1. Attitude and Agendas
The best run organizations have established boundaries and expectations placed upon their employees that demand accountability and a service-oriented mindset. How can you serve customers and impact them with your product or service when your organization does not help one another first? This is one of the leading causes of reduced marketing effectiveness. The inability to come together as a team or group and support one another. When members of an organization or company become disruptive or negative, there has to be a real urgency to act. This is not an HR challenge; this is a leadership challenge. Disruptive behavior is not a sign that you hired the wrong individual necessarily, often it is an indicator that the person feels undervalued, is not being utilized to their full capability or that they may not understand the goals and objectives. When someone is confused, frustration can set in quickly, and an employee that does great work can quickly turn into an employee that is negative and feels abandoned. It is imperative that the leadership recognize these warning signs and brings the team together with a vision and purpose. What good is it as a leader to budget and plan when the individuals tasked with executing do not understand what their specific action items are? Taking the time to ensure your team is valued can have a long lasting positive impact on your organization. When people feel valued, they will go above and beyond consistently.
2. To Many Marketing Generals
Ever sat in a meeting where the vision is unveiled, the plans agreed upon and then wonder who is going to do the work? To be an effective marketer you have to lead by example not by statements or directives. Delegation is one of the most misunderstood actions in leadership. I’ve seen first hand “leaders” bang out email after email creating a flurry of activity that looked as if they were driving a program. Unfortunately, they were contributing little to program success and creating confusion and frustration. You have to be present to your team and the organization. Someone who buries their head in email and does not take the time to rally, inspire and lead their team is a hindrance to the organization. It does not matter what they claim to have done in the past, what graduate degree they have or whom they know. Take a look at the attrition rates of their team and you will quickly discover they may not be a good fit for the organization. Leaders must get in the trenches and fight for the success of the program not blast out emails, demand timelines be followed or show inflexibility when working with others. If you want to create an environment of inspiration and belief, these individuals have to be moved out or moved on. It is just not worth the risk to the organization as a whole to turn a blind eye to this type of behavior.
3. Confusing Channel Chatter
Customers do not see your marketing calendar. They only see your actions. While an integrated approach is essential to your marketing efforts, a clear message is even more important. Placing your campaign or offers in all of your channels does not mean that it is integrated or that the consumer will understand it. Take the time to view your program with a consumer mindset and walk through the touchpoints. Many times organizations have several teams working on the same initiative and more times than not I have seen POP that looks nothing like digital, and the tone of social that does not match the message on .com. Consumers do not distinguish between the departments they only see the brand. They will also be the first to point out disconnections and confusion. The first place they will do this is your social channel. Social is a consideration channel, not a sales channel. It is crucial that this channel be monitored and understood so that you are attracting the right customer. What good does it do to have 2MM followers but they will never shop you because while they engage with you on social they are 16-23-year-old females, and you are targeting 18-33-year-old males.
4. The Activation Yips
Golfers have heard of the yips. It is the inability to execute a particular type of shot because of short circuits in the process. The fear of failure becomes overwhelming, and a simple putting and chipping stroke become a monumental task to the point where the golfer physically shakes and stammers when trying to execute. When the planning is finished, and the program launches, course corrections are inevitable. People are dynamic and subtle changes, not knee-jerk reactions, can keep a marketing program on a course and successful. If, however, a complete overhaul is needed it is an indication that the insight was off, or a better understanding of your target is required. Are you finding yourself making quick changes or questioning the tactics and messaging after it is shared with the consumer? This could be a bad habit or process issue that should be addressed immediately. Having confidence in the plan is paramount to the team to achieve the desired results.
Today ask yourself how you can build a positive environment within your organization or department. Jump into the trenches and fight like hell to inspire those around you. Put on your consumer hat and look at your marketing materials and identify areas that need better clarification or ones that are not working. Be patient when launching new programs and products. Give consumers time to evaluate and respond to the message or offer and adjust based on their feedback. Real leaders believe in what they do and above all desire to make those around them better.