As companies grow, many find that they need to shift from individual product marketing to a more comprehensive enterprise approach. We recently spoke with Anne Marie Francesconi, Director of Marketing & Revenue at Intuit, and Holly Zhou, Head of Product Marketing for Team Workspace Solutions at Logitech, to gather insights on successfully navigating this transition. Based on their experiences, here are five strategies marketing leaders can use to help their organizations make the leap into enterprise marketing.
1. Identify and Fill Market Gaps
Start by conducting a thorough market analysis to identify underserved segments between your current offerings and full enterprise solutions. Both Intuit and Logitech found success by identifying gaps in the market. Intuit recognized an opportunity between their QuickBooks small business solutions and larger ERP systems. “There’s a spot in the middle where these customers are growing and they have very complex needs, and they’re just not well served today,” Francesconi explains. “They’re either overserved or underserved.”
To uncover opportunities in your own market, consider surveying your existing customers who are outgrowing your current solutions. Ask them about the features or capabilities they need that you’re not currently providing. This information can guide your product development and marketing strategies as you move into the enterprise space.
2. Strategically Position Your Brand
As your organization enters the enterprise market, closely examine your brand strategy and decide whether to elevate your master brand or create a separate enterprise identity. Intuit chose to elevate its master brand for enterprise solutions, while Logitech developed a separate enterprise brand alongside its consumer offerings. “We really had to establish ourselves differently in enterprise, because there’s a different level of reliability standards and performance,” Zhou says.
To inform your approach, consider conducting focus groups with potential enterprise customers. This can help you understand how they perceive your brand and what positioning would resonate most with them. Their feedback can be invaluable in shaping your enterprise brand strategy.
3. Map the Enterprise Customer Journey
Work closely with your sales team to identify all of the touchpoints in the customer journey. Use this information to create content and messaging tailored to each stakeholder at every stage of the buying process. This targeted approach can significantly improve your ability to engage and convert enterprise customers.
Zhou explains the importance of truly understanding the enterprise client’s buying process. “I can’t stress enough the need to identify multiple decision makers and stakeholders and the influencing relationships,” she says. “As you go more and more into the B2B space, it gets more complex. You need to identify who holds the purse strings, who makes the final buying decision, and who is actually implementing the solution.”
4. Foster Cross-Functional Collaboration
Breaking down silos is essential for successful enterprise marketing. Establish regular cross-functional meetings between product marketing, brand teams, sales, and product development. Francesconi describes Intuit’s approach: “We’ve done a lot more together with our brand partners as we bring this to life so quickly. And what that looks like is both brand and product marketing sitting in research together, listening to customers together, digesting what they say and understanding the insights together to turn that into a script. It was a close, close partnership.”
To facilitate greater collaboration, consider implementing a shared project management tool. This can ensure all teams are aligned on enterprise marketing initiatives and can easily share insights and updates.
5. Balance User and Buyer Needs
While decision-makers often drive the purchase, user experience can significantly impact adoption and long-term success. Develop separate research streams for end-users and decision-makers, then synthesize the findings to inform your product development and marketing strategies.
Create a feedback loop with both buyers and users after implementation. This ongoing communication can provide valuable insights to continuously refine your offerings and marketing messages, ensuring they meet the needs of all stakeholders in the enterprise ecosystem.
A Final Word on Navigating the Enterprise Marketing Frontier
Transitioning from individual product marketing to an enterprise approach requires careful planning and execution. By identifying market gaps, strategically positioning your brand, mapping the enterprise customer journey, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and balancing user and buyer needs, you can successfully play a leadership role in navigating this shift.
And keep in mind that this transition is an ongoing process. Continuously gather feedback from your customers and teams, and be prepared to iterate on your strategies as you learn more about the enterprise market.
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