At 1 Bold Step, we often talk about the evolution of the buyer and the related evolution of the marketing department. Think about the fast-changing world we’re all living in. Buyers no longer go from seeing an interesting ad or billboard to directly chatting with a sales representative. They google everything first. And marketers are finding that the majority of the customer journey is now digital; meaning technology is at the core of nearly everything they do to attract prospects. Our old marketing models (UAIDAS - Unaware, Aware, Interest, Decision, Action, Satisfaction, AIDA - Awareness, Interest Desire, and Action, The 4 P’s - Price, Promotion, Place, Product, etc.) have changed completely due to this new, modern customer journey.
The Modern Customer Journey
From social networks, to display ads, and google ads, to organic search, and paid search... And don’t forget good old email and your post-sale online reviews. We’re talking about the collision of the right brain and the left, your creatives and your analytics. Does your team have a combination of both?
A modern marketer, also referred to as a “T-shaped marketer,” should be an expert in one area of marketing but also understand the broader marketing mix and how all elements need to be in place and work together to drive demand and prove the value of marketing.
For example, if you’ve got an SEO or Google ads expert that can’t/won’t work with your product marketing team, nor learn how keyword work impacts the overall content strategy, you might get a lot of clicks, but not any conversions (and wasted a lot of dollars generating the wrong kind of leads). The best (Agile) marketing teams work collaboratively, yet each member holds expertise and is accountable for a specific practice area.
5 Questions You Should Ask
But how do you know if your marketing team is keeping up with the times if you’re not a marketer yourself? Here are our top 5 questions your team should be able to answer if they have the right skills, and are working with the right software platforms and processes:
- How are we personalizing customer and prospect experience based on what we know about them and their past actions?
- Which campaigns are generating the most sales (and therefore ROI)?
- Who are our best customers and how do they want us to communicate with them?
- How does marketing measure success inside the department?
- How does marketing success directly relate to, and impact, the overall success of the company?
If this all seems like too much for a small or medium-sized business to handle, don’t give up! There is a solution. With the current talent crunch and expertise required, many marketing teams are outsourcing or using project-based (short term) teams. And while we’re a marketing agency ourselves, you’ll see us partnering for the things we understand well, but do not do ourselves (especially anything to do with design). We know our lane: we set up the systems, processes, and demand generation campaigns that help our customers drive more leads and close more sales AND we play well with others.
If you’re an SMB looking to nail the modern customer journey, consider contacting us to perform a marketing audit. We’ll help you understand your gaps, create a plan to fill them, and ensure that marketing is fully aligned with your overall goals.
We’d love to hear what you think about the modern marketer. Comment below to let us know your thoughts.
