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If you haven’t heard of Augmented Reality yet, go to YouTube and search “Augmented Reality.” After that you’ll probably have no clue what the heck is going on. I know I didn’t. However, when the proverbial light goes on in the attic, a whole world of opportunities for marketing in the IT industry presents itself.

Imagine sending detail-accurate models of new IT hardware to thousands of people for the cost of a postcard per person. Imagine sending your CIO or CEO to stand on people’s  desks and “personally” talk about your solutions and services, or maybe to even invite them to an event. It’s not only possible, its being done.

enter:marketing has recently completed projects that do both of the above, and having gone through the strategy, development and launch of these initiatives, I can tell you that this technology is a game changer for IT marketing.

It’s 2 p.m. on a Wednesday afternoon and I, once again, have treated myself to a carb-tacular lunch fit for a king. Fighting to stay alert, my colleagues and I are sitting through yet another presentation so unbearable that somewhere between “…low-hanging fruit…” and “…caught between a rock and a hard place…” I have lost the will to live.

This was me three years ago. And I don’t know if the imminent food coma or the presenter’s ill-fitting suit was the catalyst, but it was that sunny Wednesday afternoon I decided two things: 1) I hated business clichés with every being of my soul and 2) I would make it my mission to try and rid the world of them.

Why? They relegate the offender to the dreaded “generic” category.  For speakers to hold an audience, they have to be engaging, creative and dynamic.

Also, most of them are stupid. What does “the whole nine yards” mean, anyways?  A first down is ten yards.

Just to drive my point home, here are some of the worst clichés of all time, and their actual meanings:

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As new marketing platforms and the agencies that deliver them continue to take quantum leaps of progress and potential, there’s a good chance you’ve encountered the buzz of social and mobile media in your day-to-day life.

What might not be as obvious (yet), is that these marketing tools are ready to be adopted by IT VARs and vendors, and become a standard part of IT marketing strategy.

Augmented reality, QR codes, mobile sites and custom Facebook applications are just a few of the new terms buzzing amongst early adopters who are excited to be bringing these solutions to new and existing customers. These platforms are mobile-friendly, tech-savy and socially aware, and have the potential to host a plethora of customized content and pack a powerful punch with your consumer base in an engaging and ongoing way.

As your customers increasingly work from a range of mobile devices and wireless environments, why not meet them out in the field, wherever they may roam? As we embrace this age of information and self-published online content, you can clearly demonstrate your authority and technology expertise by establishing a presence in social media and a strong blogging voice in your chosen field.

Working with a marketing company that can help you establish that authority, engage with your customers and even inject some personality into your company brand by working with you to provide you with relevant content and even publish it for you.

Consider a marketing solution that reflects the level of technology you offer to your customers and, in doing so, ensure that your presence and customer perceptions in the marketplace are synonymous with the cutting edge technology company that you really are.

A decade ago, the CRM sector was hitting its stride. The commericialization of the web made it possible for businesses to keep better track of their customers, marketing initiatives and the revenue associated with each, with the evolution of software as a service (SaaS) making it even more accessible and powerful. The next iteration in the maturity of CRM is social media. Beyond the nebulous benefits of connecting with existing and new clients via this increasingly popular channel, there are steps you can take to use tools like Twitter and LinkedIn to extend your CRM capabilities.

The stakes are high, of course. Forrester Research estimates that around 75 percent of adults online in the United States use social media platforms, so there’s a decent chance that a meaningful portion of your target market can be found in this environment. The challenge then becomes … what do you do with this access?

Like Forrester, I agree that you need to dodge the hype and get right down to business. There are plenty of specific ways you can extend your CRM capabilities into the social media space, from monitoring client satisfaction trends to identifying pain points that can be used in pursuing new business. The potential is easy enough to identify — execution tends to be the tough part.

So, here are five suggestions from Forrester on how to get started … with an enter:marketing twist:

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To get a sense of what’s happening in the IT market, sometimes you have to look elsewhere. So, when the latest private equity fund-raising results were published (by Dow Jones LP Source, via VentureBeat), I checked on the venture capital data. Why? Venture capital trends hold some clues as to where the IT industry is headed.

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Look for more IT companies to invest in social media marketing in 2010. According to a new study by MarketingSherpa, which tracks the space, 55 percent of computer hardware and software companies will be increasing their social media marketing budgets. Only 5 percent are planning reductions.

What does this mean for channel partners?

1. You need to get social – fast: your IT manufacturing partners are clearly headed in this direction. For you to take advantage of some of their brand value, you’ll need to be engaged in social media and in sync with your suppliers.

2. MDF takes on a new meaning: think about new ways in which marketing dollars can be invested. If you’re making a case to a manufacturer, it helps if you’re aligned with its priorities.

3. It’s time to get a plan together: just setting up a Twitter account and a blog won’t get you far. Social media marketing is only effective when the pieces are part of a greater whole … which is designed to maximize impact.

[Via MarketingSherpa]

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Since everything Google does can be used to enhance the delivery of ads against search results (and in other ad venues), it doesn’t need to charge much – or anything, in some cases – for the technology it offers. Unsurprisingly, businesses become pretty interested in low-cost and no-cost solutions. Though the trend is still in its infancy, many IT buyers are opening themselves to the idea of using Google-supplied software-as-a-service solutions in place of their existing systems.

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IT buyers are under pressure to show that their investments are performing. So, if they can keep TCO down and spread their budgets across more projects (with ROI potential), the result is an expanded ROI impact, with low investments yielding substantial returns. This means spending less – and compromising – can pay off in the long term … or at least it would appear that way. Google is making it easier for them to do this — or it’s at least creating the appearance of easier TCO and ROI.

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Search and online advertising offer limited upside for Google at this point. Sure, they can still contribute significantly to Wall Street’s expectations, but they won’t be sufficient to fuel the sort of growth Google needs to maintain the reputation it’s developed over the past decade. The company’s expansion into personal and enterprise applications shows that there’s a need for new revenue streams. This is the impetus for Google products that could wind up replacing some segments of the market where IT VARs operate.

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Being able to touch something isn’t as important as it used to be, and the ability to maintain control has declined in importance. Instead, IT departments are watching total cost of ownership and return on investment. Obviously, lower cost solutions favor these metrics. Cloud computing, software-as-a-service and other hosted and managed solutions are entering the IT cultural lexicon … and the attendant budgets and data centers. Google makes it easy to adopt, implement and afford its “nebulous” solutions. And, as long as they work as planned (which is most of the time), it’s easy for an IT department to be happy. When something goes wrong, though, remember that the Google organization and operation is not designed for support.

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