Halloween is upon is, as is my final installment of scary business stories. This week is a lesson in spooking your own clients. Because the need for IT services can be easy to shrug off until you’re faced with disaster.
A force of nature hits and they’re not properly backed up. A “ghost” clicks a link in a phishing e-mail (because no one ever wants to admit they did it). Michael Myers goes digital and hacks their network. Read on the for the “Tale Of The Sales Call Coming From Inside Your Business.”
People who think opportunistically get a bad rap – but EVERY tragedy carries with it big opportunity, and there are two sides to every coin.
As an IT firm, YOU benefit every time a new ransomware attack makes headlines, a new regulation goes into effect for data protection or a vendor announces they’ll discontinue support for their software (Windows 7).
But do you quickly do everything you can to capitalize on the opportunity such tragedies and problems may present?
When Hurricane Dorian ripped through the Bahamas, making headlines for at least two weeks, how many of you reading this took the opportunity to remind your clients of the importance of a solid backup and disaster recovery plan?
Many of those who DID are charitable organizations who will raise the lion’s share of the money needed for rescue and recovery. The American Red Cross is an excellent example of a very opportunistic organization and serious marketer that instantly created pay-per-click ads, e-mails, press releases and direct mail, and organized its volunteer base to raise money and secure blood donations for the victims of the hurricane.
But these opportunities have a SHORT shelf life and need to be acted on IMMEDIATELY.
One tool I have created for our members is a Rapid Response Marketing Kit, originally for our members to respond to the next big “WannaCry”-type outbreak. I urge you to have this kind of response prepped and ready to go so when the opportunity presents itself, you’re ON it, not scrambling to figure out what you should do and how.
The agency I worked for years ago did work for the Red Cross and I can assure you THEY have their “crisis” marketing systems ready to go.
There are three ingredients:
- A current news event. A hurricane is an obvious one, and you don’t need to be in its path to benefit from the news and top-of-mind awareness. But LOCAL news happens all the time, so if something becomes breaking news in your town, it counts.
- FAST response to the event and…
- 3. At-the-ready marketing offers and PR to send out to your list and the local media.
This is really not about scaring your clients. It’s about being the person that helps them be prepared for the unthinkable and fear is a strong emotion in decision-making. Maybe it sounds opportunistic, but it also might make you a hero.
Want to know more about the tools we provide our clients, like the Rapid Response Marketing Kit? Schedule a consult at www.technologymarketingtoolkit.com/consult today with one of my top advisors.
