Thoughts on Marketing
Is Sales Navigator worth the Investment?
[Originally published as The Marketing Mix newsletter on Substack]
I’ve had a few client conversations recently about LinkedIn Sales Navigator. And it seems the jury is split. Either it’s tough to live without, or it’s just too expensive.
Here’s the top 3 reasons I like Navigator:
- Unlike ZoomInfo and other data services, the information in LinkedIn is constantly updated…by the prospect themselves(!)
- The advanced search feature lets you target a prospect list very narrowly – and again, LinkedIn has the data to deliver on well-defined segments
- If you follow a social-selling approach, the alerts feature gives you frequent prompts to keep in touch with your saved leads
At $100 a month, you certainly have to drive significant value from it. Which means you need to have a philosophy on how to use it, and embed that in your processes. And you need to train your team not just on the mechanics, but on the strategy too.
When we introduced it to the sales team at Opengear, we started with a training course on social selling techniques, plus some tactical sessions with LinkedIn’s own trainers. And we ran internal contests, tracked performance – and celebrated wins – to keep people engaged. It takes some heavy lifting, but it absolutely gets results.
An interesting side note. In the electronic components industry (my old stomping ground when I was at Panasonic), the ERA industry group offers a subscription service that leverages LinkedIn’s database via a search engine overlay. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, but it’s a fraction of the cost, and is a way to get people moving on the right track. I’m normally skeptical of third-party apps that promise to do this, but the ERA one seems to get it right.
Is this Really ABM?
I invited Mason Cosby on the podcast to talk about using Account Based Marketing in a small business. I was pretty skeptical about it – ABM typically requires a lot of resource and budget.
It turns out, what Mason is preaching really isn’t ABM at all. It’s more about going to back to the basics, and focusing on how to target your ideal accounts, or ICPs.
So we talked about the value of activation plays; using existing data and resources to target strategic accounts; and how not to spend a fortune on fancy software platforms.
What’s the biggest marketing challenge you’re facing as you grow your business? Whether it’s reaching a bigger audience, converting more leads, or getting better value from your content, the chances are, I’ve worked through it before.
Book a 30 minute call, and let’s chat about your marketing plans for 2024.
Drink of the Week
Thanksgiving has become my favorite holiday to host – it’s all about family and friends, and not so much of the gifts and commercialization.
This year, I served up a Cranberry Spritz as the welcome drink, with the option of a Maple Old Fashioned for anyone who needed something a bit stronger 😉
No-one in the house is a fan of Aperol, so the spritz was a mix of prosecco, cranberry juice, Cointreau and rosemary syrup. The Old Fashioned used Jeptha Creed bourbon, cinnamon-infused maple syrup, and maple bitters.
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Cheers!
Steve