Too many companies struggle to realize their demand management improvement expectations from investments in marketing automation.
Marketing automation initiatives are often considered the next step beyond email marketing. As a result, campaign oriented thinking carries forward and limits the approach and results.
Have we not learned from CRM and other technology categories that technology is an enabler, not a producer of significant outcome improvements? In fact, new technology often requires organizational change, new skills and increased work in the short term.
A failure to appreciate the required competencies for demand management success is a root cause of this phenomena. Just the terms “lead gen” and “demand management” often carry no distinction within these organizations. When you hear that, it’s a yellow flag of caution that poor performance is bound to follow.
The following is a checklist of demand management success competencies. Each are significant categories in their own right, with supporting requirements that often involve people and skills, process and technology components. (Click image for a larger view.)
Competency Checklist
Strategic
- Make decisions across all functions and competencies, determine priorities
- Big picture and interconnected perspective
- Demand management and related content strategy
Buyer Understanding and Useful Insights
- Who buys
- Why they buy
- How they buy
- Useful insights
Data and Database
- Complete, accurate data
- Tagged
- What to collect – fields in database
Website and Landing Pages
- Website as receptive and “sticky” resource for viewers – provide a reason to return
- Resource center, content organized the way customers think
- Microsites, landing pages, forms, tracking
Inbound and Social Media and other Lead Generation
- Channel awareness and selection
- Content alignment and distribution / syndication
- Active promotion, conversational engagement and calls to action
Automated Lead Management
- Efficient, thorough execution of strategy and plans
- Technology
- Selecting and editing content for specific initiatives
Tele-touch
- Human touch of prospects to qualify – determine BANT & competitive context
- Nurture
- Expand people map
Sales and Marketing Alignment and Integration
- Agreement on target segments, accounts, personas and offers – priorities
- Timeframe decisions: “find vs. create” opportunities – short term vs. pipeline development
- Lead definitions
- Lead disposition: handoff, action timeframe, feedback and return for nurturing
Content
- Use case requirements mapped to buyer journey, personas, verticals, nurture tracks
- Document content specifications for each asset
- Content creation resources, timing, process workflow, budgets
Metrics, Reporting and Analytics (predictive)
- Set up and manage
- Interpret and explain
- Continuous improvement
Tools and Technology
- Selection
- Integration, user training
- Support
Program and Operations Management
- Professional program management vs. ad hoc, random acts
- Change management
- Governance, cross-functional, discipline co-ordination, problem resolution
- Operational oversight, training, support
- Continuous improvement
