This year’s SiriusDecisions Summit has just wrapped up in Las Vegas.  This means that come Monday morning, there will be three thousand marketers sitting down to work with inspired ideas of how to connect engagement to demand to drive exceptional results.
We thought we’d recap the major takeaways so that we can keep the momentum and inspiration going.  Here are the key takeaways we’ll be referring back to as we shape marketing plans to help our programs and our customers succeed this year.

• Account Based Marketing (ABM) Reigns Supreme

While ABM has been a part of the marketing tool set for many years, the ability to apply data-driven insights is making it even more valuable to marketers.  To be able to create a deep body of knowledge about customer needs – both present and future — using Artificial Intelligence, predictive analytics and other data-driven insights.

• Embrace Data and Technology but be Human

All the data and the latest tech will not drive success if they’re not analyzed with human insight and delivered authentically.  Jewel’s keynote address on the importance of authenticity to success set the tone for this theme and it was evident in sessions across all four days.  Lisa Nakano and Megan Heuer’s closing day keynote on engaging customers for the long haul emphasizes the importance of human interaction – including actually talking to customers (!) to verify the insight gained from data.

• Put the Customer at the Center of Every Action

While this takeaway might seem very much like Marketing 101 insight, it is always worth repeating.  Ross Graber and Marisa Kopec’s keynote presentation, “Product-to-Audience Transformation: Making It Happen,” urged the audience to turn marketing tradition on its head and focus on customer need and not “how awesome their product is.”  This keynote, along with other panel conversations gently reminded marketers that unless the product is addressing customer need success is a fluke rather than a strategy.  Breaking down big goals into smaller parts via the adopt, operationalize, and optimize framework, will help organizations succeed in taking this leap towards customer-centric marketing.

While the marketing conference scene is a little quiet over the summer, you can keep up with all the latest marketing best practices and meet some marketing superstars here each week.  Why not sign up to get stories delivered to your inbox, or follow us on Twitter.