It can be easy in marketing operations to get distracted from the broader picture: the strategic landscape central to all successful marketing campaigns.
We work on tight deadlines, have many demands from multiple corners of the company, and are intent on delivering results, but remaining focused and thinking like a CEO is essential.
Today’s guest, Chris Musk, Manager of Marketing Operations at Buffini & Company, stopped by to chat with us about the importance of resisting silos and something marketers should never lose sight of — revenue.
Join us as we discuss:
- How to level up in your marketing operations career trajectory
- The value of marketing on dark social
- When to leverage partnerships to deliver where you can’t
Operations are the mighty engine that drives a powerful marketing team. Let’s dive into more of Chris’s unique insights.
“How do you get to that next level? Embrace a revenue-centric mindset, try to think more like a CEO or CMO.” — Chris Musk
The Essence of Team Building
Chris is a passionate and data-driven B2B marketing pro with over a decade of experience. He takes a proactive approach to operations, treating the rest of the marketing team as he would beloved clients.
An inveterate and inclusive team player, his orientation to results and well-rounded skillset leads to impressive revenue generation.
He’s worn pretty much every marketing hat there is, and one of the secrets of his success is “trying to think more like a CEO or CMO and not be so siloed.” The marketing department serves the entire company, it’s not an island.
By taking this more global view, Chris embraces a growth mentality and looks forward to a brilliant career trajectory.
Adding Value
He encourages other marketing experts to “make it part of your day to care” about content and strategy.
Don’t be afraid to seek out and share cool new ideas that are out of your wheelhouse. It’s vital to keep learning along the way. Strive for constant broadening.
Chris’s innovative coaching methods give his team an appreciation for the bigger picture, an understanding of the technical aspects, and a crucial sense of balance.
He emphasizes that it’s important to prioritize demands on your time and get on board with the revenue mindset. Transparency and communication are key.
Another critical lesson? “You have to learn how to say no, you have to set those boundaries,” while being prepared to offer workable solutions.
“Interviewing buyers in the marketplace, whether they're a client, or a prospect — get 15 minutes on their calendar. I think that's a great way to understand, ‘how do you like to digest content?’” — Chris Musk
Maximizing Lead Gen
It’s all about quality over quantity. Hitting your MQL goal is all well and good but does that translate into revenue?
If you’re struggling with your lead gen tactics, take a closed-won deal and work backward from it. What channels were most effective? “What were their lead source values, what campaigns had the most influence?” Where is your audience digesting the most content?
Data is a marketer’s best friend. You need that vital info on how your content strategy and promotions by channel are really performing.
Consumers these days reject marketing that’s overly salesy. A more efficient and forceful technique is to “objectively educate your audience without the bait and switch.” Education adds value for your customers.
Positioning your brand as a thought leader and subject matter expert is a potent attraction for your target buyers. They’ll like it even more if they’re confident there’s not a pushy sales rep hiding behind it, waiting to pounce.
The Self-Serviced Journey
Since the pandemic, more and more buyer experiences are occurring without the intervention of a sales rep. Since so much content is available online, customers feel confident in educating themselves and making complex purchasing decisions — that’s why it’s so imperative to ensure your content actually delivers what the customer wants.
And how do you learn more about those desires? Simple. Talk directly to your consumers. Leverage your available metrics to get that content where it will do the most good.
“At some point, there might be automation that's actually hindering you, because you're trying to use automated processes almost as a catch-all to fit everyone and get them to progress through.” — Chris Musk
Tapping Into Dark Traffic
The vast majority of sharing happens in emails, texts, group forums, and instant messages, and unfortunately, that can’t be tracked in traditional attribution software. But that’s where great ideas are being sparked.
Chris believes that a more holistic way to capture that data is direct communication with customers. Not everything needs to be automated.
Too much robo-stuff needlessly complicates the buyer journey. Marketers need to have an eagle eye for inefficiency. Finding the touch points is essential, especially if your organization has multiple ideal buyer personas.
Too many automated processes are one size fits all, and your clientele deserves a higher level of customization. It’s all about delivering the most value and the best experience.
Partnership Marketing
Strategic partners are beyond price when it comes to reaching your revenue goals. Internal resources can only do so much.
Co-hosting and sponsoring webinars and podcasts, events and trade shows, attracting other industry leaders as speakers and presenters, these moves organically increase your reach and help generate revenue.
“Cash flow is the lifeblood of the business,” as our guest so rightly points out. Pull the lever and view your opportunities through a revenue lens.
