What do you spend most of your business time online looking at? Leaving aside cat videos and anything else that “cat videos” could be a euphemism for, the answer probably is INFORMATION.
One of the biggest advantages of the Internet is the way in which it has brought immediate information directly to our fingertips. Whether you want to know more about a specific technology, how to solve a business problem or what manufacturer has the best product for your requirements, chances are your answer will begin with an online search.
In response to this, a lot of product and service providers have wisely implemented content marketing strategies built around providing information in the form of high-value resources to their customers and prospects. It’s a smart strategy as it builds both the providers’ reputations and their lead databases, establishing them as thought leaders and customer support experts in their industry.
Interestingly, in much of the technology world the organizations who are truly best positioned to take on the mantle of expert here aren’t the manufacturers – they’re the integrators. These companies, whose business is built on evaluating the needs of customers and putting together true solutions that are manufacturer-agnostic, are in the best position to consult, advise and support their communities. They know about ALL the manufacturers, how their products work together (or don’t), what kinds of things cause trouble in the field and the best way to fix all kinds of problems.
Integrators have a tremendous wealth of knowledge and information that would be of immense value to their audiences. For them, content marketing offers up more opportunity, with less effort, than for many other segments of the technology industry.
With that said, we haven’t seen many integrators capitalizing on this situation. And it seems that – as with all segments of the digital and social world – the first ones in will build the largest audiences and get the most advantages.
So if you’re a technology integrator, and you’re reading this right now – don’t wait to get started! If you don’t know what to do, get help. But whatever you do, don’t leave this money on the table. Your community is waiting for you.
