Diane Kulseth

Is MarTech Marketing? 🤔 Last week, there was a fascinating panel discussion at the MarTech World Forum that tackled a big question: "Is MarTech Marketing?" The takeaway was pretty clear—while MarTech is a fantastic tool that boosts our marketing efforts, it’s not marketing itself. Without the strategic vision from Marketing, MarTech is just a bunch of tools sitting on a shelf. And without MarTech, Marketing can struggle to turn those great ideas into real plans. This is how I see MarTech and Marketing can work together: In big companies, MarTech usually falls under a Marketing Operations team, while smaller businesses often place it in the Marketing department. This setup can look really different depending on the industry and where you are. For example, many brands in China choose to outsource their MarTech needs, while in places like Europe and North America—especially in pharma—companies tend to build their own MarTech systems. At the end of the day, focusing on customer experience is key. ❤️ MarTech is often tied to how we connect with customers, so mapping out their journey is super important. The Marketing team needs to take charge of ensuring every touchpoint is engaging and meaningful. And while having a slick MarTech stack can give you a leg up, let’s not forget about the power of brand building. 🏗️ This is a marathon, not a sprint! As tech catches up, a strong brand is what will keep customers coming back, even when the competition gets tough. Here are a few ways Marketing and MarTech can team up to drive brand equity and growth: 1. Get on the Same Page: 📄 Make sure both teams know the goals and what they’re working towards. Marketing should lay out the brand's goals and messaging while MarTech finds the best tools to make it happen. 2. Use Data Wisely: 📊 Let those MarTech tools do the heavy lifting with customer data! Marketing can then use these insights to tweak strategies, personalize messaging, and create targeted campaigns that really resonate. 3. Craft a Smooth Customer Journey: 🛤️ Work together to map out the customer experience. Every touchpoint should feel seamless and rewarding. MarTech can help automate and refine processes, while Marketing takes care of the story. 4. Stay in Touch: 🔄 Set up regular chats between the teams to share feedback and insights. This kind of collaboration can lead to smarter decisions and quicker reactions to market changes. 5. Train Up: 🎓 Make sure everyone has the skills needed to get the most out of MarTech tools. This way, Marketing can maximize the tech, and MarTech folks can understand the marketing goals behind it. By building a strong partnership between Marketing and MarTech, we can not only enhance customer experiences but also drive brand equity and growth. Let’s use technology not just to sell more, but to create lasting relationships with our customers! 💼💡 #MarTech #Marketing #CustomerExperience #BrandEquity #Growth #Collaboration

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For professional services marketers, one of the toughest things to do is *not* follow all the advice you find from B2B product/SaaS marketers. Most of it is plain wrong for a service business. The product peeps are selling widgets. You're selling relationships that will last for years (ideally). They're obsessed with website traffic because their customers can and do buy right on their website. Buyers of professional services don't do that. The sales process is much longer. It requires building a trust-based relationship, something that doesn't happen with a website visit. They need to sell thousands and thousands of seats. You need your next five clients. But there's *so much* B2B marketing advice that comes from SaaS marketers and while it's smart for them, it's wrong for you. You're playing a different game, so don't follow their rules. *** Find this post thought-provoking? There's more where that came from - sign up for our emails at https://lnkd.in/e2-iNhcs

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Be weary of CRO services marketing agencies offer. Often times, it’s not what they claim it is. They will lump CRO into channels and ROI-immediate tactics. The definition is building a growth function based on a comprehensive and strategic process that collects and activates insights through research and iterative testing to measurably drive growth. A great way for you to differentiate is to look at what activities are conducted and how they all fit in the puzzle. A lot of feedback that I hear is based on them doing individual activities and calling it a day - building a landing page in Unbounce, Instapage, etc. - a site audit that is not even backed with Heuristics - testing that is done with no supporting research and no articulated test plan They will skip the research in favor of speed to delivery and may not optimize that landing page once it goes live. You can recognize it’s incomplete by the fact it’s missing a continuous improvement cycle. It’s also not customer-focused and clearly all stems from an internal database they have, regardless of your audience and the issues that prevent your users from converting. Any testing that is not robustly structured around test plans and supported with research is probably the same template they apply to all their clients. Be weary of them, because regardless of price point, they are selling something tactical that is most likely to not drive significant impact for the business. Marketing agencies very rarely have the skillsets and competencies to build an optimization program. There are no silver bullets. There aren't any one time quick fixes for scaling a business. There are no universal truths for what works and there isn’t a single test that is always going to win. Most tests don’t even win even when they are backed with research. Be weary, be skeptical. I encourage you to trust agencies when their talk track focuses on their process involved for optimization, and their customer-focused approach. It’s easier to sell a promise of results than to sell a process.

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Unlock the power of lead magnets with Deb McGregor from the MN SBDC on September 17! Dive into how lead magnets can enhance audience engagement and fit into effective marketing funnels. Deb will offer practical examples and guide you in creating your lead magnet. Don’t miss out—register today! https://bit.ly/3SDJxmp

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Ever blamed "bad leads" for poor conversion rates? Think again. 🤔 Rick Haase drops this truth bomb in our latest podcast episode: "There's no such thing as a bad lead. There's only poor follow-up programs that don't understand the various states of readiness of consumers." Let that sink in for a moment. It's not about the quality of leads. It's about your approach to nurturing them. Every lead is at a different stage in their journey. Some are ready to buy tomorrow. Others might be years away. Your job? Meet them where they are. ‣ Tailor your communication ‣ Provide value at every stage ‣ Stay top-of-mind without being pushy Remember: Today's "not ready" lead could be tomorrow's dream client. How are you adapting your follow-up strategy for different lead stages? Catch Rick's full episode on the Local Marketing Lab podcast. It's a masterclass in real estate success! #LeadNurturing #RealEstateMarketing #LeadConversion #SalesStrategy #CustomerJourney

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🚨Tomorrow!! Register and submit a question for tomorrows Adobe Marketo Champion Office Hours 👉 Register now - https://lnkd.in/dAVRcsty ▶ Tomorrow - Thursday, 11 July ▶ 4pm CEST | 10am EST | 7.30pm IST Join Corey Bayless, Charlie Oakham, Courtney Tobe and me for what is shaping up to be a fantastic session moderated by John Grundy #marketo #adobemarketoengage #marketomug #marketochampion #adobeexperiencecloud

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*3 things* I've read/watched/listened to TODAY that are directly or indirectly related to the changing digital landscape and our current window of opportunity to win: 💡 Wil Reynolds: "Answer discovery is a broader job than SEO ... Questions aren't dead, people might just be getting answers in new places." https://lnkd.in/gQAmSbaW 🤖 Rand Fishkin: How Can My Brand Appear in Answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Other AI/LLM Tools? https://lnkd.in/gmuii_h3 🧠 Malcolm Gladwell's new (audio)book, Revenge of the Tipping Point https://lnkd.in/gSprVtCW When we look back at digital marketing in 2024/25, what will ours be? What side will you be on? -- ✏️ PS: If you haven't *listened* to a recent Gladwell book, highly recommend. He leans into the format in an incredibly powerful way. Talking to Strangers is outstanding.

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Did you know? SlapFive is not just for Customer Reference Managers or Customer Marketing & Advocacy teams? Check out our use cases by roles. This really shows the IMPACT Customer Marketing and Advocacy has on an organization it is not a job it is a function and workflow that flows throughout the organization. What use case do you see missing?

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I’m typically very skeptical of the ‘free audit’ lead gen strategy for consultants or agencies. You often get very little value and then you’re immediately slapped with a sales pitch. But not everyone does it this way. I recently partnered with the folks at MoEngage and Fueled who are giving away a free martech stack audit AND a Nintendo Switch. The audit has tons of value even if in the end you decide not to work with Fueled or MoEngage, and worse case you get a new Switch right in time for the new Zelda game! I got a behind the scenes look at the audit process from A-Z and even went through the client deliverables and I was super impressed. Here’s why I think it’s legit and worth your time 👇   Most martech audits I’ve seen are done independently of the people and the process and focus solely on building an inventory of the tech. Fueled does a great job of focusing on your org and people resources as well as your campaign process, not just the tools.  Their assessment framework has the goal of giving you an understanding of your maturity level and helping you visualize a roadmap to filling your gaps. They’ll start by asking you a bunch of questions to get a sense of 4 key areas: 𝟏 - 𝐎𝐫𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬: What’s your team size and specializations, what type of training programs do you have in place for martech users, how aligned are other teams and systems when it comes to working together. 𝟐 - 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬: How do you currently engage with your customers and how are you tracking and collecting that 1st party data. Every business is different, e-comm companies will care a lot about product detail pages, SaaS companies might care more about mobile apps and push notifications. 𝟑 - 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠: How does marketing ops work with growth marketing, what does your experimentation program look like, what attempts are you making to create personalized messaging and are you focused on every part of the funnel. 𝟒 - 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡: This is usually where most audits start and end, but this is just the tip of the iceberg here, albeit very important. How is your CRM talking to your automation platform, is data flowing into a central data warehouse or do you leverage a platform CDP, do you have any machine learning capabilities and how does reporting and analytics come together. So yes, full transparency, this is a sponsored post but if you manage a tech stack, I think you’d be silly not to give this a shot. At the very least you’ll come out of the process with two things: a better understanding of where you stand and where you should think about going and how, oh and you'll have a fresh new Nintendo to play 𝑍𝑒𝑙𝑑𝑎: 𝐸𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑊𝑖𝑠𝑑𝑜𝑚 ⚔️ https://hubs.ly/Q02R63kM0

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How is B2C Marketing Automation different from B2B Marketing Automation? Read this guide to find out. Read more 👉 Check at link in bio ~ Or visit directly at https://bit.ly/43omOyG #emailmarketing #emailmarketingtips

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Scrappy ABM is an ABM Enablement Organization. Meaning our goal is to build a program for a client Teach them how it works so they can replicate it, and off-board the client. So when we do a check-in on our off-boarded clients And they send back responses like this It's the actual measure of success for us. I know it's a different model. I know we have literally built in our own churn. I know recurring revenue is essential to scale. But I like helping others become successful on their own. Even if that means it's without us long term. Because it's the job of outsourcing something? To build a sustainable solution? Not just a duck-taped solution that breaks the second you stop working with the outsourced partner?

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We B2B tech marketers spend a lot of time figuring out how to *not* just talk about tech. We need to showcase the business value of our product or service to non-tech stakeholders. I like this short and simple advice from my friend Caitlin Price at Giant Eagle, Inc.: put yourself in your audience's shoes and think "WIIFM — What’s in it for me?” Show and tell how people will benefit (not just how it works). https://lnkd.in/gBV6DK28

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As a marketer, you know that sinking feeling when your martech vendor just isn't cutting it anymore. I've been there. And let me tell you, it's not fun. But before you jump ship, there are a few things to consider: • Have you outgrown your current solution? It might be time to level up to more robust, enterprise-sized tools. • Is your vendor changing their product or marketing strategy in ways that don't align with your needs? Keep an eye out for red flags. • Have you done your research? Dig into resources like Gartner's Magic Quadrant and Forrester's Wave to find the best fit for you. Check out this article from MarTech for more insights: "3 considerations before leaving your martech vendor" https://lnkd.in/gN65nefv At the end of the day, you want to be in a power position with your martech stack. Even if the relationship isn't perfect. Happy Wednesday! Let me know your thoughts. Casey Jones #martech #marketingtechnology #digitalmarketing #vendorrelationships #strategy

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There's no one way to succeed! As an electrical engineer doing copywriting for martech and B2B SaaS, I love seeing how people like Marketo's co-founder, Jon Miller, break the mold. Jon had a degree in Physics and he ended up being a marketing automation leader? Mind blowing! 🤯 The story itself could warrant a Netflix series. Marketo defied expectations back in 2006 when marketing was mostly a cost center. Jon and his companions believed it could drive revenue, and they were right! Their success came from: a. Ditching complex tools for user-friendly software b. Making it affordable with a SaaS model c. Jon Miller's content marketing mastery (built an audience pre-launch! with powerful inbound marketing). Adobe recognized their genius – that $4.7 billion acquisition says it all! So...what are we taking away from this story? The history of formation of Marketo proves: 1. Your skills are more versatile than you think 2. Find those industry pain points, then SOLVE them. The formula has NEVER changed! 3. Don't be afraid of your big, unconventional ideas #marketingautomation #marketo #marketolife #marketocertified #demandgeneration #emailmarketing #leadnurturing #marketoreview #marketochampion #marketingops #revops #b2bmarketing #digitalmarketing #growthmarketing #marketinginnovation #marketingstrategy

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Someone contacted us today requesting a refund for one of our HubSpot themes that they said was too difficult to customize as they needed. Now, as the mentioned theme is FREE, I was a bit confused. I responded with an offer to assist them and referenced our help docs for the theme... and of course noted that a refund was not an option as they never paid us anything. :) They responded noting the rather large amount they paid for the theme and when they purchased it. I confirmed that there are a few themes with that price tag, but none of them are ours. Not sure how they landed on our website, but eventually they did realize that they contacted the wrong people. Or did they?? Usually, you get what you pay for. In this case, he did NOT get what he paid for. So I of course recommended that they go ahead and check out our free theme, which is clearly a much better option than the very expensive one they've been fighting with. Their mystery clicking path that landed them on New Era just might turn out to be the best mistake they've made in a long time. :) #hubspot #hubspotthemes #hubspotcms #contenthub #cmshub #hubspotmarketplace #customerservice #norefund

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HubSpot Prospecting Space Tear Down - We got together to talk Prospecting Space. This is the place in HubSpot thats designed for SDRs, or if full cycle sales people, business development https://hubs.la/Q02FrPSk0

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