The Art And Science Of Modern Marketing

By Gil Levonai, Zerto

Marketing is not a stagnant industry — it is constantly evolving and changing as the way people consume and process information changes. Today, marketing is a combination of art and science. A good marketer needs to be a data scientist of sorts, understanding and acting upon the data driving their campaigns success. But, as in the past, a marketer also needs to be an artist, coming up with creative ways to get their message or brand noticed in the noisy market.

Key 1: People

As always, the first key to a successful marketing campaign is the people that execute it. Someone who is an expert in marketing “mechanics” today will not be an expert in these “mechanics” in two years, so it’s imperative to hire people who are capable of adopting and learning as they go. Flexibility allows for growth and deeper understanding, and an open mind will always lead to more possibilities than a closed one.

Key 2: Accounts

Account-based marketing is another way to help ensure your product cuts through the noise. It’s like if you grew up in a big family with seven siblings, but once a month your parents took you out by yourself to do something you loved, rather than squishing all quality time for all children into one session. Don’t you think those kids felt more special during this one-on-one time than during full-family gatherings? Account-based marketing allows sales and marketing teams to focus on target accounts, channeling their energy into those accounts’ specific needs and requests, rather than stretching the attention thin across the entire market.

As teams focus on a specific subset of accounts, they can then use tools ranging from hyper-targeted ads to emails and plain old phone calls — and everything in between — that are highly-targeted. The key is to design tailored campaigns that address the current challenges of these accounts, helping drive a conversation with them rather than just getting lost in the noise. They can even go so far as to plan small events focused on specific accounts’ needs.

Key 3: Face To Face

Never underestimate the value of in-person interactions, they are ever so important for successful marketing campaigns. Whether it be at conferences, in planning meetings or just a catch-up over coffee, getting to meet in person and discuss any challenges, successes, and everything in between is a necessity. Things change so rapidly and constantly, people need to sit down and verbally work through changes and discuss next steps. It’s so much faster and more effective than emails or phone call - which people often hide behind in the digital age.

The most important thing to keep in mind when marketing a product is that, no matter what level employee or size business you’re selling to, you’re always interacting with human. There really is no B2B or B2C — it’s all B2H. Business to human. Make things personal, care about the person on the other side, and never lose the creativity.

About The Author

Gil Levonai is Chief Marketing Officer for Zerto. He spearheads marketing, supporting the corporate vision by leading the go-to-market strategy. With more than 20 years of experience in various technology management disciplines including marketing, product management, sales, business development and R&D, Gil most recently served as principal at Gil Levonai Strategic Marketing, a consulting firm specializing in high-tech marketing. He previously served as vice president of marketing and strategy at NextNine, a company providing service automation solutions to global enterprises.