If you live in the U.S. and are at all aware of the tech world, you probably know about the advertising war between Apple and Microsoft.

One of the best-known rivalry campaigns for product marketing between the two technology giants was aired in the mid to late 2000s and featured the two brands – Mac and PC – personified by different actors to create their tech branding. Mac was portrayed as a cool, tech-savvy young man. PC was portrayed by an older actor as a stuffy, out-of-date person who just couldn’t quite keep up. The message was simple – if you’re cool and smart, you’ll buy a Mac.

You’ll notice, however, that Microsoft is still a staple in the business world. By designing such tech cornerstones as Microsoft Office Suite and the Xbox, Microsoft is doing quite well for itself.

Let’s take a look at some highlights from these companies’ strategies, and see how you can use some of these tech marketing tools for your own business.

Apple Marketing

Apple is arguably one of the best companies when it comes to branding and tech marketing. They aren’t just marketing their products, they’re marketing an identity.

One of Apple’s best marketing strategies is creating buzz and letting that buzz carry a campaign. In fact, Apple decided to not spend any money on advertising the iPhone for a short period because the product received so much attention from outside sources.

One of the primary aspects of Apple’s tech marketing is that they speak directly to their consumer. They often create ads that focus solely on the human aspect of their products. A great example of this is their ads for the iPhone X’s portrait lighting. The entire ad campaign, from video ads to their stunning billboard series, showcases human faces. It’s a human campaign that speaks to their customers’ human needs.

Microsoft Marketing

Microsoft’s tech marketing comes primarily from showcasing its product’s prowess. Their focus tends to rely more heavily on B2B marketing than directly to the consumer, though they do engage in both types of marketing.

Recently, Microsoft has re-done their tech marketing strategy. Based on customer feedback and market changes, Microsoft has been able to develop not only its marketing but also its products to better match the rapid rate of change in today’s market.

Your Marketing

As you can see, both companies have some solid tech marketing strategies that have helped keep them at the top of their fields. And while you likely don’t have the budget to feature your products on hit TV shows or obtain high-profile celebrity endorsements, there’s still a lot you can use to improve your tech marketing and create your unique space in the market.

Here are some strategies you can employ in your tech marketing strategies that will help you find your unique place in the market:

• Know your audience – The first thing you should do in any tech marketing campaign is to create detailed profiles of your ideal buyers – often called buyer personas. Create a detailed ideal buyer – including a name – and base your tech marketing campaign around their biggest needs and desires. Answer the question: How can my product solve this customer’s biggest problems?
• Connect emotionally – Research has proven over and over again that the most effective way to connect with viewers is through emotional connection. Use your ads to tell a story and showcase how your ads can improve your ideal clients’ very real lives. Tug those heartstrings and you may just have a viral ad on your hands.
• Keep it simple – Simplicity is often the key to success. Keep your ads simple and accessible – don’t waste time with jargon or you’ll risk losing customers. For most ads, you have a tiny window to grab your prospects’ attention so make sure your message is clear and concise from the beginning.
• Listen to feedback and always keep improving – The best lesson we can learn from Microsoft is their agility and responsiveness to feedback. Receiving and analyzing feedback from your target audience and existing clients will help you create an experience your audience wants. As a part of your overall tech marketing strategy, regularly solicit feedback across platforms.

These are just a few of the strategies you can borrow from two tech marketing giants – Apple and Microsoft – that will allow you to transform your own tech marketing and find your unique place in the market.