5 tactics to keep your marketing efforts successful, even when things get complicated

AI has moved into the spotlight over the past few years.

And as VP of Marketing at Figure Eight, Sid Mistry‘s had a front-row seat.

That’s because Figure Eight provides training data that powers machine learning solutions.

Their clients use AI to do everything from tracking elephant migration patterns to putting out wildfires in Northern California.

And as AI balloons, the company’s finding that its buyer personas have shifted, too. They’re not just targeting technology experts anymore.

As you can imagine, a diverse array of clients and buyer personas add complexity for Sid and his team.

On the latest episode of The Data-Driven Marketer, Sid shares five tactics for marketing his team uses to increase the success of their programs—even when things get complicated.

Here’s what he had to say regarding successful marketing programs:

1. Focus on Reaching Current Customers

Sid and his team rely on a lot of the same tools and tactics that most marketers lean on.

They focus on optimizing website content, driving people from paid channels, and hosting events and trade shows.

But they don’t just focus on reaching prospects—they focus on reaching their current customers, too.

A lot of Figure Eight’s revenue comes from existing customers further investing in AI.

So, current customers, and keeping them happy, are key.

2. Meet Daily With the SDR Team

Every single day, the demand gen side of Sid’s team sits down with the SDR team for five to ten minutes.

Sid’s team starts by talking about new leads and new pipeline activities that the SDR team should care about.

Then, they give the SDR team an opportunity to provide feedback on what’s working and what’s not.

Finally, the SDR team shares their priorities for that day. So if they’ve got a big meeting they’re facilitating with a key account, Sid’s team will make sure they’ve got the air cover they need through the resources at their disposal.

A lot of marketers hesitate to go to those meetings because they’re not sure marketing is invited to attend sales meetings.

But being in those meetings is an effective tactic that helps both sides achieve alignment.

So if you’re one of the 90% of marketing folks who don’t attend sales meetings, just start by being a fly on the wall.

Great things happen for both sides when you do that.

3. Double Down on ABM

Another tactic Sid and his team put into practice is to proactively double down on two sides of ABM: the prospect funnel and the customer funnel.

The prospect funnel is just making sure those late-stage opportunities know what differentiates Figure Eight so they can choose the firm as their preferred training data vendor.

And on the customer side, it’s making sure that the team is capitalizing on those moments of delight.

4. Choose Quality Over Quantity

As a marketer, Sid doesn’t just focus on bringing in volume.

They’ve already got a large database.

Instead, they focus on finding the most relevant data scientist or line of business professional that can, frankly, write checks.

So the tactic they take on the marketing side is to lean more on nurture campaigns—both from a firmographic perspective and an activity perspective for the individual.

So, if someone registers for a webinar, they make sure the follow up is further educating that prospect down-funnel.

Sid and his team have shifted from focusing on quantity to focusing on quality—it’s a different way to solve a classic problem.

5. Monitor the Right Metrics

Sid’s dashboard starts with MQLs by source.

Then it goes to pipeline. Sid has the same pipeline goal as his Senior Director of Sales Development. As a marketer, he has other goals as well, but his ops and pipeline targets are aligned with the Senior Director.

After pipeline comes revenue.

But marketing’s role isn’t finished just because you close a deal.

You have additional opportunities to make that customer more successful. And if you make them successful, they’ll buy more.

Instead of settling for a funnel that’s narrow at the bottom, think about what you can do to make it flare back out.

If you do it right, you should have negative churn.

The moral of this story? Help your customers become more successful, they’ll return the favor.

This post is based on a The Data-Driven Marketer podcast with Sid Mistry. To hear this episode, and many more like it, you can subscribe here.

If you don’t use iTunes, you can listen here.