Technology has completely changed the way marketers approach their jobs. Tech tools today allow marketers to automate their processes, enhance the customer experience and pull important data from online activities. But it’s not as easy as snapping your fingers. Proper technology implementation and building strong teams are essential for marketing tech success.
Below, Mary Kirkman, Digital Marketing Director at Appian, shares her marketing tech insights.
Tell us a little about your background.
I have been in the software high-tech industry my whole career, always in a sales and marketing role. I have worn many hats from sales engineer, trainer, product management, product marketing and corporate marketing program manager. From the beginning I was involved in establishing and growing new markets, building collaborative teams and trying new approaches to solve traditional problems and meet business goals.
In today’s digital world you cannot achieve marketing success without technology. So I feel very fortunate to have begun my career in a technology framework.
What traits do you look for when hiring today?
Candidates have to understand how to use technology and interpret data and analytics. They also have to be very agile. That’s the number one word. Marketing can bring unexpected challenges and platforms. You have to be able to pivot and learn quickly.
A can-do attitude, the ability to collaborate and a willingness to jump into something new are the top three things I look for.
Implementing and running with marketing technology can be a challenge. Have you run into any barriers with marketing technology in past positions or in your current organization?
In the past I’ve worked within corporations that move all their marketing software implementations through the IT department. This can definitely cause issues, mainly because the IT department has their own set of tasks and issues to worry about and, therefore, marketing software implementation can fall by the wayside.
In my current role at Appian we don’t have this problem. We are very lucky to have a strong team of technology specialists within the marketing department itself. These team members understand how to use and integrate the tools, which means we aren’t waiting on other departments to get ourselves up and running.
Investing in in-house employee skills is a hugely important. Of course, you can always bring on a technology specialist, but growing skills from within will make you stronger.
What are your top three marketing tips for 2017?
- Leverage data analytics and account based marketing to create targeted campaigns that align with sales goals.
- Enhance the customer experience through personalization, content automation, targeted ads and messaging that resonates with the buyer persona.
- Leverage marketing technology and best practices for continuous innovation and channel expansion to deliver the brand to the global audience.
