Reltio CMO: Marketers, Don’t Let Tech Intimidate You

“It’s not so much knowing how to implement and deploy these days but how to use,” said Reltio CMO Ramon Chen.

Reltio CMO: Marketers, Don’t Let Tech Intimidate You

Modern marketing runs on data. “Today’s CMO or VP of marketing is still required to understand the marketing process and come up with great creative ideas,” said Reltio CMO Ramon Chen, “but the marketing tech stack is also critical for success.”

Reltio is a technology company itself, offering a cloud-based data management platform as well as data-driven applications for sales, business, and marketing teams. But Chen also uses his own selection of tech tools to help his marketing efforts.

One lets him include custom videos in his email blasts. These days, a customized email header barely counts as personalization—“those are table stakes,” Chen said. “We put the person’s name and company name in a newspaper headline, with the person in the video reading the newspaper.” Another tool helps him turn customers into brand advocates. “I think we as marketers get hung up on, ‘Give me a press release’ or ‘Give me a case study,’” he said.

Those can be hard to get because they can require approval from the customer’s communications and legal departments. “But most customers will say nice things in a nonpublic forum,” said Chen, and the right tech platform can help you get word-of-mouth referrals and introductions.

Chen advised other marketers not to be intimidated at the thought of embracing technology; today’s platforms don’t require a tech background. “It’s not so much knowing how to implement and deploy these days but how to use,” he said.

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