Delivering Measurable, Meaningful Marketing Outcomes

I recently had the opportunity to speak at the CMO Leadership Forum in NY. I, along with CMOs from Prudential, Sharp Electronics, and Laureate Education, served on a panel entitled “Perspectives on Digital Marketing.” As I spoke about the future of digital marketing, I shared three keys to success in the year ahead, as summarized below:

Redefine your digital efforts in the context of “Path-to-Purchase.”

Build well-articulated, tightly-constructed paths-to-purchase for each of your target buying segments. This means understanding the path each of these segments is looking to take, from initial impression of the brand all the way through to the purchase of a product or a service.

Invest in the “Datarazzi”

Google spoke recently about the importance of the “datarazzi” – those data gurus that top performing marketing organizations rely on to make quick, high-impact, and well-calculated decisions for the business. Don’t underestimate the critical role these folks play in in analyzing and refining your digital efforts. Leverage insights uncovered from each stage of the purchase path to lift conversion rates across-the-board.

Focus on Outcomes

It seems so simple, and yet few organizations build digital strategies around the concept of measurable, meaningful outcomes. Take ownership for driving quantifiable sales and customer growth through your digital efforts. Then measure, report, and evaluate the actual sales volume or revenue you generate. By focusing on specific outcomes from the start – and holding yourself accountable to them throughout the process – you’ll find clarity in decision-making at each stage of the game.

I also spoke about the role of the closed loop – a concept that’s often discussed, but less frequently leveraged inside organizations today. In my next post, I’ll share why this approach is still elusive to many, and what steps you can take to integrate the closed loop approach into your efforts.