Marketing Strategies for Global Brands with Nicole Yeske

In our most recent episode of Demand Gen Studio, we had the privilege of sitting down with Nicole Yeske, director of digital marketing at Milliken. Nicole brings a wealth of experience from her extensive career in digital marketing, including her transition from B2C at Dell to B2B with Milliken.

We dove into the nuances of managing digital strategies within a global, multi-division company and the unique challenges and opportunities in shifting from consumer-focused marketing to a complex B2B environment.

This conversation offers valuable insights for marketers navigating similar transitions and looking to optimize their strategies across different business landscapes.

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Bridging the Gap Between Sales and Marketing

In the dynamic landscape of B2B marketing, achieving alignment between sales and marketing teams is essential for driving effective results.

One crucial aspect is the valuable signals marketing can provide to the sales team. In B2B settings, where the sales process often involves long cycles and extensive prospect lists, marketing can play a pivotal role in streamlining efforts by analyzing engagement data and identifying key behaviors—such as email opens or content interactions—marketing teams can prioritize leads based on their level of interest.

This approach helps sales teams focus their outreach on prospects who have shown intent and improves their efforts' efficiency.

Nicole added that this alignment also fosters trust between sales and marketing teams. By delivering high-quality, engaged leads and sharing insights into their behavior, marketing builds credibility with sales. This collaborative approach ensures that sales teams receive leads that are more likely to convert, enhancing their efficiency and effectiveness.

Ultimately, a well-aligned sales and marketing partnership not only streamlines lead management but also strengthens the overall strategy. By focusing on shared goals and maintaining open communication, both teams can work together to drive higher-quality leads and better business outcomes.

Marketing for Distributors and Aggregators

In industries where products are sold through distributors and aggregators, rather than directly to end consumers, crafting a marketing strategy that addresses both the intermediary and the final customer becomes essential.

This dual approach supports the distribution network and ensures that the product's value is effectively communicated throughout the supply chain.

In the context of Milliken, where products like fabrics are sold through intermediaries who then integrate them into final products such as garments, marketing efforts must cater to both ends of the spectrum.

For the end users, marketing needs to focus on the product's benefits and unique value propositions. The goal is to create awareness and demand among those who ultimately use the product, even if they cannot purchase it directly.

This involves highlighting the product’s advantages, quality, and how it solves specific problems or meets particular needs in their industry. 

Equally important is crafting a marketing message for distributors and aggregators. These intermediaries need to understand the product's competitive advantages and how it aligns with market trends and needs.

Driving Cross-Selling and Upselling Opportunities

Effective cross-selling and upselling strategies are crucial for maximizing revenue from existing customer relationships, and they can be particularly challenging in large, complex organizations like Milliken.

A key insight shared by Nicole highlights the importance of leveraging existing customer relationships to uncover opportunities across a diverse portfolio of products.

At Milliken, the challenge lies in breaking down the separation between different product divisions, allowing for a more cohesive approach to serving clients.

“When the data comes in, thinking about how do we strategically go after this contact or lead with the right solutions. They came in thinking one thing, but maybe they don't know about the others. ”

Nicole Yeske

Director, Digital Marketing

By fostering internal collaboration and adopting a holistic view of customer relationships, marketing teams can identify opportunities to introduce clients to additional products they may not have initially considered.

For example, a customer who primarily uses Milliken's chemical products might also benefit from their flooring solutions or healthcare products. Recognizing these connections involves understanding the customer’s needs and ensuring that the marketing, sales, and customer success teams have access to comprehensive, integrated information about all products and services.

Marketing strategies should focus on educating existing clients about the full range of offerings to drive effective cross-selling and upselling. This can be achieved through targeted communications that highlight how additional products can complement their current purchases.

For instance, when a lead expresses interest in one product, marketing can strategically suggest related solutions that address other aspects of their business.

The Role of Marketing Operations in Demand Generation

Marketing operations play a crucial role in enhancing demand generation by centralizing and optimizing data management across various systems and teams.

As companies scale, they often face challenges with fragmented tools and siloed information, such as Nicole's example of having multiple regional HubSpot accounts.

Consolidating data into a single, cohesive platform that integrates marketing and sales efforts will ensure that both parties work from one source of truth. Organizations can achieve a holistic view of their lead generation and nurturing activities by centralizing tools and streamlining processes.

In large organizations, consolidating tools and leveraging data is critical for effective demand generation. As marketing and sales roles evolve, ensuring that all aspects of the customer journey are considered and optimized for better outcomes becomes increasingly important.

Staying Curious in an Ever-Changing Marketing Landscape

In the ever-evolving marketing landscape, staying curious is essential for continued growth and adaptation. Nicole emphasizes the importance of exploring new tools, methodologies, and channels to keep pace with changes and opportunities.

By remaining open to learning and experimentation, marketers can better adapt to emerging trends and technologies, continuously enhance their strategies, and drive business growth.

This proactive approach supports innovation and helps identify and leverage new ways to engage with clients and generate demand.

We greatly enjoyed our discussion with Nicole and hope you did, too! For more interesting conversations with B2B marketing leaders and insights, check out the rest of our podcast episodes at Demand Gen Studio. Until next time!