MD IT Company Utilizes Interactive and Social Media to Market Business

Interactive media on Dataprise’s website boosts sales leads

The main component of Dataprise’s marketing strategy involves interactive multimedia elements on their website. Recently, they posted an animated video illustrating the benefits of hiring Dataprise as an IT consultant. Marketing Director Daniel Clarke explains, “Using animated video is a great way to help us tell our story. We know it has been successful...our sales leads have increased since we posted it.” Daniel plans on creating and posting at least ten more videos, one for each specific team and area of expertise, from Remote Support to Cloud Services. Future videos for the Customer Service department will feature real Dataprise employees, helping to reassure clients that there are actual people on the other end of the phone and computer.

Dataprise uses social media to strengthen internal and external communication

Daily updates from Dataprise’s Facebook page and Twitter account help maintain strong connections to their employees. Daniel notes that almost all employees have a Facebook page which keeps them in the loop on events and company updates.  It also enables employees to share what the company is up to on their own pages, helping Dataprise reach a new audience outside of their inner circles. When it comes to drawing in new business however, social media is not Dataprise’s main focus, “Strategically speaking, social media doesn’t bring clients in the door,” Daniel says, “Facebook only works for huge brand names like Coca-Cola or Tiffany’s but not for a commoditized service like IT.” Daniel references that even IBM and Cisco do not have an enormous amount of followers on Facebook. Although social media marketing is not their main focus, Daniel does have a strategy to get Dataprise’s name out there in the playing field. With fellow marketer, Katelyn Hanson, they initiated a “Follow Campaign” that involves following and keeping track all of their clients on social media outlets and LinkedIn. Throughout the week, they comment on their client’s events and tweet congratulatory messages on award announcements in an attempt to engage their clients on a more personal and professional level. Step one of the process is following the clients, step two is then asking the clients to follow Dataprise in hopes they will return the favor, “It’s an alternative way of just asking for followers,” says Daniel. In order to strengthen these client relationships, Katelyn explains, “People want to be engaged and to know there's a human behind our account.”

Dataprise partially adapts website for mobile audience by targeting tablet users

Shortly after coming on board, Daniel rebuild and rendered the website so it would load properly on mobile devices. Although it is readable on cellular devices, he did not create a template specifically for them and targeted more toward readability on tablets, “I just happen to be one of the types of people who likes to have a desktop view on a cell phone,” he explains, “I like to see it the way it’s meant to be seen.” Daniel realizes he is probably in the minority, but at this point has no plans to confine the website to a smaller screen.

Multi-touch marketing campaign in the works to capture new business

Looking ahead, Dataprise is currently creating a massive multi-touch marketing campaign involving emails, phone calls, web landing pages, radio and more animated videos. Daniel is again not focusing on social media and explains if they chose to go down that path, he would get an agency involved. “We’re just plodding along with it for now. We get three to six leads a day and social media has nothing to do with it,” he laughs, “until Dataprise becomes an enormous brand I don't think we'll have thousands of followers. Frankly our business is just not that sexy.”