Dan Holt’s Post

If you’re a big, well-known company, then the volume of applicants isn't your problem. Recruitment marketing is about doing things in the right order: • You need to know what makes you attractive vs. your talent competitors all looking for the same people. Work out your distinctive positioning and ensure it’s communicated consistently at every touchpoint. Everyone’s ‘innovative’ and ‘collaborative’ etc. - yawn 🥱. (Anyone order the ‘Employer Bland’ salad?). Get specific. Show how. And if you can’t offer something distinctive (let’s face it, most can’t), then at least 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 in a way that is. Oh, and if your culture is toxic, then your employer brand is a lie, so fix the former before animal rights activists protest outside your offices for testing lipstick on a pig.    • You need a great candidate experience before obsessing over applications. How’s that career site looking? And when I click "Apply", what happens? Will it inspire me to progress or make me lose my will to live? If I knock on your door, am I walking into Willy Wonker’s emporium, or will the experience be as horrific as becoming the middle-man in a human centipede? Can you see how many people come to your site, how many start their application, and how many people complete it?  10,000 visits with 2000 people clicking 'Apply' and only 10 landing in your database isn’t a problem with people 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 to apply. Before erecting all your fancy content signposts, ensure your destination is able to welcome everyone you direct to it.    • You need an effective recruitment function before scaling leads. Great, you’ve ramped up applications by 10x. Yay! But you’re not geared up to process them. Bugger. So, you know that employer brand you created? Yeah, well, you can kiss the positivity towards that goodbye because you’ve annoyed 10x the number of people with a crappy experience, where they haven’t heard from you in yonks as their CV rots in your ATS graveyard. The ugly truth is that most companies struggle to do step 1. Step 2 is often a train wreck, and sadly, with the recent levels of redundancies in recruitment, step 3 ain’t looking too purdy either. So the next time someone says they need 10x more applications (usually with minus 10x the budget), try advising them to redirect that money into fixing the root causes of their problems. SIDE NOTE - This is why the best, strategic employer branders know that branding and marketing aren’t just about taglines and pretty pictures on career sites and social media. They're about fully understanding and connecting the dots between your organisation's culture, EVP, brand, and communication. And then involving themselves across the business to hold people’s toes to the fire to ensure the walk is talked at every touchpoint across your people experience. (MASSIVE thanks to Dan Holt, who inspired this post with his one below. I hope you don't mind me stealing it, Dan! 🙏🏼)

Welcome again to Lead, Consult & Connect. Today I am going to talk about some marketing truths that you should know but no one is going to tell you about them 1. Embrace Early Marketing: Don't wait for product perfection or company stability to initiate marketing efforts. By starting early, you can build anticipation, establish brand awareness, and gather valuable customer insights. 2. Every Interaction Matters: Marketing isn't confined to flashy advertisements or social media campaigns. Every interaction with your customer, from their first encounter with your website to their post-purchase experience, is an opportunity to shape their perception of your brand. 3. Nurture Relationships Beyond Sales: The customer journey doesn't end with a sale. After-sales marketing is crucial for fostering customer loyalty and encouraging repeat business. Stay connected with your customers, provide excellent customer service, and demonstrate your ongoing commitment to their satisfaction. Remember, marketing is an investment in your business's future. By starting early, engaging continuously, and nurturing customer relationships, you can set your business up for long-term success. #marketing #businessgrowth #customerrelationships #brandbuilding

Marketing Misconceptions Number #3 "Marketing's Role Is Only to Generate New Customers" One of the common misconceptions about marketing is the belief that its sole purpose is to bring in new customers. While attracting new business is undoubtedly a crucial aspect, marketing has a much broader and more profound role to play. Marketing is not just about the top of the sales funnel; it's about the entire customer journey. Its impact extends beyond acquisition to customer retention, loyalty, and advocacy. Here's the reality: Customer Retention: Marketing plays a pivotal role in keeping existing customers engaged and satisfied. Happy customers are more likely to become repeat buyers and brand advocates. Brand Building: Building a strong brand through marketing is essential. It not only attracts new customers but also creates a sense of trust and recognition among existing ones. Cross-Selling and Upselling: Marketing helps identify opportunities to sell more to your existing customers by offering complementary products or upgrades. Customer Advocacy: Satisfied customers who have a positive experience with your brand can become your most valuable advocates. Word-of-mouth recommendations and referrals are incredibly powerful. So, let's debunk the myth that marketing's role is limited to new customer acquisition. It's a multifaceted tool that can drive growth, enhance brand equity, and ensure long-term success. Embrace the full potential of marketing in your business strategy! #MarketingMyths #SmallBusinessMarketing #GrowthOpportunities #Marketing #DigitalMarketing #Daily 

Forget about being confident in your marketing. Confidence is the wrong metric - it's not reliable. Think about it: Confidence feels good but it's not fool proof. You can be super confident about the wrong thing and have no idea how wrong you are (like I usually am with directions 🙃). Smart marketers make decisions on the back of customer research. When you use research to substantiate your decisions you lower the risk your decisions are wrong - and increase the chances they're right. What marketer wouldn't want those kinds of odds? #marketing #customerresearch #b2bsaas

The danger of the “dream customer”, and why marketing often pays the price... One of the benefits of being an outsourced expert is observing what multiple companies are doing. It allows me to spot trends in data, behavior and culture. Some ar obvious, while others are not… One sneaky but rather insidious one is the ‘dream customer’. It’s the one you brag about at parties. The one you put on ALL your slides. The one you almost make synonymous with your company. They are (if we’re honest) maybe slightly outside of your current batting league. So when this McDream customer asks for specific product features, companies are likely to throw their plans aside. After all, how could McDreamy be wrong? You go from having product market fit, to venturing farther away form it, accumulating unnecessary technical debt along the way. Then marketing is asked to ‘drive leads’ for a product that the market no longer wants. I don’t need to tell you how that usually ends… Key takeaway: Before you change your product for ONE customer, make sure that what they’re asking for is also what the market wants. It’s a tough conversation to have with leadership, but you’ll thank me in the long run! ;) #marketing #gtm #b2b

marketing 🤝 sales 🤝 customer success. ↳ that's the golden trifecta. but all too often, I see sales & cs running the roost. marketers where you at??? to build real relationships, we have to work together. here’s what a great meeting between the 3 looks like ⤵️ [sales] → we have a big renewal opportunity, what will make this a no-brainer for them? [customer success] → they’re worried about the value add. I don’t think they understand the tool as well as they should. [marketing] → we have our ceo speaking at xx conference in their city next week & have a few free tickets. should we extend an invite? we could even invite them to the VIP dinner we’re already hosting so they can meet some of our other customers and learn from them. 👀 now, imagine marketing wasn’t in the meeting? 🫠 it’s time to take your seat at the table. — ✨ can't get enough? join 500 other marketers + subscribe to my newsletter for my raw, unfiltered thoughts on life & marketing. it's anything but boring 💜 #Marketing #EmergingTech #TechMarketing

Ever felt like your marketing efforts are speaking one language while your sales outcomes are conversing in another? Let's bridge that gap with metrics Here's how: ✅ Pick up clues from your metrics and double down on the ones that work best  ✅ Understand your customer's journey and use it to guide your customer to make a purchase ✅ Share the marketing and sales insights to understand why a certain thing works better. ✅ Use past lessons as a playbook for future success. ✅ Analyzing the metrics beyond number and identifying stories of growth and potential How do you approach aligning marketing metrics and sale outcomes? Let me know in the comments below. #businessgrowth #contentmarketing #SalesSuccess

Something I firmly believe in? …brace yourself for the saga of affection – or whatever you want to call it… Marketing endeavors drive #sales success, and sales efforts empower effective #marketing. 💚 Allow me to share some tangible advantages that aligning your departments and their efforts bring to your #buyingcycle: 1. Unified Brand Message The collaboration between sales and marketing creates a harmonious brand message. This message not only generates leads but also ignites demand by telling a consistent and compelling story. And as you should know by now, demand gen is my favourite of topics. ✌🏼 2. Precision in Lead Nurturing With a shared buyer persona, leads aren't just collected; they're nurtured with precision. This focus on quality over quantity paves the way for conversions into loyal customers. 3. Seamless Customer Journey The breaking down of silos results in a seamless customer journey. This unified experience builds trust, enhances loyalty, and sets your brand apart in the marketplace. 4. Empowering Sales with Marketing Tools Equipping the sales team with effective marketing assets shortens the sales cycle and boosts conversions. It's about providing the tools they need for success. 5. Customer-Centric Approach Aligned KPIs create a holistic enhancement of the customer experience. This synchronisation fuels a journey that resonates at e-ve-ry stage. 6. ... What additional #benefits can you think of? 👇🏼

Always optimise your business from bottom-to-top! [Bottom-of-Funnel] Optimise your Retention Rate to "glue" ALL converted customers! - Know your LTV(…you’ll need it at Acquisition phase) [Middle-of-Funnel] Optimise your Conversion Rates to have a Corvette-Level Conversion Machine! - Know your conversion rates for every source of traffic & each step of your sales funnel! [Top-of-Funnel] Now you can start pouring your budget into the Acquisition phase = marketing! If your retention isn't solid, it's both unsafe and inefficient to invest heavily in marketing. Ensure you do your "homework" before starting any marketing efforts. Aim to keep your Customer Acquisition Cost : Lifetime Value ratio at 3:1 or higher. Wondering what the most important KPIs are for each stage of your sales funnel? 👍 Follow Gary Kulaev for an update update! ❤️ if this resonates - to help it reach others

Unlock the keys to boosting sales and delighting customers with these powerful strategies! 🚀💼 🚀Understand Customer Needs: Knowing your customers' pain points, desires, and preferences is crucial. Conduct market research, gather feedback, and analyze data to gain insights into what your customers truly want. Tailor your products or services to meet those needs effectively. 🚀Attractive Offers and Discounts: People love a good deal. Offering discounts, promotions, or bundled offers can incentivize customers to purchase. However, please make sure that these offers align with your business goals and don't compromise your profitability in the long run. 🚀Use Effective Marketing Strategies: Effective marketing is about reaching the right audience with the right message at the right time. Utilize various marketing channels such as social media, email marketing, content marketing, and SEO to increase your business's visibility and attract potential customers. Personalize your marketing efforts to resonate with your target audience. 🚀Improve Service and Product Quality: Providing exceptional customer service and high-quality products or services can significantly impact sales. Happy customers are more likely to become repeat customers and recommend your business to others. Continuously seek ways to improve your offerings, address customer feedback, and strive for excellence in every aspect of your business. #SalesSuccess #CustomerSatisfaction #BusinessGrowth #business #marketingtips #businessmarketing #marketinggoal #salesgoal #goal #sales #salesmarketing