The Marketing Automation Universe’s Center – Part II
This is a continuation of the activity at DemandCon in San Francisco this week. So much is happening we thought it would be better to break it up in AM/PM, easily digestible blogs.
After lunch, Jon Miller (@jonmiller2), VP of Marketing for Marketo reiterated his previous talk about Marketers tracking engagement, not buying intent. He included more information about the journey of a lead in the Marketo Marketing and Sales organization. With approximately 80% of his revenue directly attributable to Marketing efforts, his efforts are a showcase for what other firms could be doing if they made the transformation into a more net-centric entity.
Click picture above to see the full Photosynth panorama of the main DemandCon conference room.
James Rogers, (@JamesC_Rogers) VP of Marketing for Hoovers, gave a good overview of what Hoovers does with their data in terms of sharing it with Sales so it is actionable. One of the imperatives is the need to keep the channels open on an individual basis, with regular communication.
David Raab (@draab), well known for his Raab Guide analysis of all of the Marketing Automation platforms out there, gave a good talk about “How to Avoid a Marketing Automation Train Wreck,” using great analogies and anecdotes about the different vendors and pitfalls to avoid. He emphasized that the MA vendors are doing a good job supplying “how to” content, with the caveat that is obviously slanted towards each respective platform. For this reason, however, there is no reason why even the most computer illiterate marketing departments can help themselves or obtain help to learn how to transform in order to create the processes and implement the correct platform for their needs. However, content creation and lead scoring will still be challenging to more savvy markters because of the changing needs of customers over time.
The afternoon keynote, “See Far, Go Fast!” was by Hugh MacFarlane, the CEO of MathMarketing, a B2B Marketing consultancy based in Australia, spoke about kick-starting a stalled sales and marketing organization. Focus on new business targets. Build a plan together. Get a velocity and rhythm going that are sustainable over time, constantly checked with metrics. Measure sales on how effectively it takes advantage of opportunities. Close ratios should matter.
By the end of the day, it became clear that this conference is the center of the Marketing Automation universe. Now we just need to spread out more and get more stars in it!