To win within the overly saturated space, you need to believe in your product, stop bragging about how great it is, and, instead, show it!
MEDIA 7: What inspired you to move from digital marketing to demand generation?
ADRIANNA MOSAKOWSKA: I never liked to limit myself to one task or area. I enjoyed supporting and collaborating with other teams (product, sales, content, social, etc.) and always looked for ways to optimize or utilize resources within marketing. My transition to demand generation came quite naturally. My line manager at that time saw my strengths and allowed me to manage demand generation within the company.
I love demand generation because its activities take place across multiple channels, like social media, content creation from videos to blogs, PPC ads, and other social media activities. Demand generation is often mistaken with lead generation. While it still focuses on lead gen, it also plays a massive role in building awareness for both the pain point of the potential client and providing a solution to them.
M7: What is the process of demand generation at SoapBox Labs? How do you train your team to offer the software engagingly?
AM: Outbound marketing (ABM), focusing on creating owned media, and engaging with industry happenings/communities are the essential parts of our demand generation strategy. I am lucky to work with a highly talented team supporting our demand generation activities with solid and engaging content. We focus a lot on the language we use in our comms; we try to listen to customers and prospects and communicate accordingly. Since we are operating in a new niche market, many people are still unaware of the correct technical terminology.
M7: Your target audience might be parents of the speech recognition software. What channels do you find the most promising for spreading awareness?
AM: We target the B2B sector (EdTech companies, innovative toy producers, and app developers). As you can imagine, brand, credibility and thought leadership play a huge role in our sector. Hence, comms activities such as interviews, speaking at industry conferences, webinars, and publishing blogs are important to us. Additionally, we emphasize ABM campaigns, social media presence (especially on LinkedIn and Twitter), and engaging on various portals.
We, as marketers, need to take advantage of the shift towards online advertising and the data that is available to us.
M7: What is your marketing mantra to stand out in an overly saturated MarTech space?
AM: Measure and track everything. I am a strategic person, so if I can’t measure the performance of activities/campaigns, I am reluctant to put a budget behind it, even when it comes to events or offline activities. I would keep a close eye on website traffic and organic/direct searches and which geolocation they came from, so I can tie it back to offline campaigns that were taking place.
Also, I am a big fan of showing rather than telling. To win within the overly saturated space, you need to believe in your product, stop bragging about how great it is, and, instead, show it! Show prospects real examples. Show that you know what their pain points are and that you have a way to solve them. Let them feel heard.
M7: What do you believe are the top three marketing challenges in the post COVID-19 era?
AM: The post-Covid-19 challenges will vary from industry to industry. However, I believe that it will change some of the activities of the event forever. Speaking at conferences and attending events and tradeshows were a massive part of many marketing budgets and activities pre COVID-19. Over A year ago, it was all moved online, resulting in many budget cuts for this activity for the next year or two.
It will take some time for mass events and tradeshows to return, but in some cases, like conferences, they might remain online. I recently attended an AdWorld conference, which was hosted entirely online. It was a massive event! If you think about it, as much as I love attending those types of events in person, the flexibility online gives you means that you can save time traveling and watch recordings at your own pace. From an organizational point of view, it is easier to get speakers aligned as some talks could be pre-recorded, and you save costs by not having to rent a venue, etc. Ultimately, it will challenge us to come up with new ways of networking. Nevertheless, the shift to a digital strategy and optimizing it will be more prominent now than ever before.
Clients’ expectations regarding brand experience is another shift we’re experiencing — UX, support, onboarding, you name it. Since everything moved online, people demand an easy and smooth process of handling things. Not to forget about emerging trends around health and safety or supporting more significant causes around social and global movements. It will differentiate a brand experience. How a brand reacts to these new consumer demands could make or break it, especially in the B2C sector.
Lastly, another big marketing challenge is uncertainty. I believe the pandemic changed how we act. Many small businesses and people will be extra cautious when committing to long-term contracts and subscriptions with tight terms & conditions. They will ask for proof (this is when testimonials and use cases come in). I think this challenge will be noticed in many SaaS and subscription-based companies. The fear of “shutting down” will remain within our society for some time — not to mention the financial losses many have suffered, which will affect buyers' spending. Many purchases and decisions will be thought through with less impulsive reactions. As a result, the sales cycle will be extended, and moving leads down the funnel will require far more effort and patience.
Dedicate time to figure out what your values are and what your mission is. Don’t be afraid to turn down offers that don’t feel right.
M7: What major marketing and advertising tactics do you implement to drive more buyer traffic to your site for demand generation?
AM: Testing, analyzing, and optimizing! We, as marketers, need to take advantage of the shift towards online advertising and the data that is available to us. The main areas that I have leveraged to increase our website traffic were: SEO, which had a direct impact on organic traffic (+74% in Q1); Social Media (+152%); and Email marketing (+172%). Let’s take social media, for example. Each platform is different and has a diverse audience. Therefore, we need to tailor messages and target the right group of people. We have tested several ad sets, different CTA’s, various types of content and messages, and diverse audiences. With each campaign, I looked at the traffic insights — what was the average time spent? How many pages did they engage with? What was the bounce rate? Based on those analytics, we were able to distinguish objectives and the types of messages that work the best for each platform. The same applies to AdWords: read the data it gives you, the search trends, monthly impressions, etc.; use the language your target audience uses to search for products and services; analyze keyword gaps between your competitors, and add negative keywords to block irrelevant traffic.
M7: Words of wisdom for young women aspiring to become a marketing professional?
AM: Dedicate time to figure out what your values are and what your mission is. I am a true believer that defining your core values will direct you in setting the right goals and choosing the right career path. The values and mission of the company you decide to work for should align with your own. Don’t be afraid to turn down offers that don’t feel right. From my personal experience, I can tell you that sometimes taking a step back will move you forward quicker than you think. Lastly, but certainly not less important, never stop educating yourself. Learn, adapt to new trends, test new tactics, and network. Don’t wait for opportunities — create them!