Thanks to new sensor technology for collecting data, and analytics which processes that data; the geospatial industry is exploding. A $9 billion niche is being transformed. But, In its effort to drive wider adoption, the geospatial industry continues to try to overcome one key challenge.
In a word messaging.
That means conveying the value of your solution, which leverages geospatial data and analysis, to the non-geospatial community. Geospatial has been very good at building out its own vernacular: buffering, geofencing, maps, location analytics on and on. There has never been a problem using this language with those who understand: namely other geospatial experts. But non-experts turn their backs.
And many of the new companies and solutions emerging (Geospatial 2.0) are falling into the same trap
We are at a time when we need to develop a new geospatial business-centric vernacular. New messaging.
Below are 5 key requirements for successful geospatial messaging:
1. Focus on business outcomes – As the saying goes “Nobody cares how it was made, everybody cares about what it does”. Messaging has to be focused on the business value your solution provides. Your customers care little about the technology which drives the solution. Only the outcome, or whether your solution solves their problem.
2. Be problem focused – If you took the “If we build it they will come” approach to building a solution. You are destined to fail. Your solution need solve a real problem. And that need be the focus of your messaging. Take your customers down the path from problem to solution. Your solution.
3. Build a messaging strategy – Before you jump into content, ensure you have a messaging strategy. Too often we want to run before we walk. Content is guided by strategy: the problem you are solving, audience (persona) you are looking to reach, tone and nature of your messaging etc. Put simple the what, who and how.
4. Tell focused stories – Story telling has always been a powerful way to get and keep attention. Look for the book: Sell with a Story by Paul Smith, for an excellent guide to the power of storytelling. Guided by your messaging strategy, telling focused stories about your problem to solutions story: with particular emphasis on the before and after, will win you many customers.
5. Ensure your messaging is consistent across both sales and marketing – Too often we see sales disconnected from marketing: Operating as quite separate departments. Business success requires sales and marketing to be working together. That means consistent messaging.
We will expand on these points in future blog posts. It is our view that great messaging is the key to those who will be successful in the expanding geospatial sector. Too much focus is still on the technology. That has become easy. The real challenge is getting your customers attention, and driving towards sales. We set up whyofthere to help companies succeed with powerful messaging.
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