Most marketing experts agree that to be successful your marketing arguments must be credible, and your IP must be something your audience cares about. But in the IT space in particular, a strong claim is not enough; you need a complete marketing argument, says Curt Monash, head of Monash Research, a consulting firm that specializes in enterprise IT. You may be able to demonstrate tangible benefits for your IP, create compelling stories, and offer great references, but that is rarely enough, Monash explains, because your competitors may cite the same benefits and have equally impressive references. What the battle often comes down to, Monash says, is convincing prospects that your feature list is credible, while your competition’s similar feature lists are not. How do you do that? With a strong argument for both the present and future value of your IP. References are particularly good at proving you have the features now. Proofs-of-concept are also great for validating your current invention, especially in terms of performance metrics. Fundamental product architecture is how you show that you’ll keep a feature lead in the future. Using enterprise IT as a model, Monash offers this template of layered technology marketing:

• Enterprise IT product (proof-today messaging stack)
  • Tangible benefits
  • Technical connection
  • Features and metrics
  • Persuasive details
  • Customer traction or proof-of-concept tests
• Enterprise IT product (sustainable-lead messaging stack)
  • Tangible benefits
  • Technical connection
  • Features and metrics
  • Technical connection
  • Fundamental product architecture

Go to: Strategic Messaging

Posted September 30th, 2008 under Intellectual Property Marketing

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