I came to marketing by way of sales. I was a territory rep—company car, expense account, living the dream. Like so many (usually young) sales people, the siren song of management lured me away from the freedom, perks and commissions of sales. I transitioned from sales to sales management (a thankless, awful position) and then to marketing management.
In the 40 or so years since that transition, I have learned that strong brand engagement starts long before a campaign launches. It begins with understanding customers, supporting sales, and making marketing decisions that create meaningful connections. My experience has taught me to embrace a few non-negotiable musts for being a marketing manager.
Support Your Sales Team
One of the fastest ways to build brand engagement is by helping the people who represent your brand every day. If your marketing initiatives don’t support sales, you are a dilettante, and you are wasting time and money. Either finance will catch up with you and question what you are doing, or sales people will call you out for being useless. Don’t isolate yourself from the sales team. You can take it.
Get Out of the Office
The strongest brand engagement strategies are built on real conversations, not assumptions.
If you don’t get to know your sales people’s customers, you can’t help drive sales. Sure, you can get descriptors from the sales team, but it’s a good idea to get out of the office and meet customers in person. Trade shows, conferences, social events—any type of face-to-face marketing event will help you do this.
Talk to customers—the people in charge of budgets. Find out what keeps them up at night. Learn about the challenges in their industries. Marketing investments should flow from real life because it certainly doesn’t happen the other way around.
If It Doesn’t Drive Revenue, Don’t Do It
One thing I learned as a salesperson is that there were marketing people who had no clue about what worked in the field, and what was a waste of time and effort. There were also marketing managers who couldn’t handle rejection from the sales team, something salespeople deal with every day.
Flash forward 25 years. I was with a group of salespeople who were being asked by a marketing manager about the customer response to a particular sales aid. No one answered. Everyone shuffled papers. You know the scenario. You’ve probably been there.
When the marketing manager left the room, I asked the sales team, “You don’t use that piece, right?” They breathed a sigh of relief, and we had an hones conversation about wasted marketing efforts.
As a marketer, be brave enough to find out what works—and what doesn’t. Learn how your salespeople sell, how much time they have with the customer, what captures attention, and what gets ignored. Strong brand engagement isn’t built on assumptions, it’s built on understanding what resonates with customers.
Know What You’re Approving
The more you understand your marketing investments, the better equipped you’ll be to make decisions that support your brand and your business.
- Are you approving a budget for a new website? Do you know what is included? What platform will your developer use, and why?
- Are you building a new trade show exhibit? What kind of lighting is specified? Does it require a truss to hang? What materials will it be built from? How long does your exhibit partner estimate setup will take?
- Can you get web banners as a spiff with your print advertising? Can you get a discount on purchasing the subscriber list?
Question intelligently. The best vendors will appreciate it, and your marketing investment will yield a positive return.
Be Ready to Step In
You never know when a project will take an unexpected turn. Your web person is in a cycling accident. Your exhibit manager’s pregnancy develops complications, and she is on bed rest during show season. Your admin suddenly quits to join the Peace Corps. Or (gasp) staff reductions suddenly change your department’s priorities.
Yes, this could happen to you. Now what?
You don’t have time to find a replacement, much less train someone. You need to know how to pick up the project, work with your vendors, and keep the wheels turning. The buck stops with you.
You are not micromanaging when you make an effort to understand what’s going on and how the project comes together. If you don’t know, learn—and learn now.
Never Stop Learning
The best marketing managers never stop learning, and neither should you. Attend classes, sign up for webinars and seminars, network with smart people. Read everything you can get your hands on. Show up for meetings, put your phone down, and pay attention. Ask for both the time and money to pursue an advanced degree, certification, or professional development opportunities. You are worth it.
Keep Building Your Brand
The best thing about marketing? It’s never boring, and it’s always changing.
All marketing managers develop their own set of non-negotiables over time. If you have marketing “musts” of your own, or you’re looking for new ways to strengthen brand engagement, get in touch. We’d love to hear your perspective and discuss how we can help bring your next marketing initiative to life.
