I have the luxury of getting to know a lot about the world of digital marketing. Yes, it’s what I recruit for. But it’s also what I do myself. You’d be surprised, a recruiter has to do quite a bit of marketing themselves in this business. Additionally, having come off three years working for Jobs2web (now SuccessFactors turned SAP), I also have an inside view of what it’s like to work at a start-up digital marketing recruiting agency. Marketing is on the cusp of true transformation. Some people and companies get “it,” while others are very much still figuring it out, or checking the so-called proverbial box for “digital.”
Today, I want to talk about three things: technology, data and customers.
Technology goes hand in hand with marketing. No surprise there. What’s interesting is what people and companies are choosing to do about, or not do about it. And you’re choosing to do nothing…well, then you’re screwed. If you think you can continue to invest in traditional, interruption marketing (think: commercials), think again. I get it Hulu Plus, you have to make money. But if I’m paying $7.99 a month to watch my favorite shows, don’t make me listen to 90 seconds of ads every 6 minutes. Also, I just told you what ad experience I’d prefer, so please don’t serve me one more insurance ad. I told you I prefer to travel and beauty.
Which brings me to data. Yep, there’s a lot of it out there. You might be surprised at how much a company knows about you, without you freely giving information away. I really enjoy working with companies who are investing in business intelligence and analytics through cloud-computing programs and open-source technologies. I recently read an article that got me thinking – you’re right, any CMO can compete for market share this day in age. In the past, it used to be that the CMO with the biggest budget won out. The old adage about working smarter, not necessarily harder comes to mind.
And finally, your customer. Your customers should be at the heart of everything you do as marketers. So many people say that, but it’s rare to find an entire organization that lives and breathes that motto. When I do find that culture, it is absolutely the kind of organization I want to align myself with. It’s not about having the coolest technology, or the best data, or even the best talent – but at the end of the day, what does your work stand for? Is the kind of work you do today in your current role with your current company, the same kind of work you’d do if you were running your own company? Do you truly have your customers best interests in mind?
Bottom line: If you’re staying up to speed with digital marketing, investing what you can in discovering new data, and focusing on your customers, you’re doing it right in my book!
