S1 E1 - Lead conversions through effective B2B Marketing strategies

Are you struggling to maintain the lead conversion rate throughout your marketing campaign? Or do you find it difficult to maintain the outcome of your marketing campaign? If yes, then tune in as we bring to you, Episode 1 of the B2B POD where our host Radwa Hassan with the guest Samah El Naggar speaks about the challenges of Lead Conversion and how to improve them with the help of different marketing tactics. Get a glimpse of how early adaptation to digital sales and market planning can improve your campaigns. 

In this Episode, 

• We introduce you to our guest, Samah El Naggar
• Give you a brief overview of the challenges of lead conversion 
• Our guest speaks about different tactics needed to deploy to optimize the campaigns. 

In closing, we'd like to say thank you for tuning in to The B2B POD this week. We hope to see you for Episode 2. 

Episode highlight -

[00:27] Radwa Hassan introduces the guest Samah El Naggar.

[01:01] Radwa asks Samah about the challenges of conversion with a marketing campaign

[02:22] Samah explains how we can improve the campaign performance consistently.

[10:54] Radwa asks Samah how the pandemic has impacted digital marketing 

[11:26] Samah explains the key elements and tactics they adopted during the pandemic

[17:49] Radwa asks how to deploy successful marketing campaigns 

[20:18] Samah explains key features to creating successful marketing campaigns. 

[27:56] The end

Meanwhile, you can follow us on the following platforms to never miss out on any updates: 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theb2b_pod/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheB2BPOD

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/78324636/

Website - https://www.thepodcast.ae/theb2bpod/

Radwa LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/radwa-hassan/

Samah El Naggar - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samahelnaggar/

Review The B2B POD on your favorite platform to let us know what you think about the show.

Thank You!

Podcast Description 

The B2B POD is the next big source of information about what’s happening in the B2B industry. The podcast is a one-stop shop for everyone interested in updating themselves with the latest news, trends, and technologies of the B2B industry. Tune in and listen to the intriguing conversations with our season host Radwa Hassan as she covers a profuse number of topics with a diverse set of guests.

Transcript

Radwa Hassan: 00:00:27

Hello and welcome everyone to season one of the B2B POD. I have the pleasure today to host our guest Samah El Naggar and our episode today is about the conversations through effective B2B marketing strategy. Thank you Samah for your time and welcome to the B2B POD. How are you doing?

Samah El Naggar: 00:00:50

 I'm good, actually. Thank you Radwa for the introduction. It's definitely my pleasure to be part of this interesting topic. 

Q1. Radwa Hassan: 00:01:01

Thank you so much. And, really Samah, our topic today about the conversion in marketing and with a marketing campaign, although it's a classical problem, but I see that there is a lot of signs that has come on board with marketing automation that has really helped us to understand in a deeper way, best practices and new tools that could support us with improving our conversion rate and marketing and namely to your experience with the, digital sales reps, management, and also with the digital marketing and how you're going to share with us all these amazing examples in this space.

So if I may ask you and start with the first question, what have you seen from your experience at, where are the challenges with conversion in the different marketing campaigns and also how you have improved it through the different tactics? 

Samah El Naggar: 00:02:22

I would say actually for sure, the conversion, it's one of the keys struggles. We always face this kind of challenge and, one of the key elements that we were always thinking about, on how we should be improving the campaign performance in a consistent way. Not like one hit and we disappeared. We need to have a consistent way to come to the outcome of whatever campaign that we are doing.

I would say here, like one of the things that we were definitely impacted negatively by was the conversion at the beginning. It was the relationship that we had between the marketing and the digital sales at the beginning. I would like to give you some sort of history on how things started in this kind of area.

00:03:18

So, the digital sales we're actually operating in silos in different countries, and we were struggling with the real time communication and optimization. There is some sort of struggling as well that happened in the collaboration, also lack of trust from both parties that has negatively impacted the conversion, in this regard. 

Lack of knowledge that we did not share proper information about the campaign background.  So overall, I would say a picture of the customer journey, we're missing through digital sales.

So I'm stressing on this point because that's definitely, I would say that it mostly impacted us, on the middle of the funnel, once you come to the campaign at performance in that regard. We were doing great on the top of the funnel where the customers were engaging with us , on the different channels and things like that, but once you come to the lead and the conversion in that case that was the struggle. So what happened at that time? We were lucky, I would say that, the DTRs or the digital sales and the marketing were moved to the same location. So that helped us to better communicate and collaborate. Also one of the elements, or I would say the key success that we had, was that we involved digital sales and early stage market planning. So that actually yields on enhancement in the communication, and also a bit of trust among all the team members. Actually it also gives them the feel, the sense of belonging, sharing and alignment with them. The marketing quarterly objective as one team helps us to easily achieve both targets in that regard. We were keen actually to make sure that they are getting a full understanding of the campaign objective. What are the materials that the customers are reacting to? What exactly are the elements that the customers get the chance to see before handing off the leads to them. So we give them some sort of, I would say customer journey overview to the digital sales just to make sure that they are fully engaged correctly with the customers in this kind of stage.

Q2. Radwa Hassan: 00:05:56

Yeah, that's certainly a very smart approach to that and very useful tactics that you have applied there. So if we were to, for example, say, from the conversions, after the changes, how do you see the changes were made ? I mean in continuity to that, how can you maintain after the changes, this success?

Samah El Naggae: 00:06:29

Actually it's continuous I would say. We kept collaborating with them weekly, actually it was a daily as well because we were sitting beside each other, so we had the chance to understand exactly the challenges that they have. It's not a matter of handing the needs to them. We got the trends to understand what exactly they are going through. What are the challenges and trying to optimize based on the feedback in real time with, agency and trying to optimize that. 

I wouldn't say even the campaign, but the tactic per channel as well. So, when we had that we properly involved them within the cycle of customer journey. We were listening very carefully on what exactly, their complaint and what their pain points and things like that. And that actually helped us to build up some sort of trust between us because they knew that whatever was given to us as a marketing, we will be able to go and optimize the campaign based on their feedback. If there was some sort of tactic we were testing and we were interested in implementing, however, it was not working properly from the conversion perspective. This is where we were like on the spot trying to do some sort of correction action and making sure that we are on the right track. 

So, here it's a combination of 360 degree approach where we are tackling the customer throughout the different channels and online, flying as well. So that's all in all that's contributed positively to the conversion in that case.

Q3. Radwa Hassan: 00:08:32

Well, I'm really a fan of that trust aspect because I also believe very much that if you cannot build trust I'm glad that you hit on the trust and gaining trust, with this engagement with the digital sales and also how it impacts conversion. Would you have an example of maybe as we come across working with the different teams that you have, maybe those who don't like to collaborate or would push back a lot? Do you have any tips around how to handle such situations? If you have come across them. 

Samah El Naggar: 00:09:15

It's almost like that, to be honest, but it's really important to avoid blaming and pointing fingers, and making sure that we are focusing on the solution rather than the problem itself, trying to be positive. Also making sure that we are recognizing and appreciating them as well. 

So it's one of the key elements. So whenever we have this kind of attitude where we are trying to find a solution for not pointing fingers and trying to revisit one more time, what exactly can be done from our side to enhance the communication. 

End of the day we are one team and that's the key element. Will not be able to reach our target if we are not all together working on the same objective. So that's why at the beginning, when we started the conversation, we were involving them from the beginning, it's not like we are surprising them with the campaign. No, since the pre-work of the campaign itself, working on the materials and thinking like that's where we are actually having, I would say consistent feedback from their side and optimize accordingly based on their feedback. 

Sometimes even when they are doing coals and customers are interested in a specific topic and this topic is not part of our campaign, we visit the campaign and reoptimize the campaign based on the feedback in that case as well. 

Q4. Radwa Hassan: 00:10:54

Yeah , certainly very great tips I must say. So if we go back again to the point on the conversion and how you see the pandemic has impacted whether negatively or positively, your campaigns, the performance of the digital marketing, the engagement also with the digital sales. Now we're over with the pandemic, but as a learning and how you see the curve has changed. What was your experience? 

Samah El Naggar: 00:11:26

At the beginning, we were all struggling. 

00:12:35

It was new for all of us. And it was something that we are not familiar with, so the struggle was crossover, not only for us, , but, we were, at that time keen to build up some sort of I would say a personal relationship with the customers having empathy at that stage rather than pushing out from the, that was not our aim at that time.

So we were keen actually to send emails and try to reach our customers through different channels, by reassuring and reconfirming that the stage is challenging for all of us. And let's keep in touch and things like that. So that was one of the key elements. We were not focusing at that time on how we should be closing the deal rather than the client itself. So we were having the client centricity approach during the pandemic. 

Q5. Radwa Hassan: 00:13:33

I'm glad you mentioned the client centricity approach and that would bring me to ask you a couple of questions. To be honest, I see that many companies talk about customer centricity, but really few follow through and execute on that really to a great extent.

So my question would be that now you were saying that you have shared emails, you've sent to customers emails. We take this back to conversion, do you still see that email is one of the tactics that has a high conversion or even has a strong impact, it's being picked up by the clients?

Samah El Naggar: 00:14:15

 I wouldn't say I can actually, I cannot rely on one tactic to come to the customer journey. It's something really important to have, so we can actually take in the customers throughout the different channels, online and offline,  thinking of a channel. Back then it was a single campaign, where we are running like silos as well. Our vision was to accomplish the customers across channels.

So the 360 approach is really important. It's not only the email, but I should be having a prospecting and retargeting approach as well, making sure that the customers, whenever they will land and whenever, they will interact with our assets on the digital platform and even offline or anything like that, I will be able to, I would say to interact with them based on the buyer stage in that regards. So email is one of the tactics, but it's not like an absolute tactic, it should be combined with a different tactic. Google search definitely is one of the tactics that we were relying on, but we cannot rely on it once as a silos as well. It should be combined with the word. We were combining content syndication, LinkedIn, the social media platform, anything that will help us to reach the customers properly throughout the buyer journey , I will be definitely interested in. So, it's 360, like I mentioned.

Q6. Radwa Hassan: 00:16:33

Yeah. Thank you Samah, so much. And that brings me to a very key question here. If you are looking at the different platforms and the tactics, what would be the top, or if you are going to name a few best performing platforms or tactics, when it comes to conversion, they have the highest conversion rate.

Samah El naggar: 00:17:01

 I will be saying the same. I can not rely on one tactic, that’ll bring me the most conversion, because it's a strategic way. You cannot state or say that it's one tactic.

Q7. Radwa Hassan: 00:17:24

Some perform better than the others. I mean in one of our discussions, you were once saying that maybe a Google search would perform better than other platforms, other tactics, because this also helps with the lessons learned behind every campaign or engagement or a project that we execute on as marketeers.

You take that learning and then you try to deploy the science behind it into future projects. So how did you find which one would be performing better that you would invest in more ? 

Samah El Naggar: 00:18:04

Google search definitely, I consider Google search as even though we were doing paid campaigns on Google search, but I count Google search as inbound, not as an outbound, even if we are pushing in that case. Because even if you are paying money for Google to push your keywords as the first ranking, you will not be able to do that, if you are not doing a client as well. Google is super keen on their customers and they will not be pushing whatever. Even if you are paying or bidding, I would say lots of money. You will not be ranked properly in the first five ranks unless it's in alignment with the client centricity approach. So Google is one of the key elements or one of the key tactics that we were relying on, but in collaboration and integration with the existing tactics that we have.

So whenever we had the leads coming from Google search, we're trying to tackle them as a next step with follow-up emails with , retargeting them throughout the different chanell as well, trying to integrate them with existing events that if we have what costs online, offline. If there is something that is going on at the time as well, making sure that we are keeping the relationship with them in that regard, but in combination and in collaboration with different tactics as well.

Q8. Radwa Hassan: 00:17:49

Yeah. Certainly, if I may ask you as to what would be the key takeaways, if you were advising our audience and fellow marketeers, on conversion and how to improve it and the different tactics that they need to deploy- 4,5. I mean, as many as you could mention everybody would be happy to hear from you.

Samah El Naggar: 00:20:18

I would say the first thing definitely is that we need to listen to each other.  So we can properly have continuous feedback from all the stakeholders. That's one of the key elements, there is no need to point fingers. It's all about that we are one team and how we should be achieving the goal, having a clear management system as well,  where all the stakeholders are involved.

 The thing that you need is important, something in the startup journey, optimum, we go. We optimized. Yes, we can add the perfect ideas. You know, you do not exist. The beginning. So when you are launching the campaign, you cannot tell how the campaign would be performing. So just go along, even if you are not 100% sure with what you have, then optimize accordingly, the data will come. And once the data will appear, you will be able to optimize based on the data that it is a key factor. So you have to build up your decision based on the best approach. That's the key. Then as you mentioned making sure that you are involved in the stakeholders in the early stage, more during planning.

 There is no need to have any surprises, the more that you are involving the stakeholders and. Each month and planning the wound that you will be able to properly go in your campaign with the right elements and the tactic as well. Aligning with them the target  that you have. So your target will be their target. It's a common target. It's not my target, it's our target. Sharing the   customer journey is a key factor before they reach the DTRs or digital sales is a key factor. So the DDRs will be able to understand correctly what the customers went through before picking up the phone and having the conversation with them.

 So it will give the customers as well, the field that we are creating a personalized campaign, that's really important. Yeah. And also, like I mentioned, real time feedback is really important from all the stakeholders, so we can optimize the campaign as we go and make sure that we are all working towards a customer centric approach and getting a better result.

Q9. Radwa Hassan: 00:23:09

Great. Thank you so much, Samah.  My other question is whether you have managed a big region. So your experience spans across the Middle East and Africa. All of it. If you are going to, for example, mention the top-performing markets across this region where you found a very high outcome, which markets would these be?

Samah El naggar: 00:23:42

There are many markets, but we have to put into consideration one, a couple of elements. Sometimes when you go to the campaign and you're doing grief from the marketing, uh, campaign perspective, it's not about the campaign all day, it was a system. Sometimes that system is not working well.  So the performance on the top and the middle of the funnel is doing great, but once to come to the conversion entry point that's where you are struggling with.

So, even the markets that I would be seeing are doing great from the engagement and stage perspective. It might be at the end of the funnel that they are not doing great because we are not doing a great job, but it's simply because our ecosystem is not working. What? So we need to put this into consideration.

It's a combination of manufacturers that definitely will influence the decisions to come to the candidates performing well. So, uh, if we have all those elements up and running and connected in a very smooth way, then definitely we can tell the person that is performing well.

But unless we have, I would say strong. And interest within the system, even within marketing itself, perhaps our messages are not in alignment, perhaps we are approaching campaigns that it's not in alignment with the market needs. And in that regard, perhaps we don't have proper education that's happening from a sales perspective. It's definitely many factors that I would say  that can impact our decision to come to the market that it's performing well. So if we have all those elements in alignment then the fifth would be having the ideal answer of the market. But in a nutshell, just to give you the answer, it would be South Africa as example all the uncovered segment, like, Kenya arena, in that regards along definitely with, KSE, Saudi Arabia and UAE as well as very competitive market, but definitely one of the markets that we are interested in and the Egypt. So that's definitely one of the markets that we are interested in and Turkey. Yeah. It's many markets but like I mentioned, if we have to stick to how you should be having a plan,  view them definitely some of the markets will appear and get better rankings. 

Q10. Radwa Hassan: 00:26:53

Yes, certainly. And I thank you so much for your openness and for sharing that, this is very valuable insight. Because really again, from my experience as well, the readiness of the market, and also so many elements come together, you cannot really say that one factor impacts the performance in a given market. And so it could be the industry, the brand, the customer readiness, the technology, the supports, all that, that really impacts how every project campaign or a product really performs in a given market. So, Samah, thank you so much.

This has been a very engaging and insightful conversation. Thank you for your time. And let's connect soon. 

Samah El Naggar: 00:27:40

Thank you Radwa once more for giving me this kind of opportunity to go through this kind of interesting topic. Thank you. 

Radwa Hassan: 00:27:52

Thank you Samah.

Samah El Naggar: 00:27:54

Thank you. Have a nice day.

Radwa Hassan: 00:27:56

Thank you.