Sandra Zoratti built and launched the data-driven marketing practice called “precision marketing” and has numerous proof points of its success around the world using insight-driven targeting, content and metrics. She is currently VP of Marketing for a business created from former IBM and Ricoh companies located in Boulder, Colorado. Sandra is recognized as a precision marketing thought leader and recently published a book on the topic in June. An accomplished author, speaker and marketer, Zorrati was also honored with a Business Marketer of the Year Award in May.
In part one of this interview, she talked with the ProofHQ about precision marketing, prescriptive content and finding truth in data…
1. Your book, “Precision Marketing: Maximizing Revenue Through Relevance,” has just come out. What feedback are you getting from marketers, and why did you think there was a need for another book on the subject of marketing relevance?
Feedback on my book has been tremendous, and I believe it is because the stakes for marketers have never been higher: get relevant fast or risk extinction. Consumers are defecting from brands due to the overwhelmingly high level of irrelevant and marketing messaging…aka noise. The challenge for marketers is that customer retention, reactivation and acquisition – are key metrics for survival. If marketers do not change and change quickly, they risk the health of their business and their jobs.
Precision Marketing is a proven and actionable practice that leverages data to drive rich customer insights – used for targeting, messaging and measuring – as the foundation for more engaging marketing. The book provides a simple and sophisticated 6-step framework for getting started and expanding based on real-world experiences. Marketers who start leveraging data in order to produce business value are positioned to outpace the competition, produce results and increase credibility.
2. Tell us a little bit about your background. How did you become a precision marketing expert?
I have been so privileged to build the Precision Marketing practice from the ground up. The team I helped to build conducted research, worked with customers – across industries and around the world – and produced real results in statistically valid test vs. control marketing campaigns. We have proven with measurable results captured in revenue and ROI, that Precision Marketing does work, and our minimum improvement to date has been a two-digit uptick in results over business as usual.
3. Your first degree was actually in chemical engineering. Have you observed any connections between chemistry and marketing?
Absolutely! An engineer is trained to think as a problem solver. Data creates a single version of the truth, helps you see things that are not readily apparent with the naked eye and catalyzes better decision-making. Marketers are faced with problem-solving situations and challenges around gaining, retaining and reactivating customers. Blend the two – the power of data and the marketer’s need for better problem-solving around customer engagement – and you’ve got a super effective way to drive improvements in your marketing.
4. How do today’s digital marketing tools — social media, search, email, webinars and so on — contribute to a precision marketing strategy?
Digital marketing has caused some of the messaging overload and attention-deficit that we as consumers express by disengaging from content that does not speak directly to us and to our needs. Time and attention are our scarce and non-renewable resources, so marketing content needs to be spot on or it is thrown away. By being more prescriptive in digital marketing content, marketers can more effectively cut through the clutter to reach and engage over-messaged customers.
5. How is a precision-centric marketing team different from other types of marketing teams?
Precision Marketing uses deeper insights, customer behaviors and objective data to help predict customer wants and needs vs. running volume-oriented campaigns (we call these ‘spray-and-pray’) to “guess” at customer preferences and predispositions.
As a result, Precision Marketers will produce better customer engagement and improved revenue with less budget dollars and help drive business performance, while optimizing their marketing budgets.
Stay tuned for part two of this interview, in which Zoratti will explain why technology is marketing’s best friend.
March 28th, 2013 3:28 pm
[...] Sandra Zoratti, the Vice President of Marketing at Ricoh, says that agile marketing, collaboration, and asking questions are all essential to running a smooth marketing operations team. You can learn more about Sandra’s marketing philosophy from a prior interview conducted by ProofHQ. [...]