As customers tentatively dip their toes back into the buying pool in the coming weeks and months there will be a temptation among marketers to get back to generating demand--running ads to fill up the lead pipeline and show that things are on the mend.
That may be the case (fingers crossed!) but as you and the team start to think about what the rest of Q2 and more realistically, Q3 and Q4 might look like, resist the call of the siren to go out big right away with huge "we're back" campaigns.
Instead, spend the time (right now actually) working to hone your inbound funnel. Ensure your digital team is fully instrumented, your automation systems are honed, and your website and content are sharp, and begin with people that are actively in the market looking. Pick them up first to get things going again.
There will be plenty of need--and time--to generate new demand, and that will necessitate and dictate a different strategy and budget. But before you allocate a ton of money on LinkedIn ads and retargeting, make sure you account for intent. If you have some sort of intent insight through a tool or analysis, go there first. Find the people already looking and win them.
Then start to build the outbound pipe once again. The tendency will be to get the whole team back up on their skis concurrently. But more than likely the recovery for your customers will be uneven and stilted. So hoover-up the folks out there looking first--don't leave them to chance. Then look outbound.
And don't be afraid to ask for help. Vendors like 18squared that focus on lean marketing can help with content, messaging, brainstorming activities or advisory services. Leverage them so you and the core marketing team can (laser) focus your attention on helping the sales team.
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