Disruptive Identity and Access Management Solutions: Improving Buyer Messaging

Consumers have changed the way they research goods/services and make purchasing decisions. Despite these changes, many identity and access management businesses still elect to promote their offerings by using the outdated marketing playbook consisting of cold calls, direct mail, web ads, and email campaigns, as if they are unaware these traditional marketing means turn potential clients off.

People no longer want to be interrupted or ‘sold to.' They want to buy on their own terms—when they are ready. Does this mean vendors specializing in identity and access management solutions are actively unable to grow their businesses? Not quite.

Buyers are happy to engage and even look for a company if it solves their problems and makes them excited to buy. Vendors simply have to communicate with them in the means they prefer to provide them with something they find both valuable and relevant.

Create Buyer Personas

Buyer personas—otherwise known as fictionalized versions of an ideal customer—enable a better understanding of what inspires and motivates such clients. Strategists create these personas by organizing and formatting data obtained via survey results, direct interviews, and discussions with salespeople who have dealt with customers directly.

Once you understand who your target customer is, it is easier to create compelling content they will want to share.

Deliver Relevant Content

What makes content relevant is that it appeals to your target audience. Buyer personas inspire the most accurate creation of content that speaks directly to potential customers by addressing their goals, challenges, and pain points. It also helps to know what social media platforms they favor, as such details make it easier to reach them.

Content can be text or multimedia based. As long as the content resonates with the audience, the actual format does not always matter. Examples of ways to distribute media are:

• Blog posts
• Facebook and Twitter conversations
• Informational and / or instructional videos
• Webinars

Emphasize Quality Over Quantity

Content marketing is not a simple matter of publishing vast quantities of content. The quality of the message needs to be high. Otherwise, such information is little more than search engine spam that lowers buyer trust.

Thoughtful posts that answer questions, free webinars that deliver value, and valid replies to social media discussions will build trust and give any IAM solutions vendors an edge in the marketplace.

While high traffic volumes are an encouraging sign that you are drawing attention, genuine engagement with prospects is much more valuable in the general scheme of things. When buyers sense that you are interested in them as people with needs instead of a potential sale, they will respond positively and—even better—tell their associates about you.

Show Some Personality

People are drawn to information delivered in a voice they find entertaining and trustworthy. When something fascinates them, they will share it with their friends and colleagues, delivering a brand message organically. It is also valuable to take time to develop a trusted advisor within the company.

A trusted advisor engages with audiences and solves their problems in an honest, direct, and trustworthy manner. Today’s buyers value connection as much as information, which is why trusted advisors are expected to be a major sales force in the coming years.

Bottom Line

Marketers for identity and access management solutions providers must change their focus from talking at buyers to talking with them. We live in an age of collaboration, meaning conversations and active engagement lead to business growth, not one-way disruptions that belong in the past.

Does your business practice engage in these new practices to reach prospects? Let us know in the Comments below.

To learn more about how identity access management providers can improve their buyer messaging, be sure to watch the free, on-demand “Identity Management Revenue Growth Acceleration Q&A Webinar.”