Happy Saturday, loyal readers. In this issue, we’ll explore a few high-value account-based marketing tactics, will find out what one survey says is the number one data challenge among companies, will share a few ideas for generating leads via social media and will find out if consumers in the US are still willing to share their personal data in the wake of recent data scandals.
ABM targets & tactics
So you’ve implemented account-based marketing within your organization as a way to increase engagement, boost the number of targets in your pipeline and generate prospects who are more highly qualified. You’ve successfully figured out ways to overcome the challenges of matching up leads to accounts and shifting your operations to align with this new focus. Are there some specific tactics you should be implementing to start getting all of the value of ABM right now?
Yes, says Michael Zhou in Influencive.com. Specifically, Michael suggests a content campaign that publicly lets your prospects know that they’re on your mind and your radar. Go beyond simply publishing an article that proposes your product as the perfect solution to your prospects’ pain points; consider including prospect company’s names as key examples so they’ll receive a notice when searching online for company press mentions. And don’t forget the power of social sharing in these efforts; getting your team on board to share within their networks can go a long way toward getting your content in front of the right eyeballs. Read all of Michael’s tips here.
Leader or laggard?
Is your company a leader or a laggard when it comes to leveraging the power of customer data? According to a recent survey by Forbes Insights and Treasure Data reported in Martech Today, the vast majority (87%) are laggards. And respondents from across the spectrum pinpointed one data challenge as particularly cumbersome; the fact that in most organizations (81%), only senior management has access to data, with staffers being able to analyze and use data to drive strategy in a mere 26% of organizations.
Executives seem to want to give their employees greater access to data, but the survey shows a gap between desire and action. Fewer than half (48%) of employees have the ability to act on data insights without the approval of management, and only 14% of employees have full autonomy to make decisions based on data. But those companies that are leaders in the industry are those that empower marketers at all levels to make data-driven decisions. Clearly, hiring smart people and giving them access to gather information and insights is an important factor in a company’s overall success. Read other report highlights here.
If you feel overwhelmed when you face the task of generating leads via your brand’s social media channels, you aren’t alone. Research shows that while 70% of online marketers say that converting social media leads is their number one priority, 63% of those same marketers find it to be their biggest challenge. And this is far from one of those “if you build it they will come” scenarios—simply having a profile is not enough. You must actively plan, deploy and optimize your social media lead generation strategy in order for it to pay dividends.
Thankfully, Manvi Agarwal gives a handful of helpful tips in Business2Community on techniques that can boost your lead potential. For example: many brands host webinars, but how about hosting a webinar (or more informal chat) via Facebook Live or Instagram Live? Though some of Manvi’s tips may be a bit on the “basic” side for many of our readers, it’s worth checking out her piece in case one of her tips can spark an idea for your own brand.
Give them the right incentive and US consumers are still willing to share their data with you. That’s the finding from the recent survey by Acxiom and DMA as reported in MarketingLand. More than half (58%) of respondents indicated that they’d be willing to share personal data under the right circumstances, which is no change from years of previous survey results. Respondents also indicated a higher general awareness that their data was being collected, and millennials responded higher than the average consumer when it came to the willingness to share their data.
As mentioned, these results align with the results from previous years’ surveys—which is slightly surprising in itself, given the publicity surrounding situations like the Cambridge Analytica data breach and the implementation of the GDPR in the European Union. It appears as if we as marketers continue to provide clear value, Americans will continue to share their personal info. Check out more survey results here.
