3 ways the programmatic industry can become customer-centric

As the CEO of a programmatic technology company, you know that the industry is constantly changing and the decisions you make must address that change. As a student in the Northwestern Medill Integrated Marketing Communications program, former strategic planner and former consultant to a programmatic company, I have found two articles which provide helpful insights on how your programmatic company can become customer-centric and help your team rise to the top.

This Mediapost article explains how the programmatic industry struggles to be customer-centric because of the lack of understanding of the technology itself – a knowledge gap, from an internal agency & advertiser stand point. It brings to the table, concerns of how the industry will carry on selling something when it is not completely understood. Another article from MarketingTech also touches upon how the lack of knowledge of the technology might result into lack of confidence in technology and mistrust over transparency from a customer’s perspective. Thus, the root problem for the industry still lies in the fact that there is a huge knowledge gap that needs to be corrected if the industry wants to achieve sustainable growth.

Based on the problems identified, the industry needs to focus on being customer-centric in order to bridge the knowledge gap and help the customer build more confidence in the technology itself. Through my experience at Northwestern University and IMC, I recommend these three tips to become customer-centric and bridge the knowledge gap for customers:

• Training programs for customers- Training programs will be a great medium to connect with customers; they will ensure that the company can have open conversations with your customers about the challenges they face with the technology. It will not just help educate but will also help the product team understand problems from the customer's perspective.
• Customers are experts- The idea is also to make customers feel like they are experts in order to make them even more confident about their investments in programmatic buying.
• Avoid jargon- It is essential that the content and collateral that the programmatic company produces, makes the complexities of the engineering technology simple. The tonality of the content should be simple and easy to understand for the customers.

Thus, if a programmatic company wants sustainable growth, the first thing it needs to do is become customer-centric and reduce the knowledge that exists internally and externally. Companies which can successfully reduce the knowledge gap, will be the ones who succeed and will gain customer's trust. 

Isha Deodhar is an experienced data-driven marketing and strategy professional with over three years of industry experience in Consumer Products & B2B Technology Strategy. She has a Master's in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University as well as a Master's in Economics. You can follow her on @ishadeodhar on Twitter and Linkedin.

CEO’s: 3 Tips to Luring the: BEST TECH TALENT!

As CEO of a business focused on technology or utilizing the ever evolving world of technology, you know that it is of paramount importance to your company to recruit the technology innovators out there to propel your company to the next level and innovate to succeed.  Your business’ future depends on it.   "As a graduate student in Northwestern's Medill Integrated Marketing Communications [IMC] program with an interest in digital, I have found two insightful articles on what your next great hires are looking for from your company."  

What does Aaron Hernandez have to do with your company recruiting great talent? The Millennial generation wants more from your company. They need to know who they are working for and what that company stands for. This article about how millennials are turning off to the NFL because of scandal and lack of transparency from the organization highlights why the public impression of your organization matters. http://goo.gl/ig4cZa Millenials will judge your company based on its actions.

 

Millennials are also savvy when it comes to who to work for and who to run from even from a first impression. This article points out how educated in demand employees may be looking at your hiring managers or team. http://goo.gl/00nr8s The article points out that valid reasons for leaving an interview are feeling insulted or intimidated. Making sure you have the right individuals interviewing is key to recruiting the best talent, especially among savvy Millennials. 

Based on these ideas in these articles and my experience at NU IMC I would recommend:

Start from inside: Look at what your organization is saying to the public. Change what needs to be change and foster the positives that already exist.

Shape your image: Once you’ve got your best image bearing fruit within the organization, make sure others can see it. Engage your potential hires on social and let them know why you are the company they should be longing to work for.

Make the Best First Impression: Make sure that those recruiting candidates are competent and trained to give the best impression to candidates. Don’t let all your hard work go to waste because of an awkward interview.

Whether you are at the helm of a tech giant or the next big thing that is now just a start-up, you know that the talent you attract and retain will determine your future trajectory. Make the most of what you have to work with and wow that talent. Make your company so enticing the brightest Millennials will be chasing after you.

Erin Moran is a current master student in Northwestern University, studying marketing and communications. Erin has over a decade of experience in management consulting and strategic marketing planning. She is dedicated in delivering actionable strategies and in-depth insights through data-driven methods. Feel free to comment and re-post. Follow Erin on twitter and LinkedIn