Viable advice in the world of Digization (The interplay between marketing and sales)
We are living in the age of digization (digital and globalization, combined). Just because the organization seemingly agrees on something does not necessarily make it right and justifiable. So how are small business teams should prioritize goals and market strategy? The following advice would allow SMB's to start reasonably gain the proper hindsight and perhaps, augmenting it for better result and management perspectives.
We are living in the age of digization (digital and globalization, combined). Just because the organization seemingly agrees on something does not necessarily make it right and justifiable. In this day and age, there’s no perennial reason for not knowing what your customers want and need. Regardless of product type, industry, or company size, the growth of a company remains and builds on the success of its sales and marketing teams.
It is also given that there are a wide variety of tools that empower marketers to seize a range of data at particular stages in their marketing campaigns/strategies. Gone are the days of mass and untargeted market segment. Digization has brought widened reach, however - it is without saying that seeking consideration of the facts available is not plausible.
Furthermore, if all other departments are aligned and functioning at the highest level, growth almost always requires substantial lead, decent sales pipeline, showcasing product value, integrating sales and marketing channel. This is a huge amount of pressure for SMB's, where growth is often the most critical and significant objective.
So how are small business teams should prioritize goals and market strategy? The following advice would allow SMB's to start reasonably gain the proper hindsight and perhaps, augmenting it for better result and management perspectives.
I: Clearly articulated goals, vision, and roadmap
Steve Richard, Founder & CEO of ExecVision, puts it in better perspective."The first step is to sit in a room and map out your marketing and sales funnel with the different stages and gates to get from one stage to the next. Debate the definitions until they are 100% objective, driven and crystal clear.
Bottom line – we all play an important role in the overall success of a company. While each of us must take responsibility for our own actions, we must also make the effort to support one another along the way.
II: Target market prioritization
According to CMO, 53% of marketers claim that there is a high demand for customer-centric communications. Thus, target market prioritization must start at a very high level with industry or vertical analysis. Rightfully, it would become increasingly more specific as you work through to the exact ‘persona’ that will have the highest likelihood of engaging (and eventually buying) what you have to offer.
It’s complex, but when approached with a disciplined and scientific approach, it will pay dividends" — Cyndy, VP Client Strategy & Delivery at Magnetude Consulting
III: Focus on targeted and unqiue story ideas
Jay Acunzo, the host of Unthinkable Podcast, explains: “Figure out what makes you, your team and your customers unique – obsess more over your context than everyone else’s advice filled content. You’ll be surprised by how easily you and your team stand out from the average noise just by thinking for yourself and being an exception from it.”
Another upshot must be focused on the pitch and building relationships with company’s target list of media and influencers. We can work with a senior executive to write a straight-forward blog post around a piece of news and drive media to that instead. Or create a thought-provoking piece of content and pitch it to a relevant media outlet as a contributed article.
Let’s take a harder look and ask ourselves if we really need that next press release and instead, see if there are more creative and succinct ways to get our message to those that will help amplify it. — Erica, Account Management & Communications Strategy
IV: Channels that meet their preferences
Remember, customers, want information that’s useful to them. The content they will consume can take many forms that are well-suited to support, help and serve them to:
- Understand and examine ways of solving problems or meeting their business needs by taking the reluctance of ambiguity.
- Admit and evaluate your solutions leading to a sale.
- Maintain satisfaction with the solution or gain information
From the words of Craig Rowley’s take on the experience economy - People are moving away from buying stuff to buying experiences.
V: The four RIGHTS: people, companies, time and content
The relative significance/importance of these four “RIGHTS” — people, companies, timing, and content ensure the success of every demand or lead generation initiative and it cannot be overemphasized.
It would be very nice to keep in mind that successful campaigns require time and a strategic plan for integrating a variety of communications elements taking and incorporating these four rights.
Nonetheless, without data, (the right kind), from which these four “rights” are hinged upon, a demand generation campaign could hardly thrive. Meanwhile, alignment of goals between sales and marketing is crucial to stimulate unprecedented growth in a company’s lead generation efforts. Moreover, the synergy between the two entities is critical in order to produce a more coordinated strategy and the right content that truly engages and resonates with the customer’s needs. — Jeff Leroux, Head of Sales & Business Development at B2B Signals
VI: Solidifies Email Marketing through account orchestration
Email marketing is a cornerstone of almost every modern business. Done correctly, it will engage prospects and make them more likely to use your product or service and enhance brand loyalty.
Commit to a regular schedule to nurture and engage contacts over time and ensure you have the right sales resources in place to follow up and qualify relevant targets. Deploy your email campaigns via whitelisted services like MailChimp maximizes message delivery, and allows your marketing team to refine your campaign based on the message open and click-through rates. — David, Technical Marketing Consultant, and Developer