October 2002
MARKETING ANGEL ™
For one high-tech company, Maine is part of the message
Copyright © 2002 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
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IntelliCare, which has its software in 250 hospitals and healthcare settings nationwide, has seen revenue increase 3,705 percent from 1997 to 2001. I asked Victor Otley, IntelliCare's CEO, how the five-year-old company markets itself nationally.
Kimberly McCall: How did you decide to base a technology-driven company in Maine? What are the challenges and rewards of doing business in Maine?
Victor Otley: Founding IntelliCare in Maine was an easy decision, given that the management team has built other successful healthcare technology companies based in Maine. The biggest challenge of building a technology business in Maine is convincing investors that Maine is an environment that supports building a market-leading, technology-driven company. Many investors have this image of [Maine as] "vacationland." It takes some effort to educate them that there's a very talented, motivated and educated technical workforce in Maine. The oppressive tax structure in the State is another challenge that everyone is all too aware of.
The rewards of building a technology business in Maine are many, including access to great people with a strong and loyal work ethic and a desire to maintain a work-life balance. When most people are commuting to and from work, we're mountain biking or kayaking. Maine attracts vibrant people who enjoy the outdoors and the personal rejuvenation that comes from living four strong seasons. For these reasons, in spite of the tax structure, we think it's a great place to build a technology-driven business.
McCall: How do you market IntelliCare? What have been your most successful marketing tactics so far?
Otley: As with most technology companies, we market through traditional channels: print, direct mail, tradeshows and industry leadership. One key to our marketing success is our contact management system that allows us to be very targeted with our marketing programs. We know who our prospects are and what solutions they use today. Our most successful marketing programs revolve around our clients — getting happy clients to tell their stories at conferences and in print. We combine these success stories with targeted marketing activities to create the industry buzz we are seeking.
McCall: Have you had luck in securing national publicity for IntelliCare? How did you go about courting media attention?
Otley: We do get some national exposure by speaking at and sponsoring industry conferences. This has proven a good use of time, energy and money. Having a partnership with a good PR firm, focused on your space, can make all the difference in getting you in front of the right audiences. We hope to get increasing national publicity in the next six months as our story gets out to the market.
McCall: Any additional insights on marketing in Maine and beyond?
Otley: It continues to amaze me the number of people we sell to that have some connection to Maine — summer camp, college, family, vacation. This is something we play on to differentiate ourselves from the competition. We go out of our way to make sure people know we're proud to be from Maine.
Kimberly L. McCall (a.k.a. Marketing Angel™), is president of McCall Media & Marketing, Inc., a business communications company in Freeport, Maine. McCall writes monthly columns for Entrepreneur magazine and contributes to inc.com and The Wall Street Journal's StartupJournal.com. Sign up for her free weekly bulletin at www.MarketingAngel.com or contact McCall at 207-865-0055.