This is a survey Pronto Marketing conducted in 2009. The 2010 survey is underway now.

1. IT Services Marketing Survey
Data, Analysis and Recommendations
©Pronto Marketing 2009

2. Number of Employees
Analysis
These number are consistent with other data. For instance I
cross-checked with media kit and other data. I assume that
because of the source of the respondents, online discussion
groups, the larger companies could be a little under-
represented. But no surprise here.
Recommendations
1. Focus– In small companies what you decide not to do can
be more important than what you decide to do. In
marketing it's best to pick a few things and focus on them –
you don't have a team to back you. Consistency is more
important than breadth of activities
©Pronto Marketing 2009 1

3. Sales and Marketing Staff
Analysis
The companies reporting sales and in particularly marketing
staff mostly correlated with the larger company size as would
be expected.
Recommendations
1. Outsourcing– I don't think I need to remind many people
that now is the time to be careful about fixed expenses such
as staff.
The upside of the downturn for you is that there are many
unemployed or under-employed professionals. Meanwhile
the Internet has provide a great way to find and connect
with them – from all around the world.
Resources
• Freelancers: try http://www.guru.com or
http://www.elance.com where you can find great people,
with references, for marketing projects of all kinds.
• Read: How to Screen and Interview Providers
©Pronto Marketing 2009 2

4. Marketing Spend
Analysis
A very solid 67% are in the 1% to 5% range and is about right for
the company size and industry.
I found the 6.8% over 10% a little surprising – that's an
aggressive marketing spend. There are times when this makes
sense but at these levels you should really understand the ROI
to justify the investment.
Recommendations
1. Zero-based Budgeting– be sure to take a critical eye to any
spend when the opportunity arises. The Yellow Pages might
be working for you but before you sign-up for another year
really ask yourself "Did I get value for this investment?"
2. Focus – given the size of company and revenue the actual
total dollars isn't large. It's almost always better to do less
better rather than have a shotgun approach.
Resources
1. From Inc.com: How to Benchmark Sales-and-Marketing
Budgets
2. On the Web: Marketing in Lean Times
©Pronto Marketing 2009 3

5. Marketing Activities
Analysis
Good cross-section of activities that were balanced across
disciplines. The areas that have the highest use; Direct Mail,
Seminars, Newsletter and Web Marketing are the right ones.
Recommendations
1. Direct Mail– measuring ROI is key. Make sure you've tracking
these results which is possible with DM
2. SEO– we've spent a lot of time on SEO and our conclusion is
that with a little diligence in most markets a smaller company
could be first page. I'd work on SEO and organic search before
I start a paid SEM campaign.
3. Seminars– solid marketing activity. Make sure you've got a
system in place stay in touch with the warm leads. Going after
a few hot leads and ignoring the rest is a common; avoid it.
4. Verbatim Responses– the number one "Other" activity
reported in the responses were professional networking
events . If you do this regularly think about being structured in
collecting business cards and having a ongoing contact system.
Blogs– Several people mentioned blogs. It takes commitment
but blogs and other social networking do produce results. Resources
Smart businesses of all sizes are leveraging this. • SEO: Small Business SEO Trends for 2009 and Expand2web Small Business
5. PR– in the final recommendations I have some thoughts on PR and Local Search blog
• Social Networking : How to use social networking sites to boost business and
from MSNBC Online social networks go to work
Read the verbatim responses to "Other" on Page 13 • Seminars: team up with Microsoft and other vendors for your seminars.
• PR: PR – Effective and Easy Quick Steps
• Web: 5 Simple Steps to a Better Website
©Pronto Marketing 2009 4

6. Company Newsletter
Analysis
An email newsletter is a very effective and expensive way to
touch your clients. While the numbers of companies doing this
is low and doing it well – it's a missed opportunity. This is an
easy way to set yourself apart.
Recommendations
1. Keep it simple – There are excellent tools from online
vendors. You don't need to write a book – it's OK to link to
good content such as articles. Nothing wrong with “FYI”.
2. CTA – Be sure to have a 1-2 call to actions or promotions
3. Lead Nurturing – One of the most common challenges is
following up and nurturing leads. A newsletter is a simple
way to make sure you keep touching those prospects.
4. Referrals Reminder – A newsletter is an easy way to keep
your referral program in front of clients.
5. Business Content – there as a comment in the verbatim
about ‘technical issues”. Remember that most of your
clients are more interesting in business value from
technology than technical info.
Resources
• Read: 3 Tips for a Better Newsletter
• Read: Real-life Small Business Newsletter Tips
Read the verbatim responses to "Other" on Page 14
©Pronto Marketing 2009 5

7. Marketing Production
Analysis
In this case I read “in house” as do-it-yourself and clearly that
there’s not a marketing department toiling away back in the
back!!
Recommendations
1. Know when to get help –It’s great the PCs and the Internet
have given us such rich tools but there is a time and place to
get professional help. It is your image and just like you
recommend to your clients to leave the technology to you
know when you need professional help.
2. Templates – When you work with an agency or firm get the
work in a form that you can adapt later. It's good to pay for
professional design skills – but be creative how you can
repurposed it in other ways. Ask for all the source files, hi-
rez images and such so you can leverage the investment.
Resources
• Freelancers: there are lots of designers of every kind on
http://www.guru.com or http://www.elance.com at
competitive prices.
• Stock Photos: services such as Stockxpert have inexpensive
stock photos that can bring a professional look to your
marketing and presentations.
Read the verbatim responses to "Other" on Page 15
©Pronto Marketing 2009 6

8. CRM System
Analysis
The point of marketing is to generate leads that generate
revenue. Some of this is indirect and harder to measure – and
some if very direct. But at the end of the day your marketing
should be getting you business cards, email addresses, phone
calls and other connections to potential clients. You shouldn't
spend a dime on marketing until you have system in place to
capture and manage the fruits of your labor.
Recommendations
1. Hot, Warm and Cold – even the most basic CRM system
such as Outlook BCM will help you segment and follow-up
on leads. A very few people are going to be bothered when
they receive an email from you on a respectable interval. Be
systematic about this.
Resources
• Read: Referrals – The Shortest Path to Profits
©Pronto Marketing 2009 7

9. Results and Plans
Analysis
Overwhelmingly the respondents are not happy
with their marketing. In overall satisfaction the
Very Dissatisfied outweigh the Very Satisfied by
31.4% to 5.9%.
And yet the majority plan to increase or keep
spending the same. It’s good you believe in
marketing – but make sure you’re doing
something you have confidence in.
Recommendations
1. Before you start spending make sure you
understand the expected impact of the
activity and how you will measure success.
2. For 2009 prioritize your spending. Get the
basics done right first and be careful of the
ad hoc activity.
Resources
• From Inc.com: How to Benchmark Sales-and-
Marketing Budgets
• Two different views on spending: Why You
Should UP Marketing In A DOWN Market and
Should You Cut Marketing Expenses During
the Recession? Probably
• On the Web: Marketing in Lean Times
©Pronto Marketing 2009 8

10. Your Biggest Frustrations and One Wish…
Analysis
Reading the verbatim responses to the questions "What is your biggest frustration with your marketing today?" (page 16) and "If you could
have one “marketing wish” what would it be?" (page 17 & 18) was perhaps the most interesting part of the survey. In your words the
challenges you face came alive. I encourage you to read these. Here are my takeaways;
Key Themes
"Frustration"
– Time & Resources – the number one comment was the lack or time and resources for marketing. You can't add hours to your day. My
first recommendation is to get help. I've highlighted some new channels to do this. Be very tactical and do a few things well.
– ROI – the second on the list was ROI or measuring effectiveness. This is universal across marketing regardless of the industry. The
good news is online and digital marketing are giving us cheap, easy and effective tools to measure the impact of our investment.
– How to get Started – lastly there were a number of comments on how to plan, know what to do or where to start. Again I'll turn you
to the web – there are dozens of small business focused websites and blogs on this topic. Follow a few and learn. Even if you
outsource your marketing you'll have smarter questions to ask.
"Wish"
– Someone do to it – many of you want someone to help you and be the Trusted Advisor you are for your clients. As noted in this
presentation there are freelance and professional resources out there, and they don't have to cost an arm and a leg. Take the same
advice you give to your clients every day and get someone to help you where you need it.
– Effective – more bang or your buck. Be critical of every spend and get the most for your money. The first and best way to have a good
"R" is to keep the "I" small. And remember; effective is about discipline and consistency. There aren't magic bullets, you need tenacity
to get results
– A Plan – there is a strong desire to feel that there is a workable plan in place that will produce ROI. First think end-to-end. If you don't
have a CRM system in place to capture and manage leads – why are you doing lead generation? If you're generating leads but your
website isn't professional what's the first impression? Marketing plans aren't complicated – they can be one slide. But they are end-
to-end.
©Pronto Marketing 2009 9

11. Conclusions…
Summary Recommendations
We’re all familiar with Albert Einstein’s quote “Insanity: doing the
Making Time
same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
“, I’ll have to admit that thought occurred to me reviewing this The number one blocking issue that came up is time. You can’t
survey and responses. make more hours in the day. It’s key to focus on the critical few
Overall the respondents are sceptical of marketing, unsure of the and to them well. Consistency is key in marketing and now is not
return and always in a time crunch to do anything. They are the time for shotgun activities. If you can’t stick with it save
unhappy with the results – but intend to do more next year. yourself the time right up front.
It’s great they believe in marketing but it’s also good to hold Getting Help
marketing, the the professionals you work with, accountable. The If you can’t make time you can get help. As I’ve pointed out
end goal is customers. While it’s not possible to measure every earlier in the deck one sliver lining of these times more freelance
marketing activity’s outcome precisely it is important to track as
professionals as well as web-based resources. Don’t try to do
much as possible and benchmark yourself.
everything yourself.
Overall there is also a general lack of knowledge and confidence
in marketing. Not surprising for a IT professionals. Michael Gerber Peer to Peer Support
in his book “The E Myth” discussed the challenge we all have – One of the impressive things about this industry is the wide range
starting a business doing what we know and the challenged being of community and peer resources there are. Understandably
the well rounded business leader across disciplines. most of these are technical focused. Read the verbatim quotes
The marketing is changing fast and the economy with it. While the and the end and you’ll see you aren’t alone. Start using your
adage “We want everything to change but stay the same” is true community resources to ask marketing questions – even the
now more than ever we’re just going to get more change – to dumb ones.
managed services, SaaS and shifts in the economy.
Don’t forget Public Relations
This survey highlighted to me the fundamental change that is We neglected to have PR as an option on the marketing activities
going to be needed for many of the respondents to keep their however no one mentioned it as an “other” activity. In all the
heads above water. comments it came up just one time. That’s an oversight on all
our parts. PR isn’t that hard and it can produce great ROI.
We’re working on a DIY PR Guide for IT Services Providers to help
out.
©Pronto Marketing 2009 10

12. About Pronto Marketing
THANK YOU Pronto Marketing provides affordable outsourced marketing services to the
manage service or IT service providers who focus on SMB, with a comprehensive
& A LITTLE ABOUT US… package of digital marketing services - website & newsletter, content & updates,
lead generation campaigns. Because we focus on a single market we know it well
and give our affiliates the cost savings the scale of the network provides.
Learn More at http://sbit.prontomarketing.com
About Derek Brown
Derek brings over twenty years of technology sales and marketing experience
from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies in software, distribution, and services.
Prior to founding Pronto Marketing, Derek was with Microsoft for over twelve
years, serving as Marketing Director at Microsoft Thailand Ltd., Director of Product
Marketing for Windows Small Business Server, and Director of Marketing &
Communications for Windows Mobile. Before joining Microsoft, he worked as
Director of Retail Sales at TechData and VP of Marketing at MicroLogic Software.
Contact
Derek Brown
President
Pronto Marketing
derek@prontomarketing.com
http://sbit.prontomarketing.com
1- 800-476-1828
©Pronto Marketing 2009 11

13. APPENDIX
VERBATIM RESPONSES
©Pronto Marketing 2009 12

14. Which of the following marketing activities does your company currently do?
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15. If you do not have a newsletter, why? (select all that apply)
©Pronto Marketing 2009 14

16. Who does your marketing production? (design, copy, etc.)
©Pronto Marketing 2009 15

17. What is your biggest frustration with your marketing today?
©Pronto Marketing 2009 16

18. If you could have one “marketing wish” what would it be? (Page 1)
©Pronto Marketing 2009 17

19. If you could have one “marketing wish” what would it be? (Page 2)
©Pronto Marketing 2009 18