Neil Patel Shares His Secrets For Marketers at Vibe Martech Fest 

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#VMFKSA Global martech expert Neil Patel was the keynote speaker at Vibe Martech Fest’s Saudi Arabia edition. He shared pointers for marketers to get true value from their martech stacks, and reduce waste

Use technology to streamline processes but don’t forget the value of your team. There will be an increase in automation, tools that can help marketers reduce time and work effort in the near future. Global martech expert Neil Patel was the keynote speaker at Vibe Martech Fest’s Saudi Arabia edition that kicked off on October 18, 2022 in  Riyadh.

Patel said, “We are going to see more solutions and software that are using AI and machine learning to make marketing easier and more efficient. So you will need fewer people, but there’s a caveat. I don’t think it’s going to be good enough in 2023 for you to replace all the people. It’s going to help you with some of the hours, or reduce how much you need to pay people. What you will have to do is get people to double check the work, adjust.”

Technologies That Make Your Customers Say Wow

Emotion is what drives purchase decisions. Harvard professor Gerald Zaltman reiterates this notion in his book How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market. Zaltman reveals such decisions are related more to the subconscious mind, and emotion acts as a trigger to decision-making.

Patel suggests marketers identify an emotion they want to trigger using every single martech solution they possess Trigger the wrong one, and it can lead to stress which puts the customer off, he warns.

Patel lists the emotions brands should tap into;

• Trust: Influencers can impact sales because consumers trust them.
• Reciprocity: User-generated content is a way for brands to grow. Customers want to see visual content created by consumers who have used the products first-hand.
• FOMO (Fear of Missing Out): Millennials enjoy experiences, and missing out creates a tendency to seek ways to compensate.
• Belonging: Brands need to create a section for blogs or use social media channels to build a sense of community.
• Curiosity: Video helps evoke a sense of curiosity within your content.
• Conversations: People want to communicate with one another. One-third of sales will come from a chat on your website; manual or automated.
• Surprise: Polls and quizzes get users to engage, which builds a sense of loyalty.
• Personalisation: This is the Number 1 way marketers improve responsiveness on emails.
• Instant Gratification: Consumers want it now. Online shoppers want their deliveries on the same day, not a week later. In addition, make your website load faster, and communicate immediately post-purchase.

3 Rs of Martech Investments

When deciding on the right choice for martech solutions, Patel suggests following the 3 Rs approach;

• Relevant: Understand your customer’s needs. Figure out a strategy first, and then see if the technology can work to action the strategy. Besides speaking to customers, Patel recommends conducting a survey with your teams to understand the issues they deal with and solutions that can help. Lastly, look at what your competitors are using.
• Repetition: You don’t want your team to be tied down with manual tasks. Repetitive functions must be automated to save human resources for work with higher value. Look for AI solutions to automate.
• Return on Investment: Make sure your company’s tech stack is profitable. It should save you time and money.

Reduce Martech Waste

There are more technology solutions than ever before but marketers need to choose wisely so their systems are speaking to each other.

Enterprises are only using about 42 per cent of their martech capabilities. “But you are paying for 100 per cent,” said Patel. That means that marketers are looking for other solutions to do the rest of the work. He quoted a study that said that 82 per cent of marketers plan to change their martech stack next year.

To reduce waste, Patel suggests not only investing in technology but also focussing on education and training to get the true value.

Navigating the Martech Puzzle

Figuring out the right martech solution for an enterprise can be like navigating a crossword puzzle. Patel suggests asking if this solution will work with the strategies one has planned, the processes one has in place and the challenge one wants to solve for the customer.

To win, you need to understand;

• Product
• Market
• Competition
• People

Good Versus Great Marketing

The best marketing campaigns are the ones where people see it and do not realise it is an ad. Great marketing messaging blends with consumers’ lives, he said.

“Markets always change faster than marketing but branding is consistent,” he said. People buy based on the brand.