Marketing Nearshore Outsourcing Services

Eastern Europe is well-known as an important hub of IT outsourcing companies. But as East Asia, particularly India, has been seen the top outsourcing region, companies based in Eastern Europe have to market their advantages at the very best. This does not mean spamming companies with emails all over Europe or United States, but knowing the potential customer, what is he interested into, what are his challenges and needs, create an offer that meet these and ensure he does see it.

Form our experience, these are a few steps to build an efficient marketing strategy for IT outsourcing companies from Eastern Europe.

• Value proposition. Geographical position and cultural heritage are imporanta advantages that should be exploited accordingly. Shared values and history mean it is easier to create a relationship and beyond business there are people you have much in common with.

• Channels. Business is not the same in every country/ part of the world. For example, if they want to extend their services to the Western Europe market, the approach should include e-mail marketing, while in the US, the professional network LinkedIn is definitely on everyone’s top of mind for business opportunities. Professional networks are also a good fit for Europe, but may differ from one country to another. For example, a marketing strategy for Belgium should include LinkedIn but for France, great results are coming from Viadeo. In Germany, Xing is the best option nowadays. The recommendation is first to research where the company is more active, where its employees have interactions with other people, what kind of social presence do the leaders from the company have and then develop a marketing strategy including the approach on those channels.

• Offer. According to the European IT Outsourcing Intelligence Report 2010: Western and Northern Europe, „reducing operating costs”, „accelerating time to market via flexibility and scalability” and „to free in-house resources for other business purposes” are the top three reasons why UK companies outsource their software/ web development. While for Germany the top three reasons are: „reducing operating costs”, „accelerating time to market” and „difficulty in finding necessary resources within home country”. The reasons companies choose to outsource their services are different from one country to another, so create your offer taking into consideration these facts. Research first, find out what every single country appreciates most and then create your message. Only after you found out which are their biggest issues/ challenges, should you create the offer and but present the advantages your company brings with your potential client in mind.

• Positioning. How is your company/ business different from any other one? What is it unique for? Maybe a recently award or a service you offer. Or maybe there is a specific advantage businesses will gain if choosing your outsourcing company. Bring that up! Say it loud and make it your trademark.

• Networking. Be where your potential customer is. Networking is more than chatting around on Twitter or at an event. Be a thought leader, help the industry to develop and show your expertize. The competition is fierce, so Eastern European companies must overcome these drawbacks through a consistent approach.

What are your thoughts about a right approach when marketing outsourcing services? Which part of the team are you in and what do you find most important in a lead generation marketing strategy?

Looking forward to reading your thought in the comments section below.