Marketing a technology company to major corporations isn’t for the faint of heart. Big companies are layered with decision-makers, complex procurement systems and long-standing vendor relationships. Charging in with clever taglines or flashy creative before understanding that ecosystem is like swinging blindfolded. You might get lucky, but most of the time, you’re just whiffing at the air.
The foundation of strategy
Research isn’t glamorous, but it’s everything.
Before a single ad is written or campaign built, you’ve got to know the lay of the land. Who’s the buyer? What are their pain points? Where are the openings? What problem are they really trying to solve?
In the world of technology marketing, those answers make or break success. Selling to a Fortune 500 company isn’t the same as selling to a mid-market player. Enterprise buyers aren’t swayed by slogans. They’re influenced by data, reliability and ROI. To get there, you need disciplined, intentional research.
A case in point
A tech client once came to us eager to expand into the enterprise space. They had a cutting-edge product and a brilliant technical team but struggled to get traction with large corporations. The assumption? The product would sell itself. It didn’t.
Our first step wasn’t creative. It was research. We mapped out the landscape. Who held the budgets, who influenced technology decisions, and what barriers existed in procurement.
What we discovered surprised everyone. The real decision-makers weren’t the IT directors; they were the financial and compliance executives. Their concerns? Risk mitigation, scalability and long-term cost reduction.
Armed with that knowledge, the messaging changed. Out went the technical jargon. In came business outcomes, case studies showing cost savings, and white papers focused on compliance and integration. The story shifted from “what the product does to what the company gains.”
Within months, the company secured meetings with multiple Fortune 500 decision-makers. Pilot programs turned into long-term contracts. Research did that.
“Research doesn’t just reveal information, it reveals opportunity.”
Turning insight into impact
Good research points you in the right direction. It shows you where to spend your energy and how to approach the people who matter most. It transforms creative ideas from Hail Mary passes into clean shots down the middle.
In high-stakes B2B marketing, that clarity separates the vendors from the trusted partners. Too many tech firms fall in love with their own innovations and forget that big corporations buy solutions, not features. Without research to connect the dots between innovation and value, even the smartest product becomes just another forgotten pitch.
Research first, always
At Lorraine Gregory Communications, we’ve learned that research isn’t the warm-up—it’s part of the game plan. It guides strategy, informs creative, and makes sure every word and image serves a strategic purpose.
In the competitive world of technology marketing, research doesn’t slow you down. It accelerates results. Because when you truly understand the client, audience, you don’t just market to them, you become indispensable to them.
Greg Demetriou is the owner/CEO of Lorraine Gregory Communications in Edgewood.