The Revenue Marketer - No Longer an Oxymoron

Two years ago, using the term "revenue" and "marketer" together was an oxymoron - a phrase in which two words of contradictory meaning are used together for special effect, e.g. "jumbo shrimp" or "wise fool." In 2010, it is no longer an oxymoron, it is a special role in marketing that is making a measurable impact on revenue

With the business imperative to drive top-line revenue growth in 2010, businesses are exploring all options to achieve this goal. This business driver paired with the new marketing automation tools that are now available to marketers, create an environment where, for the first time, marketing efforts equate to revenue production.

This is an epic change in the world of marketing and one that requires the successful Revenue Marketer to have a revenue focus and a unique set of skills across the Revenue Marketing Team. In 2009, I interviewed 12 leaders for my Demand Generation Essentials series and these Revenue Marketers had amazing stories to tell in how they re-shaped the role of marketing in their companies. You can listen to these interviews at http://pedowitzgroup.com/dgassets.htm.

Here is a synopsis of the key roles for a Revenue Marketing Team:

1. VP of Marketing Revenue

• Obsesses over driving revenue through marketing effort
• Works closely with sales to align marketing and sales initiatives
• Manages a lead funnel and has a predictable run rate for leads to the sales funnel
• Understand the customer's buying process and digital body language
• Focuses on revenue oriented metrics to measure success

2. Business Analyst

• Focuses on improving the performance of campaigns that lead to revenue
• Responsible for reporting and dashboards

3. Power User

• Sets up and executes campaigns
• Fully leverages the technology

4. Revenue Creative

• You will need a lot of creative but the creative needs to be focused on driving a dollar of revenue
• Think about creative as the way to invite and create a digital relationship

5. Content Maker

• Content is king in the world of the revenue marketer. It is what fuels campaigns and helps set up the view the the client's buying process
• Your content, third part content -anything that creates an exchange of value

The numbers are in. Revenue marketers around the globe are making a measurable impact on revenue. Key metrics for the Revenue Marketer include:

• # of Marketing Qualified Leads passed to sales
• Conversion rate of an MQL to an Opportunity
• Conversion rate of that Opportunity to close
• % of the sales funnel contributed by marketing
• Length of sales cycle

The Revenue Marketer is certainly no longer an oxymoron in 2010. It is a marketing role that is here to stay.

What have you experienced?