Resource Topics: SaaS Marketing

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It’s that time of year again! Marketing industry predictions are one of our favorite topics, and we’re sticking with the tradition. To share 2023 B2B SaaS marketing predictions, we have Kazuki Ohta, CEO and Co-founder of Treasure Data, a leading customer data platform. In this episode, Kaz and Lindsey discuss predictions like the rise of Chief Customer Officers, what will replace cookie-driven strategies, and the trend of proactive data governance.

Chief customer officers will be all the rage

Marketing has evolved tremendously over the past decade. According to Kaz, what was previously a single-channel initiative has become an all-consuming omnichannel effort. Many executives — including CEOs — are getting involved to reflect this change, and an executive role has emerged: the chief customer officer. The chief customer officer ensures success across all virtual touchpoints, placing the customer experience (CX) as the top priority.

“Within the next five to ten years, people will figure out… digital strategy [should be] the central function of a company. And when it comes to digital… it’s all about customer centricity,” said Kaz. Relatedly, Kaz mentioned that data analytics spending has skyrocketed in the past few years and will likely increase next year. This is interesting because marketing budgets are tightening in many other areas. According to Kaz, the explanation for this dichotomy is more straightforward than it may seem. As more executives and stakeholders invest in marketing, they need more data to verify that CX is prioritized.

Deprecation of third-party cookies will lead to inventive retail methods

Reports of the third-party cookie’s death have been greatly exaggerated because third-party cookie deprecation has been delayed several times. Despite these delays, Kaz said several organizations have already moved away from relying on third-party cookies. Why? iOS blocks cookies by default, so it’s economical to create experiences that conveniently (and compliantly) collect consumer information in other ways.

According to Kaz, the method through which organizations collect consumer data will be influenced by (1) legal requirements and (2) transparency.

“As a consumer, you want more transparency from brands. And for marketers, once you get trust, there are more people who give you more information. And by using that information, you can make your marketing campaign more efficient,” said Kaz. “So, the legal portion, customer experience portion and marketing campaign portion has to come together.”

The good news is that new methods of cookie-collecting have resulted in innovative retail campaigns. For example, retailers that track consumers’ purchase histories natively can use that information to stock physical shelves properly. Do consumers in Indiana buy more of a specific product than consumers in Kentucky? If so, that will be reflected in physical inventory systems, decreasing product churn across the board.

Data governance will become top of mind

As part and parcel of new consumer tracking methods, Kaz predicted that companies will increasingly seek data governance and compliance help. After all, improper tracking can lead to costly lawsuits and millions in lost consumer trust.

“Marketing became single-channel, omnichannel and [then] omni-departmental. When that customer data gets used across the organization, you have to think more holistically,” said Kaz. “And your trust is everything, right? So you have to treat your customer in a different way.”

To listen to more of Kaz’s insights, listen to Episode 339 of SaaS Half Full.

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If you sell into the enterprise or are thinking of swimming upstream, this is the episode for you.

Alberto Cantor is the Senior Director of Demand Generation and Corporate Marketing at ArisGlobal, and its SaaS product is sold to big-honkin’ pharmaceutical companies. Yes, large, conservative buying teams in a super-regulated industry with long sales cycles. Can account-based marketing (ABM) work in this environment?

Yes, but not if you give up easily. In this episode, Alberto talks about the three pillars he had to master before he got ABM for enterprise right (after two failed attempts) and how to set expectations for ABM performance across the entire organization.

The secret sauce to successful enterprise ABM

Alberto cited three building blocks to success that early ABM adopters should review when preparing to launch their enterprise-level strategy.

1. Integrated infrastructure

Stellar ABM starts with a robust pipeline of generalized marketing initiatives. Alberto mentioned that automation, analytics and an established digital presence — including email marketing efforts and a good website — are all important to cinch before implementing ABM.

Why? Well, it’s right there in Alberto’s title: demand generation and marketing go hand in hand. Generating positive brand awareness and association is critical for ABM, particularly on a larger scale.

“Think about branding and how your brand marketing and brand efforts integrate within [ABM] campaigns. Brand should be — ideally — omnipresent,” said Alberto. And in the virtual age, building omnipresence starts with a tactical digital footprint. Alberto suggests investing in web analytics software and marketing automation tools to build a preliminary tech stack. These technologies allow marketers to hone in on who exactly is viewing and interacting with their content.

2. Internal alignment

ABM may include “marketing” in its acronym, but its most successful iterations require inter-team effort that extends far beyond the marketing department. To properly invest in ABM, sales, marketing, brand and events teams must work in lock-step. Essentially, according to Alberto, if a team’s daily work impacts the health of an account, they’re partially responsible for ABM’s success.

“All fronts need to work together to really try to penetrate and engage that account or the individuals within that account that we’re targeting,” said Alberto. He also clarified that this building block is often the most difficult to nail. But when proper alignment comes to fruition, the dividends are immense.

3. Intentional (and frequent) level-setting

The final element of a killer ABM strategy requires the involvement of high-level executives and stakeholders. Alberto said that marketers deploying ABM must communicate clearly with leaders about the expectations surrounding the strategy. For example, what is the expected timeline associated with ABM? How soon can executives expect to see results, and how will the team communicate those results?

When leaders understand the upfront costs associated with ABM, they’re far more likely to appreciate the brand and demand progression that these strategies ultimately create. That’s a win-win for everyone involved.

It’s only natural that ABM success — particularly enterprise-level ABM — requires several parties to participate. After all, ABM threads a delicate needle to identify key targets among an enormous haystack of accounts and stakeholders. In other words, it’s all hands on deck.

“It’s not just marketing [building ABM], the SDR team doing it, or the sales team doing it. It has to be everyone doing it at the same time at different levels, different tactics, different content, different strategies, but everyone sort of pointing towards the North Star within that account,” Alberto said.

To listen to more of Alberto’s insights, listen to Episode 338 of SaaS Half Full.