Inside the Industry

Insights from the vendors behind MarketingSherpa Summit 2017

Learn more about the technology solution providers exhibiting at #SHERPA17. View all sponsors >>

At MarketingSherpa Summit 2017, attendees will hear from brand-side marketers, high-profile featured speakers and industry professionals to learn how to improve the effectiveness of their marketing programs.

Customer satisfaction is a key factor in the effectiveness of these campaigns, which is why we’re excited to gather some of the top players in the digital marketing industry in Las Vegas to share their marketing solutions with the MarketingSherpa audience.

In our "Inside the Industry" series, we'll speak with industry professionals representing some of these vendors and get a behind-the-scenes look at some of the customer-focused efforts and trends you can expect to learn more about at #SHERPA17.

The following is sponsored content from Mapp Digital. The opinions expressed do not represent those of MarketingSherpa.

 

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MarketingSherpa: What are some arguments marketers can use to push for customer-centricity in their organizations? 

Mike Biwer, Mapp Digital: It starts with consumers’ expectations, which are already very high when it comes to brands. It’s a slippery slope. Once a brand uses data to create thoughtful, timely and insightful interactions with a consumer, that customer expects the same experience from every brand. Customers see the light and demand a lot from marketers because technology exists to foster a personalized, customer-centric approach.  

The question is: Can you capture that data and use it in an intelligent way to improve targeting? A data management platform (DMP) can do just that. A DMP essentially fingerprints a consumer to better understand them. For example, marketers can now identify if an individual customer was engaging with the brand on her desktop, then interacted with an email and signed into the brand’s mobile app, etc. All the anonymous data available can be tied together, providing huge power to marketers to meet or potentially exceed consumer expectations. Ultimately, marketers help turn shoppers into buyers, but the bar is certainly being raised. 


MarketingSherpa: How far must brands and marketers go to satisfy customers? And what are the possible missteps in building that relationship?

Mike Biwer, Mapp Digital: Look, collecting data around an organization's target audience is key for marketers. A customer-centric approach to data ensures marketers can connect mindfully with their target audiences wherever they are, in the most convenient way. If we aren’t largely focused on the customer, someone else will swoop in and do it better. That said, we must send the right message at the right time on the right device (have that right mindset). But we also need checks and balances for when these efforts might cross a line and become invasive. We’re all swimming in data and insights, and more than ever before, it requires a certain level of emotional intelligence and self-regulation to truly win with your customer. 
 
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Marketers need to be responsible with data. We need to think about building internal practices to protect the data we gather. The key to strong customer relationships is trust.  


MarketingSherpa: Why wouldn’t companies practice customer-first marketing?

Mike Biwer, Mapp Digital: It’s like anything in life — it’s too hard; they don’t have access to the data and technology needed to do it properly; or they’re not incentivized to do it properly. With today’s technology, we can look at the entire lifecycle of the customer. We do not want to forget our customers after they convert; we want to keep the relationship moving and hope for repeat sales and referrals. Of course, this is easier said than done. Marketers must continually strive to break down silos and reduce territoriality. Marketers whose performance is only assessed based on a single channel might have an incentive to not focus on the bigger picture. The cost? Missed opportunities of engaging those target customers who love to use those channels. Held back by technology? Most marketers want to achieve that customer-first strategy but get hung up on features comparison. Don’t lose sight of the one thing that does matter — funding a partner that facilitates your philosophy of customer-first — ensuring each customer has a brilliant and personalized experience with your brand. Leverage all of your customer data to drive personalized campaigns and relevant conversations across email, social networks and the web…and stop hopping from platform to platform. Invest in a one-stop solution.  
 
Bottom line, it takes a long-term view, discipline, dedication, great data, lots of analysis and a heaping dose of strategy combined with powerful technology to reach the promised land of increasing revenue. 


Mapp Digital is a Silver Sponsor of MarketingSherpa Summit 2017. To learn more about their solution, visit their website.

 

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