2015: The Year Everything Changed In Marketing

2015 is going to go down as a watershed year for marketers. So many changes occurred which have altered the playing field. More importantly, the implications going into 2016 are great. Here are a few highlights:

1) Interruption is Out. Engagement Is In: Forrester is calling it 'The Age of The Customer', Gartner says that in 2 years companies will compete exclusively on customer experience, and buyers and consumers alike are demanding greater levels of interactivity and service from marketers. More money is being funneled into the post sale experience and CMO searches are demanding this skill set, philosophy and knowledge as a requirement.

2) CMO's Carrying A Bag? More than two-thirds (70 percent) of B2B marketers are now measured based on the amount of revenues they generate using their marketing and lead generation programs. [ 6Sense] 2015 Survey of B2B Marketers. Marketers have moved from making cool creative content to having a responsibility to drive revenue. Teaming with sales in client meetings, working collaboratively on messaging and positioning are key.

3) From Mad Men To Math Men- Marketers are transitioning from fancy creatives to nerdy data scientists(no offense guys, we love and need you). The ability to effectively gather, interpret, and leverage data has emerged as the most important new skill that high level marketing leaders must master. Each online and offline interaction represents a chance to get to know a prospect better. Like building a relationship with a new friend over time, marketers can create a dynamic online personality by using data to build relevant ties to prospects. How important is this? Imagine meeting a new friend and each time starting the conversation from scratch as if the prior engagements never occurred. Chances are, this relationship will not develop, let alone building enough trust for someone to buy something from you.

4) Context Is King:  Customers expect highly personalized, relevant and contextual experiences. Did you know that 82% of prospects say that industry- specific content is valuable and 67% say that content targeted to their job function is even more valuable(Marketing Sherpas). Just blasting out content is no longer effective. Personalized content that is leveraged surgically is more successful in getting prospect's attention. Furthermore, creativity must now be fluid and data infused. Is there room for improvement? Well, 84% of marketers do not have a formal content strategy or distribution process to fill the growing number of marketing channels. What's more, they are telling us that they lack a formal content supply chain. (ANA). So there is a lot of work to be done.

That's why 2016 presents itself as a key time for marketers to make a bigger impact than ever before. Which companies are leading the way?  Send me some examples. Which marketing leaders are out there setting the pace?

Dan Sixsmith is VP @Alinean, Inc

He is also CMO @ Augmento

And Chief Content Officer at "The Digital Advantage by Dan Sixsmith."

Dan also hosts the Podcast, This Week In Digital Marketing. 

 

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Virtual Reality: Writing Customers Into The Script

"The best brands are built on great stories" -Ian Rowden, CMO Virgin Group

Storytelling has been one of the greatest sources of engagement over the course of human history. In marketing, your story is the foundation of your brand and a strategy for future growth[The Story Of Telling]. Brands create content which seeks to bond with consumers and turn them into followers, buyers and even evangelists. The good news is that we humans love a good story. The bad news is that the internet is awash with content and marketers are struggling to break through the clutter. "The best stories compel, engage and delight their audiences. And for brands to really break through, these stories need to be just as engaging as the best entertainment..." (Linda Boff, CMO, GE) 

Which brings us to the subject of this shorter piece. Virtual Reality. How important is it going to be? Let's see. Only Google, Facebook and Apple have placed huge bets on it. Virtual Reality provides a level of engagement that previously has not existed. We have heard about putting your customers in the story--making them the protagonist. Well, here is your chance. VR creates an immersive environment where there is an unprecedented level of interactivity, free from distractions, where the consumer steps into the world of the brand and participates, not from afar by watching a video, but from within the experience. My colleague refers to it as creating a 'brain stamp", an experience the consumer or business buyer will not soon forget.

If you haven't experienced this new phenomenon, go grab a Google Cardboard head set https://www.google.com/get/cardboard/

If you like music, check out the NY Times VR app and download the U2 experience. You'll be sitting on stage while Bono sings right in front of you. To the right, The Edge plays guitar--look up and see the enormity of the arena. The experience continues with a trip around the world to witness people singing the song along side the band. It's nothing like watching a video of the group. It's a private concert and a trip to India, NYC, Africa all in one.

This breaks through, friends. I had a smile on my face the entire time as did my son when he jumped into it. The first thing he said was " I need to download this tune."  Mission accomplished.

[If you want to blaze a trail and create an immersive experience that your target audience won't forget, give us a jingle. dan@augmento.agency]

Dan Sixsmith is CMO @ Augmento, a next generation agency

He is VP @ Alinean, Inc

And Chief Content Officer at "The Digital Advantage by Dan Sixsmith."

Dan also hosts the Podcast, This Week In Digital Marketing(we are back live on 2/8 @8PM ET). 

 

Subscribe here: http://t.co/H6wqFueAB2 

Twitter:@DigitalAdvantg

Content Marketing 2016: The One Question You Must Answer

Promotional Content simply doesn't work. We ignore it and become amazing filters of any content that is trying to sell us something"-Michael Brenner, NewsCred

If promotional content really does not work, then why do 93% of marketers connect their content directly to a product or service? (Economist). To be fair, marketers are under pressure to produce massive amounts of content, which needs to be pushed out across a growing number of channels and also to enable sales to more effectively navigate a tricky environment. With the war for your prospect’s attention escalating, and with buyers demanding more effective and relevant communications, what are marketers to do? The content machine is up and cranking. So why the disconnect? Why are marketers still shooting blanks? What is needed to improve content marketing programs? Let's get to the HEARTof the matter:

Help, Don't Sell: Content needs to be about the buyer. Depending on the stage in the Buying Journey, a prospect will be seeking information and looking to solve business challenges. In fact, 75% of executives who actively seek content are researching a business idea(Economist). They need Help--not a sales pitch. Social Media Guru, Dave Kerpen in his new book, The Art Of People(http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-People-Simple-Everything/dp/0553419404)  describes the most important question you can ask in a first meeting and it's no different than what your content needs to say: "How Can I Help You?" Kerpen describes how he was approached by a financial advisor years back who asked for a meeting, didn't try to sell him anything, and asked the magic question. The advisor subsequently connected Kerpen with VC's and others who could potentially help his fledgeling business. He provided value, did not talk about himself or his business. Kerpen eventually asked the advisor about his business and eventually become a client. Awesome story.

Engagement: Content needs to be interesting, entertaining and visually appealing, perhaps with embedded video. The most shared piece of content today is the Infographic. Why? Because its (a) new, (b) colorful, (c) graphical (d) informative and (e) simple and easy to consume. Shared content is the ultimate form of engagement. In fact, 83% of CMOs believe that social sharing is the primary benefit of social media marketing(The Content Code). Conversational Commerce is beginning to take off. New innovations such as interactive video, Virtual and Augmented Reality are attracting new levels of immersion and engagement.When connected to social platforms, we are seeing the greatest levels of engagement and conversion.

Authenticity- Buyers want to learn from those they believe are experts. Your brand, whether it be you own personal reputation or your company's brand ID needs to be consistent and establish subject matter expertise. Build up a dossier of effective content which connects with buyer challenges and provide case studies around how you solve(d) these issues with others. 

Relevance- Your buyers want content that solves their problems or teaches them a new way to think about their challenges. As mentioned in a prior article, Content is no longer king. Context is King. Prospects demand that your content be relevant. Interactive content which a prospect can tailor to his issues has proven to be very effective. In fact, 64% of marketers according to eConsultancy say they want to improve personalization. And campaigns with personalized content deliver 29% higher unique open rates and 41% higher unique click rates (Experian). 

Trust- Become a trusted source of information. Much like developing a new friendship, if your content is helpful, engaging, authentic and relevant, you will begin to build a strong virtual relationship with your prospects. Effective content marketing which is customer focused, timely and relevant, earns the prospects' trust. They will pay attention to your next email, or even better, subscribe to your content. 

eConsultancy estimates that $50B of content was wasted or was ineffective in 2015. It's a massive opportunity for marketers. With Valentine's Day coming up, remember to put some HEART in your content and reap the benefits of building relationships with prospects. One simple key question can lead to the revenue growth you are looking to achieve: How Can We Help You?

Dan Sixsmith is VP @Alinean, Inc

He is CMO @ Augmento

And Chief Content Officer at "The Digital Advantage by Dan Sixsmith."

Dan also hosts the Podcast, This Week In Digital Marketing(we are back live on 2/8 @8PM ET). 

 Subscribe here: http://t.co/H6wqFueAB2 

 Twitter:@DigitalAdvantg