Enterprise Technology PR Strategies That Actually Generate Results
How to Win Attention and Credibility in a Crowded Market
For enterprise technology (public relations) PR to be worth the investment, it needs to be measurable, strategic, and tied directly to business outcomes. Businesses must leverage strategic storytelling, thought leadership, and AI-optimized visibility on top of a deep understanding of the enterprise tech sector to break through to their ideal customers.
Today, we’ll talk about the nuances of enterprise tech PR and provide examples of ways you can win, even in a market that gets tighter every day.
Why Enterprise Tech PR is Different
Enterprise technology is a minefield. One can’t simply approach something that could potentially explode with the same strategy as they would a field of wildflowers. It just isn’t the same. The risks are different. Let’s lay out why enterprise tech pr strategies require a unique approach.
Enterprise Tech PR Has Longer Buying Cycles
Enterprise technology buying cycles can take years. 17 months is the average. You can’t let your awareness slip because another company is going to slide in and take that buying committee’s attention away.
The In-Market Enterprise Tech Buyer Pool is Small
“Only ~5% of enterprise buyers are actually in-market. PR isn’t for that 5%—It’s to start working the muscle memory of those with the intention to eventually enter the market. You want to condition them to recall your brand when they’re ready. In short, it’s all about getting on the shortlist for your ideal market.” – Joel Richman, Partner, Escalate PR
With such a tiny segment of people willing to engage in sales, you need to focus on top-of-funnel (TOFU) awareness tactics even more than other verticals.
Retaining Technology Buyers Post-Purchase is a Challenge
The types of products that the majority of enterprise tech companies sell are readily available from other competitors, and if a rollout doesn’t go as planned, those buyers will immediately abandon the product as soon as their contract ends. Even after an exhaustive buying cycle, rolling out an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is incredibly complex, requiring continued stakeholder alignment and post-purchase customer support. There’s no quick fix in enterprise, even after the buyers have supposedly committed.
Tech Insight: 81% of technology purchases result in regret.
Enterprise Tech PR Goes Beyond the Product and Contrived News
Standard PR tactics are often solely product-driven or based on news generated directly by the company—new products, hiring, items that just fill space in the news cycle. Lots of PR firms will bill for that work without question, but there needs to be a more strategic element where enterprise companies talk and showcase insights that position them in relation to broader market trends.
“Smart, novel things that others aren’t saying that buyers will pay attention to are what matters in enterprise tech PR. You can’t just talk about yourself.” – Joel Richman, Partner, Escalate PR
Enterprise Tech Buying Decisions Include Multiple Stakeholders
According to Gartner Digital Insights, there are technical, functional, and economic stakeholders in the software buying process. Beyond their diverse functions, there can be up to ten individuals involved! Each of those people needs different forms of validation to move toward a purchase. To get them on board, you’ll have to prove your credibility with analysts, earned and owned media, and more.
3 Enterprise Tech PR Strategies That Actually Work
As an enterprise tech PR agency, we recommend three core communications strategies to help brands increase visibility and credibility in competitive markets. Enterprise tech brands can build momentum using a combination of strategic storytelling, thought leadership, and AI-optimized visibility.
If executive visibility is your goal, the same content pillars apply. Boost credibility with bylines that share perspective, keynote opportunities that elevate authority, and events that connect your subject matter experts (SME’s) directly with their audiences.
the same pillars apply—bylines that share perspective, keynote opportunities that elevate authority, and events that connect leadership directly with key audiences.
1. Strategic Storytelling
Speaking of live events, one of the most intentional ways to recognize media attention is to piggyback on them with a compelling story. At tradeshows or when your business leaders have speaking engagements, enterprise PR firms should be looking for opportunities to make the most of executives’ time. They should always aim to get a hold of the registered press list to be in front of the media targets. That’s a time when reporters are all in the same spot and are all interested in what’s new and hot.
To rise above the others, given finite meeting slots, be sure to offer them something worthy of their time. Nothing fluffy. Hold back items just for the press. Exclusivity is vital. Oftentimes, that means fostering strategic media relations with top-tier enterprise and vertical outlets, which is a strength of enterprise PR tech agencies.
2. Thought Leadership
Creating data-driven technology PR campaigns with original research is extremely valuable because it’s proprietary. For example, you could run a survey with cohorts like CTOs or CIOs with a respectable threshold of people, take that data, and put it into a report. It’s even better if it’s controversial or contrary to the current data that your ideal customer profile (ICP) likes. From there, you can stratify into different vertical markets to hit different publications. Strive for actual and real, but stay broad enough to inspire confidence.
PR Opportunity: You don’t have to do it all. Escalate PR creates Surveys, Studies & IP that can help you expand your reach!
3. AI-Optimized Visibility
Anytime you build content, which is hopefully thought leadership content, you should start thinking about how it will get found. Nowadays, that content is surfaced by tools like ChatGPT. Optimizing content for visibility in large language models (LLMs) and smart search is an essential part of an enterprise PR tech strategy.
Content Structure
We’ve written extensively about specific ways you can maximize your visibility for AI-driven search, but some quick structural areas to place emphasis on are schema markup, H-tags with natural language, lists, FAQs, and overall concision.
Content Strategy
We are big proponents of data visualization, syndicated content, novel data, and authoritative sources. By the way, authority in terms of LLMs isn’t always the same as it is for other PR methods. Sometimes you have to find alternative channels like Instagram, TikTok, Reddit Threads, and tech forums to showcase what you have to offer. Whenever you can be present where others are mentioning you online, make sure it’s making an impact.
“If someone is talking about you, you want it to be factual and helpful. You want to be found by LLMs and people in general. Don’t wait—Create the conversation!” – Joel Richman, Partner, Escalate PR
PR Opportunity: Are you unsure of how to seamlessly integrate AEO into your enterprise tech PR strategy? We covered that fully in 5 AEO Best Practices Every PR Team Should Know.
How Escalate PR Delivers Value To Enterprise Tech Companies
We know the enterprise tech PR market intimately and, as such, we can offer distinct advantages to our clients.
Expertise in Unique Enterprise Narratives
Enterprise tech PR is particularly challenging because it’s usually centered on commoditized products, so it can be incredibly hard to stand out. After all, how do you set yourself apart when all of your competitors are in the same space, saying the same things?
We craft enterprise tech PR narratives that resonate with both buyers and media. We push our executives to say something different than other executives. They go deeper to showcase what matters. We eschew pitching sameness.
“You have to figure out how to differentiate your enterprise tech PR brand from the other flavors or functionality. It’s important to really go to the edges of what’s possible. Specifically, you can compete on legacy or market share based on brand perception—that’s the safe bet—or you can position yourself as a startup going against legacy, where you differentiate at the edge.” – Joel Richman, Partner, Escalate PR
A great example of differentiating at the edge is Apple. Apple sells phones and computers like many other companies, but what they’re really good at is asking a team of people to innovate in a different market. One of their most successful examples was the iPod.
Edge differentiation looks different at smaller companies. Those who are doing it well are finding ways to integrate with other tech or brands that haven’t been thought of before. They push the envelope by thinking in new ways. Escalate PR thinks this way for every client.
Proven Playbooks
“Brands can take damage quickly even after building their credibility for years, especially now, online.” – Joel Richman, Partner, Escalate PR
Whether you are struggling with analyst relations, executive communications, or crisis management, we have a playbook to handle it. We’re happy to blend our expertise with specific client needs to produce an ideal plan.
Over time, we’ve noticed that most companies—even high-stakes ones where people could literally die—don’t have a crisis plan in place. If anything can go wrong, it will.
Crisis communication strategies should be in place for every imaginable PR situation. The best way to start that is to think about what’s most likely to go wrong, as well as the wildcard situations no one has thought about, and then play those crises out. You can roleplay the first ten minutes, the first hour, the first day of the crisis, and then look at all the things your company must do within those times. Who are the spokespeople who will be credible? Who will be at the center of the controversy? How will the brand navigate the crisis?
The Johnson & Johnson 1982 Tylenol recall PR response is still cited as effective today because it was consumer-centered during an unprecedented, horrifying situation.
PR Opportunity: If you want PR tools to take your B2B tech business forward, we’ve got them right here in Mastering B2B Tech Public Relations: A Modern PR Toolkit for Marketers.
Individualized Results Based on Goals
The results Escalate PR provides are tailored to each of our clients’ goals, but some examples we always shoot for are TOFU awareness (share of voice against top competitors), organic search metrics, direct search entries, and referrals from earned media placements. We work with you to find out what’s important and the exact path we can take to get there, together. For example, Share of Voice (SoV) was a metric that Simpplr was tracking against competitors and Escalate PR was able to increase their SoV to 37% compared to Unily, Workvivo, and Staffbase.
Enterprise tech PR isn’t about vanity metrics—it’s about business results. If the tactics you’re using aren’t moving your company forward in a meaningful way, they aren’t effective. If you want your public relations, revenue and reputation goals to exist in harmony, connect with Escalate PR. We have a strong history of providing noteworthy results (like over 100 pieces of coverage for PepperData), and we’ll do the same for you.
FAQ’s
What is enterprise tech PR?
Enterprise tech PR is a kind of public relations that works to advance the awareness and position of major technology brands so that they can be top of mind when their ideal customers are ready to move toward a purchase.
How does an enterprise tech PR agency measure success?
We can’t speak for all enterprise PR agencies, but Escalate PR measures success by hitting the goals we set with our clients. Some things we aim for are TOFU awareness (share of voice against top competitors), organic search metrics, direct search entries, and referrals from earned media placements.
How can PR help enterprise tech companies win more deals?
PR can assist enterprise tech companies in winning more deals by developing TOFU awareness so that when their ideal customers are in-market, the business is known and differentiated.
Why is thought leadership important in enterprise PR?
Thought leadership is important in enterprise PR because it’s bespoke. It helps companies create a narrative that breaks through the noise of their competitors, earning them more market share and deals.