Advertiser Platforms
Article | April 5, 2024
Video content is more important than ever from a marketing perspective, but the high profile status it has attained also brings challenges with it.
The main hurdle to overcome is that of creating compelling clips that outshine the competition in a marketplace that is already overflowing with attention-grabbing content.
With all that in mind, here are just a handful of strategies that will empower you when making promotional video content for your business or brand.
Use the right software tools
The video editing tools you choose will form the foundation of your content creation strategy, so it pays to give this plenty of thought and not to just stick with the same old package you have been using for years.
For example, leveraging collaborative video editing software could take your projects to the next level, not only in terms of creativity but also when it comes to compressing cycles of work.
If you can have multiple team members collaborating on the same project in unison, you can hit deadlines and capture the zeitgeist with your content, rather than seeing viral trends pass you by.
Choose types of content that serve your advertising aims
The extent to which your video content is able to engage and connect with your target audience will partly be determined by the format it takes. As such you have to choose wisely and avoid producing clips that don’t gel with your marketing goals.
For example, if your business makes a product that has practical applications, you could gain views and shares by making tutorial content that explains how best to use it.
On the other hand, if your business offers services within a particular industry, then you may earn more traction with videos that explain a particular aspect of the niche you occupy.
Both of these types of content provide value to viewers as well as being promotional, and can also remain relevant for long periods. The more evergreen your video content, the bigger the potential ROI.
Extrapolate ideas from your existing content
Working out what video content will hit home with your ideal demographic can feel like it involves a lot of guesswork, and a lot of risk-taking as a result.
However, you don’t have to go all-in on a concept for a video without knowing if it will hold water, because it is more than likely that you already have tried-and-tested ideas that have proven themselves and are ripe for video adaptation.
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Advertiser Campaign Management, CMO Strategy
Article | June 3, 2024
Every business understands that brand marketing is the name of the game. In fact, the brand is a business’s best asset. It can help a business stand out amongst its competitors in the most authentic way possible. It can also act as a bridge and connect a business to its target audience.
When it comes to brand marketing, many businesses do not struggle with the concept. They struggle with the application. Marketing techniques are changing every few months. New platforms are being introduced in the digital world. It’s easy for businesses to lose themselves and their identity while adapting to change. Unfortunately, this is one of the common issues that businesses face while marketing their brand.
5 Common Branding Problems for Businesses
Every business has encountered at least one of these problems:
• Lacking an established identity. An undefined brand is just as bad as not having a brand
• Consistent messaging across various platforms. Some businesses struggle with remaining true to their brand values as they navigate new channels
• Possessing a creative marketing strategy. Without a direction or guide, it’s hard for businesses to discover their target audience and where to market to them
• Staying true to a target audience. Many businesses have lost their core audience while trying to gain a new one
• Lack of scalability. Some businesses struggle with discovering which marketing techniques can take them to the next level
Fortunately, there’s a solution that can solve all these problems. That solution is multimedia content.
How Multimedia Content Can Help Maximize Brand Marketing
What is multimedia content?
Content that incorporates a variety of different elements for its consumers. These elements could be audio, text, or graphic images. Each of these elements can be used separately to market content. But when used together, they can enhance the brand marketing experience for businesses and its customers.
What are some examples of multimedia content?
• Landing pages that include videos and images
• Blog posts with video clips from podcasts
• Infographics that include text
•Social media posts that include text and images
Multimedia content also allows new marketing possibilities for businesses. Digital marketing includes a vast array of content, from blog posts and website pages to videos and infographics.
Businesses can take advantage of these elements and create new marketing content for their customers. A software company, for example, can create an installation guide with infographics and post it on their website page. Businesses can also create storyboards to explain difficult concepts about their products or services. Discovering new content to produce for their customers is another way that businesses can stand out amongst their competitors.
Consistent Branding with Variety
Businesses can use different media elements to add a little variety to their content. Audio and visual elements can be used to enhance blog posts or FAQ pages and increase the engagement for readers.
Adding these new elements can help businesses stand out amongst the competition while remaining authentic. Maintaining a consistent brand identity makes it easier for businesses to establish trust with their target audience.
Exposure to a Wider Audience
At the same time, businesses always want to think of ways to expand themselves. This is what makes multimedia content so beneficial for businesses. They can use different multimedia elements to introduce their content to a different audience. Take an IT service company, for example, who wants to market their services to customers outside of their local area. They can create a blog post on cloud storage, repurpose it into a video and post the video on the business’s YouTube page, with the link to the original blog post in the description box of the video.
This type of content is marketable to every type of consumer. Businesses can provide audio content like podcasts to customers who may not yet be subscribed to their websites. They can create visual content for customers who are more drawn to striking images.
Incorporating these different elements allows businesses to reach customers that they may not have reached through just text-based or audio-based content.
Creative Possibilities for Digital Marketing
Multimedia content also allows new marketing possibilities for businesses. Digital marketing includes a vast array of content, from blog posts and website pages to videos and infographics.
Businesses can take advantage of these elements and create new marketing content for their customers. A software company, for example, can create an installation guide with infographics and post it on their website page.
Businesses can also create storyboards to explain difficult concepts about their products or services. Discovering new content to produce for their customers is another way that businesses can stand out amongst their competitors.
Established Brand Identity
Each business wants to be viewed as unique by their customer base. They do not want to be compared to every other business in their industry. With multimedia content, businesses can add a unique touch to their content marketing. Different multimedia elements and the way that they are embodied throughout the content can help businesses to stand out amongst its competitors.
Using these elements can also help a business remain in the creative stages of marketing. When a business remains in the creative phase, it makes establishing a creative marketing strategy easier.
Consistent and Creative Marketing Strategy
Like every other aspect of business, marketing is easier when a strategy is in effect. Multimedia content helps answer many marketing questions for businesses. Instead of spending additional time wondering what marketing platforms are effective, multimedia content can be used for every type of platform.
This allows businesses to use many interactive elements in their content and become more proactive in their marketing strategy. Businesses can create effective marketing systems by scheduling specific times to post different types of content across several platforms. By leveraging these methods, businesses can remain consistent with their brand marketing.
Greater Opportunities for Growth
Creating multimedia content also leads to increased productivity for businesses. Multimedia content gives businesses several options for content marketing. They can choose to create original content or repurpose their current content and add something new and refreshing.
These options help businesses reduce the amount of time they would spend on creating content. With the additional time, businesses can brainstorm opportunities for growth. They can spend additional time generating leads and catering to their current audience.
Taking The Next Steps with Multimedia Content
For businesses that want to transition into multimedia content, the best place to start is with the business’s vision. Consider what goals want to be achieved with the use of multimedia content. This type of content is so multifaceted that it can help any business achieve its core objectives.
Software companies can use multimedia content to educate their core audience about a particular product. They can use different interactive elements to illustrate how their product or service helps solve their audience’s problems.
Next, consider the needs of the target audience. Conduct some research and discover the audience’s responses when it comes to different types of content. Keep track of the different types of formats and platforms the audience is visiting.
Once the goals and needs of the audience are clearly defined, think about the different types of multimedia content that can be created. Businesses can incorporate different types of audio, visual, and interactive elements into their marketing content.
Lastly, remember to track the results of the multimedia content once it’s been created and distributed. Taking these next few steps can help businesses maintain a consistent brand marketing strategy.
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Advertiser Platforms
Article | March 18, 2024
Everyone can be a creator, critic, performer and an audience member— all at the same time — thanks to the internet. However, when it comes to advertising and the internet, the biggest opportunity that you have is customer experience (CX). And yet, new technologies and the desire to decrease ad spend put customer experience on the back-burner.
Why CX Should be a Priority While Making Ads?
Customer experience takes a nosedive when you automate marketing decisions, drive down advertising costs, extract data, and increase intrusiveness to reach more customers. These factors negatively impact your brand’s reputation and cause customers to leave your side. As a result, your revenue might take a hit by implementing modern technology.
Customer experience should always be at the top of your priority list if you want to retain your customers and give them exactly what they want. Here are some things you should remember while creating ads:
Context is Key
Your messaging and creatives should align with the context of your ad placement. Native ads and contextual targeting can help you safely place your ads without disrupting your UX.
Value Addition Works
Your consumers want to see something that is unique and adds value to their lives. Use creative, relatable, and authentic messaging to appeal to your audience.
Use Technology Wisely
If you don’t leverage ad tech as a part of a sound strategy and intelligent design, you might lose out on effectively representing your brand in front of your target audience.
Rules to Remember While Making Ad Creatives
Do not treat your audience as a set of data points
Platforms are dynamic so you need to adapt to the changes in time
Use technology to meet the expectations of your audience but don’t abuse it
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Advertiser Campaign Management, CMO Strategy
Article | June 3, 2024
Optimizing the sales funnel with advanced quote management systems enhances pricing accuracy and customer satisfaction. Learn about the top QMS software providers that promise high profit and sales.
Contents
1. Introduction to QMS
2. Quote-to-Cash: Optimizing the Sales Funnel
2.1. Mapping the Customer Journey
2.2. Streamlining the Quote-to-Cash Process
2.3. Measuring and Managing Sales Performance
3. How Advanced Tools and Technologies Shape Quote Management
4. Best Quote Management Software Providers
4.1. Zilliant
4.2. Tacton
4.3. Paddle
4.4. Peak
4.5. Impact Analytics
4.6. Upstream
4.7. Proposify
4.8. Loopio
4.9. Simpleview
4.10. Configura
5. Final Thoughts
1. Introduction to QMS
Quote management systems (QMS) are integral to optimizing the quote-to-cash (Q2C) process within the sales funnel. The incorporation of advanced intelligent technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, predictive analytics, and data visualization, contemporary QMS enhance the efficiency and accuracy of quote generation for a streamlined user experience. These systems allow for precise pricing strategies tailored to real-time market conditions and customer-specific variables, thereby improving customer satisfaction. Consequently, businesses can adapt swiftly to market dynamics and customer needs, maximizing revenue and operational efficiency.
The system further streamlines workflows by automating routine tasks, reducing manual errors, and accelerating the quote management process.
Quote-to-Cash: Optimizing the Sales Funnel
The sales funnel optimization is crucial for maximizing revenue and enhancing customer satisfaction. A key component of this optimization is the quote-to-cash (Q2C) process, which encompasses the end-to-end activities, from quoting a product or service to realizing revenue.
Advanced tools and technologies have significantly transformed quote management, facilitating precise, efficient operations for businesses. Leveraging intelligence technologies like AI, ML, predictive analytics, and data analytics for data visualization, modern quote management systems can analyze historical data and customer behavior to generate highly accurate and personalized quotes. This capability accelerates the quoting process and enhances the accuracy of pricing strategies, ensuring that quotes reflect real-time market conditions and customer-specific factors. Additionally, these technologies enable dynamic pricing models, allowing businesses to adjust prices based on demand fluctuations, competitor pricing, and other relevant variables, thereby augmenting revenue.
Furthermore, the integration of cloud-based platforms and advanced analytics has revolutionized the accessibility and scalability of quote management for professionals. Cloud technology ensures that the quote data is centralized, secure, and easily accessible from any location, supporting remote work environments and improving collaboration across different departments. Similarly, advanced analytics tools provide deep insights into quote performance, customer preferences, and sales acceleration trends, empowering businesses to make data-driven decisions. These insights can lead to more strategic pricing, improved customer satisfaction, and enhanced performance in the market.
1.1 Mapping the Customer Journey
The first step in optimizing the quote-to-cash process within the sales funnel is mapping the customer journey. This involves understanding every touchpoint where customers interact with the business, from initial interest to final purchase and beyond. Mapping these touchpoints allows companies to identify critical moments where targeted interventions can increase conversion rates and enhance customer satisfaction.
Effective customer journey mapping within the Q2C process includes:
Capturing interest through marketing efforts and initial inquiries
Tailoring quotes based on customer needs and specifications
Refining quotes and terms to meet customer expectations and company capabilities
Final agreement on the quote and terms
Fulfilling the order as agreed
Ensuring accurate and timely billing and collection
1.2 Streamlining the Quote-to-Cash Process
Streamlining the Q2C process requires the integration of technology, strategic processes, and organizational alignment. Automation plays a pivotal role here, reducing manual errors and increasing efficiency. For instance, CPQ software can automate the quote generation process, ensuring that sales teams produce accurate and optimized quotes quickly.
Other aspects of streamlining include:
Using customer relationship management systems to maintain detailed records of customer interactions, preferences, and history and supporting personalized and consistent communication
Speeding up contract signings and approvals with digital tools, reducing the time from quote approval to cash collection
Connecting the Q2C process with enterprise resource planning systems to ensure seamless data flow and improve visibility across finance, sales, and operations
1.3 Measuring and Managing Sales Performance
Optimizing the sales funnel also involves continuous measurement and management of sales performance. In this regard, the key performance indicators (KPIs) for the Q2C process might include:
Quote Conversion Rate: The percentage of quotes that successfully convert into sales
Customer Acquisition Cost: The cost related to the acquisition of a new customer through the sales funnel
Customer Satisfaction and Retention Rates: Measures of how satisfied customers are with the purchasing process and their likelihood to return
2. How Advanced Tools and Technologies Shape Quote Management
Incorporating advanced quote management software has made generating and managing quotes easier. The next-gen solutions, such as AI-driven algorithms and machine learning models, facilitate the analysis of extensive datasets, enabling businesses to generate highly customized and competitive quotes in real time. These technologies further allow for the automation of complex pricing strategies, considering many factors such as market trends, competitor pricing, customer purchasing history, and real-time demand fluctuations. By leveraging predictive analytics, businesses can anticipate customer needs more accurately, improving the conversion rates and ensuring optimized profitability.
3. Best Quote Management Software Providers
Some of the top quote management software companies that help businesses optimize their sales funnel include:
3.1 Zilliant
Zilliant is a prominent leader in cloud-native pricing, CPQ, and revenue optimization software, focused on transforming business pricing processes. With decades of experience addressing complex B2B pricing and sales challenges, the company leverages advanced AI and data science to enhance price management and optimization, revenue intelligence, and e-Commerce.
Zilliant is renowned for its high ROI solutions, demonstrated through powerful customer endorsements from various industry leaders. Looking to the future, Zilliant continues to drive innovation in pricing science and customer engagement strategies, providing a comprehensive suite of services to optimize pricing and sales efficiency for manufacturing and distribution sectors. Its commitment to partnership and customer success is evident in its collaborative approach and continuous support in adoption strategies.
3.2 Tacton
Tacton is a leading SaaS provider specializing in CPQ solutions specifically designed for industrial manufacturers. With over 25 years of manufacturing expertise, Tacton's state-of-the-art configuration engine rapidly streamlines complex product configurations into accurate quotes, enhancing operational efficiency and increasing sales volume.
Recognized as a leader in the CPQ space by Gartner and G2, Tacton supports easy integration with existing digital landscapes, including PLM, CAD, PIM, and ERP systems. The platform simplifies the selling process through guided selling and needs-based configuration. It further provides powerful visualization and augmented reality features that allow customers to see real-time configurations.
3.3 Paddle
Paddle is a comprehensive SaaS-based payment infrastructure provider that specializes in streamlining billing operations for software businesses. As a merchant of record, Paddle manages to complete the payment stack and take on the responsibilities of relationship maintenance with payment providers, global sales tax handling, and revenue reconciliation across different billing and payment methods.
Its suite of products includes Billing, which offers an all-in-one solution for digital product payments and subscription management; ProfitWell Metrics for precise, free revenue reporting; Price Intelligently for a data-driven pricing strategy; and Retain, which automatically recovers failed payments to enhance customer retention.
3.4 Peak
Peak is an advanced AI platform provider designed to significantly enhance business growth, profitability, and operational efficiency by optimizing essential functions such as inventory management and product pricing. Tailored for businesses of all sizes, from million to billion-dollar enterprises, Peak ensures optimal stock levels and competitive pricing, backed by an AI performance guarantee that consistently meets service levels.
Recent innovations include the launch of Co:Driver, a generative AI product and the introduction of a performance guarantee that bolsters business confidence in AI adoption. Peak's comprehensive support structure and its ability to interconnect decisions across business functions further empower companies to harness AI effectively, inducing substantial improvements in decision-making and business performance.
3.5 Impact Analytics
Impact Analytics is a pioneering provider of AI-powered SaaS solutions designed to optimize decision-making across the retail, grocery, CPG, and supply chain sectors. The company transforms vast amounts of data into actionable insights with its advanced AI platform, significantly enhancing various aspects of business operations such as demand planning, supply chain management, merchandising, and pricing & promotions.
The platform includes specialized solutions like PriceSmart for unified life cycle pricing, TradeSmart for trade promotion planning, and AuditSmart, an advanced RPA bot for high-quality audits. Trusted by leading global retailers, Impact Analytics has demonstrated substantial business impacts, including an 8% lift in gross margins, 99% product availability on shelves, and significant reductions in work hours, clearance inventory, and wastage, culminating in annual savings of $1 billion for its clients. The company prides itself on its configurable solutions, resolute commitment to innovation, and ability to deliver tangible results within weeks, serving as a leader in retail AI solutions.
3.6 Upstream
Upstream is a leading global provider of mobile marketing automation solutions, specializing in driving digital growth with innovative customer acquisition through attractive quotes and engagement strategies across all mobile channels. The company boasts a substantial global reach with a consumer reach of over 1.2 billion and 3.1 billion monthly interactions, supported by a robust network of 370+ advertisers and the execution of 4000 ad experiences.
Upstream's Grow platform, recognized for its robust lead optimization and interaction capabilities, leverages proprietary predictive technology and expert marketing strategies to deliver unparalleled results, including a 12x ROI for e-commerce platforms. Dedicated to enhancing mobile operator efficiencies and increasing e-commerce sales, Upstream employs cutting-edge MarTech tools for event-driven campaigns, identity resolution, and ad fraud security to ensure high performance and minimal errors.
3.7 Proposify
Proposify is a leading proposal software provider designed to streamline and enhance the sales document process for B2B services globally. Proposify addresses common issues associated with traditional document creation tools like Word and PowerPoint, such as high error rates, lack of brand consistency, and poor visibility into proposal engagement. The software provider simplifies the creation of proposals through a centralized content library that includes templates, snippets, and a design editor, enabling sales teams to quickly produce error-free, professional-looking documents.
Proposify also offers advanced features such as interactive pricing, e-signatures, and a metrics dashboard that provides detailed insights into proposal views and engagement, helping businesses close deals more effectively. Its integration capabilities with CRMs and other tools ensure that sales processes are seamlessly connected and efficient. With a strong focus on customer success, Proposify offers personalized onboarding services to help businesses optimize their proposal workflows and achieve significant time savings.
3.8 Loopio
Loopio is a leading RFP response management software company that transforms the response process for RFPs, RFIs, DDQs, and security questionnaires by enhancing collaboration, streamlining operations, and ultimately helping businesses secure more deals. Recognized for its user-friendly interface and robust functionality, Loopio garnered multiple G2 awards in 2024, including Best Results and Easiest to Use in the Enterprise category.
Loopio’s integration with platforms enhance workflow efficiency, making vital information accessible within existing CRM systems. This integration, along with expert-vetted content and automatic updates, ensures that responses are quick, accurate, and compliant with current standards and practices. Its AI-driven content library centralizes knowledge, enabling fast, accurate responses and significantly reducing response times, which has led to measurable increase in efficiency and win rates among users.
3.9 Simpleview
Simpleview is a prominent provider of digital marketing and site management solutions for quote management and is tailored for destination marketing organizations (DMOs). With products like Simpleview CMS and CRM, the company offers a fully integrated platform that enhances the online presence and operational efficiency of tourism entities from small towns to large countries. Simpleview's services include website design, branding, SEO, and paid media strategies, all created to attract visitors and win bids for events and conventions.
Additionally, the company's Online Booking & Referral Engine and Email Marketing & Automation tools help DMOs increase engagement and revenue through direct bookings and effective communication. Simpleview also incorporates user-generated content and advanced data analytics to foster community engagement and provide actionable insights.
3.10 Configura
Configura is a leading provider of innovative space planning and product configuration software, serving commercial interiors, material handling, and kitchen and bath industries. The company’s flagship software, CET, offers an all-in-one solution for accurate space planning and configuration and isrecognized for its impact on streamlining operations and boosting profitability. This recognition is underscored by Configura's recent accolade, the Best IT Innovation Award at MODEX 2024.
Additionally, Configura fosters a collaborative environment with its Partner Portal, encouraging innovation and success through strategic partnerships. The company also emphasizes education and support through its academy, offering training and webinars to enhance user proficiency with CET. With a global presence and a commitment to innovation, Configura continuously updates its offerings, as demonstrated by recent expansions in its commercial interior product suite.
4. Final Thoughts
Advanced quote management systems are crucial for businesses seeking to optimize their sales funnel and enhance customer satisfaction. As technology evolves, companies must adopt these tools to stay competitive and drive strategic decision-making. Significantly, the future of QMS lies in the continuous advancement of intelligence systems and NLP, along with predictive analytics and data visualization, providing deeper insights into customer behavior and market trends. The incorporation of blockchain technology will further continue to enhance data security and transparency. Likewise, companies must increasingly leverage IoT and real-time data analytics to enable more dynamic and responsive quote management, further optimizing revenue and operational efficiency.
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