What are today’s expectations from a modern marketer?
Marketing is witnessing a tectonic shift and has entered the age of the empowered and informed customer who is at the center of every marketing decision. The rise of consumerism has given the consumer a plethora of choices across brands that influence his buying decision. Be it automobile or electronics, IT or clothing, the Indian consumer is spoilt for choice ably aided by technology and social media which is used to share both positive and negative experiences. This shift in power “to” the consumer is forcing brands and marketers to take note of consumer sentiments. The rise of digital/online media has resulted in consumer fragmentation making it challenging to retain consumers. Availability of a plethora of screens has added to the complexity because what works for the desktop is definitely not good for mobile.
Given the above paradigm shifts marketers today face the complex job of:
- Balancing the act of targeting digital immigrants while appealing to digital natives
- Reaching out to prospects and customers cost-efficiently albeit the media fragmentation
- Building a 24×7, always-on brand given the power of digital
- Constructing a marketing function that is led by digital evangelists with the ability to build omnichannel journeys, digital-first content, understand personas and customer journey
To be successful in this age of change, modern marketeers must not only keep the customer at the centre of what they do but also evolve along with this customer and his needs.
What are the top 3 things marketers must do for increasing revenue?
Content: The old adage ‘Content is king’ is relevant today than ever before. It influences the business of brands in myriad ways be it impacting your SEO efforts or projecting your business & brands in a positive manner and also has the power to attract new leads. I want to emphasize that 57% of the buying decision is completed before potential customers are willing to talk to a sales representative.
Leverage AdTech and MarTech: Given the fragmentation of media marketers should leverage AdTech and MarTech to reach the right audience, at the right place and time, and with the right message.
UX: If marketing is limited to the domain of “advertising,” it will never be effective. Marketing should help build, reinforce and enhance differentiated experiences that resonate with customers. This will help drive their predisposition to buy the brand and pay a premium for it. UX, therefore, is about two things – the User and the Experience. Give your users a positive experience and they will reward you with their trust and their business.
Marketing tool that you suggest for improving profitability?
There is no one tool that can be a magic wand. I would like to think of it as a marketing technology stack or marketing cloud that has all the necessary ingredients.
There is no denying that in today’s customer-driven economy organizations must move from product-based campaign marketing to a customer-based relationship approach. This is a strategy that includes multi-channel relationship programs so that you get both business value and customer experiences on a scale not seen otherwise.
Your Secret sauce for magical customer experience?
According to Gartner, by 2017, 89% of marketers expect customer experience to be their primary differentiator. So it is important to adopt best practices that help create truly unique experiences for lasting customer relationships.
My secret sauce would be to harness the power of Customer Intelligence and Big Data and use it as the fulcrum of my customer experience strategy.
Profile:
Nand Kishore Badami is Chief Marketing Officer at Cisco for the India and SAARC regions. As Chief Marketing Officer, Kishore’s mandate at Cisco includes strategic marketing aligned to Cisco India’s business plans. He has functional responsibility for market management in all segments and lines of businesses, including thought leadership, digital marketing, business analytics, partner marketing, events and solution launches. Additionally, Kishore will focus on demand generation programs to accelerate Cisco’s position in the India and SAARC market.
Kishore is an IT industry veteran with over 27 years of experience, having worked in various organizations, both in India and abroad. In the past, Kishore has held senior positions with leading IT organizations including HCL Infosystems, Tally Solutions and Citrix Systems. Prior to joining Cisco, he was vice-president of global marketing with Netmagic Solutions.
Kishore holds a bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Bangalore University and a Diploma in Management from Indira Gandhi National Open University. He is also a post graduate in marketing management from IGNOU.
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