure that your brand delivers a unified message to your target audience. With the continuing evolution of technology, there are infinite possibilities and channels that your end-users will use to consume information, and it’s important that your brand’s message remains consistent across all possible touchpoints.
For example, there is nothing worse than being targeted with an ad that piques your interest but, when you click through or visit the company’s website, what initially drew you in is nowhere to be found. As a user, you might feel a bit cheated, and rightly so – you were misled and this inconsistency has hindered your experience with that particular brand.
Integrated marketing exists to reduce these kinds of disparities that a user may experience when they interact with your brand. Aligning your marketing channels creates a united front and means your users don’t come up against any unexpected barriers on their quest for information, or more importantly, conversion.
The benefits of integrated marketing communications
There are many benefits of integrating marketing communications for your brand including:
It promotes one, consistent brand, or campaign, message
It is measurable at every level and you can see the impact across your marketing channels
It is adaptable – if something works you can repeat that across other channels. Likewise, if something isn’t working it can easily be switched off because the campaign isn’t solely reliant on it
It is repeatable – once you find a formula that works it is easy to repeat that and continue to drive results
It looks at marketing from the viewpoint of the target customer and their purchasing journey which subsequently creates a seamless user experience for them
It helps you build trust with your target audience
You can reach a wider audience through an aligned, multi-channel approach
It ensures your marketing (and sales) teams are aligned
The challenges of integrated marketing communications
Despite the obvious benefits and positive impact of integrated marketing communications, there is little done by marketers to align efforts, share learnings and work towards a shared goal. As the adage goes; the whole is more than the sum of its parts, so why are so many failing to make it add up?
Siloed marketing teams
If you Google the definition of integration like I did, you’ll see that a proponent of it is to: ‘bring (people or groups with particular characteristics or needs) into equal participation in or membership of a social group or institution’. This is the first hurdle that businesses need to overcome; integrating their people in order to create an integrated campaign.
Given the often siloed structure of many modern marketing departments, it’s no wonder that we aren’t seeing more fully integrated marketing campaigns. The typical structure of a marketing team sees each channel run by a different team or individual, or, in some cases, an individual may manage a number of channels. Often, each team has its own KPIs to hit and therefore is blinkered to their own activity and achievements.
How can you overcome this challenge?
Start small
Don’t dive straight in and plan a huge integrated campaign that you can’t manage. Start small and integrate a couple of channels that work naturally together. For instance, if your aim is to promote your new product launch, you will most likely have created a new page for this on your website. Think about how you might amplify this and get people to visit this new page. You could send out an announcement press release which is complemented by a targeted paid social campaign to drive your audience to your new product page.
Ineffective campaign message
Many businesses have mastered omnichannel marketing, understanding the need to project their brand across multiple platforms to reach their target audience. But few successfully manage to harness the power of an effective brand message that resonates with their audience and weave it throughout their cross-channel communications. Understandably so, as its no mean feat to develop both the digital and industry experience needed to pull off an integrated campaign.
How can you overcome this challenge?
Get professional help
Many digital marketing and PR agencies have naturally adopted an integrated mentality. Agencies have a wealth of knowledge across both digital and traditional channels and are experienced in aligning them to achieve business goals. Combine that with a deep understanding of industry verticals and audience insight; it’s an unbeatable pairing. Whether it be on a management or consultancy basis, it’s useful to have the support of an integrated marketing agency to develop the golden thread of your campaign.
How to build an integrated marketing campaign
Now that you know why they are important, how can you build your own integrated marketing campaign?
We’ve outlined below the questions that we work through when we’re building out an integrated campaign for one of our clients. If you can answer each of these, you will have a basic framework to build out your own integrated campaign.
What overarching goal are you trying to achieve?
Who will you target through each channel?
What message are you promoting?
Which channels will you use? And what are the goals for each of them?
Who are the stakeholders?
What assets will you need to do this?
When will you launch?
How will you track and report the success of the campaign?
In today’s digital environment it’s important to remember that your audience will encounter your brand in a number of different ways; industry events (both on and offline), your website, social, search, and in their everyday lives. By running an integrated marketing campaign you will be using each of these channels to create a connection with your audience and effectively transition them through their journey with your brand, all the while building brand recognition, loyalty and advocacy.
For more advice and training on running a successful integrated marketing campaign get in touch: melissa.jones@aspectusgroup.com. We’ve helped to execute impactful, lead-driven campaigns for our technology clients including Breathe — who received over 26 qualified leads and 50+ pieces of media coverage from one piece of original content. Read more about their success story.
It sounds like the dream scenario, doesn’t it? Marketing a product with no competition. But this apparently ideal situation brings with it a number of challenges. Ellie Jackson explores some of the issues and solutions.
It’s not unusual, especially in our relatively complex B2B industries, for us to be charged with marketing products with no true competition – or where the alternative is a combination of in-house build and various point solutions with dubious integration, involving the technological equivalent of sticky tape.
While a crowded market isn’t easy to work in, being a ‘category creator’ brings its own hurdles. For starters, people don’t typically issue RFPs or RFIs for things that they don’t realise exist. Perhaps they grudgingly accept their current unsatisfactory workaround, or perhaps they don’t give it any thought at all.
Another common challenge is being inaccurately compared to a better-known or understood option. Perhaps you find yourself regularly saying, ‘well no, we’re not really that,’ or yet again you’re fudging the category choice for some industry awards because, ‘there isn’t one that quite fits for us.’ And before you know it, you start defining yourself by the way you differ from others – by the things you aren’t, rather than what you are.
One of the real kickers in all this is that you might well find that you still have competition for share of voice – online or in the media. This can itself contribute to a lack of understanding about where you sit and what you deliver.
Perhaps the toughest of all is what I call the ‘disbelief challenge’. This is sense that people often have that if something like what you purport to deliver were possible, that someone would have developed it before now, or that lots of people would be doing so. One client recently reported this response, even following a demo of their product – it just seemed too good to be true!
All of a sudden, being out in front can seem somewhat lonely.
I’d love to say I have all the answers. I don’t. But through years of experience with variations on this problem, I have uncovered some approaches that help. Here are my top five:
1.Education (education education)
We believe that the job of marketing and PR is to create effective conditions for selling. Sometimes that might be building a firm’s reputation, but sometimes you have to take a step back and focus on educating the audience on the existence of the problem and the availability of a solution. Taking the time to focus on audience education tends to pay dividends in the long-run.
See how we followed this path with RLtec (now OpenEnergi)
2.Show, don’t tell
Arguably, this is always a good approach to audience engagement, but it is especially valuable in the context of a category creator, to fight the challenge of being put in the wrong-shaped box. Be very specific about the benefits of your product, and – if possible – show that in action. That’s exactly how we managed a campaign on ransomware for RES.
3.Let others tell your story
This naturally follows from the point above, but nothing validates your story more effectively than having others tell it. That’s what worked so well when we accelerated eToro’s growth in the UK. In the B2B world, this means working with clients to find approaches with which they (or their corporate comms teams) can be comfortable (which doesn’t necessarily have to be a standard press release or case study, but which could be something more creative like a co-authored article or participation in an event). And it doesn’t need to stop with clients. Working effectively with the analyst community for your industry can yield real benefits here too.
4.Focus on storytelling
We’ve talked before about the power of storytelling. There’s little better for breeding engagement. A good story gently teases the audience in, fostering real engagement, meaning you are far less likely to lose someone clicking away through disbelief before you’ve had a chance to prove that what you say is true. See here how that worked for Malwarebytes.
5.Have patience
Not popular, especially with CEOs, I know. And not something I like to have to tell clients. But the reality is that sometimes, as a category creator, you do need to accept that audience understanding will not change overnight – at least not on most companies’ budgets. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t push for success from the off, but know that you’ll probably have to come back to your education campaign more than once.
There’s every chance there’ll come a time in the future, when others have seen what you’ve achieved and taken steps to emulate it. Then your focus will have to shift to defending and differentiating – and you might look back fondly on this time before the market woke up to your possibilities!
At Aspectus we’ve worked with many companies across tech, financial services, capital markets and energy, helping them to position themselves for growth. If any of these challenges resonated with you and you’d like to explore how we could help, book a 30 minute consultation with Group Director Ellie Jackson below.
