Rajasekar KS

Rajasekar KS on Marketer's Journey through Technological Innovations and Shifts in Consumer Behavior

Engage in an enlightening discourse with industry veteran Rajasekar as he delves into his comprehensive understanding of the shifting marketing world. He talks about the influence of disruptive technologies, the evolution of consumer attitudes, and the emergent paradigms of successful marketing strategy. Amid the whirlwind of technological change and transient consumer attention, Rajasekar compellingly argues that marketers' obsession with customer challenges remains a constant. His insights extend from intent over content to balancing AI-driven and human content, anticipating the industry's future.

This interview between Naresh Pandey, Sales Director at Pepper Content, and Rajasekar KS, Director - Marketing at Lister Ventures, guarantees to leave you inspired and informed. Prepare to rethink your marketing paradigms as you journey into Rajasekar's vision for the future.

1. How has the marketing world changed, particularly regarding campaign evaluation and audience behavior, and how does this impact your current strategies?

Change is a constant, even more so today. Disruption has a long history, like when newspapers came before the internet, social media, and mobile tech. These changes shape our actions. Today's customers crave quick solutions; they're impatient and need help fast—marketing shifts in our rapidly changing world. Tools and methods change with technology. How customers search for answers also changes. But one thing stays vital: helping customers. Amid all change, focusing on their needs matters most. If marketers prioritize understanding over selling, success is likely.

Looking beyond numbers, having good intentions matters. Truly understanding customer problems and helping them succeed matters more than what's created. Customers are key. Remember, the customer comes first. Ask, "Am I dedicated to bettering their life?" If yes, you're on track. Success comes from customer care, meaningful content, and solving problems wholeheartedly.

2. As a marketer, do you see distinct B2B and B2C approaches, or is attention span a shared challenge requiring customized communication?

You see, attention spans can be tricky, but here's the thing – customers are willing to give their time. Let's think about it this way: someone might spend a whole hour deciding on which mobile phone to buy, but when it comes to more complex things like choosing a CRM tool, they might take even a whole month to decide. It's important to realize that the time customers spend is like an investment. And what makes this investment even more valuable is their connection with the product or service they're interested in. Our job is to dig deep and find out what truly matters to them, what makes them stop and think, "Hey, this could be the solution I've been looking for!"

In this journey, having a positive attitude is key. Understanding that customers are ready to engage if we approach them the right way changes how we tackle the challenge. It's all about creating experiences that make them feel good and curious, so they want to learn more about what we offer.

3. Can tools like ChatGPT improve your team's content creation, or will a balance between AI-generated and human-driven content be required?

Making content has always been hard. That's why we look up to companies like Pepper Content for help. So, if there's a tool that can make things easier and do a lot of it without costing too much, it's bound to get attention. But here's the big question: can a tool be as good as a person? That's what we'll see with tools like ChatGPT and others in the future. Right now, these tools are in the spotlight. But don't forget, more tools are coming. As time goes on, there will always be new ideas. The trick for marketers is to pick the right tool for the job. With all these changes, what matters most is finding the solution that matches what the customer needs.

4. What's your ideal marketing stack suggestion for a new brand covering performance, content, media, and analytics across customer touchpoints?

As I mentioned, we can access many tools and platforms to aid us. But what truly matters to me is our approach. It's about how dedicated we are to the customer and how determined we are to solve their problems. It's like having a strong passion to help them out. This is where it all starts – with the right intention. Once you have this strong intention, everything else falls into place smoothly. The tools and platforms work well, and things just fit together. But remember, the most important thing is the intent itself. It means understanding the customer's difficulties, being there for their journey, and helping them succeed, not just making a sale.

The core idea here is this: it's not just about putting together the right set of tools for marketing. It's about how far you're willing to go for your customer. It's about standing by them throughout their journey, searching everywhere for solutions that truly help them. When focusing on genuinely helping the customer, making money becomes a natural result. Money comes when you're truly committed.

5. Your philosophy may uncover challenges with potential product opportunities for entrepreneurs. Could you share any of these challenges and ideas?

Being a marketer comes with its fair share of challenges, and I've experienced a few that keep popping up. One big puzzle is figuring out how to calculate ROI. Even though we have tons of tools and ideas, getting the ROI calculation right remains a mystery that puzzles marketers everywhere, whether at big or smaller brands. Another hurdle we face is dealing with data. Even though there's lots of data, making sense of it all and putting it in one place can be a headache. Imagine having puzzle pieces scattered all around the world – that's how data often feels. We have some bits, but the full picture is missing, and that's a challenge.

Then comes the tough choice of picking the right tools. There are so many options out there that it can get overwhelming. On top of that, waiting for decisions from higher-ups can slow things down and make it hard to move fast. And let's not forget about finding the right people for the job. Whether it's tech experts, sales and marketing whizzes, or digital marketing pros, finding the right talent is tough. This challenge doesn't depend on the specific field – whether digital marketing or promoting products, it's always a struggle.

These challenges are like familiar friends in the world of marketing. While they can be tough, they also push us to develop new ideas and find innovative ways to tackle them. They're a big part of what keeps our field exciting and always changing.

The customer has to win before you win. Your job is like a coach's job. A coach's job is to help somebody realize their potential and help them win. Your job is to understand where the customer is facing his challenges and help the customer win.

6. Have you found a way to measure if our content is on target, beyond customer engagement, and linked to a broader matrix?

Figuring out how well our content is working isn't easy. We've been trying to track it, but it's been tricky. Whether it's a long article, a podcast, a picture, a detailed report, a success story, or a review from a customer – we want to know if it helped someone choose us. Even though it's tough, we're not giving up. As marketers, it's our job to dig deep. We need to look at every phone call, every email, every form people fill out, every request they make, and every chat we have with them. Each of these little pieces gives us a clue. We must put all these clues together to see the bigger picture. It might be a bit complicated, but it's super important. It helps us see if our content plan is making a difference. So, with determination and a strong desire to understand, we're on a quest to uncover how our content is truly making an impact.

7. Can you describe a successful campaign or moment when you applied insights to achieve significant metrics in your leading companies?

During my time at Matrimony.com, we faced an exciting challenge. While matchmaking helps people find partners, we wanted to do more. We aimed to own the concept of marriage as a category leader truly. So, we devised an idea – creating a guide to help couples after marriage. We called it HappyMarriages.com, the first guide of its kind in India.

Our journey started with three months of research. We talked to people to understand couples' challenges from the beginning of their marriage to five years. We discovered more than 300 different topics that people wanted advice on. We categorized these topics and teamed up with about 10 to 12 writers and authors. We created content that spoke to real-life experiences and offered helpful insights. In just a few months, HappyMarriages.com was launched. It became a hub of useful advice, relatable stories, and practical tips. The impact was incredible. Not only did it earn praise within Matrimony.com, but it also gained recognition from a wider audience.