ANNUITAS Strategy deliverables follow a logical flow, beginning with research and insights and then building out all other Demand Process elements upon that strategic foundation. This gives you a comprehensive strategic plan to guide your transformation. This includes everything from Content Marketing Models and Marketing Automation Platform (MAP) configuration to KPI strategy and dashboard reporting. Strategy deliverables also include a proposed approach to Implementation—that is, the build-out and deployment of the program at a people, process, content and technology level.
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“ANNUITAS helped us create a better buying experience for our customers, and to establish core metrics and reporting systems that allow us to strategically manage the market’s perception of our brand.”— KEN WINCKO, PR NEWSWIRE, SVP MARKETING
Understanding the ‘Layers’ of Demand Process
Bringing Buyer Insights into Business Context
Through interviews with customers, prospective buyers and key stakeholders, we develop a thorough understanding of buyer pain points, barriers to sale and content consumption patterns, putting it all into the context of your business, industry and marketing objectives. These insights serve as the foundation for your ANNUITAS Perpetual Demand Generation® (PDG) Strategy, upon which all other layers will be built.
Buyer Dialogue Logic
The Buyer Dialogue Logic outlines the steps a customer takes along every stage of the decision process. PDG maps to the logic with a clear sequence of inbound and outbound activities that move a buyer forward when they show they are ready, from initial engagement to close. It maps out the detailed conversation between buyers and your business, including information requests, content offers, and interactions with Sales and Marketing, with a plan for each engagement channel. This structured dialogue flow not only ensures continuity in the conversation, as automated leads are handed off to the Sales team, but also supports a clear and efficient lead-to-revenue process for each buyer.
Content Marketing Model
Getting to perpetual demand requires intelligent, data-driven content that enables buyers to proceed via their own path, at their own pace. The Content Marketing Model provides the blueprint, with content recommendations for each major step in the buying and selling experience, from assets a buyer may discover via search or on your website to offers your Sales team will use to close deals. We then audit existing assets and determine what gaps need to be filled.
Building Strategic Processes
With the core logic and foundational models in place, we work through integration details and lay the groundwork for Implementation and Optimization, ensuring that PDG programs align to your organizational processes and technology systems.
Lead Management FrameworkSM
The Lead Management Framework provides the model for every aspect of the lead-to-revenue process—from data capture and progressive profiling to lead handling and sales enablement. After assessing your existing processes and lead qualification stages against industry best practices, we work with your Marketing and Sales teams to align on terminology and lead qualification stages and establish guidelines for lead flow.
ANNUITAS Demand Process Transformation
The ANNUITAS Demand Process Transformation integration plan maps out the program’s operational logic and flow throughout Engagement, Nurturing and Conversion stages and activities. Planning accounts for the sequence and timing of content offers, optimization of the lead scoring model, and potential limitations or workarounds related to your marketing automation program.
Quantitative Model for Pipeline and Revenue
Using “reverse funnel math,” we build a quantitative model for the lead volume that must be driven through the funnel at various stages to hit opportunity and revenue goals over a ramp-up period and on an ongoing basis.
Optimization Plan
With a clear understanding of what success looks like, we plan from the outset for continuous measurement and improvement, including well-defined performance KPIs for each stage, role-based dashboards and analytics, and closed-loop reporting from lead to revenue.
Enabling Perpetual Demand
The final layers in the PDG program strategy are the people and backend technology stack that drive a successful demand generation engine.
Technology Systems and Data Approach
The devil is usually in the details, especially when data and technology are involved. We clearly define the data management approach and standards, including closed-loop tracking and marketing automation to CRM integration. We also account for the way key marketing and sales technology and data systems will tie together, including marketing automation platforms, CRM and the web CMS.
Sales and Marketing Alignment
To successfully make the shift from a campaign-based orientation to always-on demand generation, it is essential to get Sales and Marketing working from the same playbook, toward the same KPI—revenue. ANNUITAS works with you to implement a Demand Generation Center of Excellence, with well-defined functional roles, processes and operational success factors.
Typical Strategy Timeline
Strategy is developed over the course of nine weeks, with each Demand Process element layering onto the buyer-centric foundation. Throughout the process, we work closely with your key stakeholders and coach leadership on implementation and organizational strategy.
See how all the pieces come together during Implementation and how we set up your team for long-term success.
ANNUITAS Implementation Approach
