Olivier Thierry is the CMO of Quorum Software. Olivier has over thirty years of experience in several areas of computer technology and software systems. Olivier’s experience spans early stage startups to mature public companies where he has had executive leadership roles in creating, developing and implementing direct and channel-based go-to-market demand generation platforms as well as brand creation and evolution for both high-end and high-volume software solutions. Olivier’s technical background has supported his executive management expertise in several software product M&A and Product Management areas including, systems and network management, applications development, storage, SaaS and virtualization. Throughout his career he has been called upon to be the key spokesperson in technical, executive and internal forums.Thierry talked of the changing role of product marketing and how the next generation of product marketers can use technology to target and engage the B2B demand unit differently. He outlined how an integrated Martech stack can be used to address a changing B2B buying world. The webinar listed the top skills for consumer-style product marketing 2.0.The Evolution of B2B Product MarketingThierry saved some numbers about the way B2B marketing has gone digital – as per his stats, 93% of customers use digital early; 94% use it in the middle, and83% use it late in the buying process. Marketing organizations need to change at a dramatic pace, using technology to cut through the noise and find in-the-moment buyers with relevant, relatable content – to use storytelling in content marketing. He stressed a lot on building thought leadership online and do persona based storytelling. Marketing should be data driven and agile to make the most of buyer persona based content marketing. What are buying trends?Olivier highlighted that 75% of buying research is done online and offline before engaging with the vendor. In changing times, a B2B marketer has on average 9+ stakeholders and B2B buyers expect a consumer like buying experience, where the buyer interacts in parallel with many online/offline channels within the same sales cycle. Social/peer influence has become more important due to the inherent lack of vendor trust. Marketing strategies that work: Marketing 2.0 works on pull oriented strategies for marketing – persona based – 1:1 at scale – account-based. The demand unit needs to be segmented and personalized at scale. Marketers need to use strategies that are predictive and have in-the-moment outreach. He outlines the marketing mix as a combination of online, education heavy, thought leadership, social influence and targeted advertising based on predictive intent. Story-driven content; data-driven insights drive outcomes and automation immediacy are the keys to win the game. Creative Content Marketing Is??Organizations of all types can use marketers who create original, engaging, and creative content. Key skills require an ability to tell a real story through great content that starts a conversation; think holistically across all aspects – connect the multi-channel experience; educate your audience throughout the buyer journey; use influencers to drive the brand and use web analytics and digital project management to track success of campaigns and convert leads. Martech and the evolution of marketing automationFrom 2016 to 2017, the marketing automation category of the marketing technology landscape grew yet again, by 36%, from 156 vendors to 212.Most large businesses rely on a Martech stack of anywhere from 10 to 40 solutions. Finding professionals with these proven high-level strategic Martech skills is a challenge.A VP of Martech Solutions can currently command $140,000 to $210,000, depending on work history and solution-specific knowledge. As we transition into a more AI-driven marketplace, expect demand, bill rates, and salaries for these in-demand Martech skills to continue their trajectory upwards.
