In preparation for 2022, C-level marketing professionals have shared their wisdom with The Ortus Club. The past year taught us much more than anyone could have anticipated. We’re looking forward to more exciting times ahead, keeping this high-level executives’ advice in mind.
Master the basics
‘As a marketer, it’s all about understanding the customer’s needs. It’s about the strategy that we have. It’s about the demand generation activities that we have linked to our plan. It’s about the customer experience. These four things should lead to only one thing: business growth.
I don’t believe any organisation can be insular and win. We’ve got to open up. We’ve got to think about the ecosystem. We’ve got to bring partners in and work together as one team. Sometimes, you even have to work with the competition to get things done.
Careers are non-linear. They never are, more so now than ever. Sometimes, you need to move sideways for what you believe is not a promotion but something that gives you a different skill set. It is not about you moving up every two or three years. It’s about what kind of experiences are you willing to take?’
VP of Marketing, APAC, Middle East, and Africa at Kerry Group
Collaborate to succeed
‘It’s about putting the client first, understanding them, engaging them in a meaningful way, and doing all this together with a system. Partnership with sales leaders is a critical component in the way we do marketing.
We should start enabling a system that drives strong collaboration between marketing and sales at each stage of the funnel. It’s calling for a custom dialogue. More and more marketing [teams] should look at B2B buyers as human beings, not just a job title. The most effective way to engage them is by pursuing an emotional response. Content can be used to inform or educate and entertain and inspire to build a lasting memory.’
Head of Marketing, APAC at Kyndryl
Embrace a culture of experimentation
‘People consume information in a variety of different ways. So, to make sure that our stories resonate with as many of our audiences as possible, I need to use a range of channels, including the written word, audio, and video and put them into digital and physical assets. But, we need to tell our stories in the right way. We need to ensure that we tailor the experience for each person based on who they are and where they are in their buying journey with us.
Be willing to experiment. People look to you to suggest the best way to get their stories across, and you can only do that by continuing to push the boundaries and trying new things. By extension, you also need to make sure you work in a role, business, and team where that experimentation is applauded and encouraged, not punished.’
Head of Content Marketing at Blick Rothenberg
Develop digital expertise
‘Most teams work in silos at the moment, which doesn’t help with agility. Some senior executives aren’t that comfortable with technology also. You want to have full integration of the team and have people work together towards a common goal.
Come up with different ways and solutions together throughout the digital transformation. Of course, a young team comprised of new talents who are digital natives themselves help. Still, it’s really about having a multi-faceted, out-of-the-box way of thinking to facilitate change.’
VP of Marketing and Strategic Partnerships at KMC Solutions
Focus on human connection
‘My role is to provide a combination of coaching and marketing consulting services. It sounds like two separate things, but I’ve found a lovely connection between them. One of the essential skills in coaching is the ability to listen. It sounds obvious, but it’s not just listening to what a person or team is saying. It’s also sensing and feeling what’s underneath, what’s not being said.
In marketing, we know we need to convey and communicate information, products, and solutions. It’s not to disregard that logical and rational part, but we fail to connect at the emotional level. That’s the power of stories.’
Founder of PurposeRocks
Seize every opportunity
‘What the industry, CEOs, and CFOs are beginning to understand about their marketing leaders is that virtually no company can function by solely relying on performance marketing and only diminutive efforts in PR and word-of-mouth. Instead, all companies need a balance of both brand-building and sales activation.
As opposed to what people think of surfers, there is no such thing as a perfect wave. That’s also true for marketing. That’s also true for any kind of leadership. If you have the right people, be willing to take on challenges the way they are and not in a way that is politically coloured.
Don’t look at anything other than making an internal or external customer happy. By doing so, then every wave is okay. The weather and who’s watching doesn’t matter.’
Founder of Miota
Strategise with agility in mind
‘It’s not so much a question of whether there are enough marketing opportunities as there used to be. It’s a question of how marketing is adapting and leveraging new situations. What’s out there is not so much of our choosing. It’s how we deal with the new reality. Of course, solutions and technology tools have grown, making so many more things possible. Finding the new recipe is still evolving. The relevance of the message and content and the efficiency of the format has come into focus.’
VP of Marketing, India and South Asia at UiPath
“Solutions and technology tools have grown, making so many more things possible. Finding the new recipe is still evolving. The relevance of the message and content and the efficiency of the format has come into focus.”
Always be ready to adapt
To conclude, what these C-level marketing professionals have in common is a keen focus on quickly adapting to industry changes. The need for people, processes, and technology is constant. It’s just a matter of choosing the tools and talents that best fit the current situation.
Watch all Ortus Chats interviews here.
