In comparison to other industries, the technology sector stands out for its unprecedented dynamism, continually leading the way in pioneering innovation and creative approaches to addressing business and societal challenges.

The tech industry is inherently transformative by nature, with disruption as a central theme in its evolution. As a result, the role of tech marketing differs fundamentally from marketing functions in other sectors. While marketing skills can indeed be transferable across various industries, the intricacies of the tech sector demand a distinct set of skills and competencies.

ÌýContinuous learning, adaptation & evolution

ÌýWhether it is discovering new ways of leveraging technological advancements to solve business problems, creating new products and markets, or helping businesses run more efficiently, one thing is certain, it is up to the marketeer to create, and craft a seamless synergy between the solutions they sell and the pressing business challenges that the market is trying to solve. Tech marketers must, therefore, possess a profound understanding of the current challenges and opportunities in the markets they serve.

Maintaining a strong commitment to learning and nurturing one’s curiosity is crucial in the fast-evolving tech industry. Staying current with the latest trends, tools, and strategies requires a proactive approach, and continuous self-development efforts.

To foster continuous learning and adaptability, it’s essential to thoroughly grasp your organisation’s solutions and value proposition. This involves immersing oneself in industry literature, attending webinars and conferences, and connecting with fellow tech professionals. These activities are crucial for staying up to date in our fast-paced world. Engaging in networking and collaborating with industry peers can lead to the exchange of innovative ideas, sharing practical knowledge, and valuable mentorship opportunities.

The tech community thrives on the spirit of sharing ideas, and active involvement in these interactions can greatly enhance personal and professional growth.

Skills in digital literacy & emerging technologies

To fully understand and leverage digital marketing skills, one needs to understand competencies such as Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Social Media Advertising, Content Marketing, and many other digital channels, techniques, and approaches.

Tech marketers must also adeptly analyse and interpret data since modern marketing decisions, including resource and budget allocation, rely heavily on data. Proficiency in analytics tools is also indispensable and leveraging emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automation is no longer an exception but the norm.

Tech marketers must therefore understand the workings of these technologies, their potential to enhance marketing efficiency, and their revolutionary impact on campaign execution and optimisation, ultimately leading to superior outcomes and results.

ÌýAligning solutions with market needs through personalisation

Now, more than ever, customers in both Business-to-Customer (B2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B) settings demand tailored messaging that aligns with their industry-specific needs.

To effectively promote their organisation’s solution, tech marketers must fully grasp the significance of personalised marketing and delivering exceptional customer experiences. This entails customising messages, comprehending the anticipated user experience, and selecting the most suitable engagement channels. Focusing on creating relevant content and storytelling enhances personalisation and message effectiveness.

In my field for example, cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) stands out as one of our primary solutions. Marketers have two choices when promoting it: they can highlight technical aspects and competitive advantages, such as ERP modules for accounting, financial management, project management, materials, and procurement, to position their ERP solution. However, a more effective approach focuses on the business value that ERP offers to companies. This includes enhancing efficiency and productivity, improving the customer experience and profitability, and reducing costs.

The key is to enhance your content creation and storytelling skills as a tech marketer. Crafting exceptional content and compelling storytelling is the foundation of effective marketing, fostering a strong connection between your solutions and your customers’ critical business challenges.

ÌýA global mindset with local ethics, regulation & culture

ÌýMarketers must prioritise three key pillars: business ethics, regulatory and compliance laws and global cultural awareness. These elements are essential for responsible and ethical marketing strategies, shaping how tech marketers engage with customers both inside and outside their organisations, on local, regional, and global scales.

Business ethics act as a moral compass, steering marketers towards responsible decision-making in our ever-more socially, environmentally, and governance-aware world. Consider, for example, the significance of privacy laws like GDPR in Europe and POPIA in South Africa; these regulations are vital for protecting sensitive customer data, ensuring legal compliance, as well as fostering and nurturing customer trust.

The focus on cultural sensitivity and awareness is important for global or cross-border campaigns. Ethical considerations, especially regarding data privacy and transparency, are now paramount in marketing. Consumers are growing more apprehensive about data usage, and overlooking these factors can severely impact tech marketers and their organisations.

In a diverse global marketplace, a strong sense of diverse cultural awareness is crucial for marketers. It enables us to adeptly navigate different cultural norms and tailor our strategies to engage effectively with diverse audiences.

Essential skills – communication, adaptability & risk-taking

ÌýTech marketing involves challenging the status quo and implementing novel approaches and strategies that disrupt the norm. So effective communication, the art of persuasion, willingness to venture into uncharted territories, and a knack for taking calculated risks while staying within the bounds of business rules and priorities are the cornerstones of a tech marketer’s toolkit. Importantly, experimentation and taking calculated risks fosters innovation and adaptability.

Communication skills are fundamental for building relationships, resolving conflicts, conveying ideas clearly, and facilitating collaboration. Marketing often involves collaboration with various departments and agencies, therefore staying adaptable and open to new ideas are valuable assets.

In conclusion, this is not an exhaustive list of qualities for successful tech marketers but rather my personal experiences and lessons that I have gathered from my journey. I firmly believe that honing and harnessing these skills can empower marketers to excel in the tech industry.

Dumisani Moyo | Marketing Director | Â鶹ԭ´´ Africa | dumisani.moyo@sap.com | @Â鶹ԭ´´Africa |

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The so-called ‘Amazon Effect’ on B2C sales has also hastened the demand for faster, easier purchases, with sellers required to offer quick and simple-to-use options for procuring products and services.

Economic pressures and a radically changed operating environment are pushing B2B companies to innovate in how they promote, sell and support products and solutions. found that B2B buyers are motivated by many of the same factors as B2C buyers: speed, convenience, a frictionless buying experience, and transparency in pricing and product features.

Learning from B2C

Thanks to advances in e-commerce, B2C customers today enjoy a seamless buying journey with quick fulfilment and consistently excellent customer experiences.

In contrast, B2B procurement can be a slow and laborious process. Gartner estimates that as many as six to ten people form part of a B2B buying process. Each person typically operates independently, with joint decisions over the procurement only occurring toward the end of the buying journey.

This can result in slow and resource-intensive buying cycles that leave organisations without the agility to quickly respond to opportunities or challenges in their operating environment.

For sellers, the process can undermine efforts at winning and retaining customers. A 2019 report into digital buying found that nearlyÌý.

Instead, decision-makers purchase solutions whenever one is needed to keep the business moving, or when there are great potential returns on the investment due to low-lying sales opportunities.

The focus is on achieving business outcomes, not simply deploying new solutions or purchasing the latest tech. Sellers should provide a smooth and frictionless buying process while ensuring on-going support that helps customers derive maximum value from their investments.

How? Here are three measures businesses can use to improve the B2B sales process and delivering business outcomes:

Capturing and retaining customer affinity

The Experience Economy has raised customer expectations over the type of experience they enjoy when interacting with a business or brand. Investment into enhancing customer experiences are at an all-time high: one study found that

These investments are bottom-line driven: McKinsey estimates that Ìýwhile lowering costs by 50%.

Organisations need to deploy experience management solutions that gather and process data to deliver insights into customer expectations and shortcomings in the existing customer experience. Using a data-driven approach, organisations can then implement appropriate measures to meet customer expectations and needs at every step of the customer journey.

Removing friction in the customer journey

The consumer-friendly convenience of a service such as Amazon has raised expectations of what people want from their interactions with a business or brand. Removing friction from the customer journey is one of the most effective ways of improving the overall customer experience.

To achieve a frictionless experience, organisations need to integrate physical and digital channels to gain contextual insights into customer behaviour and preferences. Investment into a powerful CRM platform enables sales teams, customers and partners to improve how they nurture leads. Critically, organisations need to invest in an omnichannel experience that connects sales, service and support to ensure customers are supported at every turn.

Lifetime value engineering

The focus has shifted away from ’sell-and-forget’ to ‘adopt-and-use’, with demands from buyers for long-term support and ongoing value engineering. It’s not enough to make a great first impression and converting that to a sale.

The most successful organisations become trusted partners to their customers across the entire customer journey. Organisations can achieve this by integrating customer-facing, front-office operations with back-office applications. The objective is to integrate everything from the shop floor to the top floor.

In addition, organisations should build toward a perfectly orchestrated order management and fulfilment experience for customers to ensure every sale is seamlessly deployed and integrated. Finally, by encouraging internal departments to collaborate, organisations can break down internal silos hampering the customer journey to deliver a seamless, memorable and valued experience to customers.

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