Marketing that Matters is in the Air

Often, our executives and teams lack the vision and skills to deal with the changing business environment and approve suitable projects.

This is a time when a new leader must emerge. One with the vision to deliver fantastic customer experiences and the leadership skills to motivate executives and their internal teams.

We also need leaders who can communicate the benefits of marketing to customers and the business value it brings to the company.

Marketing that matters is what it’s about. Understanding where we are today is the first step.

CEOs are dissatisfied with their marketing teams’ performance.

CMOs feel the pressure to deliver ROI.

Surveys of employee satisfaction show a decline in engagement.

Nearly every channel is seeing a decline in customer engagement with marketing campaigns.

The boss is unhappy. Managers don’t feel happy. Employees feel they need more. Customers need more. Why?

Through my client interviews, research, and external surveys, I found that most CEOs expect more ROI in marketing. They also demand marketing campaigns with low business value, if any.

Although putting your logo on a bus or stadium or on a golfer’s hat sounds fun, most campaigns fail because of the content we create.

We are tired of being told what we should do. And when we get asked for new ideas, executives don’t like them. We, the customers, are punishing brands that interrupt media consumption by displaying advertising we don’t want.

B-to-B buyers need brand information to help them make informed buying decisions. Too often, they receive promotional sales messages and other content that they need more time to be ready to read.

Marketing must change quickly and be flexible.

These are the four steps marketing leaders can immediately take to bring about the changes they want for their company, careers, and customers.

1. Push back: Marketing leaders must push back against bad ideas that don’t deliver real value. Instead of focusing on marketing that is important to our customers, clients, and the companies we work for, they need to focus on creating marketing relevant to them, their buyers, and us. Pushing back does not have to be a disobedience act. It is enough to have the courage not to do the things that aren’t working.

2. A buyer-centric vision is essential: Although the traditional org chart exists in most organizations, it fails to consider the customer.

Your marketing vision should be customer-centric, even if your company’s mission isn’t “we are the largest provider of widgets” There is a simple way to get there.

To deliver customer value and impact.

American Express OPEN Forum began with this:

Small business owners can grow.

Their site quickly became the company’s most valuable marketing channel and source of new leads. Since then, this vision has evolved to reach a broader audience in more ways.

Inspirations, insights, and connections to help you grow your business.

3. Your team should be the hero in your story. As a marketing leader focused on creating marketing that genuinely matters and driving change, make sure your team is the hero in your account. Because of their customer-centric vision, the customer is the story’s hero. However, you must activate this latent potential.

LinkedIn claims the connections between employees and the platform are 10x more significant than the company’s followers. This is because 3 percent of employees of companies sharing branded content generate 30 percent of the views, clicks, and clicks.

LinkedIn Elevate, Social Selling, and other programs can significantly increase your content’s reach, grow your company’s social presence, and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of marketing programs without spending even a dollar on paid media.

You must create content that employees love to share. Ask your employees for help. It’s essential to explain what it means for them. Sharing or creating content can help them make more connections, build relationships with leaders in your industry, grow their brand, and achieve happiness in their careers.

4. You can measure the impact of marketing that matters. The last piece of the puzzle is communicating your marketing value. Many organizations I work with regularly review the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns and content and reinvest the budget into programs that provide a real return.