When was the last time you were asked to jump in and do something different and you were scared out of your mind? If you’re like most of us, it happens now and then, and we turn it down politely and move on.
Today’s hyper-growth-minded companies are looking to digital transformation as the answer. But, scalable growth has quickly become so much more than that. It’s not just digital transformation that needs attention; it’s how to adopt that concept and new activities within your business framework as well as your product/service offerings, and fashion an entirely new model within a new array of thinking. Basically, reshaping your business is required or your competitors will reshape it for you, and it won’t look good.
You may be asking, how does profiling fit into the current theme of metrics? Great question. Every marketing team needs to establish a profile and not just one. By looking at the data provided from a cross-section of these areas listed above (Google, Social, Market, Persona, and Leads), and using the analytics they provide, you will be able to see common data sets – these are the secret sauce you need so your sales and marketing and be most efficient and effective.
Today’s marketers are called upon to have the requisite experience in both data strategy as much as they are asked to be content creators and strategists. PRO TIP: Keep your eye on your key data points above in TAM, leads and social– combined they will provide insights into your customers. Here’s the interesting part – your most important data is right under your nose; you just don’t know how to access it and translate it.
Marketing teams need to collaborate more with sales. You may not want to hear this, but the sales number should be the marketing number your team is striving to reach. So, plan accordingly. In this article, we talked about size, leads and cost. Start figuring out how you can obtain these numbers – the sooner the better.
Untold and unseen pieces of our world today were discovered
because of curiosity, and insatiable desire to innovate,
explore and see where the journey leads.
For over 30-years I’ve worked for and consulted with businesses where sales and marketing teams don’t exactly work together like a well-oiled machine. However, when I have seen them working on the same page and supporting each other, it’s like an ice-cream sundae with warm chocolate syrup on top. Mmm…mmm. When they are facing in opposite directions, it usually is indicative of missed sales opportunities, poor communication, marketing initiatives that aren’t fully functioning and unproductive work environments. Now, who in the world wants this?
Regardless of the business you’re in, your customer is never super-easy to find. And worse, if you don’t have a clear definition of who your customers are, your sales and marketing teams will spend lots of time and money trying to connect with the wrong people who are not likely to buy. Yes, without a clear definition, these teams could be going after different people for different reasons. Yikes. That sounds like a recipe for disaster, right?
In marketing circles, the value proposition is often overlooked because of the urgency to produce lead-generation initiatives. After all, sales leaders want qualified leads immediately and will accept nothing less. What’s a marketing team to do?
Today, if video is not part of your marketing strategy, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do. Here are 6 reasons I feel video is one of the most powerful marketing channels to-date. And number 4 just may shock you.
Yes, your business does need a strategy to innovate. But, there is not one clear path for crafting an innovation strategy. Nor is there a one-size fits all for businesses to start the innovation process.
As a marketing leader, one of your many critical tasks is to create a clear vision that provides a roadmap for transformation from where the business is now to where it needs to go; all while creating sustainable growth. Simple? Huh…Yeah right. All you have to do is create a self-guiding system that drives all marketing in the correct direction that leads to business goals. Oh c’mon, it’s not that hard; and once you set it up, it’s like being on auto-pilot. Hear me out and let me set the stage to give you an idea of what I am talking about.
Have you ever wondered what business would be like if the industry you’re in suddenly changed overnight? I know this sounds rather nutty, but seriously. What would you do? What typically ushers in sudden change is technology and new ways of thinking about and solving existing customer problems.
As a career marketer, I’ve always believed that great marketing can overcome pretty much anything the brand or market throws our way. (Lack of demand, lack of funds, poor lead-gen activity, PR challenges, increasing competition, and poor high-school turnout to name a few). Time and time again, I’ve been part of marketing teams that created strategies and executed on them — all designed to overcome business challenges. However, conquering a monumental challenge shouldn’t have to be the norm for marketing teams; there are other ways to attract the students you want and need that do not have the dark cloud of a looming “crisis” overhead.