The core goals for any marketing department revolves around the customer experience. But when you think about the customer journey, what is the difference between the marketing of a product and the experience of the product itself, and how should each of those blend together?

“When you think about the customer experience, it’s hard to tell whether it’s part of the marketing experience or the actual product experience itself. As a result, the more consistency that you can deliver  for the end-user, between all of the different touchpoints that they have with the company, the better that experience will be.”

Those are the words of Erin Hintz, the CMO of Barracuda Networks, a leader in security — protecting email, networks, data, and applications for businesses of all sizes. On this episode of Marketing Trends, Erin discusses how marketing departments can prevent the confusion that might happen between the marketing and product experiences in order to create a more cohesive overall customer experience. Plus, Erin discusses the importance of having a strong digital marketing program in place for inbound demand and the (messaging and content) shifts Barracuda made as companies went into the pandemic lockdowns.

Main Takeaways:

• Let’s Get Virtual: Marketers need to come prepared with an idea of how they can convert in-person events into educational and entertaining online events. When events move to a virtual format, you need to be thinking about unique ways that you are making that webinar more impactful for the audience so that they are inclined to take part.
• Five Star Experience: Marketers need to take a hard look at the customer experience they are creating. Often, it’s hard to tell where the marketing experience and product experience differ. The more consistency that marketers can deliver for the end-user between all the different touchpoints along their journey, the better the user experience will be.
• Pivot on a Dime: Sometimes it’s necessary to alter your strategy, especially when unforeseen events occur. As marketers, your campaigns must be agile with the ability to alter your messaging to meet the moment. When your campaigns are flexible, it allows you to portray a more timely and impactful message to your audience.

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