In 2021, data flows from multiple pathways to a marketer’s desk, and the insights generated from those datasets feels endless. But one thing is becoming increasingly apparent; despite the information you have on hand, it’s still never enough.

“33% of marketers say they are completely satisfied with their ability to use data and to create more relevant customer experiences. A third of marketers feel like they have the ability to use data, to create a customer experience that’s relevant. Think about all the relevancy that we now have with the brand, to think that only a third of marketers think that they’re able to do it. To me, that’s the opportunity for marketers to figure out how to go from not just using data, but making it relevant to customer experience.”

On this episode of Marketing Trends, Edward McDonnell, the Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer for Marketing Cloud at Salesforce, returns to discuss the future of marketing. Plus, he explains how remote work is enabling marketers to build the most talented teams possible thanks to software that allows them to succeed from anywhere. Ed also explains why it’s time to focus on reskilling the modern-day marketer.

Main Takeaways:

• More Control, Please: Two-thirds of marketers in a recent survey stated the data that they receive is not painting a clear enough picture for them when it comes to their customers. Marketers in 2021 want more control of their data — where it’s coming from and how it is used so that they can create a more agile and elastic marketing strategy.
• Hit that Subscribe Button: Subscription marketing is a growing channel for marketers, but it goes far beyond the technology that enables it. Subscription marketing consistently challenges marketers not just from a sales and retention perspective, but it’s forcing them to rethink how they produce content, and how that content keeps users connected and engaged with a brand.
• Upleveling Your Skillset: Marketers are not lacking creativity, but the way companies engage with them from a remote perspective must change. Businesses need to rethink how marketers can be successful in a remote-first world. This means putting more of a focus on creating workflows that can enable an efficient creative process regardless of where team members are.

Key Quotes:

“There’s an urgency for certain skills, and the companies that help others develop these skills and the loyalty you can create for that employee to want to stay based on the investment you made in them are much different than if somebody else calls them and [offers them a job.]”

“Marketers don’t lack creativity, but they need to rethink the way a creative environment looks. And so how are we providing skills for them to be creative in a remote first world? There’s a skills gap in many ways, and a technology gap behind that. Content marketing has just fundamentally shifted from content library to connectivity, back to creative.”

“It’s not about Slack, it’s about the connectivity. It’s creating workflow for folks to not have to be in the same room together, and to still have a tailored and productive experience to get their work done and to do it in ways that have much better efficiencies and acceleration of timeline.”

“I believe there’s a category that is developing called subscription marketing, and it goes beyond technology. It’s beyond sales, lead equals funnel, equals sales converting. It’s just about what is your acquisition strategy? How do you have amazing content,but how do you have amazing content to keep folks engaged? And are you able to manage the churn side of your business in a different way to keep folks connected to your brand?”

“If your marketing efforts aren’t directly tied to your customer consumer experience then you’re missing an opportunity.”

“33% of marketers say they are completely satisfied with their ability to use data and to create more relevant customer experiences. A third of marketers feel like they have the ability to use data to create a customer experience that’s relevant. Think about all the relevancy that we now have with the brand, but to think that only a third of marketers think that they’re able to do it. To me, that’s the opportunity for marketers to figure out how to go from not just using data, but making it relevant to customer experience.”

“Marketers want control of their data so that they can be agile versus other types of strategies. What agility, elasticity, and what real-time mechanism can they put toward the consumer? How do they do that with a much more sophisticated, robust data platform behind them that allows them to power that strategy?”

“I love the CMOs that are redefining their brand as it relates to the values of their organization. As I talked to CMOs and marketers across the world, those are the questions. How are you communicating the values of your organization out to your external stakeholders? Do they have a connective tissue back to you that they feel like they are invested in the success of what you do and what you can deliver for them?”

Bio:

Edward McDonnell is an accomplished go-to-market executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience in early-stage venture-backed companies, private equity turnaround situations, and high-growth mature software organizations. Edward currently serves as Executive Vice President and the Chief Revenue Officer for the Global Marketing Cloud business at Salesforce leading distribution and sales across categories including marketing, ad, and web technology solutions.

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