How to effectively create content and manage campaigns

How to effectively create content and manage campaigns in the triangle: Marketing, Sales, Product Management

Creating a successful and effective sales and marketing campaign can determine the success of a product. This is why it is so important to have the right collaboration between the three most important pillars of any campaign, namely marketing, sales, and product management. In the sector dealing with finance, banking, and insurance, is the campaign equally important? Or is there a foolproof prescription for it? We talk about the clash of different perspectives, planning, and the role of individual specialists with specialists working at Comarch: Julia Burda - Product Marketing Manager, Julianna Cezar - Marketing Manager, and Monika Olszówka - Business Development Manager.

What is the collaboration between marketing, sales, and product management and why is it important?

[JC] Each side has a different kind of knowledge which, when combined, really adds up to a lot. Sales have invaluable customer and market knowledge, while product management provides essential product knowledge - in a nutshell. Marketing activities are more effective if we combine all our competencies and skills into joint action.

[JB] Sales and product management work together regularly, especially in connection with ongoing processes with new customers. To reach more prospects, collaboration with marketing specialists is key. They are the ones who plan, organize, and measure our every marketing action.  And these are happening on many levels: from the website through social media to offline conferences.

[MO] The sales process of any product or service involves a constant interweaving of sales and marketing activities, in such a way as to ultimately lead the customer to a contract. This is the case regardless of whether we sell in the B2C or B2B channel.

Where does every new campaign start? Is it possible to find common denominators?

[JB] Most new campaigns are created with the desire and need to reach specific audiences, which may be entirely new entities or those we have been trying to engage with for some time. Another starting point from which we create a campaign is the changes and trends manifesting themselves in the market, in this case, insurance.

[MO] Every new campaign starts first and foremost with so-called awareness-building activities. At this stage, we don't try to sell, because we don't know the client well enough, but we mainly focus on showing our logo, product, specialists. Our brand must earn attention. In the next step, we build up the preferences of our clients and move on to actions aimed at increasing the effectiveness of the content displayed in the second stage.

What do you think is most important when planning and implementing a marketing and sales campaign?

[JC] To plan a campaign well, the most important thing is a solid foundation. And such basics are first and foremost a good understanding of the target group. We need to know well who we want to reach, but that's not all. We should also know what problems, challenges, or goals the people we will be targeting have. It is important to try to gain this knowledge preferably first-hand. This way we will know what materials will be interesting and necessary for our target group.

[MO] Planning a marketing campaign requires very complex activities and a comprehensive approach to the problem. In addition to defining the target audience, it is important to establish the purpose of the campaign. In addition to the objectives themselves, it is also necessary to clarify issues such as: In what time frame should the objectives be met? What budget is to be allocated to the campaign? What resources need to be gathered to implement the campaign? How are the intended objectives to be achieved?

What is the role of the Product Manager in the marketing and sales process?

[JB] A Product Manager is a person (or a team of people) who knows their offered products better than anyone else. On a daily basis, he follows the many areas of the product he influences: from the technical area to marketing and sales support. Such a person could be described as a guardian of the coherence of all these product-related areas. He ensures that marketing messages adequately describe the product and that sales become familiar with it through training. It is the product manager who, together with the marketing team, creates the marketing strategy for the product for a given period. It provides relevant content about the market and products and helps select channels to reach customers.

How important is a content strategy in any campaign? What do you pay attention to when implementing such a strategy?

[JC] Content marketing, especially in B2B is extremely important. With such a strategy, we can position ourselves as an expert in the industry and, above all, with a mature content strategy, we can focus on the customer, their needs, and their problems. It's always worth keeping in mind that customers don't want to buy a specific product, they want to solve their problem or achieve their goal - and for that, they need a product. Before the first sales meeting takes place, the potential customer searches for information online. Knowing your customer well will allow us to create a tailored content strategy and provide answers to their questions even before they actually ask them. It is very important to anticipate the needs of our potential customers.

[JB] Especially when creating an Account-Based Marketing campaign, the content communicated is key. Our aim is to reach diverse customers who are at a different stage of buying software, or who have specific needs. So for each of these customers, different content will be interesting. This is why we try very hard to identify potential customers and create content strategies tailored to one or a group of customers. It is important to hit the mark, to speak to the customer about what they want to hear about.

Is marketing and product management support relevant to sales?

[MO] The support of marketing and product management is not so much essential as irreplaceable. If a company wants to be successful, its various teams should work as one well-coordinated mechanism. The sales department is the product manager's best ally in the product sales process and vice versa. The PM should therefore ensure that salespeople know his or her products well, and actively communicate with him or her and with customers, passing the necessary information both ways. The PM should also provide tools and product information in advance, and even prepare what salespeople should tell customers during the call. If we add to this good marketing, well-thought-out campaigns our chances of sales increase. According to LinkedIn, increased involvement of marketing, sales, and product management departments increase the effectiveness of sales results by 25%. The results speak for themselves.

For which types of campaigns is a collaboration between sales, marketing, and product management most effective?

[JC] We are currently implementing an ABM (Account-Based Marketing) strategy in which we focus on a specific accountholder or group of accountholders and only target our messages to them. This requires a thorough analysis of the selected companies and a strong personalization of the messages. Then we reach a precise audience with a very precise message.

[JB] Collaboration between these three functions always provides an interesting and diverse perspective. This combination of marketing, product and sales knowledge is very important for targeted marketing campaigns, i.e. those dedicated to a specific audience. Other campaigns are image campaigns, where the aim is to introduce the public to us and introduce them to our offer.

Considering your daily tasks, do you find working at Comarch interesting?

[JC] Of course. I have a lot of independence in our work in the marketing department. So I can test and implement new marketing ideas. There is also a great variety of activities both offline and online, we have a lot of possible ways to reach potential customers. Most of our marketing activities are carried out in cooperation with our specialists, as well as graphic designers and a copywriter - we have a nice team in which a good atmosphere plays a big role.  

[MO] What I value most in Comarch are the huge development opportunities that working with international clients in different areas (banking, insurance, cloud services, etc.) gives me. The tasks I perform allow me to have a real impact in shaping the client's decision-making process, which gives me a sense of responsibility and fulfilment. Furthermore, I value the good relationship and trust we have developed between my colleagues.