I’ve been in marketing a long time and have witnessed a lot of change. It goes without saying that the last few years have moved the dial considerably on the role that marketing plays within an organization. More is being asked of marketing than in the past. So how do we step up and meet the new demands?
- Understand the environment: To provide modern marketing, we need to begin by understanding the current environment. We’re in the age of customer experience and due to continual innovation, marketing and technology are more intertwined than ever before. We are also facing a vulnerable economy right now, where most marketing departments don’t have unlimited budgets and resources.
- Define your marketing philosophy: Organizations need to adopt a marketing philosophy that supports organizational objectives and is aligned with the times. Right now, I think we need to champion a utility marketing philosophy that focuses on fostering high performance teams that drive profitable growth by intersecting digital technologies with the customer buying journey. More specifically, this means having the right people with the right skill sets, who apply useful technology to offer leading customer experience from brand awareness to repurchase.
- Recognize that marketing is an enterprise-wide undertaking: Marketing isn’t simply campaigns and advertising. It’s having a pulse on client needs. It’s business strategy. It’s technology. It’s operations. It’s change management. Providing a high level of customer experience involves the entire enterprise.
- Leverage talent. Sometimes, I challenge myself by questioning if the marketing department had no budget at all, how could we live out our philosophy and fulfill our mandate? I believe we would focus more on leveraging the creativity and ingenuity of our talent. Although budget certainly helps, it isn’t a determinant of success. While data and technology are intertwined with modern marketing, they don’t replace the human component.
- Be objective about how to become more efficient and effective. We need to continually seek out ways to add value for our customers and in turn the organisation. It’s important to step back and ask how our processes and procedures could enhance the efficiency of our operations. How are we using technology to intersect the customer journey with useful marketing solutions? Are we promoting team behaviours that augment customer experience and add value to the customer? As leaders, are we cultivating the right cultures so that diverse talent can shine and further our goals?
In this current era of customer experience and technology, yes, more is being asked of marketing. Fortunately, I believe that marketing is not only capable but should play a bigger role than ever in driving the bottom line. It’s an exciting time.