This post is based on a podcast with Sruthi Kumar. If you’d like to listen to more #FlipMyFunnel Podcast episodes, you can check them out here and listen to this episode below!
Every month we’re pelted with 600,000 brand impressions. Does that make you feel exhausted? Me too.
As consumers, we’re constantly bombarded with brands trying to get our attention.
And as marketers, were constantly fighting to get the attention of our customers. We’ve sent the automated emails. We’ve maximized our presence on social media. Our digital strategies are flawless. But it’s still hard to break through the digital noise.
So, what if we tried something different? What if we stopped trying to break through the digital noise, and just tried to make a connection?
Sruthi Kumar works for a company that’s all about making connections. Not on LinkedIn or any other digital platform. They’re focused on helping us make real life connections with our customers
Sruthi works for Sendoso is the world’s first ever sending platform. Want to send a Brave’s jersey to a prospect who’s a big fan? They’ll help you do it. And they’ve had success helping SDRs and others break through the noise by creating real connections. We interviewed Sruthi who shared some great thoughts about how to break through the digital noise as a marketer.
Here’s what we’re unpacking today:
- Marketing is more than arts and crafts
- You can make magic when you have your baseline tools in place
- Specific ways you can break through the digital noise
- Timing is everything
Here’s what she had to say.
More than arts and crafts:
The first year that Sruthi worked for Sendoso, a newer company at the time, her marketing objectives were to create content, to create brand awareness, and ensure the brand stood out from competitors.
Now, her department is shifting to become a more revenue-driven organization. And that’s changed everything … for the better.
Their goals have totally shifted. Instead of trying to tackle every project that’s thrown their way, Sruthi’s team is very thoughtful about what they’re doing. When looking at a potential project, they consider a lot of factors: Where does this project fit in the funnel? Is it going to help up increase pipe? Is it going to help us get more leads and hand off good leads to sales?
Aligning your marketing goals to revenue has a lot of benefits. You’re more thoughtful. You make better decisions. And you learn to say “no.”
And perhaps one of the biggest changes occurs in the way other internal departments view your team. When you’re aligned to revenue, suddenly marketing isn’t just the arts and crafts center anymore. You’re seen as a revenue center. You’re adding to the pipe, adding to all the closed deals. You’re part of the revenue team.
Plus, if you’re aligned to revenue, you can make the case for any tool that you want to have. And that’s crucial if you’re going to break through the noise.
Getting to the place where you can make magic:
Every marketing department has a baseline set of tools.
You’ve got your marketing automation, your CRM, etc. Once those tools are set, the rest of it can be very magical. Look at all of the tools available in today’s market. Look at everything that is in the martech space now.
You have the opportunity to create a set of tools personalized to your department, to your unique goals.
None of us are just trying to create campaigns that are super loud and bring in all the leads — that doesn’t matter anymore. We’re trying to create something super magical for a very specific set of people or maybe just one person.
With the tools out there today, you can create an experience for your customers that’s more than personalized. You can create any type of custom experience that you want.
And that’s one way to break through the digital noise and create a real connection.
Breaking through the digital noise:
We’ve already talked about a couple of ways to break through the noise.
You can send gifts to your clients. Or you can create custom experiences for them.
Either way, the goal is to make a real connection.
Even in today’s digitally saturated world, there are still quite a few other ways you can achieve this connection.
Consider live events and direct mail. Basically anything that gives you the physical aspect of connecting with someone. Leverage those opportunities every chance you get.
Whatever you do, think the fact that you’re engaging with real people…not just accounts.
Get your timing right:
If you’re going to go through the effort of making a connection with your customer, here’s the key:
Understand your buyer’s journey.
Thinking about the timing. If you’re sending a gift, think about who you are sending it to. Why are you sending it in that moment?
Sit down with your sales team, or anyone who’s part of the revenue team, and figure out where people are getting stuck along their journey. What are those moments that you can pivot someone?
Those are the moments where you send something to make that connection. That’s when you can get their attention.
So, even though the world is digitally saturated, you can still make great connections. Even better, you can take the opportunity to make some magic.
