In this blog, we will share some of the key learnings from the event, where the experts shared everything from audience segmentation to cookies. Read on if you’re looking to refine your business sales and marketing funnel (quite frankly, isn’t there always room for improvement?).
Avoiding a catch-all approach
When thinking about your current database, it’s easy to fall into the holistic mindset. Your goal is to convert everyone, right? Not necessarily, Michael argues. In fact, when it comes to B2B lead generation, a never-ending list of leads doesn’t define a successful strategy .
Instead, Michael suggests thinking about what one good lead looks like, taking an example of past customer success. By defining this early on, you can map the ideal customer journey back to the top of the funnel and specify a more personalised journey. It’s all about prioritising and putting resources into those leads with the highest intent, and the biggest potential. This is where traditional marketing often falls short, instead scoring on last touchpoints and not looking at the holistic view. It’s often when we look beyond the numbers and at behaviour instead, that we start to see meaningful patterns.
The age-old problem of alignment
It’s a tale as old as time, and something a lot of business just cannot seem to get spot on, but Michael stresses the importance of alignment between different functions. We all have one goal, after all. Creating a smooth customer journey cannot rely on assumptions, so open and honest communication between your teams will ultimately put the customer at ease in the sales journey. Going beyond traditional alignment between sales and marketing, Michael brings up the important role of product teams. Getting insight from those who created your product (or service) can really support marketing material. Know your problem, know your solution. The sales team also have a perspective marketing may never see – they can tell what works, and what doesn’t. No matter how big the challenge, an aligned product, sales, and marketing team will always be worth it.
A cookie-less future?
In a reassuring tone, Michael confirms there is actually a bit of a misconception here between first- and third-party data. While, pretty soon, we may no longer be able to dive into data on an individual basis, we can (and should) absolutely continue to use data to drive decision-making. We just need to be smarter in how we collect the data, that’s all.
All about channels
Long gone are the days of your website being your one and only hub. People expect to be communicated with in the places they actually go, which explains the overwhelming success of social media advertising. In an always-on marketing culture, there should be very little downtime in digital advertising. But where there is, your website should be your backup – a place where lead generation never truly ceases.
Diving further into channels, Michael also addresses the key differences between organic and paid social media. On this, he says that the two should work in tandem, with equal attention given to each. First, organic social media should set the scene, build your brand, and manage your reputation. Meanwhile, paid is more about furthering your reach and generating those sales. Essentially, one can’t exist without the other working equally hard. Ultimately, this comes down to getting the best, or freemium, content that is timely, relevant, or helpful (but ideally, all three). Then, we drive to a measured call to action. Do we want this person to read the whitepaper? Or are they at the stage where a free 30-minute consultation could be more beneficial? Avoiding the global message and instead focusing on individuals should be the priority.
Any last words?
At the end of the workshop, Michael closed off with a salient message about investing in strategy. With businesses often focusing on deliverables instead, it can be easy to put strategy to the wayside, but to do so is at your own peril – strategy leads, and deliverables follow.