Navigating the Dynamic Marketing Terrain: Success Through Personal Relationships

"The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well that the product or service fits them and sells itself." - Peter Drucker

As we look at the rest of 2023 and beyond, it's clear that mastering the dynamic play between data, technology, and human connection will define success in the marketing arena. At a recent industry event, we spoke with Jess Hayes, Vice President of Marketing and Technology at the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), for her insights on guiding fellow executives toward marketing excellence in this transformative age.

Q: As a leader in marketing, how do you get in front of the target audience today?

A: Honestly, I think it's figuring out where they are, what message you need to give them, and when.? It's making sure that you deliver it in the way that they want it when they want it. Especially because now everything is at their fingertips. You just need to make sure that you are everywhere that they possibly could be, you know, top of mind with the right message and just doing it right, at all times, everywhere.

Q: It's harder now than ever before, though, isn't it?

A: Absolutely. I think because people are so able to get information quickly. And if you're not out there, with the right things. I think it just makes it so much harder and you're competing with so many other things that are kind of similar too..

Q: So as marketing leaders, events become more important than ever before, right? Talk to you about the value of face-to-face.

A: I think everyone realized after COVID the value of face-to-face, right? Glowing rectangles got old. Yes. “Can you hear me? Wait a minute”. I think that that helped kind of push it forward a little more. I think we didn't really realize how important it was to do that face to face and that networking and how important personal connections are. It's all about relationships: who you know, and who knows someone else, and just that togetherness.

So, you come back to the first event after COVID and it was masks and maybe an elbow, and then after that, it was a fist bump, and now it's, “Oh my God, give me a huge hug. I miss you!” I think that it’s really great to see everyone.

Q: Regarding technology, what is getting you excited these days, from a technology standpoint, that's helping marketers out there?

A: I'm going to be a little dorky and geeky here: The reporting. I know, I was expecting generative AI but I'm not a content person, I'm not a writer. For me the reporting and getting that data drill down and the ability to use the technology to actually figure out where people are, who they are, what they're doing, how many times they've done this, allows you to be more effective in your marketing. The more you know about your people and what you can do better. I think the data, the reporting, and the ability to pull those numbers and understanding now how important for marketing reporting really is. I think marketers just kind of shied away from that a little I think now you're only as good as your data.

Q: Yes, proving ROI every single day, not just quarterly. Right. Exactly.

A: People are so focused on that bottom line. I think COVID kind of changed all that with the roles people had, what they're doing, how they're spending the money, how they're traveling, you know, are they coming to an event? Can they be hybrid? Do they actually have to be here? How important is a relationship? But if you can prove why you should be here, what you can do, what you can get out of it, you definitely can sell it.

Q: Regarding the relationship with sales teams, how has that evolved?

A: Yes, I think especially for the sales aspect there. Again, people have that information readily available, and Sales need to prove the ROI on their sponsorships or exhibiting or whatever they're doing. If you don't have a great relationship with Sales to give them the leads to set up your funnel, and your pipelines, it doesn't work. So, you need that sales and marketing cohesiveness to start, and technology, because there's so many tools out there.

Q: Our tech stacks are getting bigger and bigger. How do you get your arms around your tech stack today? And how are you evaluating those?

A: There are so many and I feel like you almost want ‘best in breed’ for everything but then you're struggling: How do I incorporate it together? How do you make sure it all talks? What do we use? Do you use best of breed or don't you? Or do you find one solution that does 80% of what you need? But I do think you know it's super important to figure out what is the most important data point you are trying to figure out and then kind of work the evaluation of tech solutions.

Ideally, we'd have a year, or two years, to truly evaluate. But you're having pressures of putting these in immediately: We need the solution, we need this now, to implement, and make this work, kind of wing a prayer.? I do think though, if you find a technology partner that understands that, and will work with you as you grow, and say, “Listen, we're going to start small, we're going to do this, we're going to try it, then we'll scale to the next thing,” and they're willing to kind of help you with that, it will work quickly: Use this and then kind of grow with their product.

You look at them as partners and vendors otherwise it doesn't work. You need them to understand your product, your position, and your team capabilities: This is what I have to offer right now and this is what I need. Can you offer me a solution? Can we make this work? And in six months, I promise we're going to do more, but right now this is all I can do.

It's finding someone that's willing to sit down and look. And this comes back to relationships.

We have to do more with less now.? But when you work with a smaller team, it's making sure that you have the right people on your team, and that you focus on their individual strengths to make it work.

Q: Looking at the rest of this year and beyond from a technology standpoint, what's missing today?

A: Everyone does something really well, but no one does everything great. So you're taking bits and pieces and for me, it's something that puts it all together. A product doesn't work perfectly for you, but it works 80%.? I feel like you're always struggling to connect the dots.? You don’t want to use a subpar product for your end users, so you make sure that the front end works and the end user has an amazing experience. On the back end, you are struggling. You're hoping it all comes together. The user experience has to be spot on, so what you do on the back end, you just kind of make it work.

Q: Do you see marketers these days being those that are going to break down silos in their organization to really bridge departments?

A: I do honestly because marketing touches everything. Every single thing from sales, to product, to PR, to education, to anything you're doing, marketing has a handle on it. And I think marketers in general besides just being amazing people and having amazing personalities. They understand the balance of a relationship and the creative side, and I just think that they are kind of the glue that holds a lot of companies together. You have everyone that works in their little silos and marketing just brings it all together.

In conclusion:

Unlocking modern marketing success hinges on mastering personal relationships in a rapidly evolving landscape. Marketing leaders need to understand audience preferences, leverage data insights, and foster face-to-face connections. This strategic alignment of technology, data, and genuine human interaction stands as the cornerstone for navigating today's dynamic marketing challenges.