The explosion of technology has impacted the way marketers validate and move prospective customers through the pipeline. As technology evolves, so do marketing strategies.
During their keynote session at the B2B Content2Conversion Conference, Impact Over Activity: Why Experimentation is the New Imperative for Scientific Marketers, SiriusDecisions‘ Carrie Rediker and Brad Gillespie explained how marketers should approach the evaluation and use of technology.
“We have to be purposeful with how to use technology the right way,” Rediker said. She added that marketers are sometimes distracted by “shiny new toy syndrome” with emerging technology and tend to forget to step back and “ask the tough questions that relate to their business.”
When it comes to tools and technology, marketers should focus on desired business outcomes, according to Gillespie. “Define purpose as a target, [then define] the precise application of technology as a means of enabling and accelerating those outcomes.”
When evaluating technology, marketers should ask:
- What information is needed to support decision-making and drive desired outcomes?
- Which processes and technologies must be integrated to transform information into insight?
- How do you interpret and apply those insights into specific actions?
- What was the impact of these efforts to scale business results?
“We all have to be willing to create a culture and environment in our organization where people are comfortable asking questions and taking chances,” said Rediker.
She concluded that marketers would be wise to “find the right balance of traditional creative aspects of the marketing profession and balance it with the scientific side to become more scientific marketers. Start asking the tough questions and focus on impact over activity.”
