Last week, I received not one, but two job orders for the same exact type of job, and it got me thinking about the future of marketing and lead generation.
What was the job you ask? A Marketing Automation Manager (aka Lead Generation Manager). What do lead generation managers do? Well, my husband happens to be one, so I have a pretty good idea.
It’s all comes down to marketing working hand in hand with sales, my husband says. Gone are the days of the spray and pray method of marketing, which means sending out one message to a mass audience hoping that you will reach the right person at the right company at the right time.
Lead Generation Managers use targeted marketing approaches to get specific content in front of the right people at the right time using sophisticated data solutions tools (marketing automation tools) such as Click Dimensions, Marketo, Eloqua…the list goes on. Companies, especially B2B companies, can finally prove to the C-suite that marketing does indeed work, and that it should continue to receive an additional budget. This is a beautiful thing for a marketer.
So, beyond (ideally) having a Lead Generation Manager/Marketing Automation Manager, what else do you need to be successful? First and foremost, you need clean data. Think about it: Who enters data into your database? Are there standard processes in place? In the recruiting world, for example, if a sales person sometimes enters a job title when putting in a new lead, and other times does not enter a job title, it can create issues down the road when information needs to be pulled. For instance, when the Lead Generation Manager (or Marketing Manager) is asked to target all Marketing Directors in the Minneapolis metro for an upcoming conference your company is hosting, can you really be sure you’re reaching everyone you wanted to invite? It really makes you think about the importance of having clean data, doesn’t it!
Now, back to the role of a Marketing Automating Manager. What else does this person need within their skill set to be successful? Well, interpersonal skills for sure. Many have to earn the respect and trust of the sales team, and help them understand that marketing is actually doing them a favor when they (sales people) are asked to include certain information in the database. That being the case, this person is not just a data nerd. They also need to have some persuasion skills and a likable quality.
So, as a recruiter for roles like this, what do I see in my future? Finding more clones of my husband for my clients! (Maybe not as handsome, but still, just as nerdy and likable.)
