Agile marketing is still being defined. The rules are being written and tested as we speak. As such, I am not sure I buy into a dogmatic application of the software version of “agile” with its Scrum masters and 6-member team size limits. We are borrowing from the evolution in the production management and software development worlds. The aim is to make marketing more responsive, iterative and more impactful. “Agile” is a way of working that produces work that can be released, tested, and optimized. This is different for marketing. Sure, marketing has been tested for decades but not usually out in digital channels with the benefit of immediate feedback.
Here are some principles from smart voices in the world of agile that will define this new operating model:
- Embrace adaptive planning and continuous improvements (from Meta Karagianni at Sirius Decisions)
I have been obsessed with strategy. Following strategy comes a great plan. Part of the innovation of 'agile' is respecting that plans change. When your strategy and plan are so rigid, they cannot change nimbly as you learn via the execution of the plan, you will likely waste a lot of effort. While I still believe a great strategy does wonders to align a team, the plan that shakes out of that is just a start. setting processes that allow for continuous improvement are important in the age of the connected customer.
- Testing has become the quintessential data-driven marketing process: running controlled experiments to determine what resonates best with prospects and customers. (from Scott Brinker at ChiefMartec)
Learning how to test discrete marketing elements quickly and cheaply in-market is more important than old-school testing (although that does have it's place). We can test the demand for a new product just by buying some cheap advertising on Facebook. We can A/B test different ad creative or landing pages to figure out which actually drives the most response. Agile marketing requires skills at testing, reading results and adjusting on-the-fly.
- Agile marketing methodologies encourage cross-silo teams to come together on projects quickly and easily and to dynamically reconfigure as needed from cycle to cycle. (from Scott Brinker at ChiefMartec)
Assembling small-ish, unusual teams brings the diversity of brains needed to create interesting work fast. Creating easy ways to bring those teams together so they know what to do and how to work with each other is worth the effort. Training teams in agile methods helps as routines like daily stand-ups, demos and others are new to most marketing folks.
- “Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of marketing that solves problems” (from the Agile Marketing Manifesto)
Greater customer-centricity is on everyone's minds these days. Since agile methods drive us to test our hypothesis via actual customer behaviors, it can improve our knowledge of the customers and what he/she wants. Thinking about marketing as something that aims to solve customer problems is a good thing, better than "messaging" or simply "selling" when someone is ready to buy.
- Learning, through the build-measure-learn feedback loop, is the primary measure of progress (from the Agile Marketing Manifesto)
I appreciate that there is a thing called the "Agile Marketing Manifesto." To some extent it's just us marketers being marketers and wrapping our idea in a "manifesto" package to associate these thoughts with it's software development predecessor. The Manifesto has some strong ideas. Following the build-measure-learn feedback loop makes great sense. And making it an end unto itself also makes sense except that I still believe my alma mater's truth, "we sell or else." Marketing sells, period. This new emphasis on learning is just how we do it in the age of the connected customer.
- Empower teams with decision-making and accountability. Marketing is regularly hampered by internal approval processes (from Barre Hardy at CMO.com/Adobe)
How many marketers have worked at brands where the "work" must be seen by the CEO, never mind the CMO? Sometimes that is right-minded. In this day and age of quick, iterative work, we need to empower the small marketing team to fully execute and learn fast. With the right team leadership, the risks can be minimized.
- Bring the agency in-house. Internal agencies can work much more closely with cross-functional marketing teams to enable the company to own the performance data associated with campaigns (from Barre Hardy at CMO.com/Adobe)
The agency world is being turned on its head. Working on the brand side, I love the smart agencies that I work with. That being said, we have pulled all of the strategy work and even much of the operational marketing work internally. And the data. No way could we outsource all that it takes to source our data feeds and feed it into a reliable reporting framework and dashboard. Some things you just need to keep close to make agility work.
- Work (and prioritize) according to aligned business priorities (from Veronica Jarski at MarketingProfs and CMG Partners)
Marketing has always needed to be aligned to business priorities except, perhaps, when marketing simply supports "brand." Business priorities always have a commercial goal - growth, profitability, increased customer value, innovation and more. The days of pure brand initiatives are waning. More and more marketing tries to drive a concrete commercial outcome while establishing brand via experience. Agile methods can help retain alignment with business as priorities shift quarter-to-quarter. The days of monolithic marketing campaigns extending out for a year or more are numbered.
(image thanks to Kim Seiter Dog Agility)
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