By using a data center-as-a-service, organizations can access additional computing power without spending a fortune. Businesses have started using DCaaS (data center-as-a-service) as a way to deal with the limitations of their on-premises infrastructure or to host and manage non-core applications (such as human resources, data processing, and more).
Accessing a DCaaS allows businesses to supplement their limited computer system. Moreover, data center-as-a-service systems are typically tailored to meet a client’s specific needs. For example, a customer can continue using their own hardware, with the DCaaS provider supplying additional computing power or specific platforms.
DCaaS Marketing Features
Scalability
With the understanding that many potential customers are dealing with the limited space of their on-premises computer system, scalability becomes a strong data center marketing point. Employing a data center-as-a-service allows companies to access more space and other resources whenever they are needed.
The Service Is Always on
Data availability can be a critical factor for organizations relying on the network to provide service to their customers. Unexpected downtime can seriously damage a business’s reputation and profits. The built-in redundancies and backups of DCaaS support consistent uptime, which can help in selling data center services.
Advanced Security
Data centers are a primary target for cyber criminals. Fortunately, a data center-as-a-service provider is equipped with both the hardware and software that provide cutting edge security. With all the security features supplied by DCaaS vendors, data centers can be thought of as modern fortresses for the digital age.
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Problems DCaaS Marketers Might Experience
In today’s constantly evolving digital world, marketers face several challenges. While the primary problem is identifying individual members of the target market, other issues can actively counteract your data center promotion efforts.
Identifying the Target Market
Identifying the market is an important part of the data center marketing strategy. In some cases, age is used to identify the target market. Finding a way to identify businesses “searching” for data centers as a service is an option for data center marketing. There are lists available for purchase, and since personal information is not part of the purchase, there should be no ethical concerns.
Identifying a much broader target market of small businesses with older computers is also an option. It has the benefit of approaching potential customers before they’ve begun to research a solution to their infrastructure problems. This could, however, be a more difficult and more expensive data center marketing approach.
Poorly Designed Websites
Many times, a service or tool, such as data management-as-a-service, will be “added” to a website’s homepage and come out looking like an afterthought. It will be at the bottom of the home page, in small print, with only the vaguest of descriptions.
In some situations, articles will describe a new product or service, but the company listed as the vendor hasn’t yet updated their site. So, while the product or service might be available, it can’t actually be accessed. This can make selling data center services difficult.
If you’re a contractor, this is not your issue, but do communicate the problem. If you have been assigned the marketing project, take the big picture perspective and review the website.
If information about their data center-as-a-service is minimal or nonexistent, communicate the problem to “both” management and the sales department. Between the two of them, they should recognize it as a problem and get it fixed. If they don’t, it is no longer your responsibility. Do your best with the marketing and move on.
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Marketing Tactics
Advertising is a subdivision of marketing. Data center marketing also includes the planning of sales, pricing, and any form of promoting a company’s products and/or services.
Email Advertising
Many people in management positions are completely unaware of DCaaS. They may know they want to expand their digital infrastructure to add, for example, accounting software but lack the resources.
A data center-as-a-service might be the perfect solution for them, but because they are unaware of it as a resource, emailing them a simple explanation of what a data center-as-a-service is, written at a sixth-grade reading level, offers a great way to encourage understanding and decision-making. Following up a week later with a discount can also help in selling data center services.
Catching the Reader’s Eye
In a report by Experian, it was discovered that most marketers are competing with a flood of internet ads. Making a brand stand out against all the background info becomes a significant challenge. A human may not be consciously looking for a solution to their problem of needing more computing power, while reading their emails, but there is a good chance their subconscious is still scanning for one.
Using key phrases in the subject line, designed to catch the reader’s attention at the subconscious level, will have more impact than email subjects that don’t. Keep it really simple, with a short phrase.
Finding the Unique
Another tactic for data center marketing involves identifying features that make your data center-as-a-service unique, or its unique selling propositions (USPs). As data center-as-a-service is still a new concept for many, companies without a large enough DCaaS customer base may not find surveys useful.
Discovering the USP may require comparing the features of your data management-as-a-service to the competition’s. After discovering the product’s or service’s USP, include it as part of the marketing process, honestly stating it is a need only your brand can fulfill.
Marketing Channels
Focusing on the target market reduces wasted effort, but can be a little difficult to define. This, in turn, makes it harder to draw the ideal traffic to your data center-as-a-service website.
Understanding which channel (social media, smart phones, etc.) to use for targeting the market can be very helpful with data center promotions. For example, LinkedIn could be a better social media channel than Facebook for marketing data center services.
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Best Practices to Increase Sales
Feedback is an excellent way to improve on marketing strategies. Another best practice is working the system, which requires understanding it. Honesty can also be considered a best practice. While deceit can work in the short term, if long-term repeat customers are part of the goal, honesty is a necessity.
Conduct an Audit
After a month of marketing, audit your online activity. Identify which tactics are successfully reaching the target audience, reexamine the content, and reconsider the channels being used. A robust analysis can tell what is working and where to make improvements. It is also important to perform an analysis at reasonable intervals to see which marketing efforts are working.
A useful audit would include the number of visits from email advertisements and the number of “interest” clicks taking people from the various channels to the data center-as-a-service’s website. Any other forms of advertising that can be monitored and measured should also be a part of the audit. This will help refine your data center marketing strategy.
Focus Less on Keywords
While keywords are often used for SEO, things have changed. Google has altered its algorithms, relying less on keywords and more on search phrases. Instead of focusing on keywords, article content and advertising should be created around topics. By making a website a resource for a specific phrase or question, the target audience will be drawn or guided to it.
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