“I think at one point it’s crucial to admit that you can’t be great at everything. It’s also key to create the time and space for yourself and your team to understand what doesn’t work, and to focus on replicating and improving what does. “
What are some of the industry trends you are most excited about and why?
There are so many interesting industry trend forecasts for this upcoming year, many revolutionized by the pandemic. The one I’m most looking forward to further capitalising on is Account-Based Marketing. I see our biggest wins within our cloud talent creation and staffing divisions through either selling to new or cross-selling to existing enterprise clients, so it makes sense to continue to invest and focus on Account-Based Marketing and ABM technologies.
Landing the ‘bigger fish’ requires a really cohesive team approach between Sales and Marketing to make sure we’re identifying which key accounts to target, and the best way of doing so. The application of ABM is particularly interesting, as it’s so customer centric, ensuring they’re getting a more personalised and unique experience.
How tough it is to work in this industry, and what advice would you give?
Marketing can be highly competitive—but with the right kind of effort, you can pick things up quickly. There’s plenty of information and resources to help budding marketers to get their foot in the door—whether through blogs, online courses, videos, social media accounts, podcasts, and just doing your own research online.
There’s also plenty of thought leaders looking to give advice online. I think it takes two weeks of intense studying to go from knowing nothing about a particular element of marketing, to getting a really solid foundation. At that point you can hold your own in a conversation and understand how you can apply new learnings practically.
My advice to anyone looking to break into the industry or advance through it would be to find thought leaders you like, and to regularly go through their online platforms for inspiration. And, obviously, in such a fast-paced industry, to never stop learning.
What are some of the pain points in marketing that you’ve experienced?
It’s definitely easy to do too much, or to constantly feel like you should be doing more. I think at one point it’s crucial to admit that you can’t be great at everything. It’s also key to create the time and space for yourself and your team to understand what doesn’t work, and to focus on replicating and improving what does.
This means it’s crucial to invest in talented and dedicated people. In an industry that’s changing trends and preferences almost overnight, passion is a make-or-break for a successful marketing department. It’s also essential to keep your finger on the pulse of the industry, and really filter through all the new information fighting for your attention.
What’s a marketing achievement that you’re happiest about?
The thought leadership we do at Tenth Revolution Group is second to none. The Careers and Hiring Guides we publish for 5 of our niche brands play a major role in this. These annual reports are pretty much our gold standard when it comes to positioning ourselves both from the hiring side, as well as the candidate side. They’ve allowed us to fulfil a multiple objectives while working with vendors and influencers in our ecosystem. They’re also naturally an incredible asset for our sales team when working with candidates and customers. Some of our customers actually align their salary reviews with the release of these reports—which really shows the impact these guides have within each of their ecosystems.
One other massive achievement is the creation of our Digital Revolution Awards, which celebrate individual and business excellence in cloud technology, particularly in categories of CSR, L&D, innovation, employer branding, and equality, diversion, and inclusion. I’m really proud of how far the team and I got in just a year. We launched these awards in 2020 during the pandemic—and for the 2021 edition, we received almost 400 nominations from companies and individuals across the cloud tech space.
How can you improve your data In B2B marketing?
In B2B marketing, you have to earn the right to collect data. It’s a privilege that comes with responsibility. You need to ensure you’re adhering to current guidelines while creating compelling campaigns that are worth this right. This is why we invest in both third parties (to augment the data) and in our own specialised team of 25 dedicated individuals. By respecting best data practices while creating and curating valuable, relevant content for audiences, our experience is that you can build meaningful leads and connections across your industry.