Our target audience of senior-level marketers in the B2B industrial space had more than enough distractions. First, COVID-19 restricting sales personnel to ZOOM calls. Then trade shows and one-to-one engagements became non-existent. We weren’t about to sit around and wait while prospective clients tried to figure their way out of the swamp. Those insights helped us live up to the RIVET credo: driving revenue like we stole it.
After conducting some initial research, we sent six emails and two LinkedIn posts throughout the COVID-ravaged summer of 2020, driving our them to a personalized content package tailor-made for them.
There was an interactive demand-generation calculator putting our prospect in the driver’s seat by helping them compare marketing investment to ROI. The goal? Turning the traditional, activity-based marketing budget process on its head in favor of revenue-based budgeting.
Our next tactic was a sample service-level agreement (SLA) between marketing and sales, breaking down the silos, realigning the teams. We believe sales and marketing should go together like beer and wings, so our sample SLA is a playbook showing how to engage sales and marketing as a unified force to make the post-COVID-19 comeback better than the setback.
We also developed a video laying out the case for B2B marketers to look beyond traditional marketing and utilize a partner that can yield results not just develop content.
But the most engaging content was a webinar showcasing the power and impact of virtual events as a pivotal tactic to reach prospects globally.
The goals of the program were simple: five serious leads and one sale.
The results were outstanding -- triple our expectations. We secured 15 sales qualified leads and three sales, with potential revenue from those sales exceeding investment by a 30X rate. We had meaningful conversations with a wide range of senior-level marketers. We assisted a wide range of companies in initiating goal-based budgeting and efforts to bring sales and marketing into alignment. And we learned a great deal, both about senior level marketers and their pain points, as well as the power of a good demand generation playbook. Practicing what you preach often pays off!
