Experiments as Investments in Future-Proofing

Pipeline Visionaries

This episode features an interview with Emily Campbell, CMO at Blackline, a leading provider of cloud software that automates and controls critical accounting processes.

In this episode, Emily discusses their shift to lifecycle marketing and her focus on doing fewer things better to drive efficiency. She also dives into her approach to experimentation, and how she’s allocating 50% of her budget to experiments as a way to future proof their organization.

Key Takeaways:

• It’s important to understand how the customer behaves at each stage of the buying journey and to build lifecycle campaigns accordingly.
• A connected content strategy that builds on itself is an important component of lifecycle campaigns and streamlines retargeting efforts.
• Experiments are a way to future-proof the marketing organization, and pushes the team to try new ideas and to take calculated risks.

Quote:

• “It's probably more like 50 percent of our budget is for experiments this year. I really think about that as an investment in future-proofing our marketing organization. And I want to make sure that the team doesn't get super comfortable in what they're doing. So, I think that innovation really helps push them outside of their comfort zones. But I think we need to be testing new ideas. We need to be taking the, I'll say, calculated risks. We don't want to be throwing money away, but we need to learn what works and what doesn't. And, you know, one of the things that I'm trying to bring to the team is a sense of, we're going to celebrate successes and failures because those failures provide as much learning as the successes, if not more. And so we are very focused on fail fast, learn fast, try more. And, again, still fewer things better, but try new things that we haven't had a lot of experience with in the past.”

Episode Timestamps:

*(02:27) The Trust Tree: Lifecycle campaigns and understanding customer behavior
*(12:11) The Playbook: Relevant content at the top of the funnel
*(33:43 ) The Dust Up: Competitors that advertise on your key terms
*(35:35) Quick Hits: Emily’s Quick Hits

Sponsor:

Pipeline Visionaries is brought to you by Qualified.com, the #1 Conversational Marketing platform for companies that use Salesforce and the secret weapon for pipeline pros. The world's leading enterprise brands trust Qualified to instantly meet with buyers, right on their website, and maximize sales pipeline. Visit Qualified.com to learn more.

Links:

• Connect with Ian on LinkedIn
• Connect with Emily on LinkedIn
• Learn more about Blackline
• Learn more about Caspian Studios
• Blackline Customer Look Book