Building a World-Class Marketing Organization

One proven way an organization can differentiate itself from its competition is by creating a brand-marketing program that is far and away better than anyone else’s. And the best way to do that is by integrating both print and digital media in new ways that others haven’t.

For the past centuries, the printed word has announced world wars, introduced new companies that changed the world, and defined how businesses should be run. Today, the digital presence of an organization can have 100 times the impact in a fraction of the time because new digital media moves so quickly.

If you think strategic market planning isn’t essential, think again. According to Digital Buzz, the popular blog that reports online news, “over 700 Billion minutes a month are spent on Facebook, 20 million applications are installed per day and over 250 million people interact with Facebook from outside the official website on a monthly basis, across 2 million websites. Over 200 million people access Facebook via their mobile phone. 48 percent of young people said they now get their news through Facebook. Meanwhile, in just 20 minutes on Facebook over 1 million links are shared, 2 million friend requests are accepted and almost 3 million messages are sent.”

Those stats should convince you that you shouldn’t run your marketing program the same way you used to. That will not bring the positive happy results you are looking for.

So what are some marketing essentials that you can employ? Here are a few ground rules that I have found very useful when designing a strategic marketing program.

1. Employ a focused financial management discipline to everything you do.
The importance of a return on investment (ROI) cannot be stressed enough. Delivering a strong ROI requires a total commitment to spend your budget on items that will produce a direct or at least in-direct benefit to the bottom line. Examples of this financial acumen should be instilled into all aspects of your strategic planning process.