According to Alex Murcia, one of the biggest misconceptions about field marketers is that they are or should be events-only in their approach. At global leader in people analytics Visier, where Murcia leads a national team of field marketers, the reality is closer to the opposite.
“We look at what activities will help us generate pipeline and push it through the funnel quickly,” he explains. “So we craft and design campaigns based on the needs and the focus first, all within our account-based marketing go-to-market.”
Murcia characterizes members of his team as “revenue-minded marketers” who deploy a multitude of tactics across channels.
“I look for folks who understand how they can be strategic partners to the business, and though events are one option, they’re not the only one,” he emphasizes.
As for what constitutes field marketing outside of events, Murcia cites a number of digital and experiential methods: leveraging intent, targeted ads, custom content, e-gifting, and direct mail, to name a few. Account-based marketing (ABM) is the modus operandi at Visier; engagements are high-touch and highly customized.
Murcia and his team are deeply methodical when it comes to crafting targeted, end-to-end strategies. To begin, field marketers hold conversations with account executives and business development reps to qualify prospects based on their likelihood of closing and alignment with broader company KPIs. They glean information to determine pain points, augmenting intel with intent data.
This team might proceed with a targeted ad campaign for high-priority accounts and a digital online experience that explicitly addresses known challenges and Visier’s solutions. To accelerate the opportunity, they’ll continue with increasingly personalized touchpoints—for example, hosting or participating in a relevant event or sending a direct mail or e-gift with the help of a sending platform.
Murcia acknowledges: “It’s all about scalability. That’s why we’re mindful of defining the levels of ABM resourcing and where we can make the most impact.”
Working closely with account executives to flesh out actionable plans is key to maintaining a well-balanced pipeline. In Murcia’s view, it’s also another indicator of what separates his line of work from traditional event marketing. “Understanding where the orchestration of activities will likely yield the best results for their set of accounts is where we thrive–and this goes beyond events only,” he says to sum it up.
Events may not be the only channel field marketers focus on, but they’re indeed a touchpoint with high returns in ABM.
Murcia describes events as “the most holistic” channel: “If you have a really good event manager, that person can work with digital, email marketing, project management, social media, content writing, experiential…” he says, trailing off.
The list goes on. Folks with event management experience know how to activate any channel.
The nature of ABM makes events an obvious choice for activation. The tricky part is ideating experiences that are enriching to attendees, both on a professional and personal level. Murcia doesn’t believe we’ll ever go back to an eventscape where your typical hotel conferences and breakout sessions are the norm.
“They will need to be more than that.” As for virtual events, he puts it bluntly: “People are bored of wine tastings. What’s the new thing?”
He cites some examples from across the industry as food for thought: lunches at unique locations, presentations at movie theaters, cooking classes, recreational networking—or how about family-friendly events, which engage prospects on an even more personal level?
“People need to think outside the box,” Murcia concludes. “The biggest challenge is not thinking about how to make the event great personally AND professionally….After the event, how do you continue delighting to keep these folks engaged?
Considering the full journey and where events come into play is key to both leveraging the channel and teams of talented field marketers. As Murcia put it in a recent Linkedin post:
“Bottom line is, if you’re only doing events with your Field Marketer, you’re leaving money on the table.”
Alex Murcia is the Director of Field Marketing at Visier where he leads a team of Field & ABM managers in North America.
