Confessions of a CMO: 5 Things I Know Now I Wish I Knew Then

Confessions of a CMO:5 Things I wish I knew then that I know now…

Mark LorionCMO, Apperian

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Email mlorion@apperian.com

Twitter @mark_lorion

Blog http://www.marklorion.com

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Routes drivenDriver skillShifting and brakingEngine tuningFuel, tires

If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well

enough.

-- Albert Einstein

The more you know about your

customers…

Sharper and more relevant

messaging

Smarter selection of marketing tools and more effective use of

them

Maximum

IMPACT of

Marketing

Understanding of Audience

Their Needs

Value you deliver Uniquely

Benefit over Alternatives

Enabled by your differentiation

Alignment feeds effectiveness

NSL(Never Stop Learning)

Too much focus with “front half”

Very risky with recurring revenue business models!

Use digital tools and analysis throughout full 360°

> Every single Marketing team member needs to meet and listen to real live customers use MBO’s to motivate this

> Invite customers to call into your team meetings

> Randomly call existing customers throughout the year

> Form and hold Customer Advisory Board(s)

> Hire from your target industry – these are not experienced marketing people!

> Instrument your product to understand real usage

How I’ve learned to learn about customers

> Don’t rely on personas developed by Product Team… work from them, but add your own texture based on real interviews with real customers… focus on messaging, value and differentiation

> Surveys don’t replace real interactions… but…

> Survey your customers at various points (yearly “relationship survey” and “transactional surveys”)

> Use Marketing Automation system and measure engagement with existing customers (e.g., sharing product release notes, newsletters, etc.)

How I’ve learned to learn about customers (cont.)

Good Product / Market Fit

•The market pulls product out of a company

•Usage is growing just as fast as you can add more servers…

•Money from customers is piling up in your company checking account, which allows you to invest quickly…

•You're hiring sales and customer support staff as fast as you can…

•Reporters are calling because they've heard about your hot new thing and they want to talk to you about it…

Weak Product / Market Fit

•The customers aren't quite getting value out of the product…

•Word of mouth isn't spreading…

•Usage of your product isn't growing that fast…

•Press is hard to obtain, reviews are kind of "blah”…

•The sales cycle takes too long, lots of deals never close…

•Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC ratios) are expensive and don’t improve much with scale

Understand where you are with Product / Market Fit

Based on blog post from Marc Andreesen “The Only Thing That Matters”

Competitive research Capture “real” win and loss Talk with customers about

adjacent problems A/B test messages Watch for earlier signals with

your website and content Trends with Social Media

Then share and present to any and all at your company

Roles are still evolving…

GAPS more likely than overlap!

Think about every single digital touch point affects your customers and prospects

…including your software itself!

Think beyond your immediate role!

Don’t execute digital programs blindly…- Are we in the right markets?

- Can digital improve the way your Product operates and customers experience it?

Help your company think about Marketing- Help everyone see how their work and writing impacts

customers and prospects

- embrace and look for Growth Hacks

- invite ideas for blog posts, guest speakers, etc

- enlist the entire company for social media

Marketing isn’t just for Marketing

“Putting it out there” and publishing your position and “voice” forces clear thinking and clear messaging

Active writing leads to active listening

Earning an audience requires adding value to the audience and alignment to their needs

Maintaining cadence requires real discipline… and it makes better reviewers

Try it yourself! write about your profession, not just your products

Reading a lot makes writing easier

Writing a lot forces clarity

It’s really hard to tell compelling stories that

resonate(but practice makes you

better)

Compelling messages ultimately drive marketing

effectiveness

1. Marketing tools matter less than what you put in them

2. Listen to your customers

3. Really understand why people buy

4. Look everywhere in your for value Marketing can add

5. Better writing helps drive Marketing effectiveness

Good luck!

Thank You

Mark LorionCMO, Apperian

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Email mlorion@apperian.com

Twitter @mark_lorion

Blog http://www.marklorion.com