Tips for Engaging Industry Analysts

Building relationships with industry analysts is a very important aspect of an effect marketing and public relations strategy, especially for business-to-business and technology companies. Prospects, reporters, investors and other major industry players pay attention to leading analysts like Forrester and Gartner.

Their coverage, analysis and commentary shape industry trends, buyer purchasing decisions, media coverage and company reputations. Analysts specialize in publishing syndicated research, fielding client inquiries, playing an advisory role to clients, hosting informative webinars and serving as keynote speakers at major industry conferences. Most industry analysts have a strong understanding of their industries, the companies involved and emerging business trends.

A strong analyst relations program coupled with other effective marketing and PR initiatives can help you capture larger customers and orders, shorten sales cycles and receive more positive media mentions and interviews.

Overview of Industry Analysts

There are several mainstream and boutique industry analysts that monitor certain markets, technology and products. At Walker Sands, we create a tailored analyst relations program specific to your organizational goals, industry and expertise. The analysts we work with regularly on behalf of our clients include:

• ABIresearch
• Analysys Mason
• Gartner
• Forrester
• Frost & Sullivan
• Heavy Reading
• IDC
• Infonetics Research
• Informa Telecoms & Media
• Ovum
• Strategy Analytics
• Yankee Group

When we launch an analyst relations program, we determine which analysts are most relevant to your industry, business and audience, and work to establish your company as a market leader. While this is not an exhaustive list, it gives you a good idea of some of the most influential industry analysts we work with.

Tips for Working with Industry Analysts

There are several key components of a successful analyst relations program that ensure your company is top-of-mind among analysts, including:

• Identify Relevant Analysts: Nurturing analyst relations requires dedication and time, which is why it is a mistake to blindly pursue multiple analysts to work with. We do the leg work for you and research the most important analysts that your customers and audiences are following. We prioritize analysts based on their level of influence and whether they can positively or negatively affect your business interests.
• Stay on Top of Reports and Timely Topics: We monitor reports on industry trends, products and announcements that key industry analysts create to stay informed of timely opportunities and how analysts perceive your company. It’s critical to understand what your target analysts are working on to insert your company and value propositions into the conversation.
• Schedule Informational Interviews and Meetings: Regular, relevant communications with analysts is essential to long-term, mutually-beneficial relationship building. We set up meetings on your behalf with key industry analysts, and equip you with the tools and resources necessary to succeed. This includes messaging positioning, spokesperson training, presentation creation, client reference development and in-depth briefing materials to help you get to know the analysts you meet with and their interests.
• Serve as a Valued Resource: By serving as a valuable resource and offering expert commentary on timely trends or news, you can strengthen your analyst relationships and obtain positive coverage in industry reports.

Our robust analyst relations program positions your company and products as an industry leader and helps analysts understand your value proposition in the market. We draw on our extensive networks of contacts and strong relationships to generate high-profile analyst coverage across technology and B2B industries.