MarketStar Blog

Understanding Sales Enablement 

What is sales enablement? According to Forrester, ‘Sales enablement is a strategic, ongoing process that equips all client-facing employees with the ability to consistently and systematically have valuable conversations with the right set of customer stakeholders at each stage of the customer’s problem-solving life cycle to optimize the return of investment of the selling system’.1 

Much of what’s been talked about so far seems, at first glance, to lie far off in the possible future. But, as most experts point out, the Internet of Things is already here. While adoption barriers may affect the pace with which widespread adoption of IoT technologies occurs, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the transition to a hyper-connected economy is inevitable. The question then is, how does an organization transition from where it stands today, with varying levels of integration with digital technologies, to this hyperconnected future?

So, you’ve heard that Customer Success is the new industry buzzword, and read a dozen articles on how you’re company can benefit from focusing on it. But where do you go from there?

In today’s world of instant messaging, customers don’t like to wait. Businesses are looking for solutions that help them provide instant service. Live chat is one such solution to which many are turning. According to Gartner, by 2018, over 80% of companies will offer some form of live chat on their website or on mobile devices.

The mobile landscape is constantly evolving, urging marketers to incorporate new technologies into their campaigns and customer engagement strategies. Marketers are leveraging these advancements not just for running campaigns but also for gaining valuable customer insights that help build loyalty. It's clear that brands that adopt new technologies will thrive in today's competitive world. 

Marketing attribution in the B2B world is increasingly about leveraging machine learning and algorithms to enhance marketing investments. As competition intensifies, B2B marketers are borrowing strategies from their B2C counterparts, particularly in using multiple digital channels to reach customers. One key technique they've adopted is attribution—a marketing measurement tool that B2C players have long utilized. 

Simply put, marketing attribution assigns value to each touchpoint used to engage the target audience. This allows businesses to evaluate which marketing channels drive revenue and by how much, guiding future investment decisions. For a CMO, attribution links various marketing activities to revenue, providing concrete data to justify marketing expenditures and clarity in optimizing marketing strategies to meet overall business goals. 

Your customers have taken matters into their own hands, literally and figuratively. With the help of portable devices, they research their products online, seek reviews from their friends on social media networks, scout the web for coupons, visit stores and browse using in-store mobile apps, decide to buy it online instead because of lucrative deals.

To blog or not to blog, when tweeting seems so sweet! Many companies fall into the trap of relying solely on microblogging as their digital marketing and PR strategy. Blogging, however, should be the cornerstone of your efforts, with microblogging supporting it. Here are six compelling reasons why blogging should take precedence over tweeting: 

Product marketing is all about demonstrating the value of your product to prospective customers and building a relationship with them to stand out from the competition. That said, a successful product marketer needs a complete product marketing strategy so that customers can connect with the product. 

A good product marketing strategy ensures that the product is aligned to customer needs, is well-positioned in the market and that there’s a marketing communication plan in place to spread the word. 

The following are the five essential elements of a successful product marketing strategy:1 

It was the year 2016. The campaign was a brand index and a new customer survey. The results were astounding – 90%1 of the respondents acknowledged that they have used social media in some way to talk to a brand directly. Also, over one-third of them divulged that they preferred social media over other traditional channels like phone and email.  

That was 2016! Imagine how it is today. 

Social media has come of age in recent years. Though it was conceptualized as a networking platform, over the years, it doubled up as a business development tool. Today, it’s redefining the way customer service is delivered, thanks to its influence and penetration. 

If a business is heavily counting on the traditional contact center approach, it’s time they pull up their socks. Customers are fatigued with the traditional call center approach in which waiting times are getting longer. They now seek instant answers, and that’s where social media comes to their rescue. So, should ‘trings’ become ‘clicks’? Not at all. This is the age of multi-channel customer service, and adding social media to the contact center is a call that’s worth taking. Here’s a quick rundown on the benefits of social customer service: