Marketing Specialist at ComnetCo
Overview
ComnetCo specializes in HPE and AI solutions tailored to the needs of technical markets across the U.S. As a long-standing partner of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and an elite partner of NVIDIA, ComnetCo has been delivering advanced computing solutions since 1995. ComnetCo serves leading institutions in Higher Education, Research, and Federal Government, offering not only computational hardware but also HPE and AI-focused storage, archiving, system management, and performance software. ComnetCo is a recognized name in the North American HPE and AI space, helping HPE secure business with some of the world’s top institutions.
My Role
As Marketing Specialist at ComnetCo (Dec 2023–Feb 2025), I led the development and execution of marketing strategies to reach a specialised B2B audience, helping strengthen ComnetCo’s brand presence and drive engagement across digital platforms and industry events.
My Key Responsibilities:
Profile potential customers in the HPC and AI space, focusing on higher education professors and researchers to grow and refine our email contact list.
Manage the HPE marketing development funds (~$50K per half-year).
Design and execute email campaigns showcasing the latest HPE offerings and promoting upcoming industry events.
Manage social media channels (Twitter and YouTube), creating engaging, campaign-aligned content to increase brand awareness and drive traffic.
Analyze campaign performance to identify effective strategies and improve click-through rates.
Represent ComnetCo at major conferences, including Supercomputing and HPE Discover, capturing video and photo content while networking with key industry professionals.
Understanding the Challenges
ComnetCo is a fantastic company punching well above their weight, with a highly experienced team that’s deeply in tune with their niche. Like any role, there were marketing challenges to consider—but as a B2B business model, they were quite different from those I faced at Fort Hamilton Distillery.
Below, I’ve outlined three of the core challenges we tackled together.
1. Appealing to a Highly Technical Audience
One of the main challenges I identified was that ComnetCo’s target audience—primarily higher education professors, researchers, and government scientists—have very different needs compared to average customers.
These top minds require detailed, accurate information and are not persuaded by quick sales pitches. Because the servers ComnetCo sells are highly technical and the systems they design involve countless intricacies, it was essential to tailor email campaigns and social media content to deliver in-depth insights and address the specific interests of this specialised audience.
2. Spending Marketing Development Funds Effectively
You might wonder why spending money could be a challenge, but it was critical to maximize marketing results while demonstrating value to HPE.
As an HPE partner, ComnetCo receives approximately $50,000 in marketing development funds every six months, covering a wide range of activities from digital campaigns to event travel. My role involved collaborating closely with Pete Howard (VP) to determine the most effective channels for investment and justify these decisions strategically. Additionally, streamlining the paperwork and claims process to ensure timely and accurate reimbursement from HPE was another key challenge.
3. Marketing in a Long Sales Cycle
A long sales cycle posed a significant challenge in maintaining both engagement and momentum.
At ComnetCo, the sales process can span months—or even years—due to the complexity of the systems being sold. These solutions are rarely upgraded by customers, require extensive customisation, and are often delayed by design and delivery timelines. Additionally, many of ComnetCo’s sales come through word of mouth in this highly specialised niche, rather than traditional lead generation. This meant that in my role, I would have to find creative ways—through both digital and traditional marketing—to generate new leads and keep potential customers engaged over the long term, even when a purchase decision might be far off.
Marketing Strategy, Aims & Objectives
Before starting my role at ComnetCo, I met with VP Pete Howard to define our core marketing aims and align on the specific objectives we would use to achieve them.
Marketing Aims:
Engage and educate ComnetCo’s highly technical HPC and AI audience.
Position ComnetCo as a thought leader in the HPC/AI space.
Maximise ROI and strategic impact of HPE marketing development funds.
Sustain long-term engagement throughout the extended B2B sales cycle.
Marketing Objectives:
Produce one in-depth technical whitepaper or case study each quarter.
Achieve a 25% open rate and 10% click-through rate on segmented email nurture tracks within six months.
Allocate at least 60% of each $50K half-year MDF budget to the top two highest-ROI channels.
Reduce HPE reimbursement paperwork turnaround time by 30% through a streamlined claims process.
Strategic Approach
At ComnetCo, I led and executed a multi-channel marketing strategy focused on content creation, technical thought leadership, targeted outreach, and effective use of partner marketing funds. To achieve our marketing aims and objectives, I:
Chose X as the primary social platform due to its long-form, text-driven format, which aligned well with ComnetCo’s highly technical audience and facilitated thought leadership.
Created weekly Twitter (X) and YouTube posts to maintain a consistent digital presence.
Funded and promoted whitepapers that positioned ComnetCo as a thought leader in high-performance computing.
Profiled new prospects every week, refining our understanding of customer segments and tailoring outreach accordingly.
Posted content from industry conferences to demonstrate that ComnetCo was actively engaged with current trends and the broader market.
Analyzed click-through rates on email campaigns and followed up with researchers who showed interest, providing them with relevant technical content.
Managed and maintained Marketing Development Funds (MDF) daily, ensuring effective use of HPE’s co-marketing support.
Used targeted hashtags to improve social media discoverability and reach niche audiences.
Designed and executed Twitter Ad campaigns to boost whitepaper visibility and drive traffic to our website.
Partnered with bartenders and local businesses for cross-promotional opportunities that expanded community engagement.
Engaged tourist audiences by collaborating with regional tourism platforms, highlighting ComnetCo’s local presence.
Shared updates on major system builds we contributed to, reinforcing our credibility and involvement in large-scale projects.
Promoted HPE products through targeted email campaigns and social media content that highlighted real-world applications and value propositions.
Examples of My Work
Highlighted key events in the HPC/AI industry, including the first-ever keynote speech at The Sphere, which the entire ComnetCo team attended.
Showcased ComnetCo’s whitepapers through targeted ad campaigns on X.
Promoted HPE products on X (formerly Twitter) by creating informative posts featuring links to additional resources and detailed product information.
Showcased ComnetCo’s industry recognition, including being named HPE North America's SLED (State, Local Government, and Education) HPC Partner of the Year.
Allocated funding and guided the development of whitepapers to position ComnetCo as a thought leader in the high-performance computing space.
Allocated funding and guided the development of whitepapers to position ComnetCo as a thought leader in the high-performance computing space.
Analyzed email campaign performance to identify the most effective techniques for maximizing open and click-through rates. Refined the strategy to consistently achieve click-through rates exceeding 50%.
Crafted visually engaging emails that grabbed attention and clearly conveyed all essential information.
