Aug 10, 2016
Marketing automation platforms (MAP) have overtaken the B2B ecosystem because they automate what used to be a manual process of sending out personalized marketing messages, driving prospects to websites, and reporting basic marketing stats. While automation is certainly making it easier to market, it is not helping demand generation marketers with the fundamental challenge of providing content in multiple forms across multiple channels at precisely the right moment to influence buying decisions. After all, a drip campaign that arbitrarily sends content once a week won’t do much good if that timing isn’t connected to, or driven by, where exactly the recipients are in the buying process, especially in high-consideration B2B sales.
Further, the old sales and marketing playbook for customer engagement and deal conversion has been flipped on its head. Over 65% of the buyer decision is now researched and made before a sales person is involved in the enterprise purchase cycle. That’s why content has become such an important weapon in the demand gen marketers’ arsenal. The use of content marketing to fuel B2B demand generation is not new; however, given the sobering statistic that 94% of marketing qualified leads never close, marketers are beginning to tackle the question of how they can better use content to nurture their prospects and take them on a journey through the funnel.
This problem needs to be fixed, and that’s why we invested in the LookBookHQ team. Co-founder and CEO, Mark Opauszky and co-founder and President, Nick Edouard have developed a content marketing automation platform that helps B2B marketers cultivate more informed, sale-ready buyers faster. The platform provides a scientifically based content sequencing engine that maximizes prospects’ attention by promoting the next best content asset(s) whenever and wherever they engage. And, if that’s not enough of a reason, the LookBookHQ platform:
- Seamlessly interfaces with the big MAPs
- Is incredibly easy for customers to implement
- Provides discrete ROI for the $200B content marketing industry
We also like that while most content marketing budgets currently flow into the creation bucket, a market shift is taking place as marketers realize that automating and optimizing the content marketing experience post-click is the key to unlocking value for clients. LookBookHQ has the opportunity to work across B2B and B2C content marketers because the product suite is really focused on nurturing the customer throughout a journey to sale. Whether you are the Demand Generation Director looking to optimize content use or a consumer looking to buy a car, LookBookHQ creates an experience improve engagement and drive sales.
With almost 100 customers, LookBook was already lighting it up on sales before Edison got involved. We love to invest in companies with great momentum, but we really love to invest in market leaders that want to get even better with the Edison Edge. Yes, we wrote a big check. But we also will be there for LookBookHQ on building out sales and marketing, market expansion, capital formation, and networking with over 300 Edison Directors.
It is an honor to partner with Mark, Nick and the rest of the LookBookHQ team!
