There’s a social ad circulating the web. Pretty straightforward, simple question. Will COVID change consumer behavior?, it asks.

If you find yourself asking this same question, please stop reading this article and give our piece on Navigating the Unknown a read. 

If you find yourself banging your head on the table at the obviousness of that question (editor’s note: we did), then we invite you to read on for some tips on how smart marketers can move forward in this utterly altered landscape.

Saying the quiet part out loud

Let’s just say it: Covid19 sucks. Our teams have been altered, good people have lost their jobs, and there’s a looming cloud of uncertainty for what the future will bring. And that’s just on the work front.

But here’s the thing. None of this is going away. There is no light switch that can be flipped to make everything goes back to “normal.” Our reality is adjusted permanently and unapologetically. 

On the marketing and sales fronts, the loss is partially hard felt. 

In marketing, fewer team members to pull analytics, compile reports, and analyze trends. And the ever-increasing magnitude of data coming in? It’s wholly different than anything any of us have encountered before.

Sales teams are tasked with responding to the same number of leads and opportunities (or in some cases, even more) with smaller teams. That means less time for personal connection and attention—at a point when those are likely the two best ways to serve the client’s needs. 

Time to get smarter

With smaller teams (and, likely, smaller budgets), there’s a greater need than ever to do more with less. To get crafty. It’s a good thing that’s what marketers and salespeople do best. 

One way to work your way forward (and not drive yourself insane in the process) is to empower your team with augmented intelligence. Augmented intelligence is the easiest way to make sense of mountains of data you’re collecting, so you can justify marketing spends, prove which channels are converting, optimize inbound/outbound efforts, and work in the sales team exactly when a customer is ready.

Augmented intelligence isn’t meant to replace skilled workers—there is a greater need than ever for people like you. Instead, it empowers you to pick up the slack with actionable insights you can use to optimize your marketing and sales efforts, while prioritizing your team to work on efforts that are driving revenue. 

For marketing teams, augmented intelligence will help:

• Enhance your team’s ability to make sense of data—much of which is likely wildly different than your historical data
• Know exactly where a prospective client is in their journey and serve them content that converts
• ID and justify marketing budgets squared around the tactics and efforts that drive the most revenue

For sales teams, augmented intelligence will help:

• Prioritize which prospective clients are most ready for sales engagement, and how you should approach them
• Forecast based on current, real-time behaviors—not outdated historical data
• Reduce the time spent on blind guessing, tire kicking, and cold outreach

And everyone gets a smarter, saner way to work. 

Interested in learning more about how augmented intelligence can empower your team now and going forward? Getting started has never been easier.