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5 Ways Marketing Can Supercharge Your Sales Kick-Off Event
As we head into the new year, we’re all thinking about our upcoming sales kick-off (SKO) events––and, unlike a few other New Year’s traditions we can name, an SKO is a critical event that sets the tone for the year ahead. While the sales team is always the star of the show, marketing also plays a crucial and multifaceted role in any SKO.
Here are five ways marketing can transform the SKO from a mere resolution to an action plan for year-long success.
1. Pre-Event Buzz
Even the most carefully planned SKO events need the right audience. Whether it’s a teaser video, an email, or a countdown on social media, marketing can help ensure the event captures interest and builds excitement.
2. Content Creation and Management
This is a great opportunity to ensure sales and marketing leadership alignment, as marketing plays a critical role in the content creation process for SKOs. Tailored, informative content––such as presentations, videos, and training materials––that resonates with sales teams’ needs and challenges will enhance engagement and ensure that key strategic messages hit home. But make no mistake: it’s not just about making sure content looks great; it’s about making sure messaging is in alignment and on point.
3. Branding and Consistency
Have you ever seen content created by sales that looks completely different from the content created by marketing? When this happens internally, it spills out externally, too. The SKO is a great opportunity to reinforce the company brand and strategic direction. When every piece of event messaging aligns with corporate identity, marketing helps maintain a consistent brand experience that drives broader business goals.
4. Facilitating Collaboration
Marketing can help cross-functional collaboration across teams and departments during the SKO by organizing workshops or breakout sessions. In this way, marketing plays an essential role in breaking down organizational silos and making sure sales, product, and marketing are in alignment with their goals and strategies.
5. Feedback Mechanisms
Gathering the voice of sales is a challenge all year round, but the SKO is a great time to build real-time feedback mechanisms, such as surveys, live polling, and feedback sessions. This opportunity provides immediate insights into how the event is going as it unfolds and provides an opportunity to gather feedback on marketing content, messaging, and sales tools. This is the one time of the year when marketing can collect valuable feedback from sales to use in their initiatives and close the gap between sales and marketing.
6. Follow-Up Strategies
It’s important after the SKO to remember to reinforce the messaging, training, and best practices shared at the event. Post-event, the marketing team can maximize momentum via follow-up emails, content recaps, and calls to action, making sure that the lessons learned from the SKO fill the sales pipeline for the year to come.
In the grand scheme of sales strategies, the SKO event stands out as a cornerstone for annual success. Marketing’s strategic involvement ensures that this event informs, engages, and inspires sales teams to have a truly stellar year. So, as we get ready for this year’s SKO, let’s make sure we’re using every marketing tool in the box to maximize revenue and achieve year-long results.
Ready to elevate your Sales Kick Off event? Connect with Aventi Group to discover how our expert marketing strategies can amplify your sales success in the coming year. Contact us today to make your next SKO unforgettable!
