Enhancing the brand recall

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Goher Ali Rizwi, Marketing Manager at ITQAN Al Khaleej Computers shares an insider view of the work being done to enhance the brand’s success

Discuss how you help enhance the brand recall of ITQAN in the region? How important is brand recall with customers in your domain?

When I joined ITQAN, I had one mission in mind: Exposure, Exposure, Exposure! My goal? Make ITQAN the star of the show—visible everywhere, all the time. You know that feeling when you hear a song, and it’s stuck in your head all day? That’s what I wanted for ITQAN—only way less annoying and way more impactful! We wanted customers to think of us the second they needed a solution. Brand recall is everything in our business. If they aren’t thinking of you, someone else is taking your spot.

Luckily, ITQAN’s been around since 1984—so it’s like jumping into a relay race where the baton’s already halfway across the track. My job was to take that momentum and keep running. So, we showed up in every digital space, at every industry event, and in front of every decision-maker possible. And when you do that consistently? Well, let’s just say ITQAN has become quite the unforgettable brand in the UAE.

What are the key objectives to work towards for the Marketing team?

For me, it’s all about Brand Positioning and Lead Generation—like two best friends that always stick together. If brand positioning is our GPS, lead generation is the destination. We’ve got to make sure we’re out there, being seen and heard in the right places, by the right people. But more than that, it’s about creating relationships that stick. We’re here for the long haul. We’ve got our hands in everything, making sure ITQAN and Digital Okta is always at the front of customers’ minds.

What are the challenges typically faced by Marketing teams in your domain?

Ah, the life of a marketing team in the IT world—sometimes it feels like being a one-person band trying to juggle drums, a guitar, and a trumpet all at once. In the system integrator or distributor space, marketing often gets handed off to whoever is closest to it. Channel partners, field marketers—they’re great, but marketing needs its own spotlight, its own stage! When you have a tiny team, or worse, just one person doing it all, it’s easy to drop the ball or miss opportunities.

Meanwhile, the vendor side has their roles locked down with big, shiny marketing teams. But on our side? We’re the Swiss Army knives of marketing. We do it all—branding, lead gen, events, partnerships—while balancing flaming swords. (Okay, maybe not actual swords, but you get the idea!) It’s challenging, but let’s be real, who doesn’t love a good challenge?

How are new technologies and tools helpful in the Marketing role towards more efficient execution of tasks? Discuss some tools you have adopted in the past year or so.

New tech? Let’s just say it’s the secret sauce that turns a good marketing strategy into a great one.  Whether it’s automation or analytics, these tools are like my trusty sidekicks, helping me look way more efficient than I probably am (don’t tell my boss!).

In the past year, tools like HubSpot, Google Analytics, Adobe Suite, Google Search Console, Lusha, Mailchimp and Asana have saved my life—and my sanity—more times than I can count. Hootsuite keeps us organized on social, Lusha helps us find those all-important leads, and WordPress makes sure our digital presence is sharp. Honestly, they’re the reason I can sleep at night and still hit our targets during the day.

How important is synergy with the sales for marketing towards greater success?

Sales and marketing? It’s like the classic love story. They fight, they bicker, but at the end of the day, they’re inseparable.

On a serious note, sales and marketing are like a power couple. We may have our disagreements, but without that synergy, the whole company loses. Think of it like this: sales is the star of the show, but marketing writes the script, builds the set, and promotes the event. We’re all working toward the same goal—taking the company higher. And when sales and marketing are in sync? Magic happens. It’s like a happy home where everyone’s contributing to the family’s success.

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