Marketing-first companies win because the marketing department is on the front lines of customer sentiment, working each day to understand and meet their needs. From user-generated content to customer experience feedback, marketers see it first and use an average of 12% of the organization’s annual revenue toward marketing. That said, here’s how to become a marketing-first company.
So says Ranjita Ghosh in her article yesterday in Entrepreneur. The head of global marketing strategy for AI and innovation at Wipro Limited says:
“Good marketers, in fact, understand what end-users want, how a company’s solutions meet those needs and how to communicate that relationship effectively. A marketing-first approach to business ensures that the products and services the company offers are relevant to the marketplace. Through components like brand-building and brand positioning (both internally and externally), the best marketing-first companies create personas that do not just supplement their business goals but drive their competitiveness and success.”
Now that brand reputation is such a concern, it’s important that the entire organization understand that it needs to be customer-first instead of product- or service-first. Ghosh says:
“The marketing department sees the whole picture and knows how to position the messaging we want to use to describe ourselves and our services. When our leadership adopts that priority, other teams follow suit.”
She cites research showing company leaders don’t listen to marketing’s insight on business strategy, metrics, market influence and client management. Ghosh says the marketing team should be leading those discussions and spearheading company strategy.
Ghosh writes about Marketo finding 89% of CMOs expect to be responsible for customer experience by 2020 and having the marketing department collaborate now with other departments that can enhance that customer experience now. She adds:
“Launch marketing programs to influence sales, create positive customer impressions and build mindshare in the industry. Link these programs to clear outcomes like funnel generation, order-booking and, where applicable, revenue itself. When marketing carries hard targets, the game changes.”
Ghosh says everything marketing-first companies do is aimed at bettering their stakeholder relationships, by understanding their needs along the customer journey and determining what emotional messaging elicits a desired response. She writes:
“After mapping all the company’s stakeholders and identifying what they want, lean on Marketing to spark more productive conversations. Focus on the priorities of each group both now and in the long term. Keep discussions relevant to the map to hold their attention at every turn.”
For a no obligation review of your marketing communications program and a chance to win a $50.00 AMEX gift card, call Bernie Prohaska at 732.238.3420 or email bp@ProhaskaAdvertising.com
