A roundup of the best Salesforce Connections takeaways on how Salesforce enables intelligent marketing

As consumers get more technologically driven, how we build strong relationships with customers and potential customers is changing. At Salesforce Connections this year, many sessions showcased some amazing intelligent marketing solutions through the use of consumer data. But 62% of consumers say they lack trust in how brands use their data. Pair this with the fact that 76% of consumers still expect personalized experiences, and marketers are in quite the pickle. But at this crossroads is an exciting opportunity to do some really great marketing work.

When we think about the consumers we market to today, we must be both intelligent and respectful of their data to create marketing campaigns that resonate and make an impact. We got a boost of inspiration from this year’s Salesforce Connections conference, and we hope to share that inspiration with you.

We compiled 3 of our favorite intelligent marketing lessons from Salesforce Connections this year.

1. Engage Customers Across the Entire Customer Journey with AI
   In this year’s Marketing Cloud keynote, “Intelligent Marketing for the Empowered Consumer,” Salesforce leaders discussed the concept of the “empowered consumer” and how marketers should get to know and understand them. After all, it’s essential that today’s marketers master this elusive audience wherever they interact, personalize customer interactions with AI, and engage across the entire consumer journey.
    
   The panelists identified three keys steps to accomplishing these objectives — and winning the hearts of all empowered consumers — including: 
   – Unifying all the different types of data that make up the consumer experience, with consumer rights at the core
   – Earning and respecting the trust of consumers in order to use data and AI to successfully personalize each interaction
   – Establishing two-way conversations by listening, optimizing, and engaging based on the needs and desires of customers
   (Read More from Salesforce)

 

2. Keep up with New Technology in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
   The Fourth Industrial Revolution is characterized by new technologies that fuse the physical, digital and biological worlds, impacting all disciplines, economies and industries, and even challenging ideas about what it means to be human.
    
   The challenges businesses face in the Fourth Industrial Revolution or the age of the connected customer also represent new possibilities, Salesforce’s chief product officer told thousands at Connections’ keynote address. “These technologies are changing so rapidly it can be intimidating,” Brett Taylor said. “But it is the greatest opportunity we’ve had in a generation to connect with our customers.”
    
   According to Rohit Mahna, Salesforce’s Senior Vice President of Financial Services, in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, “All of us, all of our employees, need to constantly be learning.” He gave U.S. Bank as an example of using Salesforce’s Trailhead learning platform to teach employees new skills that — along with Einstein artificial intelligence tools — will act to “future-proof” the bank’s processes, keeping them current.(Read More from Salesforce)

 

3. Shift B2B Marketing Campaigns to Align with the Consumerization of B2B
   At Connections, Salesforce officially announced Salesforce B2B Commerce, billed as the solution that “meets the complex needs of the B2B buyer.” This announcement stems back to the least surprising acquisition in enterprise software this year when Salesforce acquired B2B commerce platform partner CloudCraze in March 2018. But from where I sit, the most interesting part is not the addition of B2B capabilities to the Commerce Cloud. It’s the profound influence of consumerization on B2B companies and how they go to market.
    
   B2B companies raise the bar for commerce vendors. No matter how complex the transaction, B2B buyers now expect that same intuitive UX they are used to on the B2C side. As Grady put it: “Our expectations are being set [on the consumer side], with one click buys, and rich content. Then we go to work, and we’ve got a green screen system. There’s no up-sell or cross-sell; there’s no promotion. There’s no engaging UI. The consumer side is forcing change, so we always have to bring that to bear.”(Read More from diginomica)

 
As our world becomes forever changed by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, when you think about it that way – what a time to be alive and to be a marketer! The tools marketers are armed with, like Salesforce’s suite of products, enable us to do truly impactful marketing and utilize customer data to drive meaningful experiences for customers and potential customers.

It’s all about finding the balance between respectful data use and creating valuable marketing experiences that help customers get to the solutions they need. We love making lives better through marketing, and after attending Salesforce Connections, we feel even more driven to do so.

If you’d like to talk more about how Salesforce products can help you build truly intelligent marketing, let’s set up a conversation. Our certified Salesforce Consultants and marketing strategists can help you understand what is best for your needs and goals.