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#104 Building Community Trust Through Innovative Marketing with Assaf Frances

“As a marketing team, you need to be celebrating client successes and telling these stories to other prospects.” -Assaf Frances
Assaf Frances is the Director of Marketing and Partnerships at Zencity, where he leads the company’s brand, digital and field marketing strategy. He oversees many of the company’s key partnerships, presence at events and conferences, content creation, digital campaigns, and design. Assaf also spearheaded the recent rebrand process the company had gone through. Prior to his work at Zencity, Assaf served as Program Manager for the City of Tel Aviv Innovation Team, under the Mayor’s office, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies. He holds an MSc in Urban Regeneration from the Bartlett School of Planning, UCL, London, is a Chevening Alumni and a member of the Salzburg Global Forum. He’s based in NYC and lives with his husband Yoni and their dog West. In this interview, Assaf discusses community trust, homelessness solutions, and innovative marketing strategies.

About the Episode

Welcome to our detailed exploration of Zencity, a platform dedicated to fostering community trust through enhanced local government engagement. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the insights shared during an episode of the NTM Growth Marketing Podcast, featuring Andrew and Asaf from Zencity. This conversation unveils the secrets behind Zencity’s success, their marketing strategies, and their innovative use of AI.

The Zencity Mission: Enhancing Community Trust

Zencity is a platform designed to build trust between local governments and the communities they serve. By providing tools for meaningful engagement and feedback, Zencity helps cities and towns understand the impact of their policies and initiatives. In this episode, we hear from Assaf, Director of Marketing and Partnerships at Zencity, who shares his insights on how Zencity operates and succeeds in its mission.

A Snapshot of Zencity’s Role in San Diego

Assaf explains how Zencity partners with the city of San Diego, working closely with both the mayor’s office and the police department. Their primary focus has been on evaluating policies and strategies aimed at tackling homelessness. By gathering data on public perception and assessing the effectiveness of these initiatives, Zencity provides actionable insights to make informed decisions.

“We’re working with the mayor’s office and the police department in San Diego to test out and gauge the effectiveness of their policies around tackling homelessness.”

Day in the Life of Zencity’s Marketing Director

As the Director of Marketing and Partnerships, Assaf’s role is multifaceted. His daily routine involves close collaboration with his marketing team, sales department, and Customer Success (CS) team. The synergy between these teams is crucial for creating impactful marketing campaigns and ensuring client satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities and Activities

  1. Team Collaboration: Assaf spends a significant part of his day communicating with his marketing team and other departments to align on goals and strategies.
  2. Client Engagement: Regular interactions with clients for case studies and feedback help refine marketing efforts.
  3. Data Analysis: Monitoring inbound leads, analyzing data from conferences, and adapting digital campaigns based on performance metrics.
  4. Event Planning: Conferences and events play a vital role in lead generation, requiring meticulous planning and execution.

“Our conferences are a big lead generation system for us, allowing us to meet a lot of our clients and prospects in person.”

The Power of In-Person Marketing

Despite the rise of digital communications, Zencity places a strong emphasis on in-person interactions. Attending conferences and events across the country allows the Zencity team to form deeper connections with their clients and prospects.

The Challenge of Transitioning from Digital to In-Person

In today’s digital age, marketers often find it challenging to step away from online interactions and engage in real-life marketing initiatives. Assaf stresses the importance of maintaining a balance between digital and personal connections to foster genuine relationships.

“Sometimes even I feel resistant to in-person marketing initiatives, but it’s crucial to connect with our clients and prospects in real life.”

Guiding Principles of Zencity’s Marketing Strategy

Zencity’s marketing strategy is guided by three core principles: value-first approach, multiple touchpoints, and consistent innovation. These principles aim to drive lead generation and enhance brand awareness while keeping the target audience engaged and informed.

Value-First Approach

Zencity emphasizes providing value to potential clients before seeking engagement. By showcasing the benefits and features of their platform, they aim to establish trust and demonstrate the value Zencity brings to local governments.

Multiple Touchpoints

Known as the “rule of seven,” Zencity ensures that their prospects are exposed to the brand through various channels multiple times. This strategy helps in building familiarity and trust, making it easier for prospects to engage.

“It’s known that for a potential customer to make a purchase, they need to be exposed to your brand at least seven times.”

Consistency and Innovation

Consistency in branding is essential, but it’s equally important to keep the audience excited. Zencity continually adapts to industry trends and tests new ideas to stay relevant and appealing.

Navigating the Customer Journey

Working with government entities involves a complex and lengthy procurement process. Assaf likens the journey to a “marketing water slide,” where diverse touchpoints and tailored content guide potential clients from initial contact to conversion.

Tailored Content and Benchmarking

Zencity places a strong emphasis on creating personalized content and benchmarking reports that resonate with the specific needs of different communities. This approach helps local governments see the practical benefits of Zencity’s solutions and relate them to their unique challenges.

“Benchmarking is extremely important, especially in local government. They want to know what other cities and counties are doing.”

Fostering Synergy Between Marketing and Sales

For a cohesive and effective marketing strategy, seamless collaboration between marketing and sales teams is essential. Assaf shares insights on creating this synergy, emphasizing regular communication and shared goals.

Regular Syncs and Shared Plans

Regular meetings between the marketing and sales teams help align efforts and ensure both teams are aware of upcoming content, events, and strategies. This collaboration enables a unified approach to lead generation and client engagement.

“Syncing is super important. We always make sure to align our efforts and keep each other informed.”

Leveraging AI and Innovations in Marketing

Zencity has been a pioneer in using AI to enhance local government operations. From data analysis to content creation, AI plays a crucial role in Zencity’s processes, improving efficiency and effectiveness.

The Role of AI in Local Government

AI helps Zencity analyze vast amounts of data, providing valuable insights to local governments. This technology enables more informed decision-making and better understanding of community needs.

“AI is back to being in, and it’s really enhancing our efficiency and expanding our capabilities.”

Staying Ahead of the Curve

Marketers are adapting to the rise of AI by integrating it into their workflows while focusing on strategic tasks that require human creativity and insight. Assaf advises marketers to view AI as a tool that complements their work rather than a replacement.

“Marketers need to use AI to their advantage, allowing more time for strategic planning and creative tasks.”

Looking Forward: Marketing Trends for 2024

As we move into 2024, Assaf predicts a shift towards more personal and human-centered marketing approaches. While digital marketing continues to grow, traditional methods and face-to-face interactions will regain prominence.

Embracing Classic Marketing Methods

With the saturation of digital content, personalized and in-person marketing efforts will stand out. Conferences, direct mail, and other personalized marketing tactics will become more effective in creating genuine connections with prospects.

“In 2024, we’re going to see a bit of a shift towards in-person and human-touch marketing efforts.”

Learning from Failures and Celebrating Successes

Every marketer experiences challenges and setbacks. Assaf candidly shares a marketing initiative that didn’t work out, offering valuable lessons learned from the experience.

A Failed Benchmarking Tool

Zencity’s early attempt to create a benchmarking tool faced challenges due to limited data and lack of personalization. This experience taught the team the importance of having sufficient data and creating more tailored tools for their clients.

“Our early benchmarking tool didn’t work as expected, but we learned to scale and tailor our approach better.”

Successful Conference Campaigns

On the flip side, Zencity has successfully executed numerous innovative conference campaigns, creating memorable experiences for attendees. These campaigns are designed to highlight Zencity’s products while providing an engaging and fun environment.

“We’ve created unique booth concepts, like the Zencity Well-Being Bar and the Beach Club, to make a lasting impression at conferences.”

Continuing the Dialogue: Connect with Zencity

If you’re inspired by this discussion and want to learn more about Zencity or continue the conversation with Assaf, you can connect with him on LinkedIn.

Thank you for joining us on this in-depth journey into Zencity’s marketing strategies and initiatives. Stay tuned for more insights and stories from industry leaders!

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