Why I’m Going to Sponsor SI … for Executives

I believe in an open business environment enabled by education and knowledge sharing.
Furthermore, I believe that independent blogs, and not trade publications and analyst firms, are the future of knowledge dissemination on the internet.

I believe in the power of informed, independent opinions.
Sourcing Innovation is a breath of fresh air compared to the vendor blogs that seem to dominate the space.

I know that an informed customer is better than an uninformed one.
It’s easier to sell to a customer who understands what they need.

I believe in the power of the brand.
I know that the average life-span of a business is 14 years and shrinking, that only 33% of companies in the Fortune 500 will get through the next decade unscathed, and that there is a strong correlation between the top 100 brands and those companies that have survived relatively unscathed for more than 5 years. I believe that SI will help me build my brand.

I know that when it comes to enterprise software, click-through advertising doesn’t cut it.
Click-throughs work when you’re selling commodity goods that can be bought on an impulse. They don’t work when you’re selling sophisticated enterprise software systems that require layers of budget approvals.

I know that throwing up a companion website to a traditional print publication doesn’t guarantee hits, and that this means that advertising in on-line versions of traditional publications isn’t useful.
Brand value comes from brand recognition, and that comes from continual exposure. Most publications haven’t embraced the power of the new media, and still publish the bulk of their new material on a traditional monthly publication schedule. As a result, visitors to those sites tend to check them only once or twice a month, which implies that they will have very limited exposure, if any, to my advertisement. Thus, the return on the (large amount of) money I paid will be minimal.

I believe that a SI sponsorship is perfect for me.
There are no advertisements – just a small, restricted number of sponsor logos. Even if readers don’t notice my logo every day, they’re still going to notice it regularly. This will give me brand recognition every day. Readers will remember the intro post, they’ll know what I do, and I’ll get invited to the table. One informational SI post is worth a dozen press releases, because it is passed around, reviewed, and re-reviewed by my customers and their peers. Regular reading of SI allows readers to understand what they’re looking for and be able to see where my solution adds value. I believe I win when the customer best understands the value I offer.

I’m going to e-mail thedoctor <at> sourcinginnovation <dot> com, because I know where my market is going – they’re going to Sourcing Innovation!

P.S. If you want the long version, it can still be found here in the original post: Why I’m Going to Sponsor SI!