A Complete Guide to Geospatial Firms Marketing

Remote sensors, satellites, drones, and connected devices have mulitplied in number and power. Almost everyone on the earth always has a GPS-enabled device in their pocket. To put it another way: Virtually every area of the world may be monitored, mapped, analyzed, and used for business purposes. This is undoubtedly excellent news for the geospatial technology and GIS sectors.

As a member of the broader technology sector, you can learn some tips from our most recent post on marketing for IT businesses. However, geospatialfirms differ from these businesses in several significant ways.

Here are the top 11 recommendations for developing a marketing plan, especially for geospatial firms.

1 - Determine your market segment:

As we've mentioned, the market potential for geospatial technology solutions is enormous. But be cautious. Never attempt to carry more than you can bear. You'll probably wind up with a diluted message that doesn't resonate with any of the industries you try to target.

Pick one or two niche markets or use cases where your solutions offer a definite edge over the competition. And don't add more until you've established a reliable revenue stream from your primary targets and a strong market position.

2 - Conduct research:

Think again if you believe that conducting "research" necessitates hiring costly geospatial firms and losing months of development time before launching a product. Researching the market and the competition, particularly in the B2B space, is much less frightening than you think. Start modestly once more. Check out three or four of your top rivals. Examine their website, content, social media platforms, and general messaging strategies in-depth.

Imitate what you believe they are doing successfully. Likewise, avoid anything that doesn't seem to be working. Outlining your buyer personas will help you better understand your target market. If possible, speak with a few of your current customers to learn more about their personalities, informational preferences, and decision-making processes. Additionally, make sure to ask your sales team for comments. Every day, they have contact with potential customers.

3 - Establish your messaging plan:

In any marketing plan, including in the geospatial technology industry, the message is one of the most crucial aspects. Your target markets and customer profiles must be crystal clear, concise, and specifically suited. Avoid using extremely technical "geo-speak" at all costs. (Only you and your GIS friends can understand this language.) Remember that you are providing a good or service that many of your customers have never heard of.

4 - Create a modern, highly attractive website:

Show rather than tell. Regarding geospatial technology, it's frequently quicker and more effective to demonstrate how something works than to describe it. Include many crisp pictures, videos, infographics, and computer-generated simulations of your technology in use.

Showcase how your mapping and geospatial solutions can be used in the target sectors. Additionally, keep in mind that your website must be excellent as a provider of geospatial technologies. If your website looks or performs poorly, how can you be expected to carry out far more advanced GIS activities?

5 - Distribute your code (yes, for free):

Some people that utilize your free code (such as academics or independent developers) won't be interested in using your services. They'll seize it and take off. That's okay. It's unlikely that this will hurt your company in any way. However, developers from geospatial firms in your target market can also find your free code.

6 - Produce and share excellent  content:

Today, content is king in B2B marketing. Blog articles, infographics, videos, seminars, case analyses, white papers, eBooks, interactive tests, podcasts, and many more types of content are included in B2B marketing.

For each of your customer personas, develop helpful and interesting content that will assist them in the buying process. HubSpot narrowly defines this as "Awareness," "Consideration," and "Decision." B2B buyers frequently move between stages. Thus we tend to be more lenient. In either case, you must check every box, from preliminary exploratory content to demonstrating your worth and investment return.

Use your website, multi-channel marketing, and PR initiatives to get your material in front of your target audience.

7 - Benefit greatly from client recommendations:

One of your largest marketing assets is having satisfied customers. Referrals are priceless in the geospatial technology business, as in many other B2B markets. They probably have a network of connections who have comparable business requirements. Your happiest customers might recommend your geospatial firms to their contacts without asking.

However, if you want to make the most of this useful resource, you should think about organizing a coordinated referral campaign. This can involve producing written case studies, reference letters, and video testimonials.

Conclusion:

The market for geospatial technology is expanding significantly. However, there is an inadequacy of information on geospatial and GIS technology and how geospatial firms can use it. The greatest method to assist your business keep up with industry growth and reaching your target market is with a strong geospatial technology marketing strategy. You may focus your budget and set your marketing efforts on the right track using the advice provided in this article.