Digital Marketing Success Requires Leadership Buy-In
Today’s digital marketing landscape is rapidly evolving, demanding new strategies often at odds with the current management team. There could be a variety of reasons for potential resistance amongst organizational leadership. However, most forms of resistance can be overcome with a productive conversation and some education. It is so important for leadership to have at least a basic understanding of digital marketing and its value.
We have seen this many times in the past, where we have developed a strategy we know will work to bring the company more business via digital marketing, but key aspects of the strategy were shot down by management. When it comes to digital marketing, it is usually done with a “big picture” perspective, and it is best to adopt the strategy as written, rather than pick and choose.
This is an incredibly frustrating problem, and it is difficult for marketing departments to get their work done if leadership isn’t on board. So, how do you solve this problem? Here are some strategies that might help:
It’s About Balance and Continuity
One of the best ways to get leadership buy-in for digital marketing is finding a balance between change and continuity.
The approach you take will depend entirely on your company’s business goals. For example, if you want to enter a new industry or product line, it may be good to bring in some fresh ideas and digital marketing talent to help boost your sales.
Of course, you don’t want to make too many changes. You definitely want to stick with what is working, and then introduce changes gradually. At the same time, you want to make sure that the strategies you are using will be effective over the long term. It’s all about striking that balance. If you try to make too many changes at once without educating leadership on its value, the digital marketing strategy might not be approved.
Getting to Know Your Audience is Crucial
At the end of the day, it really isn’t about what you as a business wants. You want to make more sales, that’s a given. But, it’s your audience that will end up becoming the customers. What is it that they want? Too often, organizations are too focused on themselves, without realizing that they should prioritize their customers.
People are unique and have varied interests, motivations, desires, and goals. Knowing your target audience is crucial for a digital strategy because you’ll need to know what marketing methods will most effectively attract them. This way, you can tailor the digital marketing strategy to each industry.
What happens when leadership shoots down a strategy? Chances are pretty good they are operating on their own biases. Just because they may not like a particular social network, for example, does not mean that your audience feels the same way. Make sure your audience is driving decision-making, not your own opinions and beliefs.
It is so important to have leadership buy-in when it comes to digital marketing. If not, it can be impossible to make any progress.
Categorized in: Digital Marketing
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