Blog
The Annual Crystal Ball -- A Look Forward at 2014
By ideba | December 10, 2013
It’s fascinating to read the distillation of the state of affairs each year into factoids. When I was a kid, it was Casey Kasem counting down the top 100 hits of the past year. Now, as a digital marketing consultant, I look forward to what’s going to happen next year.
There is already no shortage of prognostications. Business writers are getting the early jump this year (Click link here). Sort of like how Black Friday gets moved back earlier each year…and some retailers put up their decorations after Halloween…we’re seeing the prediction engine start to pump.
One trend that I’m happy to see is that next year should feature the meteoric rise of the Chief Digital Officer. And it’s about time.
I’ve worked at companies over the past couple of decades that had marketing a bit miscast. The marketing leaders could be a bit too focused on sales activity, sometimes unaware that the company message was off, or wasn’t very customer focused…especially online. So, the idea of the Chief Digital Officer getting into the limelight is welcome news to me.
Work
Drive revenue
through new
channel partners
Partner’s current
product portfolio
lacking
Demonstrate
committment
and product
solution portfolio
Personalized
high engagement
partner outreach with
measurable intent
Nexus 7 tablet
Executive video
FedEx
1:1 follow-up
2000% ROI
5 new partners
@ $1.5m each
15 meetings
Drive revenue
through new
birthing models
Cost of birthing
increasingly
prohibitive
Expectant moms
open to new
model
based
on mid-wife
and home-births
1:1 interviews
with new and
expectant moms
segmenting by
income and socio-
economic factors to
monitor attitudes to
new model
Develop new,
more affordable
model
for
child-birth with
extended appeal
Increased
revenue
driven by
extended appeal
Share leadership
around the impact
of mobile business
Low awareness
of leadership in
mobile space
Design
speaks
louder than words
High engagement
content design
drives consumption
Created
infographics
that
support topical
mobile content
Significant increase
in readership,
social exposure
and sharing
Create net new
revenue opportunities
through Envisioning
Workshops
Pipeline leads
not maturing
as quickly as
desired
Misalignment
between sales
presentation and
the customer’s
perception of
the solution
Revamp Sales
materials with
customer-centric
voice and
thought leadership
relevant to
customer challenges
Promote real
world examples
to Sales as proof
point to drive
engagement
$3.2m in revenue
opportunities
from first 3 deals
Additional pipeline
revenue from
pull-through sales
Drive
increased
revenue
for
customer from
website
No existing
processes
to
monitor and track
efficacy of
web content
Customer web
content lacks
customer benefits
and
clear path
for visitors that
want to engage
Competitive web
SWOT and
detailed action
plan
to update
and refine website
Update
navigation and
content
deliver strong
value proposition
and CTA
to
Increase in
page views
Decrease in
drop-off rates
Increased
revenue from
web sign-ups
Win market share
from auto dealers,
lube shops and
brake shops
Competitors trying
to instill
commodity
mindset
competing
exclusively on price
Majority of auto
maintenance and
repair
decisions
made by women
Restructure
marketing, sales
and operations
efforts to
prioritize
female customers
Redesign interior
Training for
customer facing
personnel
Ladies nights
New website
Record revenues
in 40-year
history of
the business
Use learning from
lost deals to
optimize and
improve
sales efficacy
Deals lost
to
young, up and
coming energy
service providers
selling aggressively
Customers selecting
competitors who
promote
client’s
weaknesses as
their strengths
Establish prioritized
list of
areas that
require attention
and address
weaknesses
Monitor areas
targeted for
improvement
Sales training
Closing higher
percentage of
deals
More motivated
and efficient
sales team
Drive higher sales
conversion rates
Client consistently
losing customers
to #1 competitor
Primary competitor
over-selling
capabilities
and
using disruptive
pricing to win deals
Conduct win/loss
interviews
to
glean key
competitive insights
Adjust sales
pitch to
arm
customers with
the right
questions to ask
when conducting
research
Increase in
conversion rates
after adjusting
sales approach
Revisiting
previous “lost”
opportunities
Increase customer
retention and drive
repeat investment
Customer
redemptions
inhibiting future
investment
opportunities
Customers
want more
communication
and increased
visibility
into the
company and its
investments
Proactive
communication
effort to
increase
transparency and
educate investors
Significant web
enhancements
Increased
emphasis on
education to
drive trust
Additional 1:1
communications
Increase in
number of
investors adding
to their original
investment
Drive increased
revenues from
long-term client
relationships
Inconsistency
in execution of
engagements
Clients under
intense pressure
to make
accurate
decisions quickly
Custom C-SAT
program providing
real-time feedback
on engagements
Refine and
optimize
operations based
on real-time
results
Increase in
repeat business
Increase in
revenue
Clients
- Audi
- Avaya
- BMW
- BMW Portland
- Cisco
- Clinicient
- Cooper Pacific
- DTI
- EAI
- Fortis BC
- Huxley Construction
- Iovation
- Island Floor Centre
- Learning.com
- Microsoft
- NECI
- Porsche
- Portland Opera
- Providence
- SAP
- Symantec
- Tom Harris
- Watchguard
- WickinnishInn
Expertise
Video
We develop animated and live-action video for product demonstrations, customer case studies, and educational stories.
Sales Tools
We build the hard-working sales advisors, configuration tools, and interactive widgets that drive customer engagement and leads.
Social Marketing
We craft conversation strategy, design and infographics for social platforms that extend your marketing and build customer interest.
Customer Insights
We learn what your customers need to improve marketing, from purchase and usage through support and satisfaction.
People
When you engage with Ideba, you work with senior professionals. Our consultants have deep experience, specializing in technology, and understand the importance of driving measurable results and ROI.
Meet Team Ideba: Click the LinkedIn icons to learn more about each of us, or the star icons to find out what has caught our attention recently.
Mark
Salow
Consulting
Lee
Sumner
Research
Community
Ideba strongly believes in supporting the communities where we work and live with education initiatives, activities that promote local businesses, and best practices to support the environment.
Victoria
Portland
Seattle
Contact
Portland
Address: 620 SW 5th Avenue, Suite 705, Portland, OR 97204
Tel: (425) 638-3797
Victoria
Address: 26 Bastion Square, Suite 203, Victoria, BC, V8W 1H9
Tel: (250) 590-6764