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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