Words of Wisdom from 14 Leading Marketers via @Eloqua

I’m in  great company when it comes to Eloqua’s recent marketing leader roundup. Check out their slideshare below.

I’m on  board with Matt Heinz regarding the importance of process, though I think of process and culture must also be tightly linked. And to Tony Zambito, I say that the process must include a protocol for community engagement and response. I’m also inspired by Craig Rosenberg whose focus on buyer personas speaks to the importance of personalization …. a key theme of my recent presentation on how marketing automation is increasingly integrating social. And yes, Koka Sexton, that means getting the sales team involved. Enjoy.

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The Marketer’s Tech-Stack Debate: 2014 Prediction

WalkalatorIt’s amazing how much tech there is for marketeers but it’s also amazing how much further the tech needs to come. The giants of tech are chasing the promise of a fully integrated tech stack to run your entire business. The up-and-comers offer a compelling case as to why granular services/platforms that plug-and-play well will offer more flexibility and value. The giants buy them up when it’s necessary to slow down the market/innovation and the little guys ask marketers to consider carefully just how much integration/speed/insight they can really leverage … right until they get acquired. Marketers should be scared of lock-in but they also need to be security conscious. Meanwhile they’ve got to run their business on their current stack while envisioning how they’ll upgrade it over time to remain competitive.

Escalator

In front of this backdrop, marketers get on stage to debate just how tech savvy they’ll have to become. You’ve got the Pragmatist who just wants to buy a good experience for her customers. She recognizes that not everyone can win on customer experience and that many of her customers win with repeatable no-frills value. You’ve got the Thought Leader who spins a yarn about the frontier of personalization across touch-points. You’ve got the Consulting Firm that is going to build the integrations that you’re going to pay them to manage. And you’ve got the Internal Marketing-Technologist who explains why owning it in-house is the way to go even if he works with consultants to supplement his practice.  

 In 2014 I predict that it’s that last guy who’s going to win the debate.