How do you customize and tailor your AR content and deliverables for different analyst segments and tiers?
Analyst Relations (AR) is the practice of building and maintaining positive relationships with industry analysts who influence the perception and decision-making of your target customers. One of the key challenges of AR is to deliver the right content and messages to the right analysts at the right time. This requires a clear understanding of the different segments and tiers of analysts, and how to tailor your AR strategy and tactics accordingly. In this article, we will explore some of the common models and frameworks for analyst tiering and segmentation, and how they can help you optimize your AR efforts.
Tiering and segmenting analysts is a way of prioritizing and differentiating them based on their relevance, influence, and value for your business goals. By tiering and segmenting analysts, you can allocate your AR resources more efficiently, focus on the most impactful analysts, and customize your content and deliverables to match their needs and preferences. Tiering and segmenting analysts can also help you measure and improve your AR performance, by tracking the results and feedback of each group.
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After aligning your AR program with corporate goals, you'll need to identify the right analysts to help you. They won't all be Tier 1 analysts with a technology-specific coverage area! All analyst tiers have a role in validating market fit, identifying opportunities, providing competitive analysis, advising on GTM strategies, and recommending products to buyers. Tier 1 firms have a broad swath of resources and market data points and wield influence in the media and with prospects. They also write flagship research (e.g., Magic Quadrants.) However, the right Tier 2 analyst firm can be equally as valuable if laser-focused on your company’s flagship product area. Consider each analyst/firm individually not just by tier/segmentation.
Tiering analysts is the process of ranking them according to their level of influence and importance for your business. Each industry, market, product, and objective may require a different approach to tiering analysts. Common factors used for this include the size and reach of their audience, the frequency and quality of their research and publications, the degree of alignment with your vision and strategy, the level of trust and credibility they have with your target customers, and the potential impact they can have on your sales cycle and revenue. Depending on these factors, you can assign analysts to different tiers such as Strategic, Tactical, or Operational. The higher the tier, the more attention and resources should be devoted to them.
Segmenting analysts is the process of grouping them according to their characteristics, interests, and expectations. This can help you tailor your content and deliverables to suit their specific needs and preferences, thus increasing the relevance and effectiveness of your AR communication. Common dimensions used to segment analysts include the type and focus of their research and coverage, the stage and scope of their buyer journey and decision-making process, the format and frequency of their preferred communication channels and methods, the tone and style of their feedback and interaction, as well as the level of familiarity and relationship with your company and product. Consequently, you can create different segments such as Influencers, Educators, Evaluators, Advocates, or Detractors. With a better understanding of each segment, you can adapt your AR strategy accordingly.
Customizing and tailoring your AR content and deliverables is an essential process for creating and delivering the right information to the right analysts at the right time. Doing so can help increase the impact and value of your AR communication, as you can address the specific needs and expectations of each analyst segment and tier. To customize and tailor your AR content, you should select different formats, levels of detail, angles, stories, tones, styles, timing, and frequency. For example, reports or white papers for preference and consumption habits; high-level overviews or deep dives for knowledge and interest; vision, strategy, differentiation, innovation, or customer success for alignment and engagement; formal or informal for feedback and interaction; pre-launch or post-launch for influence and importance. By customizing your AR content in this way, you can boost relevance and effectiveness to build stronger relationships with analysts.
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Agree about customizing content, based on the analyst and what you are looking to accomplish. However, one area most analysts like to hear about is customer feedback – both challenges and impact. When talking about challenges, also inform the analyst what the company did to fix the issue in the product. This demonstrates a company’s willingness to be transparent and could turn the analyst into an ally.
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