What do the Mona Lisa, the Black-Eyed Peas and B2B Customer Engagement have in common?
Neolane Evolution 2013, of course.
This year’s Neolane Evolution had it all: technology spotlights, client guest speakers, a private tour of the Louvre Museum, and even a flash mob dancing to “I Gotta Feeling.” While I thoroughly enjoyed the engaging activities (and outlandish entertainment), I was equally impressed by the unexpected: the company’s strong focus on business-to-business marketing (B2B).
Most people think of Neolane’s cross-channel campaign management application as the leader in the business-to-consumer (B2C) space. But few realize that it has strong B2B chops as well, particularly for those larger organizations that sell outside of high-tech.
Several of our clients utilize Neolane’s B2B capabilities to generate quality
sales-ready leads. As a solution, Neolane has all the capabilities to support demand generation, lead management, and measurement. But don’t just take it from me. These two case studies, presented at Neolane Evolution, tell a much more powerful story:
Case Study 1
The marketing technologies manager of an analytical science solutions organization presented his company’s rationale for implementing Neolane: their customers are highly technical people with scientific backgrounds and have particular expectations about the communication they receive. Marketing to non-marketers poses some unique challenges including developing rich profiles of their target customers, using behavioral cues to determine areas of interest, and delivering the most relevant content at an individual level.
The company began with a comprehensive audit of their sales data and processes. The next step was implementing initial solutions such as replacing the existing email program, implementing nurturing campaigns, campaign tracking, etc. The solutions were impressive right off the bat. The enhanced program generated a tremendous amount of sales opportunities, found areas for data improvement, and engaged outside sources for further Neolane and data development. And that’s just the beginning. They’re currently working on moving many of their campaigns into Neolane for better CRM integration, implementation of more users, integration of outside data sources, and added campaign optimization.
Case Study 2
Another speaker presented a case study that highlighted how B2C practices can drive B2B performance. We all know traditional B2B models can limit customer reach, but this company has been able to address the issue through highly targeted marketing programs to deliver one-on-one customer engagement on a larger scale. The speaker also highlighted the importance of long-term strategies and taking advantage of data and technology to work with those who can be future prospects. Finally, she stressed the importance of staying top-of-mind with customers and catering to their interests.
What’s next for Neolane?
I sat down with the company’s Chief Product Officer and former Forrester analyst Suresh Vittal to discuss the importance of its B2B customers. He explained that the next step for Neolane is a product roadmap that doesn’t exclude the company’s B2B customers, but in fact, caters to them with enhanced lead functionality. Neolane is committed to helping B2B marketers, who are constantly challenged to prove marketing’s value and demonstrate its impact on the bottom line.
Consumer marketing will always be important to Neolane, which began its journey as a digital platform, but it’s nice to see that it has embraced its B2B community and has made a commitment to strengthening the platform to support their needs.
