“Build it and they will come,” sounded wistfully optimistic even back in 1989. Today we know that if you build it and wait, you’ll soon discover your audience is already downloading your competitor’s product on their phone while collecting real-time feedback and joining in virtual conversations around the globe. Or they may have moved onto a whole new category you haven’t heard of yet.
Seizing opportunities and anticipating the complexities of winning market share in this fast-changing environment requires agile processes and practices that allow us to pivot quickly and learn on the go.
Today’s modern marketers must listen to our customers carefully at each touch point, digging deep into our data science, so that we reach out to them effectively and authentically and make our conversations personal and relevant in the moment. Our B2B customers today have B2C expectations: a seamless, well-informed experience, from marketing and sales to deployment and service.
To accomplish this, we face the same challenges as many of our customers: smooth integration after company acquisitions, digital transformation of core practices, rapid response to market conditions and competitive opportunities. To be nimble is not just an aspiration—it’s an imperative. And it all begins and ends by organizing around our audiences.
The same audience-first practices that guide our go-to-market efforts also are essential for meaningful changes within our organization. Here are a few tips:
Listen closely to new voices. Acquisitions often play a critical role in a company’s ability to quickly ramp up its offerings. That means integrating a range of systems, practices and cultures—and gaining a wealth of fresh perspectives: people who see and understand your audiences from different vantage points. Integrating their views, ideas and practices into understanding your customer’s journey provides an opportunity for creating distinct customer experiences while steadily introducing innovations across your portfolio.
Nurture learning. Cultural change doesn’t happen by force of will. As leaders, we provide a coherent, well-understood vision. But the nuts and bolts, the daily implementation, means people throughout the organization are testing new waters and creating opportunities with different people, practices and processes. It makes sense to institute collaborative learning programs delivered in different channels and formats, so those who are becoming rich experts around their audience can share their knowledge and teams can learn from each other.
Highlight your heroes. People who have faced and found ways to overcome similar challenges are much more persuasive that those standing on the outside shouting their opinions. As I mentioned in a recent Forbes article, top peer influencers have the super powers of authenticity and transparency. They have been in the trenches—just like you—and have emerged with a story to tell. Every team needs them, and it pays to give them a platform. It can be as simple as asking each of your team’s “change agents” to explain what has driven their significant accomplishments when everyone is gathered for an all-hands meeting.
The digitization of the customer experience and audience engagement provide arguably the greatest opportunities for those who will emerge as tomorrow’s brand leaders. That trusting the tools in the modern marketer’s toolbox to listen closely and engage with your internal audiences is critical to that successful evolution.