The Vertical Approach
May 3rd, 2006 | Marilou BarsamI have been noticing that many companies are beginning to position their expertise within particular line of businesses. They are shifting their sales and marketing strategy to focus on vertical markets. Many of their field sales force have been reoriented to sell vertically and they are putting a large percentage of the companies marketing dollars behind vertical campaigns. So, how can marketers effectively reach vertical markets?
I recommend segmenting lists not only by vertical but also by content affinity. By isolating the audience by topic and vertical, the audience will see the value of how vertical content can resolve their day to day problems. There are many opportunities for companies if they illustrate why their product appeals to a specific industry. Through experience, I believe the best way to market to a specific vertical market is to create an integrated program that only promotes to that vertical.
