Name your market space and there are a handful to a couple dozen industry analysts that specialize in it. They’re pretty easy to spot, too. They are quoted regularly in articles and their reports are blasted out to every corner of the web. Because your customers care a lot about what they say, you should too; however, influencing if or how they cover your business requires dedication. If you’re thinking about starting an analyst program, dusting off a neglected one or finally getting serious about the results you get for your efforts, consider these six tips to optimize your outcomes:

  1. Know your targets – This sounds simple, but analysts can move around and adjust their areas of coverage. It’s important to refresh your list every six months to be sure you’re tracking the right folks. In addition to a particular market – such as mobility or cybersecurity – consider connecting with analysts that specialize in your target verticals, such as healthcare, financial services, government, etc. Broadening your list of analysts broadens your opportunity for coverage.
  2. Offer regular, quality updates – Being top of mind with analysts requires you to be regularly in touch and sharing high value information. You don’t need a major product update to ask for a meeting, since analysts love to discuss data and trends. So don’t forget to share your latest survey or reach out with new revelations as you have them.
  3. Follow through – Analyst meetings can be like ping-pong matches. Keep track of what requests the analysts have (could be a data point, customer reference or something else) and follow up as soon as you can to keep the conversation going.
  4. Ask about reports – Before you join a call, have a list of all of the reports this analyst has produced that you want to be in. Ask what they’re working on and what information they seek. Keep in mind that there can be criteria to being included in reports, such as Gartner’s Magic Quadrant or Forrester’s Wave. Ask for those requirements before a report is issued so you can manage expectations across stakeholders. It will also tell you what to shoot for in the year ahead.
  5. Bring in many of your experts – When you diversify your spokespeople, you can cover more ground with analysts. The analysts will value the ability to cover a wider range of topics that they care about. You want them to consider you when they have a question.
  6. Focus on progressing relationships – It’s natural to hit it off with certain analysts. Spend more time with those where connections are clearly deepening. Weed, water and wait for all of the others.

If you are having trouble finding or making meaningful connections with the analysts in your space, Voxus would love to help you. We help clients build strong relationships with analysts that result in coverage, awards and referrals.