Our Provisio colleagues, Laura Batson and Kira Bundy, recently attended the Connections ‘23 conference, Salesforce’s marketing and commerce learning event of the year. While I lived vicariously through their photos and videos (Have you seen the Astro cappuccinos??), I couldn’t wait to sit down with them to find out what they learned!
What was your favorite session and why?
Laura: I was blown away by all the AI sessions and how to provide the right information at the right time for customers. Of course, this was presented with the caveat that we all have to be very careful about how we use the data and that we keep it secure.
Kira: I agree with Laura that the development of AI and its fast progression is very exciting. We also attended a session that encouraged us to incorporate chat functionality onto our website. This would be run by AI messaging, and it’s there for prospects who come to our website and have any questions. This way, questions can get answered automatically and right away during any time of the day.
Laura: One session with Esquire Bank that really resonated with me is using the marketing department to do the heavy lift of segmentations instead of sales randomly taking lists and making cold calls. If you let marketing vet the prospects, the sales team has a better chance of finding true buyers.
What will you do differently based on what you learned?
Kira: I would like to start personalizing our email messaging content. I want to make a better effort of segmenting our email lists so we ensure these audiences are getting content they are interested in and what will be most beneficial to them. Hopefully this will lead to more engagement and conversions!
What was the highlight of the event for you?
Kira: Prior to this event I was aware of the power of Salesforce, but now I have witnessed all it can do first hand and how it best serves clients of any skill and industry. It has made me excited to learn more about AI, expand my knowledge, and progress my career in the marketing world. I was amazed at all of the different vendors (huge companies like TikTok, Google, WhatsApp, and more) and how they are utilizing Salesforce in unique ways to streamline to their own target market and consumers.
How is My Best Friend Dan Levy? (This was my most pressing question)
Laura: Dan was awesome. He mainly spoke about inclusion and introducing the unrelatable to people. In today’s society, media tends to focus on familiar characters and doesn’t expose people to characters that are not relatable. For example, Schitt’s Creek was turned down by all media sponsors and yet became a huge hit. One of the reasons it was a hit is because they never brought in the conversation of judgement. Everyone was accepted for all their quirkiness. He mentions that he has received communication from parents who didn’t know how to reach out to their LGBTQ child, and the show really helped. He is truly a wonderful person!!
Kira: I second everything Laura said! It was very reassuring to hear from Dan the importance of being consistent, authentic, and true to yourself in any and all of the work you do. The right audience will find you. It was great to hear as a reminder for myself.
What would you do differently next year?
Laura: Next year, I want to strategize more about meeting with Salesforce representatives and clients. It was fine not to do much of that this year but realize that I need to do that to build relationships.
Did you miss the magic of Connections this year? You can still stream keynotes, interviews, and other exclusive content. Click here to register for free!
Marjorie lives in Saint Louis, Missouri. She received her Master’s degree in English from Truman State University. Her responsibilities at Provisio Partners include content creation and technical writing.