European Marketing

Most US IT companies usually make their first foray into Europe by getting ‘feet on the street’ in the local markets - hiring local sales reps and developing channel partnerships in key regions. This is obviously the right first step as sales = growth potential in these markets.  However, most IT companies cannot afford to invest in European field marketing resources until they have proven results. Rather, they rely on the corporate team to support marketing for the European field team, as well.  This model can work, but often raises internal tension – the European field sales team thinking, “corporate marketing just doesn’t understand my market” or “I need European case studies, European events, etc”. 

At the same time, the US corporate marketing team is thinking, “These field people in Europe don’t get the messaging” or “They need to tell us what tradeshows we should go to in Europe and they need to tell us how to make collateral work better”.  And, funny thing is, in this scenario both groups are absolutely right, however, they usually don’t have the bandwidth to each stick an arm out over the pond and bridge the gap that exists.

Jibe! knows how critical it is to connect the US marketing teams and the European field sales teams so that the overall European objectives can be met. Building a bridge between these two organizations is critical.  Looking at and understanding the US marketing objectives and campaigns and then determining if and how they can be adapted to fit each European market will increase your chances of success in Europe. This approach basically takes the better of these two sides and creates a marketing plan that will work.

Events

Participating in tradeshows and conferences is still a great way to create awareness for your company and generate leads. Because of the number of countries in Europe, there are an overwhelming number of events that take place, even if you concentrate only on the main markets. Jibe! Marketing Services can help you with a tradeshow/conference assessment where we investigate regional, European and solution based tradeshows that may be of interest to you. Based upon your target audience, objectives and budget estimate we will provide a suggested tradeshow plan.

Partner Marketing

When working in European markets the reliance on partners is high.  Partners are key to demand generation and business development, in terms of building your pipeline.  They know their local markets and they usually have a good network of contacts.  Jibe! works with you to create partner programs, communication tools and campaigns to ensure you leverage this important piece of your sales & marketing in Europe.

Collateral localization & development

One thing most customers in Europe notice is whether you are really focused on their country or whether you are just providing a “face” for Europe.  An easy and important first step is to develop localized collateral. Localized doesn’t just mean ‘translated’ either.  Even in England, an American written datasheet on 8.5x11 can be localized, or shall we say ‘localised’.  Style, tone, language, size of paper, use of local customers are all things that need to be considered when creating and distributing collateral in Europe. Jibe! can help you evaluate current collateral and make suggestions about how to best localize it for specific European markets.  In addition, we provide an onsite store where you can directly order your localized and/or international collateral for European audiences (e.g. tradeshows, seminars, sales offices, etc)

Next steps for European success

With over 15 years of experience in product marketing & marketing communication roles in US IT companies in both the US and Europe, and a network of local ‘best of breed’ suppliers, the team at Jibe! knows how to translate global ideas into local results.  We will work with both your US marketing team & European field teams to ensure that the goals of both are understood and realized. Use the contact form to ask us for a proposal that will help you conquer Europe, too!