Successful marketing programs depend on accurate information, a historical view into past successes and failures, and the ability to recognize patterns that link seemingly unrelated data points. In other words, these programs rely on strong institutional memory.
Continuity is one of the secrets to higher ROI and getting more from scarce resources.
In marketing organizations this can be particularly challenging because of projects that seem to be unique, yet have a common thread with similar endeavors from the past or from another part of the company.
In this 7-part series, we’ve taken a look at ill-defined metrics and slammed resources as constant pebbles in the shoe of any marketing organization, or even as stumbling blocks that cause an ongoing ripple of pain.
These issues have perpetual stickiness due to many factors. Creativity and always-on-the-go characteristics of marketing work make it tough to step back and see what can be done to get at the root of these pebbles and stumbling blocks. Certain techniques are needed to tackle the root issues, and these techniques are rarely presented in a marketing context that marketers can relate to and embrace.
Fluidity of people involved both in-house and with agencies and alliances also plays a part in the year-in and year-out nature of these so-called deadly sins.
Unfortunately, in many marketing organizations, crucial knowledge is scattered all over the company. It’s in the heads of individual workers, on shelves, on hard drives and in long-forgotten filing systems. Often, when people leave, a big piece of organizational knowledge goes with them. Information loss is a huge productivity killer for marketing teams, and trying to regain this lost insight wastes previous marketing investments.
Technologies can play a big role in keeping track of lessons learned, who’s doing what now, trend data, and decision-making tools.
But don’t put all your eggs in the technology basket. People and processes will always be prerequisites for the success of technologies.
Marketing Operations facilitates knowledge sharing, creates an enduring repository of information and encourages decision-making based on fact, rather than on hunches or gut feelings.
To accelerate silo-bridging across all the chasms that contribute to sketchy institutional memory, the ClearAction Value Exchange facilitates collaboration across your marketing organization, as well as shared vision and collective capabilities in marketing accountability, alignment, and agility.
Get the most of precious resources — people, budgets, tools, relationships — by positioning Marketing Operations to drive strong institutional memory, and by making use of the awesome power of the ClearAction Value Exchange.
This post is derived from the article “7 Deadly Sins of Marketing” by Gary Katz, founder of Marketing Operations Partners and co-founder of ClearAction Continuum.
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