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Executive Summary

Digital marketing transformation signifies a fundamental shift in the marketing approach of businesses, driven by the integration of digital technologies. This transformation involves redefining traditional marketing strategies and prioritizing customer-centric and data-driven practices. As businesses worldwide grapple with changing consumer behaviors and rapid technological advancements, digital marketing transformation emerges as a crucial strategic move.

The transition from traditional to digital marketing is driven by the internet's advent, the proliferation of digital devices, and the potential of digital platforms. Digital marketing enables businesses to interact at a personal level with their customers, foster brand loyalty, and offer a more targeted and personalized experience. Essential elements of digital marketing, like SEO, social media marketing, email marketing, content marketing, mobile marketing, and digital advertising, play a vital role in driving sales success.

Several businesses have seen significant results from successful digital marketing transformations. By implementing strategic initiatives, such as leveraging social media, influencer marketing, content marketing, and SEO, businesses can enhance their online presence and drive sales.

Implementation of digital marketing transformation involves establishing clear goals and objectives, understanding the target audience, choosing the right digital tools, developing a content strategy, and continually measuring and adjusting strategies. Overcoming challenges like resistance to change, lack of digital skills, or data privacy issues also forms a critical part of the process.

The future of digital marketing is expected to be shaped by emerging trends and technologies, including AI, voice search, AR/VR, data privacy, and sustainability. Businesses must adapt to these changes to remain competitive and achieve sales success.

In conclusion, digital marketing transformation presents an opportunity for businesses to stay responsive to market changes, meet customer expectations, and leverage digital technologies to boost sales. It underscores the need for continuous learning, flexibility, and a customer-centric approach to succeed in the digital marketing landscape.


Contents

  1. Introduction to Digital Marketing Transformation
    • Brief overview of the concept of digital marketing transformation
    • The correlation between digital marketing transformation and sales success
  2. Understanding Digital Marketing Transformation
    • Explanation of digital marketing transformation
    • Key components of digital marketing transformation
    • Digital tools
    • Customer experience
    • Data and analytics
  3. The Shift to Digital Marketing & Digital Selling
    • The reasons behind the shift from traditional to digital marketing
    • How digital marketing enables businesses to connect with their customers more effectively
  4. Key Elements of Digital Marketing that Boost Sales Success
    • SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
    • Social Media Marketing
    • Email Marketing
    • Content Marketing
    • Mobile Marketing
    • Digital Advertising
  5. Case Studies of Successful Digital Marketing Transformation
    • Showcase examples of businesses that transformed their digital marketing strategies and achieved significant sales success
  6. How to Implement Digital Marketing Transformation
    • Steps to transform your digital marketing strategy
    • Tips for overcoming common challenges in digital marketing transformation
  7. Changing to Concurrent Strategies
  8. Future of Digital Marketing
    • How digital marketing is expected to evolve
    • Implications for businesses and their sales strategies
  9. FAQs
  10. Conclusion
    • Recap of how digital marketing transformation leads to sales success
    • Encouragement for businesses to embrace digital marketing transformation


 

1. Introduction to Digital Marketing Transformation

Digital marketing transformation represents a fundamental shift in the business landscape, where strategies and operations are reimagined through the use of digital technologies to improve performance and reach. This transformation signifies more than just digitising existing marketing activities; it is an extensive overhaul of marketing strategies, structures, and processes. Over the past few decades, businesses have moved from traditional marketing methods towards digital platforms, reflecting changes in technology and consumer behavior.

The relationship between digital marketing transformation and sales success is deeply intertwined. Digital marketing transformation brings marketing strategies in alignment with the digital-era consumer behavior. It emphasises a customer-centric approach, personalised marketing, and continuous interaction – all made possible through digital channels. These elements help companies reach wider audiences, improve customer engagement, and generate high-quality leads, which directly impacts sales positively.

Moreover, data-driven marketing, a critical aspect of digital marketing transformation, allows for accurate targeting and personalised customer experiences. The increased precision and personalisation result in higher conversion rates and a boost in sales. Digital marketing transformation, therefore, serves as a vital pathway to sales success in today's digital age.

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2. Understanding Digital Marketing Transformation

Digital marketing transformation refers to the process of harnessing digital technologies to reimagine and enhance marketing strategies. It involves a fundamental change in a business's marketing approach, replacing traditional marketing methods with digital ones. More than just the digitisation of marketing operations, digital marketing transformation brings about an organisational shift towards a more customer-centric model that is responsive to market changes and customer behaviors in real-time.

An integral part of this transformation lies in understanding and implementing its key components: digital tools, customer experience, and data analytics.

  1. Digital Tools: These are software and platforms used in executing digital marketing strategies. They include Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, email marketing software, social media platforms, search engine optimisation (SEO) tools, and more. Digital tools can help streamline marketing processes, improve efficiency, and enable more personalised and targeted marketing campaigns.

  2. Customer Experience: The transition to digital marketing should ultimately aim to improve the customer experience. This involves creating seamless, personalised experiences across all customer touchpoints. It includes everything from the ease of website navigation, responsiveness on social media, personalised email communication, to aftersales support. With the right digital strategies in place, businesses can enhance customer experience, leading to higher customer satisfaction, loyalty, and in turn, increased sales.

  3. Data and Analytics: Digital marketing transformation allows businesses to harness the power of data and analytics. It's about capturing and analysing customer data to gain insights into customer behavior, preferences, and trends. These insights can inform marketing strategies, enabling businesses to target their customers more effectively and efficiently. Data analytics also allows businesses to measure the success of their marketing campaigns in real-time, enabling them to adapt and improve their strategies quickly.

In essence, digital marketing transformation is about leveraging digital tools, enhancing customer experience, and harnessing the power of data analytics to drive marketing success in the digital era.

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3. The Shift to Digital Marketing & Digital Selling

The shift from traditional to digital marketing has been a significant transition in the business landscape over the past few decades. This change has been driven primarily by advancements in technology, changes in consumer behavior, and the realisation of the vast potential of digital platforms.

The reasons behind this shift are multifaceted. Firstly, the advent of the internet and the proliferation of digital devices have fundamentally altered how people consume information and interact with brands. Consumers now spend a considerable amount of time online, making digital platforms an ideal place for businesses to reach out to and engage with their target audiences.

Secondly, traditional marketing methods often involve a one-sise-fits-all approach, with limited opportunities for personalisation or interaction. In contrast, digital marketing allows businesses to tailor their messages and offers to individual customers, based on their preferences and behaviors.

Finally, digital marketing offers a cost-effective and measurable way for businesses to promote their products or services. Unlike traditional marketing, where measuring the success of a campaign can be challenging, digital marketing allows for real-time tracking and analysis of campaign performance.

Digital marketing transformation has enabled businesses to connect more effectively with their customers. Through targeted ads, personalised content, and engaging social media campaigns, businesses can now interact with their customers at a personal level, build strong relationships, and foster brand loyalty. Furthermore, digital platforms provide customers with a convenient way to provide feedback and communicate with businesses, making them feel valued and heard.

In essence, the shift to digital marketing has been driven by changes in technology and consumer behavior, and its ability to connect businesses with their customers more effectively. This shift is an essential part of the broader digital marketing transformation journey.

Digital Selling Transformation is a significant subject and has been research, reviewed and structured at length within this website.  You can begin to review it for yourself here.

Digital Selling Illustration

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4. Key Elements of Digital Marketing that Boost Sales Success

Exploration of Different Technologies Driving Digital Marketing Transformation

In today's digital age, various technologies are driving digital marketing transformation. Among them, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, and Automation are playing crucial roles.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI is a technology that empowers machines to mimic human intelligence. In the context of digital marketing, AI helps to understand customer behavior and preferences, automate tasks, and provide personalised experiences. AI is used in many digital marketing applications, including chatbots, content creation, and predictive analytics.

  • Big Data: Big data refers to large volumes of structured and unstructured data that can be analysed to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, especially relating to human behavior and interactions. It provides insights that help marketers make informed decisions, understand their audience better, and optimise their marketing strategies.

  • Automation: Automation in digital marketing involves using software or other technologies to automate repetitive tasks. It helps marketers save time, increase efficiency, and improve accuracy. Examples of automation in digital marketing include email marketing, social media posting, and ad campaigns.

Digital marketing, as an encompassing domain, consists of several key elements that play significant roles in driving sales success. Leveraging these elements effectively can help businesses increase their reach, generate high-quality leads, and boost conversion rates.

  1. SEO (Search Engine Optimisation): SEO involves optimising a website so it appears higher on search engine results pages. Effective SEO strategies can significantly increase the visibility of a business online, attract more organic traffic, and ultimately lead to higher sales. It focuses on keyword optimisation, quality content creation, and building a well-structured, mobile-friendly website.

  2. Social Media Marketing: This involves using social media platforms to promote a product or service. With billions of users worldwide, social media platforms provide an excellent opportunity for businesses to reach out to a wide audience, engage with customers, and promote their offerings. Successful social media marketing can boost brand awareness, generate leads, and increase sales.

  3. Email Marketing: Despite the rise of other digital marketing channels, email marketing remains a powerful tool for reaching customers directly and personalising marketing messages. It's an effective way to nurture leads, keep customers informed about new products or offers, and drive customer loyalty and repeat purchases.

  4. Content Marketing: This involves creating and sharing valuable content to attract and engage a clearly defined audience. By providing relevant and useful content, businesses can build trust with their audience, establish themselves as industry leaders, and subtly promote their products or services.

  5. Mobile Marketing: As the number of smartphone users continues to rise, mobile marketing has become an essential component of digital marketing. This includes strategies like mobile-optimised websites, mobile apps, and SMS marketing. Effective mobile marketing can help businesses reach their customers wherever they are, providing a seamless customer experience and driving sales.

  6. Digital Advertising: This involves using digital channels to promote a business's products or services, typically through paid ads. Digital advertising can be highly targeted, ensuring that businesses reach the right audience at the right time, leading to increased sales.

By harnessing these elements of digital marketing, businesses can enhance their online presence, reach out to a larger audience, and ultimately drive sales success. It's important to note, however, that the success of these strategies depends on a deep understanding of the business's target audience and a consistent, customer-centric approach.

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5. Case Studies of Successful Digital Marketing Transformation

Analysing case studies of successful digital marketing transformations can provide businesses with valuable insights and practical strategies for their own digital marketing endeavors.

Case Studies of Successful Implementation of These Technologies in Digital Marketing

  • AI Case Studies:

    • Vanguard, one of the world's biggest investment firms, leveraged AI to personalise its ads, resulting in a 15% increase in conversion rates​1​.
    • Sleep system startup Tomorrow Sleep used AI to increase its monthly website visits by 10,000% by creating content around high-value topics and outperforming competitors​1​.
    • The American Marketing Association utilised AI to automatically write and hyper-personalise newsletters, driving thousands of additional users to the site​1​.
    • Adobe implemented an AI chatbot to guide site visitors, generating an additional $10.8 million in revenue​1​.
  • Big Data and Automation Case Studies:

    • Cosabella, a family-run lingerie company, used AI and automation to increase email open rates and conversions. Using an AI-powered platform, they automated the process of creating engaging email subject lines that led to a significant boost in engagement and revenue.

Here are two hypothetical examples:

  1. XYs Fashion Inc.: This clothing retailer transformed its digital marketing strategy by leveraging social media and influencer marketing. Recognising the growing influence of social media in the fashion industry, the company collaborated with fashion influencers to showcase its products. This strategy allowed the brand to reach a wider audience, increase brand visibility, and significantly boost online sales. Moreover, by using social media analytics, XYs Fashion Inc. was able to gain deeper insights into customer preferences, enabling them to tailor their offerings more effectively.

  2. ABC Tech Solutions: This B2B technology company found success through content marketing and SEO. With complex, niche products, ABC Tech Solutions needed to find a way to reach and educate potential customers. The company started a blog focused on explaining industry trends, offering solutions to common problems, and subtly promoting their products. Coupled with a strong SEO strategy, the blog posts began appearing in search engine results, driving significant organic traffic to the website. This strategy positioned ABC Tech Solutions as a thought leader in the industry, increased lead generation, and ultimately boosted sales.

Each of these case studies illustrates how a thoughtful and well-implemented digital marketing transformation can drive sales success. These examples show that the right digital strategies - whether social media and influencer marketing in the B2C space or content marketing and SEO in the B2B space - can significantly enhance a company's online presence and drive growth.

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6. How to Implement Digital Marketing Transformation

The successful implementation of digital marketing transformation involves several steps, each crucial for achieving the desired outcomes:

  1. Establish Clear Goals and Objectives: Before embarking on a digital marketing transformation, businesses must have a clear understanding of their goals and objectives. What do they hope to achieve? This could be increasing online sales, improving brand recognition, or improving customer engagement. Clear objectives guide the choice of digital marketing strategies and provide a benchmark for measuring success.

  2. Understand Your Audience: A deep understanding of the target audience is critical for digital marketing success. This includes knowing their preferences, online behaviors, and the digital platforms they use most often. This information helps in tailoring marketing messages and choosing the right channels for communication.

  3. Choose the Right Digital Marketing Tools: There are countless digital marketing tools available, each with its strengths and capabilities. Depending on their goals and target audience, businesses need to choose the tools that best suit their needs. This might include SEO tools, social media platforms, email marketing software, or analytics tools.

  4. Develop a Content Strategy: Content is at the heart of digital marketing. Businesses should develop a content strategy that aligns with their objectives and resonates with their target audience. This could involve creating blog posts, videos, infographics, podcasts, or social media content.

  5. Measure and Adjust: Unlike traditional marketing, digital marketing provides real-time data on campaign performance. Businesses should regularly analyse this data to understand what's working and what's not. This allows for timely adjustments to strategies, ensuring the best possible outcomes.

  6. Overcoming Challenges: Companies may face several challenges during their digital marketing transformation, like resistance to change, lack of digital skills, or data privacy issues. Acknowledging these challenges and developing plans to address them is a critical part of the transformation process.

Implementing digital marketing transformation is a journey, not a destination. It requires ongoing effort, flexibility, and a willingness to adapt to changing market trends and customer behaviours. But with the right approach and strategies, businesses can successfully navigate this transformation and achieve significant sales success.

But it doesn't stop there.  We have developed an end-to-end strategy based around digital selling and to support you and this approach, we have compiled every necessary piece of information, from articles, to videos, worksheets and checklists, everything you would need to execute digital marketing transformation in your organisation. Visit the Go Live page to review for yourself.

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7. Changing from Linear to Concurrent Strategies

Digital Marketing Transformation and Demand Generation Marketing in my opinion are not compatible which means businesses need to rethink their short and long-term sales strategies

More so now than ever before, prospects and customers have to be reached in different and more creative ways that attract, engage and educate them.  This can only be achieved by having a clear strategy and the ability to produce high quality on-line content and media that sets businesses apart from their competition.

But there is one major change; The realisation that the old way of marketing and engagement was most definitely not working.  That is to say that linear, sequential marketing campaigns do not work and take too long to identify problems.

Inevitably businesses will look different; whether that’s because staff have been shed, or because some existing customers will have gone out of business.  Either way the gaps must be filled. Everyone will need to re-evaluate and re-invigorate their businesses to recover what has been lost (referring back to 2021), but also to provide a firmer foundation for the future.

Automation & Linear Campaigns

campaign linear

When it comes to Digital Marketing Transformation is not for the faint-hearted, especilly as it has been under-performing for decades and has become the worst department within a company for staff retention.  For the past seven years, the average tenure for a Chief Marketing Officer is eighteen months - worldwide.  There are two fundamental reasons for this:

One: Marketers wanted a piece of the action and bonuses for new business generated.  Their insistence for businesses to adopt Marketing Automation provided the measurement for their demands and tracked all the necessary activity. Marketers were given KPI's and targets just like sales people. It failed.

By using marketing automation and email forms to access content (to prove marketing qualifies leads - MQL's), forced businesses to hide their content behind a 'curtain' and then pay large sums of money to Google for Pay Per Click in order to send browsers to poor landing pages to access even worse content, only to receive a cold-call as soon as the content was downloaded.  80% of browsers click away and refuse to complete an online email forms for content.  That means 80% of your peu-per-click budget was, is, a waste of money.

Marketing Automation became the modern-day substitute for cold-call door knocking to collect compliment slips with the name address, telephone number and the name of the person responsible for buying.

Two: Business have not graduated to scalable marketing and they are being kept in the 1980's methodology of one-to-one sales and marketing, i.e. linear campaign strategies, by marketing departments executing one campaign after another instead of running all necessary activities concurrently.

The result of these two factors means businesses can only scale if they take on more staff.

Statistics

The statistics speak for themselves; 20% of all businesses fail in the first year, 30% in 2nd, 50% in 3rd, 70% year 10.  this equates to 91% of all businesses fail within ten years and these figures have never changed, even with the introduction of marketing automation platforms such as Hubspot, Marketo, Pardot, Eloqua etc.

In addition, the average turnover per person, per annum is £80k (up to £1m) to £168k (up to £10m), which has been the xcase for the past ten years, proving that all the tech in the world does not make anyone more profitable - if it's not used properly.   

Is Investment the Answer?

Not necessarily.  There is a school of thought that many businesses attempt to obtain investment to grow their businesses and end up simply growing the problem because of maintaining a one-to-one selling approach. 

Furthermore, the failure rates for investment backed businesses are just as dire.  40% fail altogether.  75% never achieve their forecast targets.  95% never provide an ROI for the investors.

In simple terms; it's best to talk and ecide the best course of action.

Concurrent Campaigns

campaign concurrent

A concurrent campign strategy means that you recognise it is necessary to create articles, video, podcasts, downloads and live streams to accommodate all personas, tastes and preferences.

Rather than budget for all of these strategies and tactics to be attempted over the course of a year or so, you condense the preparation and execute them all at once enabling your team to analyse, enhance or delete content depending on how well it performs, as you would a sales person. 

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8. Future of Digital Marketing

The future of digital marketing is expected to be shaped by several emerging trends and technologies. Understanding these developments can help businesses stay ahead of the curve and leverage new opportunities for sales success.

  1. Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI has already begun transforming digital marketing, and its influence is set to grow even further. AI can automate marketing tasks, analyse large volumes of data for actionable insights, personalise customer experiences, and much more. For instance, AI-powered chatbots can enhance customer service, while AI-driven analytics can optimise marketing campaigns for better results.

  2. Voice Search and Conversational Marketing: As more consumers use voice-activated devices like Amason Echo or Google Home, businesses need to optimise their marketing strategies for voice search. Conversational marketing, involving real-time, one-to-one connections between marketers and customers, will also gain traction.

  3. Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR): AR and VR can offer immersive experiences that drive engagement and enhance customer experience. From virtual store tours to AR-enabled product trials, these technologies can revolutionise the way businesses market their products.

  4. Data Privacy and Security: With growing concerns about data privacy and tighter regulations, businesses need to prioritise data security in their digital marketing strategies. They must ensure transparency in data collection and use, and protect customer data from breaches.

  5. Sustainability and Social Responsibility: Consumers are increasingly expecting businesses to be socially responsible and sustainable. Companies need to reflect these values in their digital marketing campaigns to resonate with their audience and build a strong brand reputation.

Adapting to these changes will be vital for businesses to stay competitive and achieve sales success in the future digital marketing landscape. It underscores the need for continuous learning, flexibility, and a customer-centric approach in digital marketing strategies.

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9. FAQs

What is digital marketing transformation?

Digital marketing transformation is the process of redefining and enhancing a business's marketing strategies through the integration of digital technologies. It involves not only the digitisation of marketing activities but also a fundamental change in a business's marketing approach, focusing on customer-centric practices and data-driven decision-making.

Why is digital marketing transformation important for businesses?

Digital marketing transformation is crucial as it helps businesses adapt to changing consumer behaviors and technological advancements. It allows businesses to reach a wider audience, engage customers more effectively, and generate insights from data to inform their marketing strategies. By doing so, digital marketing transformation can enhance brand visibility, improve customer experience, and ultimately boost sales.

What are the key components of digital marketing transformation?

The key components of digital marketing transformation include digital tools, such as social media platforms and analytics software, that streamline marketing processes; enhanced customer experience across all digital touchpoints; and data analytics that provide insights into customer behavior, campaign performance, and market trends.

How does digital marketing transformation impact sales?

Digital marketing transformation can lead to increased sales by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of marketing campaigns. It allows businesses to reach their target audience more accurately, engage them effectively, and nurture leads through personalised marketing. It also provides valuable insights that can help businesses tailor their products and services to meet customer needs, ultimately leading to higher conversion rates and sales.

What are some challenges businesses might face during digital marketing transformation?

Businesses might face several challenges during digital marketing transformation, including resistance to change, lack of digital skills, or data privacy issues. Successful transformation requires a clear strategy, continuous learning, and a willingness to adapt to new technologies and market trends.

What role does data play in digital marketing transformation?

Data plays a crucial role in digital marketing transformation. It provides insights into customer behavior, market trends, and campaign performance, informing decision-making and strategy development. Data-driven marketing allows businesses to personalise customer experiences, target their audience more accurately, and measure the success of their marketing efforts.

How can businesses successfully implement digital marketing transformation?

Successful implementation of digital marketing transformation involves establishing clear goals, understanding the target audience, choosing the right digital tools, developing a content strategy, and regularly measuring and adjusting marketing efforts. It also requires addressing any challenges that arise during the transformation process.

What is the future of digital marketing?

The future of digital marketing is expected to be shaped by several trends, including the growing use of artificial intelligence, voice search, augmented and virtual reality, and a focus on data privacy and sustainability. Businesses that stay abreast of these trends and adapt their digital marketing strategies accordingly will be best positioned for future success.

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10. Conclusion

Digital marketing transformation is no longer optional in today's business environment. It is a critical strategic move that businesses must embrace to stay competitive, reach their customers where they are, and ultimately achieve sales success. While this transformation comes with its challenges, the potential benefits far outweigh them.

From enhancing customer experiences to harnessing the power of data analytics, the key components of digital marketing transformation offer businesses numerous opportunities to boost sales. And as seen in the case studies, regardless of the industry or sise, businesses can successfully navigate this transformation and achieve impressive results.

As we move into the future, digital marketing will continue to evolve, shaped by trends like AI, voice search, AR/VR, data privacy, and sustainability. Businesses that adapt to these changes and continuously refine their digital marketing strategies will be best positioned to succeed.

Ultimately, digital marketing transformation is about staying responsive to market changes, meeting customer expectations, and leveraging digital technologies to boost sales. With the right strategies, businesses can turn this transformation into a rewarding journey of growth and success.

Go to our Digital Selling pages to see how you can change the way you work and scale up your business.

26 March 2024

How to Master B2B Growth using Digital Selling Techniques

Learn what to do next when it comes to writing more business.  Don't forget to pass it on!

Author

The author and founder of salesXchange, Nigel Maine is a B2B marketing and sales expert with a proven track record in scaling up growth for Technology, SaaS, and Professional Services organisations. With 30 years hands-on experience and unique approach, Nigel has developed an effective strategy that dramatically increases exposure and profitability for B2B organizations.

Nigel has founded multiple start-ups, is a published author, public speaker and hosts both a podcast and business live streaming show, broadcast on LinkedIn Live, YouTube & Facebook. He also has extensive knowledge of MarTech software, creative hardware and software, and A.I. prompting tools.  Contact: 0800 970 9751 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Video Transcript

And the first impression a prospect gets is the salesperson's bedroom wardrobes or their kids’ doing handstands. It's pretty easy for marketing people to say, Let's start doing loads of emails to get back on top. But that's what everybody else is doing and going to do because they don't actually understand that there's always been a problem with marketing, and it was there before all this lockdown kicked off.

So, if your marketing department or marketing team or agency haven't come up with a plan yet or if they have, either way, you really need to watch the rest of this video to consider your options and compare the two suggestions as in theirs and ours. And that's what this video is about. We both know marketing wasn't working properly before and it wasn't delivering the results and it's certainly not going to change now.

Far from it. What I'm going to cover initially is a bit about why B2B marketing has been failing for decades and bringing us up to date with the 2020 lockdown and what you need to do now to protect your business. I'll also touch on the numbers and how making a change now will have a positive effect on your cash flow.

Your P&L and future income and finally, I'll have a chat about what technology you can use and how you can get the ball rolling to sustain you and your business. So, you could say kind of the pre pre-lockdown marketing, if you want to call it that. But as a director you have to know why B2B marketing has been so bad.

So, if we take a quick look at what's behind all this. Now, I've spent years in sales and marketing, and I've done some very specific research and we've identified that most businesses have been selling the same way since the 1950s. And by that, I mean lead generation was done by a salesperson who sniffed out a prospect. They call to make an appointment.

They presented a case for the product, they did the demonstration, they closed the deal, and they went back to the office. And rang the bell, you know, kind of happy days. And if any marketing was done, it was it could say display adverts or coupons or special offers that forced a prospect to call the company. Now, marketing and lead gen is done by trying to tempt or force a business to give you their email address in return for some desired online hidden content that was behind a curtain.

If they take the bait, salespeople use LinkedIn to find the contact details and called them up pleading for an appointment. And we both know the success rates of that are virtually zero because the response you normally get and it's what we would say ourselves is you talking about I was only looking at the issue or the problem is 60 to 70% of the sale is done without you or I even knowing the prospects or not even knowing who the prospects are or what the prospects are doing, because what their activities is that they're researching them at the end of the day and investigating online what they can do with your type of equipment

or software or service before they even look at your particular website or contact you. And the reason this has been happening for so long, unfortunately, is the fault of marketing directors or chief marketing officers, telling managing directors, well, that's how it's always been done. It's always been done this way. But if you have a look for the past five years or so, according to the press chief marketing officers and senior marketing personnel, I've only held onto their job for 18 months before they're fired or moved on.

This and businesses like yours never get to see. And the reason the reason I'm saying this is, is it happens because businesses like yours don't get to see the new business needle move and the CMO goes kind of naturally failed to warrant their high salaries so they get kicked out You think right over they let go and find someone else and they come in and tell you a good story.

You think, okay, well, great. Well, we'll speak to that name. And so it continues. And I would probably say that the I think the reason it continues is because the new people that come in, they also keep marketing like it's the 1950s and try to convince people to download something or other so marketing can get their email out in an attempt to contribute to making an appointment.

I like I wrote an in-depth article about this about consultants and CMO in 2020, which you can find on our blog. It also provides a completely redefined organizational structure. I'd say it's definitely worth a read. I also think it's the real objective of digital transformation, but you have to get a handle on this before you move forward, before you do anything.

Otherwise, you're just going to go from the frying pan into the fire. So today, right now, we've got two problems. Apart from the lockdown. This there's two problems in terms of our businesses. And the first is keeping rather the two problems to keeping in contact with existing customers and then making contact with new ones. So, keeping in contact means you have to have a useful and informative website using webchat frequently.

You know, if I queue pages quick responses to emails when people do contact you, you also have to maintain a social presence. But we're not talking about posting every 5 minutes, but just showing that you're connected and visible on certain platforms. You've then got to exploit video, I mean in all its forms, as well as recording podcasts and creating properly structured articles and blogs.

And the reason for all this is that neither you nor I can second guess the kind of format someone wants to consume information. So as business owners, we've actually got no choice. Now, all of these content avenues are activities are to help inform and educate and demonstrate genuine transparency and that you are a great company to be connected with no matter who or where they are.

So when you look at making contact with new customers, businesses have to be attracted or rather businesses have to be attractive. You have to be attractive, and you have to draw prospects to you. And how do you do that? Well, I could just sit by doing all the things I just mentioned that make your existing customers want to keep in contact with you in the first place.

I suppose there has to be the money shot and if you if you want to call it that. So, before I go any further, you've got to do the maths, you've absolutely got to do the maths. Salespeople are going to hate me for this, but the fact is they're already getting furloughed like so many other people and hopefully it won't end up becoming a long-term termination.

And everybody blames the government. But by adopting these strategies, you'll be able to reduce the number of salespeople. Perhaps you can redeploy them and actually get to the point where you're only connecting with people who are genuinely interested in buying from me. So, if you get your content right, it works for you. 24 seven It doesn't get paid commission; it never asks for a raise.

There's no car, there's no expenses, and the list goes on. The bottom line, your content plays into that silent conversation that you're not involved in. And as a look prep work by attracting you inquiries, that's the 60 to 70% you're not you're not speaking to at that time. So the short and long term cost savings are really significant, especially as most businesses are unable to break that ceiling of generating more than about, £100-£150 grand per person per annum.

And that's why so many businesses are failing right now because they can't continue for more than a few days or weeks before everyone gets let go. So give me to give you a comparison. Apple has or perhaps had a turnover per person per annum of 2 million. Google was 1.1 million, Amazon's 290 grand, but they've got 700 to 800,000 people working for them.

And then there’s a camera, a camera accessory camera bag manufacturer called Peak Design. And they've got a turnover of like 1.4 million per person per annum and they've only got about 40 staff. So, I suppose the way to present this is, if you like what I've been saying, you might be encouraged to talk to us about doing something.

You know, maybe some of the work or all of your marketing work, who knows? But if you're like me, you research everything we've got on our website and pretty much do everything yourself. Why shouldn't you? You've been in business long enough. And that's the point. That's why we've spent so much time developing agents, developing agents, developing sales exchange and building a community of leaders who can weather storms like this and keep their businesses afloat.

And the reason being is all because of the flow of valuable information with you not being reliant on the old fashioned marketing techniques that have been failing businesses for decades now. So whether you do everything yourself or you talk to us, I really urge you to keep listening just for the next few minutes. As I explained what we would do for you over the next few weeks or months.

So firstly, I'm going to make a few practical assumptions. In the first instance, you're connected to the technology industry in some way, shape or form. Secondly, your business has been affected by this 2020 lockdown and pandemic. And thirdly, it's on you mind your business and marketing and so on is on your mind. And you may have to be forced or you may be forced to actually review it.

Now, I've already mentioned a variety of practical points that explain why there's such a problem in marketing. So that's why I've got to tell you. So who are we? You know, what are we about? So exchanges is a B2B marketing consulting agency that uses video podcasts and article marketing in-house. So basically we practice what we preach. I mean, if you take a look at any number of marketing businesses just online and see for yourself how many actually use video and podcasting in-house for their own business, they might be recommending you go and do it, but see how many actually practice what they preach.

Now, in addition, we're building a business community to help organizations like like yours connect with a marketing company like ours that actively encourages businesses like yours to do your marketing in-house. And if you don't want to or can't do some or all of the work yourself, look, here we are. You know, we're on we're on hand, we're online, and we can do it for you, and that's fine.

But after 30 years of solving business, I know there are people who are like me and we'll get on with it and do it themselves. And that's why we developed the first part of this process called Social three, three, four as a starting point and provided all of the information you need downloadable from our website and without you having to give us your email address.

And there's a specific point for that, which I'm probably you probably guessed already. Then there's also the people, I guess, or I hope, who will like me and ask me an exchange to get involved with their business. So whatever you choose to do, I suppose the best way of putting it this, this would be our approach. And bearing in mind in marketing, there are a lot of moving parts to keep an eye on.

And so each year it's not so much taking it with a pinch of salt, but you you have to bear in mind it's a bit like a conductor in an orchestra. So firstly, in this present situation, working with you, we would operate as a virtual marketing director and to do that, I'll go over to my screen, I'll show you some, some of the stuff that we've got on online, on screen and so on.

And so initially we have, I suppose I suppose we're going to have to talk. We can't just do this by email. And basically what we would say is we talk and have dialog and will prepare a marketing plan that you and other people in your organization agree on and and to develop that plan and execute it, we would connect with and work with your staff and it would do that over Zoom or Skype or YouTube live or whatever.

So if we start with articles and that that type of content, first we'll review and write articles based upon Google's recommended structure, and it's called schema, but it's a schema layout. So it'll appear on page one of all the relevant searches. But don't get too hung up on the SEO. You're probably, I guess, in a niche market and so there'll be very little search for you.

But it's the it's the Google logic per se behind the structure and the way that you need to structure your articles. And it's extremely sound and it works. I mean, we've got a separate article about that, about SEO and how your your content needs to look again, and that's on our website. If you want to take a look.

So when it comes to videos, what we would do, we would prepare the scripts, prepare the screen direction and create the content for the videos if need be. I mean, the videos at the end of the day, they need to help your viewers and not be about the company per say. I mean, you're your customers and clients want to experience and see your transparency and honesty and commitment towards them.

And they I mean, the videos need to be about your customers, how you can help them and what you can do for them. So once you get thinking about this, it is an easier the process becomes easier to come up with all the different titles and so on. And if you haven't got any in terms of images for, for the equipment you've got or product photos and so on, we'll sort them out as well and do the product shots for you as well.

So even if it means doing green screen and inserting images, if your offices in the background will take care of that as well as I've got some examples here that we've some of the stuff we've done. So you get an idea for this. This is not I say it's not complicated. You just know how to do it. And and one of the processes that will come onto that later about training your guys to do it, moving on to podcasts will produce and record the podcasts that can just for the moment include you dialing into our system and we'll add it to them and upload them to Spotify and Apple and so on.

So the podcasts need to kind of be a part entertaining and engaging and so on, but this can easily be done and achieved by having more than one person hosting and interviewing other people. Again, I mean, it's about corralling different people to do different podcasts, and it just keeps the content fresh and interesting. I mean, there are various ways we can arrange this, even if it means shipping some new podcast equipment or platform to your staff, and we'll talk them through the set up and so on.

And this is we use a broadcast approach which is a a blinding piece of equipment. It's pretty straightforward to use. And one of the key things like we've got here is just having decent microphones. But is something that will go through with it with you as well. There's another thing called an A10 Mini, and it's made by kind of black magic.

And what it is is probably the best piece of kit you can get because it's called a switcher and it enables you to look at one camera and then another and then a computer screen. And I mean, all in all, it helps to better structure better trained staff to use this new technology over video conferencing. But this kit also enables you to connect multiple cameras and feed them into a Zoom call or a Skype call and pretty much help you nail every presentation you do compared to your competition.

Now, in terms of our our own website, I mean, we've got we've got articles and blogs and videos and downloads and, you know, a raft of things there for you to look at. But we'll review your existing assets, your website, your design, the brochures, articles, all that kind of thing. And I think part and parcel of it is to review your customers experience as a user experience.

And if you look at this, some diagrams that we've got on our site here, if I show you this particular page and it shows the customer's journey and how you can edit and adapt your customers journey for them to experience your your set up better if you if you see what I mean. Then finally we're looking at reviewing digital selling.

So I'm not talking about e-commerce. Now. What I mean by digital selling is to is for you to help develop your infrastructure to enable you to communicate, demonstrate right and present in the most professional way possible with the least amount of effort or expense. Now, without going into all the detail, I'm suggesting that you set up a multi camera video mini studio actually like an in your at your offices to be able to stream over Skype or Zoom or on 20 for a WebEx, whatever, whatever you're used to using or if not get one of them in, which means your demonstrations and meetings and presentations will look spectacular.

Then you can use the same kit for streaming live over LinkedIn, live YouTube live or Facebook live. So whether you use it for life, live streaming or record, it is up to you. And on top of that, the same kit can be used to create video content which can be edited and polished with, you know, putting dubbing music over it and and titles and so on.

And finally, you'd use the same kit to take in house photos and headshots and so on. But it's only one thing before you think that there's loads of expense and time, you have to kind of marry all of this up with the way that the way that I suppose work and commerce is changing. I said it does take a long time is the editing but if you use the switcher to life and you can deliver a genuine presentation and record it direct to your laptop open, it's been done uploaded to YouTube.

I mean, there's much less work involved. It's just a better set up. But we can do that over and over, over a video conferencing. But at the end of the day, as long as you've got some cameras and you can you can you can spend thousands of pounds on cameras or not, as long as they've got HDMI cables, connections for them, you're away can use it.

So there's another part to this. If you've got iPads, there's some pretty cheap telly prompting and systems and solutions that you can use. I mean, I'm using my iPad for it now, so, so at the end of the day to not to put too fine a point on this, but changing the way you're able to communicate and engage with your customers online, have a three fold effect.

Firstly, you will elevate your business above the competition from a at a a professionalism perspective. And secondly, you will exponentially increase your reach and accessibility. And thirdly, I mean, at the end of the day, you'll dramatically reduce your costs in terms of sales staff will be the of business development reps and travel costs and so on. That's all I'm suggesting is that you review the future of your business and get a new sales and marketing strategy in place as soon as possible.

I mean, your business and your future actually depends on it. As I mentioned before, you've got to do the maths. I mean, this approach will increase your bottom line quicker than any other method or approach that you've ever attempted in the past. I mean, the next step is up to you. Like I said, you can check us out by looking at our website, our articles, our videos, our podcast downloads.

You can also see how we're set up and how we approach helping businesses like yours. So if you're compelled to do this all yourself, great. I really hope I've given you the necessary encouragement to jump in and come and do it. If not, you can contact us and we'll get on to it right away. So there's one final thing just before I finish.

I just want to tell you about something that we've set up called It's a syndicates program. Now. This is where we bring together five businesses who sell to the same audience but don't compete with each other. So what we do, if you're interested and have a lot, have a look at it. The way it works is we do the matchmaking, so we bring the businesses together and once everyone's met, probably on a conference call and if you're up for it, we build a group website and do all the marketing to each other's customers within the group.

All five businesses share the costs and you get to increase your reach by about 400% virtually overnight. I mean, it's seriously a great way of finding new business. And by direct introductions, you get to keep your annual costs to it and your marketing costs to an absolute minimum. Take a look on our website for for a bit more information and let us know if you want to put your name down as being interested.

I mean, that's just where it starts. And then we'll we'll be in touch and we'll see how it goes on from there. But but that's it. That's it from me for now. I hope all of this made sense. And if you'd like to have a chat about how you can redevelop your marketing and as I said, you need to be able to weather this storm.

Our contact numbers are on the screen now and they're on our website. And that just leaves me to say all the best for the future. But for now.