Thought leadership programmes - Learn more

INTERVIEW WITH

Matt Hummel

Head of Digital Marketing

B2B Customer Acquisition: The role of human engagement in a world of digital-first enterprise marketing

It’s about trusting our customers, demonstrating that we can deliver on what they are looking for. When they are ready, they will reach out.

How should the sales process change to accommodate the preference for no sales reps in B2B engagement?

The most successful engagement combines human and digital engagement into a single, seamless approach. Historically, you might have tracked someone downloading a brochure, put them through a multi-week email nurture, and then passed on their contact information to sales. However, that approach doesn’t align with the preferences of today’s buyer.

Today, it’s about creating a customer-centric approach - providing the right information at the right time. One thing we’ve developed are non-gated, quick 3-5 minute demos of our core products. We were intentional in both the length - not just a teaser, but also not too long - and also making it ungated so as to not restrict anyone from watching them.

It’s about trusting our customers, demonstrating that we can deliver on what they are looking for. When they are ready, they will reach out. We’ve also built out dynamic chat experiences and made it super simple to schedule meetings, and we’re seeing this customer-centric approach pay off.

Experience is the key word here - while buyers have real challenges and opportunities they need to solve, it's imperative organizations are able to not only break through the noise, but also create meaningful engagement while establishing trust and credibility.

MATT HUMMEL

Head of Digital Marketing

DEMANDBASE

What sort of experiences should sales and marketing teams be creating for B2B users?

Experience is the key word here - while buyers have real challenges and opportunities they need to solve, it's imperative organizations are able to not only break through the noise, but also create meaningful engagement while establishing trust and credibility.

You don’t have to overthink or over complicate experiential marketing. But with only 29% of people wanting to do in-person experiences, companies have to adapt their approach. A company that I worked with nearly 10 years ago has been reaching out to me for the past few years - sending thoughtful emails, handwritten notes and creating personalized and engaging web experiences. One year around Christmas time they sent me a link to download a snowball fight game through the App store - it was not at all work-related, but it was fun, different and engaging! Fast forward to this year and we just signed a contract with them.