We ended 2020 by participating in the first-ever ParDreamin’, a four-day virtual conference spotlighting Pardot’s marketing automation capabilities and bringing together a vibrant community of business leaders, marketers, and more.
Organized by Sercante, a marketing technology consultant that specializes in Pardot implementation, ParDreamin’ 2020 celebrated innovation with a packed schedule of sessions to inspire and educate all roles and levels of Pardot users. Sessions covered a wide range of topics geared toward administrators, developers, consultants, and nonprofits.
More than 3,400 attendees logged in from 62 countries to hear from top marketers and industry leaders speak in keynotes, panel discussions, fireside chats, and live Q&As. And 58 speakers took to the virtual stage to share how they use Pardot to transform their businesses in a fast-changing world.
Throughout the conference, key trends emerged around what to expect as the marketing landscape continues to evolve. Let’s take a look at two core takeaways from ParDreamin’ and how you can use them to boost your marketing in 2021 and beyond.
MARKETERS ARE ON THE FRONT LINES OF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
COVID-19 fundamentally changed the way businesses interact with their audiences. Now, it’s more important than ever to have a 360-degree view of your customer.
Marketers have always cared about delivering a great customer experience. But now they own it. And with the acceleration of digital transformation, marketers are working to bring marketing, sales, and service together on a single platform to create unique experiences that grow customer relationships. ParDreamin’s leading keynote featured powerful examples of how leveraging technology can be a key factor for success.
When the pandemic upended the global supply chain, Noodle.ai CMO Gail Moody-Byrd and her team needed to figure out how to transform their operating model to meet changing market trends. They realized that a personalized approach to customer experience was crucial. The Noodle.ai team worked together to update their AI algorithms to reflect the new dynamics impacting supply chain and manufacturing customers. Noodle.ai marketers used Pardot to send customized communication to prospects. Because they have a single source of truth for their pipeline data, the team delivered a tailored customer journey and continued growing their revenue, even in the pandemic.
Meanwhile, buildOn Chief Experience Officer Carrie Pena had to rethink her organization’s entire approach to customer experience. Using Pardot, buildOn marketers sent personalized emails with relevant content about their virtual activities — including a live-streamed ground-breaking ceremony — to students and donors. By personalizing the content, buildOn delivered real-time impact and brought supporters together in new ways to promote their mission.
CONNECTED DATA IS EVERYTHING
Marketing transformation is more than transforming the logistics of your business — it also means transforming the relationship with your customers.
Delivering on customer experience and growth can be hard when your data is disconnected. Siloed data (and siloed teams) that rely on outdated legacy systems can make it challenging for businesses to keep up with the rapid pace of change. Marketers must create a single source of truth to unify disparate data sources and provide a seamless customer experience.
Adam Blitzer, executive vice president and general manager of Salesforce, made the case for using a single platform like Pardot to harmonize data and align teams. With many employees continuing to work remotely, connected data makes it easier for marketing, sales, and service to come together and collaborate on account engagement. Through each stage of the customer journey, teams can align on joint metrics and share important information. A single source of truth is also key to personalized messaging.
During the closing keynote, we learned how InsideView puts connected data in action. InsideView marketers use analytics from their own products to help them target the right accounts. Then, using Pardot’s Engagement Studio, they orchestrate a personalized buying journey with relevant content for each account. Once the lead has been nurtured, sales is brought in to seal the deal.
Having data in one place allows internal teams from any company to better understand customer engagement patterns. Sales reps get a deep understanding of the marketing campaigns their customers are a part of, which makes it easier to identify their needs and deliver the right product. Marketers can use Einstein’s AI-driven attribution model to track the success of their campaigns and tailor their approach for future accounts.
THE FUTURE OF MARKETING IS HERE
Bringing your data and your teams together in one platform is a must for marketing transformation. Omnichannel personalization is key to customer experience, and a robust data platform ensures that you’re seeing the right information at the right time to make the right decisions for each customer. With a strong data and personalization strategy, your business can achieve new levels of growth — no matter how fast the world changes.
For more marketing insights, get your free video pass to ParDreamin’ 2020.