3 Tips to Ensure Marketing Success in the New Year

The year is coming to a close. As a marketing leader, you should be asking yourself one question. What do you need to change for 2015?  As you look back on the year, you should get an idea of what worked, and what didn’t.  Did you have a robust strategy, one that your team was able to execute flawlessly?  If so, you are in the minority. Our research shows only 29% of marketing leaders have the right strategy.  These folks are the lucky ones. They are consistently contributing to revenue and enjoy job security.  But, if you aren’t one of the 29%, what should you do differently in 2015?  How can you ensure success?

First, you can make sure you have a solid marketing strategy in place.  Download our research report, “How to Increase Marketing’s Contribution to 2015 Revenue,” here. It’s a great place to get started. The report will outline the pieces of a comprehensive marketing strategy.

Once you have created your strategy, then what? How do you make sure it gets implemented? Below are 3 tips to help with execution in 2015.

Tip #1– Make sure your strategy is aligned with sales.

Marketing has a strategy and sales does too. Though often, the two are not integrated. As a result, there are serious issues for resource allocation. Time and money go to waste, the sales funnel springs leaks, and the goals aren’t achieved. Your marketing efforts fall flat.

The solution is to align the marketing and sales strategy. By doing so, you will set your marketing team up for success. The processes should be integrated for effective handoff points. This allows the teams to focus on the mission critical initiatives that contribute to the most revenue growth.

Tip #2 – Surround yourself with the right people.

You have put time, thought and effort into your plan for the New Year. How do you make sure this wasn’t in vain? The answer is simple: surround yourself with the right people.

We all know marketing is a fast paced, constantly changing field. As a marketing leader it’s your job to stay on top. Unless you are one of the 29%, your plan probably includes brand new ideas. To be productive, you must put together a team built for success. This might mean training your current staff on new tactics or outsourcing pieces of your strategy. Either way, you must come up with a plan.  And this plan must ensure the right people are in the right roles.

Tip #3 – Communicate, communicate, communicate.

You have a plan. But it can only be executed after it is communicated clearly to your team. Transparency is key to ensuring your strategy is executed. Share your vision with your team, your CEO, your sales counterpart, the whole company. Be clear in the allocation of your resources, and your expectations of your team. This will help everyone be successful in 2015.

Key Takeaway

As the year winds down, you need to get ready for 2015. If you need help, sign up for a 90 min. one-on-one session here. It will help you create a marketing strategy that works. Then, follow these simple tips to make sure it gets executed.