Power Marketing with Kevin Lee

Critical Events Management & B2B marketing lessons: a conversation with David Alexander, of Everbridge

Kevin Lee interviews David Alexander, Chief Marketing Officer at Everbridge, a company whose suite of products empowers enterprises and government organizations to anticipate, mitigate, respond to, and recover stronger from critical events. He’s also an Executive Professor at Texas A&M University, where he brings his extensive marketing experience to bear for the benefit of undergraduate marketing students. Kevin and David discuss Critical Event Management and contemporary marketing issues, including marketing austerity, the need for measuring and optimizing marketing performance, understanding the customer journey, and future-proofing strategies against emerging technologies. Their conversation highlights the importance of data visibility, automation, and customer experience in terms of driving business growth, along with the evolution of marketing's role in the customer journey, particularly in the post-COVID era. Additional topics covered in their talk include: - The definition of “Critical Events,” which may include weather events, political events, and other events challenging the readiness and resilience of corporate entities. - The importance of data visibility, automation, and effective communication for building relationships with CFOs, CROs, and CEOs. - How Using data and AI can be used to make informed marketing decisions. - AI's impact on marketing, including automation, creativity enhancement, and decision-making. - How AI represents an opportunity for students to learn new skills and stay competitive in the job market. - In a marketing context, the importance of the importance of focusing on existing demand and harvesting it before creating new demand. - The importance of a “single source of truth” for KPIs in B2B marketing. - Why marketers need to learn to “speak the language” of other organizational departments in order to have their communications understood. - The importance of identifying and building relationships with key decision-makers in the organization, and how Everbridge uses a multi-threaded approach to reach these individuals. - The key role of thought leadership in building relationships and driving engagement. - How people at different levels of the organization can be used to provide thought leadership, not just the CEO or chief security officer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Event marketing best practices: a conversation with Alexis Zinberg, of Treow Solutions

Kevin Lee interviews Alexis Zinberg, the Founder of Treow Solution, a New York-based firm that provides strategic marketing consulting services for clients across various verticals, including media, health, retail, and technology. As her LinkedIn profile explains, Alexis has “a deep expertise in designing and executing experiential and educational events, ranging from 10 person salon dinners to 50 person summits to 1500 person theater experiences and Trade Show presence.” Kevin and Alexis discuss event marketing best practices for 2024, with Alexis providing some great insights for event organizers, prospective exhibitors, and event attendees. They cover a lot of topics in our talk, including: - The importance of targeting the right audience at trade shows, rather than just showing up. - The importance of aligning events with business goals for maximum ROI. - Booth activation strategies for trade shows and in-person events. - How marketers can determine the best mix of salespeople and people in other roles to handle meetings and provide information to prospects. - The importance of preparation before attending events, including informing CRM, pre-promoting the show, and setting appointments with VIP-level people. - Why marketers shouldn’t overlook the opportunity to create content at events, including selfie content, testimonials, and on-site podcasts, which can be repurposed for months to come. - How event organizers are stressing “zero waste” and sustainability. - The importance of aligning trade show “swag” with business goals and objectives, and ensuring it has purpose and meaning. - The value of creating exclusive content for attendees at conferences, such as reports or panels to position clients as thought leaders. - The resurgence of QR codes at trade shows, allowing attendees to easily access digital content without needing to use printed collateral. - The role of virtual events in activating and engaging with audiences who cannot attend in person. - How smart marketers are making presentations “snackable” and adaptable for repurposing, with a focus on engaging the audience and creating a connection point. - The challenges of selecting the right person to be on stage at events. - Why trade show exhibitors need to have a laser focus on getting details right so that target audiences aren’t disappointed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Email marketing best practices for 2024: a conversation with Jon Cross, of All in One Email

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The future of AI-powered voice search: a conversation with Peter Erickson, of VOICE & AI

Kevin Lee interviews Peter Erickson, founder of Modev (conferences and special events for developers), founder of ExoLeaders.com (for executives), and founder of VOICE & AI -- an organization whose conferences and events bring together developers, buyers, sellers, and manufacturers seeking to gain entry into this fast-moving segment of the AI market. (VOICE & AI’s next event will be on October 28-30, 2024 in Arlington). Voice search is a hot field pegged to constitute a $98 billion sector by 2028. Peter and Kevin cover a lot of ground in their chat; topics include: - The degree to which innovation in LLM-driven Voice Search will progress ahead of text-based search, given there is less risk for its monetization model. - How LLM-powered search engines and voice search applications create a "winner take all" scenario for marketers (and what marketers can do about this). - Why Perplexity is in a good position to innovate in Voice Search, as they have reimagined search and presented it in an organized and addictive way for users. - The degree to which open source and proprietary technologies will coexist in the industry. - The high costs of AI-powered voice search and the degree to which costs may moderate in the near future. (example of a network of gaming computers to perform inference tasks at pennies on the dollar compared to traditional models). - Speculation as to whether Perplexity will be acquired this year (and by whom). - The costs and benefits of AI systems in education, given that they may "dumb down" languages and dialects. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Event industry trends & event planning strategies for 2024: a conversation with Daniel Meyer, of Access Intelligence

Kevin Lee interviews Daniel Meyer, VP & Corporate Controller at Access Intelligence, a Hauppauge, NY-based information and marketing company that provides business intelligence and integrated marketing solutions. Kevin and Daniel discuss how the event industry is evolving in the post-pandemic era and talk about best practices for event planners for 2024 and beyond. Discussed topics include: - How brands are adapting adapted to the "new normal" of events in the post-pandemic era. - The pandemic's impact on event planning, specifically the fact that lead times for commitments have decreased significantly (from 30-45 days to less than a month) - The importance of having backup plans and flexibility in event programming. - Challenges faced by event programmers with respect to selecting venues and accurately forecasting attendee numbers and event requirements. - The importance of event programmers understanding the “fine print” of event cancellation insurance policies. - Why anchors and sponsors are crucial for event success, given that they provide name recognition and help control the narrative. - How the value proposition of events depends on the audience's goals, which may include learning, networking, or transacting business. - The benefit of independent events (vs. events organized by a single vendor), where attendees can see “the whole story” and hold industry leaders accountable. - Why the structure and format of a given event should be tailored to the specific industry and the type of attendee, with a focus on experiential aspects and networking opportunities. - The differences between an exhibit hall with elaborate booths and a more informal exchange area, and the importance of managing traffic and building an agenda that allows attendees to get a variety of information. - The importance of understanding the venue's footprint and how it impacts the event's agenda and sponsor/exhibitor setup. - The challenge of managing the flow of traffic and ensuring that all parts of the event work in concert with one another, while also maximizing the value of attendees' time spent on site. - The challenges of choosing a venue for events, particularly in cities like New York where there are limited options and high demand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]