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whacked

whacked’s Social Sales program

Marketing StrategyAutomationLead GenerationSocial Sales

Overview

whacked is a digital marketing company focusing on personal branding.

Role

Social Sales Executive, Data Analyst

Background

At whacked, the focus is using digital marketing strategy to enhance personal branding. This involves a specialized Social Sales Department dedicated to executing outbound LinkedIn strategy for the company and its clients.

At the time, the process of collecting data was manual, with 3 full time employees and 4 part time employees.

I identified three areas for improvement:

  1. Automations to streamline process. The usual lead generation process took 3-4 hours per person daily to complete. I saw an opportunity to improve their process by using automation tool. Other than that, I also help them to analyze data and find potential improvements.
  2. Strategy alignment with Demand Generation. There’s a noticeable disconnect between Demand Generation and Social Sales department. My goal then is to optimize the result by crafting a strategy that aligns both departments.
  3. Data Analytics and Insights. The team had a good CRM system ready. The only thing that they don’t have is the outcome data from their actions. I then created dashboards and insights for the team with meetings every week.

Creating automation workflow

To optimize whacked’s data sourcing and lead generation processes, I created automation workflow using several tools. The objective was to free up team resources from repetitive tasks, enabling us to concentrate on strategic and high-value activities.

Objective

  • Efficiency Improvement: The primary goal was to automate routine and time-consuming data handling tasks to expedite lead generation and improve accuracy, thus enabling the team to allocate more time to customer engagement and strategy development.

Tools and Implementation

  • Selection of Automation Tools: Chose Bardeen for its versatility and compatibility with existing tools, pairing it with Google Sheets for data management and tracking.
  • Workflow Design: Configured Bardeen to extract and sort lead data from various sources, funneling this information directly into Google Sheets.
  • Process Automation: Automated the daily tasks of data collection and entry, reducing manual errors and significantly cutting down the time required to process leads from hours to minutes.

Team Onboarding and Documentation

  • Training Program Development: Created training docs that outline the functionalities and benefits of the new automated processes. These materials were designed to ensure smooth adoption by the team.
  • Hands-On Training Sessions: Conducted training sessions to demonstrate the use of Bardeen, Google Sheets and LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator, showing how these tools interact and the best practices for maximizing their potential.
  • Documentation and Support: Prepared documentation including step-by-step guides and FAQs on how to integrate Bardeen and other tools (google sheet, LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator etc.)

Results

  • Lead Generation Efficiency: Increased the efficiency of the lead generation process, boosting daily leads from 20-30 to over 100+. This enhancement not only improved the quantity but also the quality of leads by allowing for more refined targeting criteria. This then creates the opportunity to run Account Based Marketing program.
  • Cost Reduction: The streamlined process decreased the dependency on part-time staff which costs about RM500+ per month, which resulted in cost savings and a leaner operation.
  • Workload Reduction: Freed up workload of the team, enabling the creation of a more comprehensive marketing strategy that integrated ABM with Demand Generation, and new initiatives and programs that includes LinkedIn’s Live Events, Webinars and Podcast.

Strategy Alignment with Demand Generation

The alignment between the Social Sales and Demand Generation departments was important for enhancing overall marketing effectiveness and lead quality. Here’s a detailed breakdown of how this strategic integration was approached and implemented:

Collaborative Strategy Development

  • Cross-Departmental Workshops: Organized workshops that brought together the team every week, from both departments to foster understanding and collaboration. These sessions served as a platform for sharing insights and challenges, ensuring all voices were heard.
  • Unified Strategy Framework: Developed a comprehensive strategy that combines Social Sales with the broad reach of Demand Generation. This framework aimed to combine activities such as content distribution, lead nurturing, and engagement tactics to create awareness and deepen relationship.

Integration Initiatives

  • Lead Management

    We implemented a new approach to lead classification. Demand Generation focused on expanding our reach and building brand familiarity, progressing leads through a funnel defined by stages from Know to Like, Trust, Contact, and finally to Close. Account Based Marketing (ABM) team focus on deepening relationships with existing contacts, categorizing them from Very Cold to Cold, Warm, and ultimately Very Warm Relationships.

  • Joint Campaigns

    Each marketing campaign have dual objectives: increasing awareness and deepening relationships. This clear goals ensured that every initiative was purpose-driven. For instance, in webinars and live events, the Demand Generation team was responsible for creating content that captivated and educated the audience. At the same time, the ABM team engaged directly with participants through tailored direct messages, addressing questions, and facilitating interactive elements like Google forms to gather feedback and questions. This collaborative approach maximized the impact of each campaign and ensured strategic alignment across all marketing program.

  • Teamwork and Alignment

    To maintain alignment between the Demand Generation and ABM strategies, regular alignment meetings were essential. These sessions were utilized to merge data insights and refine approaches based on real-time feedback and performance metrics. The establishment of a robust feedback mechanism facilitated seamless communication and collaboration, allowing both teams to swiftly adapt and optimize strategies. This dynamic interaction ensured that our marketing efforts were not only synchronized but also continuously enhanced to respond effectively to evolving market dynamics and lead interactions.

More on this strategy: whacked’s Demand Gen + ABM program

Data Analytics and Insights

To enhance the effectiveness of Whacked’s marketing and sales strategies through data-driven decision-making, a comprehensive analytics system was implemented. This system was designed to harvest, analyze, and present data in a manner that supports strategic refinement and tactical adjustments across departments.

Data Collection and Visualization

  • Dashboard Creation: Developed dashboards that takes data from various sources including CRM and social media engagements. These dashboards provide visibility into key performance indicators such as lead conversion rates, engagement levels, and campaign ROI.
  • Data Collection Collaboration: I created a way for the team to key in the data and then with the help of the team, we set up regular cross-departmental meetings where team members could collaboratively review the data, fill in any gaps, and discuss insights.

Weekly Review Meetings

  • Routine Data Reviews: Created weekly meetings where the team gathers to review dashboard outputs and discuss the implications of the data.
  • Actionable Insights: Each session focuses on deriving actionable insights from the data, identifying both successes to be scaled and areas needing adjustment.

Reporting and Decision-Making

  • Report Creation: Ensured that reports are easily digestible and actionable for all stakeholders, from team members to executive leadership, facilitating informed decision-making across all levels of the organization.