How has your approach to customer engagement/retention/loyalty changed due to new MarTech tools and solutions?
Our approach is to stick to our value of customer focus. I view the new MarTech tools & solutions as an accelerator to help us further implement customer focus-approach to the maximum level. We need to adapt to customer’s behaviors, interests & trends. Customer engagement is one of our core focuses in our business. We would like to retain them in our platform as much as possible, however there comes the challenge of customers who like to switch.
With all the new MarTech tools and solutions now available, what’s one of the key pitfalls to avoid in the procurement process?
One of the pitfalls, especially in the large corporation, is that the tools each department acquire may answer the same objective. I believe transparency between departments is important in acquiring the new vendor. We have to admit that some cooperation works in silo. However, the MarTech vendor can be proactive into reaching different departments within the company to introduce or to expose themselves in the mass audiences. Hence every single department would know the vendor & utilize tools & solutions accordingly.
How have you best managed to integrate legacy systems with new MarTech solutions?
As technology advances, most companies find themselves dealing with the issues caused by an existing legacy system. The existing legacy system prevents the company from integrating with the new MarTech solution. The way to manage this is to approach from the top level down. The vendor should convince the decision maker & changemaker to start using the new systems with the key benefits. However, some organisations are stuck with the old systems due to the fear of changing, cost of new investment etc. Hence, we need to understand the organisations case by case.
What MarTech vendors have impressed you with their solutions and understanding of true business needs and challenges?
Most MarTech vendors hear our pain point & problems first before they sell their product. I think this is the most essential part of understanding the needs & later impressed us with how their tools & systems will solve our issues.
How has your organisation / team dealt with the challenge of the marketing industry and wider digital world evolving at such a fast pace?
We have to move faster & faster in this era. It is essential to test small & scale up. We have to move forward & learn from our mistakes. Moreover, the digital world is changing every day. It is like we are in a moving elevator, if we stop learning, we will be left behind miles away.
Currently, what are you primarily looking for in your digital marketing efforts? Awareness or engagement? Why?
Awareness & engagement come hand in hand depending on your product life cycle. If you are new to the market, your focus can be creating an awareness of the market. Nonetheless, if your product is in a mature stage, it is best to focus your effect on engagement.
What is your key takeaway piece of advice that you would give when speaking to others on how to evaluate and select a MarTech stack?
First, they have to solve your pain point. They have to help answer your main business objective. Second, they need to be flexible to the business goal & compatible to working together with your team at both executive & working level. Trial period is a must to see that those vendors are compatible with your team & corporations.
How did your MarTech journey begin? Please let us know your top 3 findings and discoveries.
- It begins with a business’s pain point in solving complex problems e.g. automation
- It begins with new channels e.g. Facebook
- It begins with new devices e.g. Mobile, IoT
For you and your team, which is currently recognised as the larger challenge – MarTech integration or MarTech strategy? The first part we need to tackle is MarTech strategy. We need to identify that MarTech strategy align with business strategy. Then the second will follow which is MarTech integration. Once our strategy is solid, we can then start with execution (in this case MarTech integration).
Have you mainly chosen to adopt established MarTech or have you also looked into the emerging opportunities? Which?
I view established MarTech as an experienced one which can give us the insights from the same industry or different one. While we should not overlook the emerging opportunities as the digital world is changing rapidly & disrupts lots of businesses.
Which MarTech brands have you found have / are close to best meeting your expectations when it comes to customer experience? Let us know of any brands which have exceeded expectations.
Appsflyer is the closest MarTech brand to meeting my expectation in terms of customer experience.
What do you predict as being the top MarTech trends for 2020?
- Hyper personalisation to get higher engagement
- Building customer profile
- Utilizing your social listening tool to create compelling feature/product Voice search within IoT
