Working with it, A Marketers Guide

Working with it, A Marketers Guide

• 1.
  Working with IT “AMarketers Guide” Richard  Meyer   Online  Strategic  Solu4ons  
• 2.
  IT’s  percep*on     of  marke*ng  
• 3.
  Marke*ng’s  percep*on     of  IT  
• 4.
  However…     With  consumers  now  communica4ng   with  brands  through  an  increasing   number  of  channels,  it  is  essen*al   that  marke*ng  systems  are  properly   integrated  to  ensure  that  customers   are  addressed  with  consistent   messages  and  offers,  whatever  the   channel.       For  this  to  happen,  marke*ng  needs   to  consult  closely  with  IT  to  ensure   this  integra*on    
• 5.
  Miscommunica*on  ?   IT  is  perceived  as  not   understanding  what   marke4ng’s  needs  are,   and  marke4ng  is   perceived  as  a  group  that   is  likely  to  undertake  a   “rogue”  digital  marke4ng   projects  suggested  by   vendors  without  IT  input.  
• 6.
  Bigger  Marke*ng  Budgets  =   More  Accountability   •  Gartner  suggests  that  by   2017  the  CMO  will  spend   more  on  IT  than  the  CIO.     •  Marke4ng  is  becoming   increasingly  technology-­‐ based.   •  Marke4ng  budgets  are   already  larger  (and  growing   faster)  than  IT  budgets.     •  Indeed,  2011  B2B  and  B2C   marke4ng  budgets  as  a   percentage  of  revenue  were   almost  three  4mes  as  high   (10%)  as  IT  budgets  (3.6%).    
• 7.
  And  More  Dollars  Are   Going  to  Digital  Marke*ng   •  •  •  •  •  •  •  Marke4ng  budgets  at  b-­‐to-­‐b  companies  are  set  to  rise  6%   in  2014.   Two-­‐fiUhs  of  B2C  marketers  will  see  budgets  increase  at  an   average  of  3.4%  in  2014.   Marke4ng  budgets  will  eek  back  up  to  4%  of  company   revenue  in  2014.  That's  s4ll  less  than  the  5%  to  10%  many   companies  had  in  place  before  the  2008  recession,  but  an   improvement  over  the  2.5%  Forrester  reported  two  years   ago.   "Business  is  just  4ghtening  its  belt  all  around,"  said   Forrester  VP  and  senior  analyst  Laura  Ramos.  "You  have  to   really  prove  that  you're  going  to  return  value  to  the   business  to  get  more  budget  money.”   An  emphasis  on  accountability  and  smart  spending  will   lead  to  bigger  bets  on  marke*ng  technology     According  to  the  report,  61%  of  marketers  "expect  to   increase  the  propor*on  of  technology  spend  versus   marke*ng  communica*on/program  spend.”   More  than  half  of  the  52  marketers  who  took  part  in   Forrester's  Marke4ng  Budget  Online  Survey  said  they  plan   increase  spending  on  digital  marke4ng  at  the  expense  of   other  channels.  
• 8.
  Marke*ng  and  IT  Need     Each  Other  for  Success   •  •  According  to  the  IBM  survey,  60%  of   marketers  point  to  their  lack  of  alignment   with  the  company's  IT  department  as  the   biggest  obstacle  to  reaching  today's   consumers.     When  IT  isn’t  engaged,  marketers  are  much   more  likely  to  wind  up  with  a  highly   fragmented  view  of  the  customer  that   result  in  a  disjointed  set  of  communica4ons   and  marke4ng  messages  to  customers.  
• 9.
  The  IT  department  is     reaching  a  crossroads   •  IT  should  own  the  architecture  for   the  marke4ng  pla`orm  but  their   choice  should  be  more  flexible  so  as   not  to  limit  digital    marke4ng   strategies.     •  Marketers  should  integrate  all  digital   marke4ng  vendors  with  IT  and  they   need  to  explain  the  “why”  and  the   “how”  in  terms  of  business   jus4fica4ons.  
• 10.
  So  how  can  IT  help  ?   1.  2.  3.  By  sebng  technical  and   func4onal  specifica4ons  for   website  development  as  part  of   the  project  plan.   Tes4ng  &  valida4ng  all  website   func4onali4es  across  a  wide   range  of  Internet  connec4ons   and  browsers.   By  working  closely  with  outside   digital  marke4ng  vendors  to   ensure  they  are  using  best   prac4ces  as  they  develop  digital   solu4ons  
• 11.
  How  can  marke*ng  help  ?   1.  2.  3.  4.  5.  Bring  IT  people  into  preliminary   mee4ngs  around  the  development   of  digital  strategy  so  they   understand  where  and  why.   Allow  them  to  integrate  fully  with   outside  vendors  and  set  up  key   contacts  for  technical  development.   Have  IT  sign  off  on  wire  frames.   Allow  people  from  IT  to  afend   qualita4ve  research  and/or  read   research  summaries  with   implica4ons.   Educate  IT  people  on  success   metrics.  
• 12.
  Why  Tes*ng  &  Valida*on   are  an  important  IT  Func*on   (Example)  
• 13.
  What  is     Website  Valida*on?   Valida4ng  a  website  is  the   process  of  ensuring  that  the   pages  on  the  website  conform   to  the  norms  or  standards   defined  by  various   organiza*ons.       Valida4on  is  important,  and  will   ensure  that  your  web  pages  are   interpreted  in  the  same  way   (the  way  you  want  it)  by   various  machines,  such  as   search  engines,  as  well  as  users   and  visitors  to  your  webpage.  
• 14.
  Because  there  are  a  lot   of  different  browsers  in  use   Source:  Net  Market  Share   Dec  2013  
• 15.
  Marke*ng  should  also  be     involved  in     website  development   •  •  •    Throughout  the  development   process  you  should  always  engage   our  target  audience  in  usability   tes4ng.     This  is  a  cri4cal  stage  of  the   development,  and  informs  the  final   build.     Upon  comple4on  of  the  ini4al   build,  you  should  immediately   begin  tes4ng  and  a  quality   assurance  process.    
• 16.
  In  summary…   ü Get  IT  involved  early  and  oUen  in  digital   marke4ng  ini4a4ves.   ü  Ensure  that  there  is  4ght  integra4on   between  digital  marke4ng  vendors,   marke4ng  and  IT.   ü  Understand  IT  requirements  and  never   go  outside  the  technical  &  func4onal   requirements  without  a  strong   business/customer  case.   ü  Understand  the  tes4ng  &  valida4ng   process  for  any  website  changes.   ü  Meet  regularly  in  small  cross-­‐func4onal   teams  to  review  current  project  plans   and  cri4cal  project  milestones.   ü  Make  IT  part  of  the  solu4on  and  share   successes  throughout  the  organiza4on.  
• 17.
  About  me..   • 17  years  digital  marke4ng  experience  working   closely  with  outside  vendors  and  internal  IT   departments.   •  Author  of  hfp://newmediaandmarke4ng.com   and  hfp://worldofdtcmarke4ng.com   •  MBA  New  York  Ins4tute  of  Technology