Mark Kilens is the vice president 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, RevGrowth and HyperGrowth.
In this episode, Mark and I break down Drift’s 2021 State of Conversational Marketing report. We 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, Mark and I 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 marketing
- The importance of focusing on the buyer
- How to use AI efficiently in your sales journey
Key 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 marketers
Resources Mentioned:
- Mark Kilens
- Drift
- HKD Snowmakers
- 2021 State of Conversational Marketing Report
- Adobe case study using Drift
- David Cancel, CEO of Drift on Marketing Today
- Dave Gerhardt, former chief brand officer of Drift, Interview on Marketing Today when at Privy
- RevGrowth Virtual Summit
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Alan B. Hart is the creator and host of “Marketing Today with Alan Hart,” a weekly podcast where he interviews leading global marketing professionals and business leaders. Alan advises leading executives and marketing teams on brand, customer experience, innovation, and growth opportunities. He has consulted with Fortune 100 companies, but he is an entrepreneur at his core, having founded or served as an executive for nine companies.