In marketing operations, a process is a collection of similar tasks which are aligned towards a singular set of objectives. It will have inputs, throughputs and outputs and generally a number of different stages which are followed and information components which are included.
For example, a marketing campaign management process might go through these following steps:
- Outline Objectives for Campaign
- Conduct Research
- Analyze Opportunities
- Choose Most Appropriate Targets
- Develop Marketing Strategies
- Design and Collect Specific Assets
- Implement Marketing Campaign
- Manage Roll-Out and Support
- Collect and Analyze Results
The process will also require a variety of datasets to enable its proper function, including:
- Sales analysis figures
- Lead scoring algorithm
- List of sales ready leads
- Sales process outline
- Service agreement between marketing and operations
So, as can be seen a marketing operations process is a large operation in itself. The reason that marketing teams combine so many elements together into one process is so that they can become easier to analyse, tweak and teach to new employees.
The Importance of The Process
Despite the huge importance of the marketing operations process, it is still one of the biggest problem areas for most teams. It has been found that nearly 40% of B2B companies claim that inefficient processes are among the greatest obstacles that they face in achieving marketing success.
How to Master the Art
Clarity of purpose
One of the biggest issues which get in the way of successful process execution is everyone knowing what they’re supposed to be doing. One survey found that 64% of workers were confused as to what precisely their role was. It is up to managers to make sure that each team member knows exactly what their purpose is within the process and how they are affecting the broader focus.
Simplicity of execution
The fewer the layers of complexity between decision and action, the faster you can put information into action. This requires a lot of trust at the different levels of decision-making and also quite a bit of confidence, but for process streamlining it is the only way forward. While more layers of approval might shield people from having to trust their abilities and provide an extremely thick safety net, in actuality, the majority of what it does is slow processes down and increase the chances of cost overruns and missed deadlines.
Be led by data
In the modern era of deep learning, AI and cloud-based business intelligence, it is vital for all marketing processes to be as informed as possible through data-led insights. The pace of market change and how your team is able to adapt to new information can define your success and without capitalizing on available data it will be nearly impossible to keep up with competitors.
Don’t be afraid to reiterate
Successful marketing is about constantly challenging your own status quo to see if you could be doing better. Whether this is through A/B testing or rolling out on new platforms, like good science a marketing operations process should stand up to constant scrutiny.
Whether it’s improving clarity for your entire team or enabling management to execute decision-making with greater speed, a cloud-based project management platform can deliver huge advantages to your processes. Try Planview AdaptiveWork for free today to see how your marketing operations can be improved.
