Business

Business

How to get started with marketing? (Guide for IT companies)

By

Edwin Nooitgedagt

January

30

,

2025

If you're running an IT company, you probably know your tech inside and out. But when it comes to marketing? That's often a different story.

Look, I get it. You've built an amazing tech product. Your team can code circles around the competition. And your DevOps pipeline? It's a thing of beauty.

But when it comes to marketing... well, let's just say it's not your first language.

meme

I know what you might be thinking: "What could some marketing person from Poland possibly know about selling complex tech solutions? Our product is different. Our market is unique."

Here's the thing – we've worked with dozens of IT companies just like yours. From software houses who thought marketing was beneath them to app publishers who believed their product would "sell itself."

And you know what? They all faced the same harsh reality.

Key takeaways:

x-mej's website
“The Diligently team perfectly understood the specificity of our industry, creating a website that fully meets our expectations. The website was perfectly tailored to our needs, both in terms of functionality and aesthetics.”

Przemysław Czyż

CEO at x-Mej

The uncomfortable truth about tech marketing

Let's cut the fluff and look at some hard data:

· 80% of B2B buyers initiate first contact only after they are approximately 70% through their buying journey.

· The average B2B tech purchase involves 11 decision makers.

· The average B2B buying cycle lasts 11.3 months.

[source]

Ouch, right?

Why most IT companies get marketing wrong

Here's what I typically hear from tech founders:

🚀 "Good products market themselves!" (Tell that to Slack, who spent 46% of their revenue on marketing during their growth phase.)

🚀 "We only need word of mouth!" (Sure, if you're happy growing at a snail's pace while your competitors eat your lunch.)

🚀 "Marketing is a waste of money!" (Said every company that later wondered why their superior technology wasn't selling.)

What this guide will actually do for you

I'm not here to bore you with marketing theory or try to turn you into the next Steve Jobs.

Instead, I'll show you:

· How to build a marketing system that works hard like a bee while you sleep

· Where to find your actual customers (hint: they're not all on TikTok)

· What to do first, second, and third (yes, there's an order to this stuff)

· How to avoid the expensive mistakes I've seen too many tech companies make

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No fluff. No generic advice. Just practical steps that work specifically for IT companies.

Ready to turn those technical smarts into actual market success? Let's dive in.

Step 1: Get your foundation right

Before you think about SEO, LinkedIn, or ads, let’s get the basics straight.

What makes you special (and no, "great quality" isn't enough)

Most IT companies sound exactly the same:


❌ "We deliver innovative solutions."
❌ "We provide cutting-edge technology."
❌ "We offer best-in-class services."

yawn
Yawn. 🥱

Your unique value proposition needs to be specific and meaningful. Let me show you how to find it:

1. 📌 List your top 3 clients

2. 📌 Ask them why they chose you over competitors

3. 📌 Look for patterns in their answers

4. 📌 Turn that into something concrete

Here's an example: Instead of "We offer great cybersecurity solutions," try "We help mid-sized fintech companies achieve compliance certification 60% faster than traditional methods."

See the difference?

Know who you're really selling to

"Our target audience is companies that need IT solutions!"

facepalm
facepalm

Let's get specific. For each potential clientcompany, you're actually dealing with:

👨🏼‍💻Technical Decision Makers (CTOs, Engineers) → Need to understand your product.
💰 Economic Buyers (CEOs, CFOs) → Care about ROI and cost savings.
👥 End Users (Developers, Analysts) → Need to see ease of use.
🎯 Internal Champions → Help push your solution inside the company.

💡Different buyers = different messaging.

Step 2: Choose the right marketing channels

No, you don’t need to be everywhere.

Here’s where you actually need to focus:

Your website

Most IT company websites fall into 3 categories:

Too technical (reads like API documentation)
Too vague ("We help businesses grow.")
Too feature-focused (instead of outcomes)

hero section of a website
This is so vague that it says nothing at all...

🚀Quick Fixes:


Clear value proposition above the fold
Case studies with actual numbers
Strong CTAs (not just "Learn More")

Content that doesn't bore people to death

The secret to content marketing in tech? Write like a human:

· Break down complex concepts without being condescending

· Use real examples from your experience

· Include actual code snippets or technical details when relevant

· Make it actionable (readers should be able to implement something right away)

Best performing content types for IT companies:

· How-to guides solving specific problems

· Industry analysis backed by data

· Technical comparison posts

· Case studies (that actually show numbers)

LinkedIn (done right this time)

LinkedIn isn’t just for job hunting.

Instead of motivational quotes, try this:


Post deep technical insights.
Share client success stories.
Engage in industry conversations.

Email marketing (not dead, just misused)

Email works in tech when you:

· Segment your list (technical vs. business people)

· Share actually valuable content (not just product updates)

· Keep it focused on solving problems

· Include specific examples and data

Step 3: Build a simple marketing strategy

Here’s the deal—most IT companies don’t have a strategy.

They have wishes:


❌ “We need more leads.”
❌ “We should post on LinkedIn.”
❌ “Maybe we should run some ads?”

That’s not a strategy. That’s throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks.

A real strategy makes choices. It’s about knowing what to focus on and what to ignore—because trying to do everything will get you nowhere.

Richard Rummelt's Good Strategy/Bad Strategy

We like the framework described by Richard Rumelt in his book Good Strategy/Bad Strategy. He breaks it down like this:

  1. Diagnosis– What’s the real problem?
  2. Guiding policy – What’s our general approach to solving it?
  3. Coherent actions – What specific steps will we take?

We tend to write the first two points in a form of an essay, because it really exposes errors in logical thinking and makes you think strategically.

Let’s get to work.

Set goals that actually mean something

Not all numbers matter.

Some metrics just look good on a PowerPoint slide but don’t mean a thing for revenue.

So, here’s what we actually care about in IT marketing:

📌 Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) – People who raise their hand and say, “This looks interesting.” (e.g., downloaded a free resource)
📌 Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) – People your sales team actually wants to talk to.
📌 Conversion rates – How many website visitors actually turn into leads?
📌 Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) – Are you spending more to get customers than they’re worth?
📌 Time to conversion – How long does it take from “I’m interested” to “Here’s my credit card”?

Pick 2-3 core metrics and track them like your business depends on it—because it does.

Budgeting (without setting your money on fire)

I’ve seen IT companies make two budgeting mistakes over and over again:

Mistake 1: Thinking marketing is a bottomless pit that eats cash with no clear ROI.
Mistake2: Thinking they can do everything for free if they “just post on LinkedIn more.”

The reality? You need a budget, but you don’t need to waste money.

A simple way to start:


🧮 Set aside 10% of expected revenue for marketing.

How to break it down:


💰 40% → Content (website updates, case studies, blog posts, email sequences)
💰 30% → Paid distribution (Google ads, maybe Linkedin ads, partnerships)
💰 20% →Tools & platforms (SEO tools, CRM, automation)
💰 10% → Experiments (new channels, new formats, testing weird ideas)

After you get started, you can adjust the budgets to what works best in your case.

Marketing is not about who spends the most. It’s about who spends the smartest.

Execution & timeline reality check

Reality check: You won’t see results overnight.

Marketing isn’t flipping a switch—it’s building a system that compounds over time.

Here’s what a realistic timeline looks like:

📆 Months 1-3: The Foundation Phase

  • Fixing your website (because, let’s be honest, it probably needs work)
  • Setting up tracking (so you actually know what’s working)
  • Creating your first few content pieces

📆 Months 4-6: The Visibility Phase

  • Posting regularly on LinkedIn (and actually saying something valuable)
  • Running small ad tests to see what resonates
  • Engaging in conversations where your customers hang out

📆 Months 7-9: The Traction Phase

  • SEO starts paying off (finally)
  • Leads start trickling in from content and ads
  • Case studies & testimonials start making an impact

📆 Months 10-12: The Scaling Phase

  • Double down on what’s working
  • Scale up ads
  • Turn content into automated lead-generation sequences

If you’re expecting instant results, you’ll be disappointed.

But if you follow a plan and stay patient, you’ll see real, measurable growth.

And that’s the difference between companies that hope marketing will work… and companies that actually make it work.

When to pivot vs when to persist

Give each channel at least 3 months before judging it, but watch for these red flags:

·      Zero engagement after a month

·      Cost per lead increasing steadily

·      Sales team feedback about lead quality

·      No improvement in key metrics

 

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

Let's talk about the ways IT companies shoot themselves in the foot with marketing. I see these mistakes every week.

The technical jargon trap

Mistake: Writing marketing content that reads like API documentation.

💡Fix it:


✅ Explain your solution like you're talking to a smart friend.
✅ Focus on business outcomes, not just features.
✅ Save deep technical details for later in the sales process.

The ChatGPT content disaster

Here's a harsh truth: if you're mindlessly copy-pasting content from ChatGPT and calling it "content marketing", you're wasting everyone's time.

Your competitors are doing the exact same thing, creating an ocean of mediocre content full of words like:

·      "streamline"

·      "empower"

·      "unleash"

·      "seamless"

·      "cutting-edge"

💡 Fix it:


✅ Use AI for research & outlines, but add your expertise.
✅ Focus on original insights & real-world examples.
✅ Test your content against what actually engages readers.

Want to stand out? Share real insights from your experience. Tell actual stories. Show real code. Provide genuine value.

The "we'll do it when we have time" syndrome

Tech teams often say:


💬"We'll focus on marketing when we're less busy."

Spoiler: That never happens.

💡Fix it:


✅ Treat marketing like any other core function.
✅ Assign a dedicated person to own marketing.
✅ Stick to consistent execution, even if small at first.

The wrong channel selection

Stop trying to be everywhere. I've seen companies waste months on TikTok when their customers are on LinkedIn, or obsess over Twitter when their leads come from industry forums.

💡 Fix it:


LinkedIn→ Great for B2B, networking, lead generation.
SEO & Blog → Best for long-term organic traffic.
Email→ High-value for nurturing leads.
Paid ads (LinkedIn & Google) → Works for targeted campaigns.

🚫 Avoid wasting time on:

  • TikTok & Snapchat (not where your buyers are, but might be good for employer branding)
  • Twitte (X) unless you’re deeply engaged in developer communities
  • Posting on every social platform "just because"

 

Essential tools to start with

Don't go crazy with tools. Start with:

📊 Google Analytics 4 – Track website performance


📈 Ahrefs/Semrush – SEO & keyword research


💼 LinkedIn Sales Navigator – B2B networking & outreach


📝 Pipedrive – Lead tracking & follow-ups


📬 Mailchimp – Email marketing


📣 Google Ads & LinkedIn Ads – Paid traffic acquisition

💡Don’t get distracted by shiny objects. Master the basics first.

When to hire vs when to outsource

👨💻 Hire internally when:

·      You have the capacity to lead a new person

·      You're creating technical content (especially audio and video)

·      You play the long game and can afford to wait longer for first results

🛠 Outsource when:

·      You need specialized skills (like SEO or PPC)

·      You need to scale quickly

·      You want experts to handle specific channels

The bottom line

Marketing for IT companies isn't rocket science, but it does require:

·      Consistency

·      Authentic content

·      Proper measurement

·      Patience

💡If you’re not marketing, your competitors are.

Start small, measure everything, and scale what works. And please, for the love of all things tech, stop using AI-generated filler content.

Questions? I'm happy to help.

 

Article by

How to get started with marketing? (Guide for IT companies)

Edwin Nooitgedagt

Project leader

Edwin is one of the founders of Diligently, a digital marketing agency specializing in helping IT companies. He's been working in project leadership for over 6 years, and along the way, he's had the opportunity to see what makes businesses succeed — and what doesn’t (after a couple of his own startup attempts).

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