PHOTO:
Tierney
As the biggest holiday of the year approaches, marketers are reflecting on what they are thankful for this holiday season.
With the COVID-19 pandemic taking over the world, it has shifted many things for marketers. According to a Merkle Inc. report, 74% have changed their approach to customer content due to the pandemic.
Still, marketers have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season. It may be their marketing team, social media, technology or health, but everyone is thankful for something. The pandemic has taken a lot out of marketers, and they are excited to be able to celebrate and reflect with their co-workers and families.
We sat down with some marketers to learn how and why they have remained thankful through the holiday season:
Alli Hill expressed her gratitude for the ability to assist her clients in staying afloat during these uncertain times.
“There’s never been a greater need for quality marketing than right now,” Hill said. “Companies are struggling with supply chain and talent shortages, new companies are opening left and right, and consumer preferences have dramatically shifted.”
Being a freelancer, Hill’s freedom of handpicking clients allows her to connect with them and become proud of the work done for the client. “As a freelancer, I’m able to handpick the clients I work with, and I’m very selective based on how I can help them reach the next level. For marketers, there’s no greater feeling than seeing the clients you work with become successful based on the work you do for them.”
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Stephen Light is thankful for marketing automation tools. “Marketing automation doesn’t sound like a very exciting thing to be thankful for, but hear me out,” he said. “A marketer’s ultimate goal is to understand the customer, optimize their journey, and ensure their experience continues beyond hitting ‘purchase.'”
He went on to say, “Automation tools take over tedious, repetitive processes and allow us a deeper, richer understanding of our customers. They help us create hyper-personalized content and build relationships with our audience on a much deeper level than a buy-sell transaction. I’m incredibly thankful that technology has allowed us to do our jobs with a degree of effectiveness that marketers decades ago never even dreamed of.”
David Bitton is thankful for the ability to foster new relationships and provide value to the audience his company to which DoorLoop caters.
“As a result of the pandemic, our duties as marketers have been greatly enhanced this year, and I’m happy for our platform because it allows us to act as change agents,” Bitton said. “Marketing is a potent instrument, and as marketers, we have the ability to influence people. I am glad for my one-of-a-kind ability to draw attention to urgent issues and affect change in individuals.”
He also gave thanks to the staff that has persevered through all of the hardships and obstacles that came their way. “I’m also grateful to an exceptional staff that has shown great perseverance and strength in the face of hardship. A lot has transpired in the previous two years, and I’m thankful for my team’s adaptability, togetherness, and tenacity in the face of adversity. We became closer as a result of the experience, and we gained a wealth of information to apply in the future.”
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Jake Smith as a business owner wears many hats, including that of chief marketing officer. He always has to be on top of his game, he said.
“Marketers are thankful … because they can be more creative with their product-selling approach by leveraging social media rather than the typical brick-and-mortar arrangement,” Smith said. “With the pandemic outbreak, marketing in physical stores may be ineffective since individuals are wary about following community health norms.”
Marketers, including himself, should be thankful for ecommerce, too. “Since internet selling has become the new norm, especially during the holiday season, they can digitally pull off more innovative marketing techniques,” Smith said. “This shift in consumer purchasing behavior implies a probable increase in business sales despite the crisis, which is a win-win situation for marketers and the firms they run.”
Aqsa Tabassam is grateful to be a part of a team and community that is working to do good and make a difference. ”We’ve all had a very challenging year and a half,” she said. “… I am thankful to be a part of a team and community striving to do good and make a positive change. As marketers, we are in a position of power where we hold a lot of influence. What we say and how we say it impacts millions of people who consume our content.”
Tabassam said using her company’s platform to help people around the globe get through the pandemic and the ongoing challenges made her proud. “I’m thankful to be around like-minded people who share the same values as I do,” she said. “Our marketing content this past year hasn’t just been promotional but educational as well. I hope my team and I can continue to do good as we’ve done this last year.”