John Vlasakakis, head of organic search, Next & Co
Agile marketing has become more than just a method; it is an ideology. Many companies have adopted this strategy and observed just how effective it is. Businesses have adopted agile marketing is because it has a faster completion time, accelerated time to market, and enhanced productivity. In a world that changes consistently, a business must adapt and look at leaner and more efficient ways to operate.
At its core, agile marketing is a tactical marketing approach in which teams identify and focus their collective efforts on high value projects, complete those projects together, measure their impact, and then continuously and incrementally improve the results over time.
Agile marketing is not a process; it is a mindset change. This strategy means you choose individuals and interactions over processes and tools. It is changing from using a working software to comprehensive documentation, as well as customer collaboration over contract negotiation. Ultimately, responding to change over following a plan. That is agile marketing, and this does not mean the old way is wrong, it just means the new method is valued more.
The pandemic has had a tremendous impact on businesses. Marketing budgets are getting cut, and some have lost their jobs. In these circumstances, where each team member has a specialty that is essential for the group's functionality, how can they be replaced without hiring someone else? This can damage productivity. It is the perfect opportunity to experiment with agile marketing, whilst companies are facing challenging times. The benefit of having an agile team is spreading knowledge throughout the team to deliver. It becomes less about specialists and is more concentrated about getting the work done for the customer.
Agile marketing can help improve alignment between IT and business objectives. It improves project visibility, reduces risk and simplifies the development process. A majority of businesses who have adopted this method have seen how beneficial it is and have seen an improvement in customer satisfaction.
If you are still hesitant about this process, experiment for a few months and compare the project’s result with one that is done the traditional way. Seeing is believing, and unless you see the results first hand, you will never fully comprehend why this process is favourable.
Understandably, agile marketing may not necessarily work for everyone. Yet, it is crucial as businesses look at leaner and more efficient ways to operate. This business strategy is proven to be effective. It delivers excellent results when done correctly, and if you are unsure how to adopt this strategy, agencies can help you do so.
CMOs, whether they are working for a brand that is performance marketing driven or brand building driven, need to work with agency partners to reduce wasted marketing and advertising dollars in the current economic climate.
Brands and agencies need to focus efforts on the channels, tasks or activities which are going to drive the best commercial outcome for the brand and not what is going to make the agency the most revenue. An agency is an extension of the client’s team and needs to focus efforts on what is best for the brand - and not just what is best for the agency’s bottom line.