As a business owner or marketer, you know the importance of having a solid marketing strategy in place to drive growth and success. However, it can be challenging to immediately switch from a reactive or ad hoc approach to a more strategic approach. Instead, consider focusing on making your marketing function more “operational,” which can bring significant benefits.
What is an Operational Marketing Function?
But what exactly is an operational marketing function? Simply put, it refers to the people, processes, and technology that support a company’s overall marketing strategy and improves its chances of success.
An operational marketing function establishes a strong foundation for building a more strategic marketing function and adds structure and consistency to marketing efforts. This can help to improve marketing performance over time.
How to Create an Operational Marketing Function
So, how can you create an operational marketing function? There are a few key steps to follow:
- Identify your sources of content and ideas. These could include internal subject matter experts, industry experts, and team members or clients you have a relationship with. By leveraging the knowledge and expertise of these individuals, you can create valuable and informative marketing materials.
- Decide how to obtain content from these sources. This could be through interviews, webinars, or podcasts. Whatever method you choose, make sure to ask the right questions to get the information you need to create effective marketing materials.
- Establish who is responsible for creating the content. This could be an internal team member or an outsourced marketing partner. It’s important to have a dedicated team or individual responsible for turning raw content into finished products.
- Determine how the content will be distributed. Will you use social media, email campaigns, or post it on your website? Think about the most effective channels for reaching your target audience.
- Track and analyze your marketing efforts. Use data analytics to measure the performance of your marketing efforts and identify areas for improvement.
By following these steps, you can create an operational marketing function that allows you to consistently produce high-quality content and effectively execute your marketing strategy. This can help your business to grow and succeed in today’s competitive marketplace.
Examples of Successful Operational Marketing Functions
But don’t just take our word for it – there are plenty of examples of companies that have successfully implemented operational marketing functions to drive growth and success.
For example, Marketo, a leading provider of marketing software, has reported that proactive marketing, which uses data to predict and drive positive growth, goes hand in hand with enabling an operational marketing function.
Additionally, SmarkLabs uses a simple five-step plan to ensure that our marketing is operational.
Conclusion
While it may not be possible to move from a reactive or ad hoc marketing approach to a more advanced and strategic marketing strategy overnight, making your marketing function more operational is highly attainable and comes with huge payoffs.
By following these steps and leveraging the knowledge and expertise of your team, industry experts, and clients, you can create a solid foundation for building a more strategic marketing function and drive success for your business.
