Following on from 2 previously successful events in Manchester and Cambridge, the AZoNetwork team headed back up North to Alderley Park for the 3rd Marketing Science Roadshow of 2018. Scientific Marketers from around the North-West joined us for an engaging presentation followed by informative and interactive break-out sessions with our industry experts.
The Changing Technology Landscape
Kris Walker, Head of Creative and Editorial services, led proceedings with his take on how much the technology landscape has changed over such a short period of time, a point summarised perfectly by the papal inauguration; 2 pictures of the same event just 8 years apart... or a lifetime in technology years!
Kris told the story about how the Technology landscape is changing at such a rate that humans are struggling to keep up with it: When the printing press was invented it took at least 100 years for it to be in widespread use. The television took around 20 years to gain mainstream traction... Humans were able to become familiar with the technology and adapt. Now, that is no longer the case.
“Technology is fast running ahead of our ability to comprehend and to fit it into existing systems. Take Uber for example, a ‘ride-sharing’ (or taxi) App that’s spread like wildfire around the globe, but the legislation, policies and insurance are lagging behind, nowhere near accommodating the changes. Similarly, look at AirBnB in the hospitality industry or Amazon in the retail sector."
He also pointed out that after 20 years of mainstream internet, we, (in Europe at least) have only just updated legislation regarding Data Protection and Personal Identifiable Information (PID)” – We almost managed it but couldn’t resist the temptation not to mention everyone’s favourite subject, GDPR!
The point Kris made about disruption across multiple industries was clear. And, of course, it was no different within the Marketing industry.
The Martech 5,000
There are some 5,000+ online platforms out there which help you to market and sell more of your product in an increasingly competitive digital world… That’s a lot for anyone to get their head around!
We then moved on to our own industry experts and heads of department as they shared best practice within their areas of expertise.
The Product Experts
Mychealla discussed the importance of creating top quality content. In a world where the answers to questions are in the palm of your hand, you need to make sure that you are found for your specialties. Mychealla also gave us the key takeaways from analysis of over 500K+ content items to see what really makes great content.
Next up was Dave Cockett, Head of Web Services who built on Mychealla’s content presentation by emphasising the importance of technical SEO. Dave shared some simple steps as well as some of the results from recent campaigns where he had managed to increase organic traffic by 72% and inquiries by 24%.
Dave also ran a live SEO website healthcheck and demonstrated how he breaks down a historically complicated subject area into a transparent, step by step process.
Effective Email Marketing was presented by Torsten Christensen who drew from his experience of analysing over 600K email subscribers’ interactions with 96 subject specific newsletters bringing the latest developments from Science, Healthcare and Engineering. Torsten shared his design methodology of Capture, Convince, Close, which he has used in over 300 customised email campaigns this year.
Then one of our Jet-Setting Scientific Videographers, Will Soutter who was fresh off the plane from Missouri via Switzerland, gave us an in-depth account of the problems faced by Marketing Managers attempting video projects.
"Marketers know the importance of video and how useful it can be to create engaging content for your audience. However, they also know that the process of running a project to reach an end result can be both challenging and time consuming... Our video team consists of experienced videographers who understand the science behind a product and are great project managers!"
Frank was next up and he talked about some of the technical integrations between analytics and CRM for the seamless transition and processing of leads. He showed us the process of using analytics to track an unidentified first time visitor all the way through to a revenue generating opportunity in the CRM.
"In previous eras, it has been incredibly difficult to track any ROI, nowadays we have entire departments summarised by a series of dashboards and dials which enable you to drive your business forward."
Micro-Moments - Connecting With Your Audience
The next chapter came from Global Sales Director, Rolf Easto as he discussed the buyer’s journey from the perspective of a client and the importance of creating content around 4 key areas of the buyer’s journey.
“For years, we have all been familiar with the ‘I want to buy’ stage and it is easy to create content for people who are ready to buy… The real challenge is in creating content to satisfy the people at the other three stages: ‘I want to go’, ‘I want to do’, ‘I want know’”
Insight from a Marketing Manager
To round off the presentations, we interviewed Adam Roberts, Marketing and Applications Manager from Kratos Analytical, who manufacture and sell XPS equipment to a variety of industries including Materials, Petrochemicals and Bio-Science. Adam described challenges in his role and how he uses AZoNetwork to lighten the Marketing workload from his desk.
The afternoon then moved on to the breakout sessions where the audience was encouraged to ask the experts anything, and help themselves to the food and drink provided!
If you would like to find out more about our Marketing Science roadshow or any of the topics covered, please feel free to contact us with your inquiry.
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