As I usually do each morning, I conducted a quick inventory of storage news and industry blogs. Seeing what’s cookin, who’s writing what, and what people have to say. I took a peek at Robin Harris’ StorageMojo blog, and was struck by a simple end user request.
In short, a confused IT end user enlists Robin Harris for guidance and advice. He’s checked out a variety of vendors that claim to meet his need, but he doesn’t know which route to take. He has some preconceived notions about each vendor, but readily admits that his opinions are unfounded and are simply based on his lack of experience with each. The kicker? “The more I dive into storage, the more confused I get.”
This is the one sentence that all data storage marketers fear the most.
The dreaded sentence can be translated into “Data storage marketers are failing at their jobs, because the target audience – the buyer – ME – cannot understand what you’re trying to tell me. I don’t have enough information on your product to make an informed purchasing decision, the information I do have makes little sense, and I don’t know how this will help me solve my specific problem.”
Let’s all take off our vendor hats for a second, and pretend we are the end user looking to buy storage. You search online, request some information. Vendors learn you’re in the market for storage products. Suddenly, you’re showered with demos, white papers, convoluted spec sheets. You’re inundated with sales reps calling you, requesting meetings, and flooding your inbox with information.
Your carefree buying experience has become a bit more stressful, no? Let’s not forget that this IT guy’s job isn’t to research solutions all day. He has 50,000 blinking lights staring him in the face. He’s got end user problems, fires to put out, and daily tasks to take care of.
So we’ve defined the situation in which the data storage end user finds himself. His boss wants a better solution yesterday, and this poor guy is tasked with finding one ASAP. Now, let’s ramp up the stress level for him a notch. Let’s make all the marketing material extraordinarily difficult to understand. They all say the same great things, with little difference among vendors.
If someone could just cut to the chase and help a fella out, he could move on with his life.
Here’s the takeaway: As an industry, vendors must remember the end user. Each vendor says that their product is great, but few say exactly how. There’s this inherent fear of describing exactly how the product works, because the vendor doesn’t want to ostracize anyone. If marketing is kept vague and high-level, they assume everyone will inquire about it to see if it’s a fit.
I would say the opposite is true. If an end user can’t decide if it’s a fit, they’ll move on to a different vendor who can specifically explain why they’re a fit.
I challenge you to find marketing cliches on Apple’s Web site. Let me know if there’s something that’s vague or something you don’t quite understand. You think Apple’s wild success is due to hazy, ambiguous marketing?
If a guy with 50,000 lights blinking in his face can’t understand your product and its usefulness during a 10-minute lunch break, maybe you should revisit how you’re crafting your message.
