Improving Marketing Department Performance

Why would a marketing director be concerned about improving marketing department performance?

So deadlines aren’t missed, quality increases, and customers, executives and employees win.

These are also reasons our clients hire MOCK, the Agency.

In this post we’ll cover:

• Leading so your marketing team will do better
• How to get great marketing out of your marketing team
• 7 habits of highly effective marketing leaders
• How to shape culture as a marketing director
• Things to look out for as a marketing director
• Purpose of a marketing department in business
• “Phoenix Project” Principles Applied to Marketing Department
• Improving Marketing Department Teamwork
• Prevent Death By Meetings as a Marketing Director
• Marketing Department Operations

Leading so your marketing team will do better

Leading so your marketing team will thrive includes – soft skills, willingness to go first, doing the hard work, continual improvement, and clear planning, goals and objectives.

Leadership of the marketing team requires more than just fundamental knowledge and strong technical skills.

Soft skills such as communication, collaboration, and problem-solving are essential to success.

It is important to establish a culture of trust and cooperation in the department, which allows team members to take initiative, be proactive, and take risks without fear of failure.

Doing the hard work necessary for improved marketing performance means that tasks must be well-defined and that everyone has a clear understanding of their role in the collective effort.

Continual improvement should be an ongoing priority; setting measurable goals and objectives can help ensure that progress is being made towards these goals.

Leading also means stepping back form the technical work to guide the team.

How to get great marketing out of your marketing team

Give your team clear guidelines and boundaries.

Creativity increases with clarity, not with chaos.

Defining each team member’s lane and protecting it, is key to them thriving in their role.

A healthy and collaborative culture is an important aspect of a successful marketing team as well.

Creativity and ideas in a marketing team often come through collaboration.

However, collaboration without clearly defined processes is a recipe for waste and inefficiency.

7 habits of highly effective marketing leaders

The 7 habits of highly effective people are:

• Habit 1: Be Proactive
• Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind
• Habit 3: Put First Things First
• Habit 4: Think Win-Win
• Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
• Habit 6: Synergize
• Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

How do these habits tie into marketing leadership?

How to shape culture as a marketing director

Culture is something we’re all constantly shaping.

Here’s the path to shaping culture:

See the problem -> ownership of the problem -> implement change in your own life -> lead others to have the same change

See the problem
Ownership of the problem
Implement change in your own life
Lead others to have the same change

Things to look out for as a marketing director

As a marketing director, there are many things to be on the lookout for in order to ensure that the team is meeting goals and performing their best.

Lack of process

Where is there no written process or boundaries?

Unclear direction

Without clearly defined goals, the department and each team won’t move in a unified direction.

Goals require a timeline to completion and measurement.

Stagnation – Not continuing to improve

Is there a desire to improve?

Is everyone hungry to make things better?

Team morale

Is the team encouraged and inspired or negative and gloomy?

Cultural alignment

Is everybody aligned with the core values of the company culture?

Purpose of a marketing department in business

The general purpose of a marketing department in business may be to:

• promote and generate awareness for the company’s products or services
• build strong relationships with customers
• develop strategies to increase sales and drive further growth
• and create effective campaigns that will deliver positive results.

However, defining “purpose” for an entire department without knowing the unique expectations of the leadership and other departments, is not going to work.

The only way a marketing department can really have clear objectives that make an impact that matters is through discovery.

Purpose follows discovery.

“Phoenix Project” Principles Applied to Marketing Department

The Phoenix Project is a business novel by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford that offers readers a unique view into the inner workings and processes of an IT organization.

The book contains principles that can be applied to many other industries, including marketing departments.

The four main principles outlined in the book that can be applied to marketing departments are:

1) Systems Thinking

This principle encourages understanding of how all components within a system interact with one another.

It is essential for making the most effective decisions and solutions possible.

2) Amplify Feedback Loops

In order to make progress quickly, it’s important to have feedback loops in place to measure progress and tweak strategies as needed.

These feedback loops should be regular and ongoing so that teams can adjust their plans accordingly.

3) Experimentation & Learning

To stay ahead of the competition, it’s important for marketing departments to continuously experiment and learn from their experiments.

This includes:

• testing new ideas and strategies
• observing customer behavior
• tracking results
• and adjusting based on those results.

4) Culture Of Continuous Improvement

A culture of continuous improvement should be embraced by all team members so that everyone is constantly striving for excellence.

This means:

• inspiring creativity
• encouraging innovation
• setting clear goals
• providing feedback regularly
• and rewarding performance where applicable.

By following these principles outlined in the Phoenix Project business novel, marketing teams can create a high-performing team culture that will lead to success with their campaigns and initiatives.

Improving Marketing Department Teamwork

Improving marketing department teamwork may look like:

1.Addressing cultural issues

Even if that means removing or replacing key employees or contractors that are toxic to the whole group.

2.Unity over superstars

Many departments have found that it’s better to have a unified team of solid players rather than a superstar that can hold the team hostage and cause volatility in production.

It’s the don’t put all your eggs in one basket philosophy.

Don’t hire talent, hire to make the team and the work better.

3.Clarify boundaries and lanes

Simplifying each person’s responsibilities and writing them down removes scope creep from an individual employee level.

Without the clear job responsibilities people start flexing and doing work outside of their core competency, may feel frustrated, and hurt the team.

4.Talking

Encouraging collaboration and communication between team members, including setting up regular meetings for everyone to discuss their progress.

5.Discussing ideas

Creating an environment where ideas are openly discussed, feedback is actively sought out, and different perspectives are valued.

6.Singular vision

Establishing a clear vision for the goals of the marketing team and creating strategies that align with those goals.

7.Celebrate each other

Building trust amongst team members by recognizing individual contributions and celebrating successes together.

8.Clear paths to promotion or rewards

Providing opportunities for growth through training programs or mentorship initiatives that help employees develop their skills further and stay motivated in their roles.

Prevent Death By Meetings as a Marketing Director

Here it comes, the dreaded 9 o’clock scrum.

It lasts 1-2 hours, and we talk about the same things every day.

Here are some thoughts and ideas about how to avoid death by meetings (DBM) as a marketing director:

1. Have people schedule
2. Say no A LOT.
3. Require an entry fee – people who are serious will pay to play.
4. Pre-ship meeting requirements – make the requirements the bad guy.
5. Have your direct reports handle as much as possible – and train them into it. Trust them and train them and get your time back.

Marketing Department Operations

Running a successful marketing department requires more than just creating campaigns and executing strategies.

It requires the ability to effectively manage operations, from budgeting to team building.

Some of the key elements necessary for effective marketing department operations include:

• setting clear goals
• tracking performance metrics
• fostering collaboration among team members
• and embracing a culture of continuous improvement.

Implementing these principles can help teams be more productive and successful in their work.

At the End of the Day

In the dynamic world of marketing, staying static is not an option.

Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, every marketing department must continually evolve, adapt, and innovate, driven by a clear purpose discovered through steady exploration.

Applying the principles of the Phoenix Project and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and learning will pave the path to success.

The journey may be challenging, but the rewards – effective campaigns, motivated teams, improved operations – are well worth the effort.

So here’s to the marketing teams out there, rising and soaring to new heights, one campaign at a time.