Content Marketing
The Power Of Full Funnel Marketing: Q&A With Matt Heinz

The Power Of Full Funnel Marketing: Q&A With Matt Heinz

August 3, 2016
3 min read

For today’s B2B marketers, it’s not enough to just supply their sales teams with marketing content and quality leads anymore. Leading B2B marketers are “full funnel” marketers. They actively work with their sales teams at every stage of the buyer’s journey and sales process to help drive revenue and growth for the business.

Marketing organizations have often been viewed as a cost center to the business, as the recent research from the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and GfK has shown. To be seen as a strategic partner and driver of business growth and revenue, B2B marketers must be able to effectively measure and demonstrate their marketing ROI.

And one of the best ways to prove ROI and elevate marketing’s contribution is to align and partner with sales to more effectively drive brand awareness, customer engagement, lead generation and nurturing, and ultimately sales. By doing so, marketers are able to measure the direct impact their content and campaigns have on the sales and revenue of the business.

So how do you become a “full funnel” marketer? How can you help your marketing organization become a “full funnel” marketing team?

I recently had a chance to catch up with Matt Heinz, the President of Heinz Marketing, and chat about his new book Full Funnel Marketing that was officially launched last week. Check out our quick interview below to learn more about how this book can help you transform your role, your team and the business with the full funnel marketing approach. You can get your free copy of the book here.

Matt, tell us a bit more about your new book Full Funnel Marketing. What is it about?

full funnel marketing The fundamental idea behind “full funnel marketing” is for marketers to fully embrace revenue responsibility, to proactively manage and measure their departments as a profit center for their organizations, and to actively support the sales team’s productivity and opportunity conversion efforts.

This requires aligning not behind just lead generation or even mere sales pipeline contribution, but measured marketing impact on closed business and customer lifetime value. It requires a much higher degree of coordination between sales and marketing, with marketing taking a leadership position in the areas of sales enablement, productivity and technology in particular.

This shift to a full funnel approach adds significant complexity and isn’t an overnight shift, but it’s already fundamentally changing the perception, impact and success of B2B marketing organizations worldwide.

What inspired you to write this book? What problem are you hoping to help solve through this book?

I’m on a mission to help more B2B marketers enthusiastically embrace revenue responsibility, convert their departments into profit centers, and help them make a direct, measurable impact through the entire sales funnel, not just the top half.

I also wanted to publish a book that was accessible, practicable and actionable. You can read it front to back, or simply find the sections that speak directly to something you’re tackling right now – be it analytics, attribution, or sales enablement, just to name a few.

What do you think are the biggest challenges holding people back from solving this problem?

In a word, it’s fear. Fear of embracing responsibility for something marketers don’t entirely control. Fear of stepping out of their comfort zone and working on something they don’t entirely understand, like sales. And fear of failing.

But the modern B2B marketing organizations that are already embracing full funnel marketing are not only creating incredible value for their organizations, they are cementing themselves as critically important and directly relevant to the growth of the company moving forward.

And I hope that my book will be able to help remove some of those fears marketing leaders and professionals may be feeling right now. I want this book to be a valuable resource to help guide their transformation and adoption of the full funnel marketing approach, to successfully become a high performing marketing organization.

What are the top 3-5 things you hope your readers will take away from the book?

I hope to inspire marketers to embrace their role as vital throughout the sales funnel and buying journey, not just up to a handoff to sales.

And to also take ownership and assume responsibility for the sales and revenue outcome of their organization, not just components or tactics or inputs that others take across the finish line for them.

I want to get people comfortable with taking risks, stepping out of their comfort zone, and learning new functions that will accelerate their value and critical importance to current and future B2B organizations.

And lastly, to accept that your key metrics are no longer web visits and leads, but opportunities created, closed deals and attributed revenue.

What do you think? Has your organization already adopted a full funnel marketing approach? Why or why not? Please share your thoughts below!

Are you interested in engaging and converting new customers for your business? Contact me here and let’s talk about how we can help. Or follow me on LinkedInTwitterFacebook and if you like what you see, Subscribe here for regular updates.

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Michael Brenner

Michael Brenner is an international keynote speaker, author of "Mean People Suck" and "The Content Formula", and Founder of Marketing Insider Group. Recognized as a Top Content Marketing expert and Digital Marketing Leader, Michael leverages his experience from roles in sales and marketing for global brands like SAP and Nielsen, as well as his leadership in leading teams and driving growth for thriving startups. Today, Michael delivers empowering keynotes on marketing and leadership, and facilitates actionable workshops on content marketing strategy. Connect with Michael today.

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