By Dan Banas
Engagement marketing is key to building lasting relationships with customers, with some strategies leading to better results than others. That is why it’s important to have a trusted industry leader helping optimize your engagement marketing. In this article we go into 10 traits of marketing thought leaders and what to look for in this area.
- Enthusiastic
- Innovative
- Curious
- Data-Driven Approach
- Strong Communication Skills
- Empathetic
- Strong Leadership Skills
- Digital Savvy
- Good At Relationship Building
- Team Players
Engagement marketing leaders show a genuine passion for connecting with audiences. Their enthusiasm and optimism about engaging customers leads to a better end user experience, similar to how we detailed in this article on email newsletter optimization.
Leaders think outside the box and generate innovative ideas. They can quickly adapt to changing trends and industry developments, and are willing to try new things in A/B testing and other marketing strategies.
Thought leaders continuously seek new knowledge and stay updated on industry trends. They are naturally curious and want to learn more about their audience and the marketing landscape, welcoming new ideas and perspectives.
Leaders in customer engagement use data and analytics to inform their marketing decisions, with defined roadmaps and experiment testing methodologies. They leverage data to assess the big picture as well as the nuanced areas of opportunity within more niche audience segments.
Marketing leadership is skilled at crafting compelling narratives that resonate with their audience. They communicate complex ideas shown in streamlined storylines, and pay attention to feedback.
Great engagement marketers understand the needs, desires, and motivations of their target audience. Furthermore, they prioritize customer experiences based on trust and understanding, minding data privacy regulations, and incorporating customer feedback into communications.
Marketing leaders have a clear vision for their strategy and can inspire others. When building and leading effective marketing teams they have a positive influence on colleagues and to a wider degree on industry best practices.
Thought leaders Stay up-to-date with the latest digital marketing technologies (commonly referred to as MarTech). With ongoing shifts in marketing strategy, they are multi-channel experts and understand the principles of content marketing.
Engagement marketing leaders have strong relationships with industry peers, often having worked with or collaborated with other industry leaders over time. By cultivating strong relationships, they stay up to date on best tools and practices like we explained in this article on inbox placement rates.
Completing this list, leaders here are team players that work with the ebbs and flows of marketing demands. For instance, great leaders shine during seasonal periods like end of year for reporting while running holiday campaigns. Finally, they share their expertise across their teams.
Dan Banas is Head of AI, Strategy & Analytics for Continuum Global, an industry-leader in engagement marketing. Named a ‘Top 25 Analytics Thought Leader’ by Thinkers360 and a ‘Top 100 Innovator’ by Top 100 Magazine, Dan has more than 15 years of experience designing executive business strategy, leading teams, and consulting clients. He holds an MBA and Masters of Business Analytics from the University of Iowa, and has consulted Fortune 500 companies across industries in Technology, Manufacturing, Travel, Hospitality, Financial Services, Retail, and AI.