Sage, one of the world’s largest developers of business and ERP software, announced last October 2011 its plan for the rebranding of several Sage software products including MAS 90 and MAS 200, the most popular Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and accounting software in North America. They say that this is part of their strategy to align their branding in North America with their European counterpart which is Sage UK. With so many business software solutions, they want to brand everything with the word “Sage” on it. MAS 90 now becomes Sage 100 Standard and MAS 200 becomes Sage 100 Advanced. The software giant believes that this can help create more brand awareness and with the hopes to increase their bottom line.
For Sage, this is a good strategy; however, there are also those who will be affected in this new rebranding move. Below are list of the things that will be affected by the rebranding strategy:
From a long-term marketing standpoint – for almost any business, branding is one of the most important parts in marketing. As a business with many competitors you want your target market to be aware that you have a certain product and this is your brand. Despite the fact that you are selling or offering the same product with your competitors, it is your brand that separates you from the rest of the competition. It is branding that makes the customers recognize that this offering is the product of your company. For example, look at Pepsi and Coca-Cola. Both companies are globally known for their soft drinks. Both offer the same product but they differ in taste and price. What makes the customers recognize their products and what makes them distinctive from one another is their brand.
This scenario is also the same and applicable with Sage. As many MAS 90 or MAS 200 users know, MAS is means Master Accounting Series. The number 90 in MAS 90 means “in the 90’s” So basically it means Master Accounting Series for the 90’s because the first version was develop and became popular in the 90s. Having such a huge customer-base is a proof that the brand itself is very popular. The brand name became so popular and gained a large portion of the market share which led the company to continue using the name up to the present more than two decades later. The scenario of changing MAS90 to Sage100 Standard and changing MAS200 to Sage100 Advanced is like changing the name BMW to SuperCar 2000, or whatever fancy name one can think of. The main point is that the brand name is already established and has been there for more than two decades already.
From a Search Engine Marketing standpoint – the selling of MAS90 and MAS200 software is not easy. The sales cycle is long and requires a lot of skills to close a deal. Having said this, most Sage software resellers rely on inbound marketing through search engine optimization (SEO) as opposed to the traditional outbound marketing through telephone cold-calling. Most people who go to search engines and search for MAS 90 or MAS 200 software are actually looking for more information on these software and these are the people who use and can afford the products. The beauty of inbound marketing through search engine optimization is that majority of the people who search for products or whatever keywords they use to search in search engines like Google, Yahoo or Bind is that these people are actually looking for something. You do a search because you want to get information on a certain topic. If you know a thing or two about search engine optimization, you know that people use keywords or key phrases to search.
Because MAS 90 and MAS 200 are already very popular, people search for “mas 90” or “mas 200” in search engines and because this is a fact, resellers optimize their websites or webpages for “mas 90” and “mas 200” keywords. Any search engine optimization specialist also knows that it takes time to rank in search engine results also known as SERPS. Having said this, optimizing for the keyword “Sage 100” will take time but if you also come to think of it, a user-base of thousands of people who are familiar with the brand will still search for the keywords “mas 90” or “mas 200” in search engines as compared to “sage 100”.
This will also prompt resellers of Sage software products to spend more on internet marketing services such as search engine optimization for the new keyword and these kinds of services are not cheap. If you want quality results then expect to pay more. Most of the cheap ones and some expensive SEO companies do not produce quality results. The real good internet marketers offer their services at higher rates.
What Marshall Technology Solutions, Inc. has to offer in response to this new branding strategy:
Sage 100 training services – Being Certified Sage MAS Consultants allows MTSI to be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge in handling Sage 100 training. If the technicians and consultants can troubleshoot and resolve issues related to the software, then they can also teach anybody on how to use the software. If you or your staff needs some training, you may contact MTSI and inquire about our Sage100 training services. Our staff members are veterans in using the product and we are here to pass on the knowledge.
Sage 100 support services – For two decades, MTSI has always been a leader in producing technical support services for MAS 90 and MAS 200. We have a team of Certified Sage MAS Consultants who are also Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers. MTSI continues to provide this crucial service for Sage 100 Standard and Sage 100 Advanced to our client-base and future clients. If you need technical support, you can contact MTSI for our Sage100 support services.
Some additional information:
Marshall Technology Solutions, Inc. is one of the largest and most reputable reseller of Sage product. As a Sage 100 reseller for more than 20 years, partnering with MTSI ensures that the client is working with a credible consultant. For whatever concerns you have in your product, let MTSI become your Sage 100 partner.
The rebranding of MAS 90 to Sage 100 Standard does not affect anything related to the software at not. There will be no changes to the functionality. It will still be a LAN-based software. The same goes with the rebranding of MAS 200 to Sage 100 Advanced. It will still be a thin-client software. So literally speaking, only the brand name is changed and nothing else. Sage100 product lines will be distributed worldwide starting October of 2012.
For more information, you can contact us at 866-848-2957 or email us at sales@mtsisolutions.com
