The Off Script series is a question and answer style interview published here about once per month. It’s an opportunity to talk to real marketing and PR professionals doing real work.
It’s equal parts networking, professional development and a way to give something back. I have found the most interesting ideas come from people that aren’t just thinking about marketing problems all day – but from those also tasked with doing something to solve them.
Eleven such interviews were published in 2018 – having missed only in June – and in each one I strive to pull out one little moment to highlight. I’ve gone back through each interview in the last year to pull those moments together for a single post.
It’s a ‘thank you’ post of sorts – to highlight again some of the key takeaways offered by these interviewees who spent some time answering questions. It’s also a reminder of just how many smart people we have in our community because these ideas will certainly outlast 2018.
1) Customers are in control.
“This may be the easiest question yet the hardest for so many marketers and brands to come to comprehend. What has changed the most is the fact that consumers are now in full control.”
Read more: Without Marketing You’re Just the Business No One’s Heard Of; Off Script No. 25: Steve Olenski
2) Focus on the marketing fundamentals.
“Marketers are focused on navigating the tools, but we need to focus on the fundamentals of marketing. If you understand the fundamentals, then you can navigate the technology landscape.”
3) Events as a microcosm of an industry.
“Events are a microcosm of an industry. They are a congregation of the most active participants in an ecosystem – customers, vendors, influencers, products, industry media – gathered together.”
4) Business strategy should drive decisions.
“At the end of the day, technology shouldn’t be driving decisions. It has to start with the business strategy.”
Read more: Key Marketing Considerations in Choosing a CMS; Off Script No. 28: Matt Garrepy of Solodev
5) Understand the buyer’s problem.
“People don’t buy product features; they buy from someone who understands their problems and articulates a compelling solution.”
– Tom Pick
Read more: Marketing has Gotten Better as a Profession; Off Script No. 29: Tom Pick of Webbiquity
6) Government communicators must build trust.
“Government communicators must have the trust of their bosses and the professional respect of the media. You don’t get that by just staying at your desk and emailing press releases.”
Read more: The Changing Face of Public Relations in Government; Off Script No. 30: Merritt Allen of Vox Optima
7) Marketing owns more of the buyer journey.
“It used to be that marketing’s job stopped after a lead was acquired and handed off to sales. It’s table stakes now that marketing owns the entire buyer’s journey, and it’s becoming the norm that marketing also owns a lot of the customer journey.”
Note: Nicole will begin a new role as the CMO of CoreView in January 2019
8) Exposure creates opportunity.
“The more exposure you give the business, the more opportunities you will have later.”
Read more: Managing Media Relations for a Publisher; Off Script No. 32: Rachael Wolensky of ALM
9) Marketing automation doesn’t work on auto-pilot.
“Marketing automation isn’t an auto-pilot type function as most companies would like it to be… marketing automation can only do what the user sets it up to do.”
Read more: Marketing Automation Only Does What You Tell It To; Off Script No. 33: Bryan Young
10) An age of customer experience.
“We live in a day an age where consumers can share their delight or dissatisfaction instantly to a wide audience. The leading companies listen to their customers, take stock in their feedback, and are continually trying to improve their customer experience.”
11) Public relations professionals are versatile.
“PR pros are so versatile. They can write, they can tell stories, they can promote the story, they can build relationships, they can think strategically about how certain decisions the brand makes will impact their business”
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If you are a savvy pro working in PR, marketing, sales or journalism, and would like to take part in an Off Script series Q&A interview, I’d like to hear from you! Simply send me a note from the contact page and be sure to put “Off Script” in the subject line.
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26+ Thoughtful Marketing Predictions that Could Actually Happen in 2019 Across PR, Content, Digital, Social Media and Customer Success
Image credit: Unsplash
