297: Integrating Conversational Marketing into the Buyer Journey with Mark Kilens

Mark Kilens is the VP of Content and Community at Drift where he oversees content, creative projects, events, teams, and much more. He also oversees the Drift community and Drift Insider–which has about 45,000 members today–as well as their two biggest events, Rev Growth and Hyper Growth.In this episode, Alan and Mark break down Drift's 2021 State of Conversational Marketing report. They also talk about what conversational marketing is, how Drift approaches it, and how marketers need to think about conversation as they build their marketing and sales enablement functions.Later in the interview, Alan and Mark discuss how Drift is a unique brand and also how Mark sees content service and education actually helping to drive their marketing efforts. Listen to the full conversation to hear more about how to implement a holistic conversational strategy for marketing and sales. What's part of the secret sauce? The buyer should be at the center of everything you do.In this episode, you'll learn:The state of conversational marketingThe importance of focusing on the buyerHow to use AI efficiently in your sales journeyKey Highlights [01:38] Mark invented a snow-making machine[04:11] Mark's path to becoming VP of Content and Community[07:09] The State of Conversation Marketing report[09:36] The need to use digital marketing tools and techniques[13:00] Why you should keep the buyer at the center[17:14] What marketing looks like in the conversational commerce[21:00] Showing your personality through AI[24:41] Why Drift cares about investing in content[28:12] How content education plays into the lifecycle of a customer[32:21] An experience that makes Mark who he is today[34:21] Mark's advice to his younger self[35:37] What marketers should be learning more about[39:50] The brands and organizations Mark follows[41:24] The biggest threat and opportunity for marketersResources Mentioned:Mark KilensDriftHKD Snowmakers2021 State of Conversational Marketing ReportAdobe case study using DriftDavid Cancel, CEO of Drift on Marketing TodayDave Gerhardt, CMO of Drift, Interview on Marketing Today when at PrivyRevGrowth Virtual SummitFollow the podcast:Listen in iTunes (link: http://apple.co/2dbdAhV)Listen in Google Podcasts (link: http://bit.ly/2Rc2kVa) Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.