Marketing is more than just the colouring in department

Marketing is more than just the colouring in department

Marketing has an image problem, granted it’s better than it has ever been but some companies do not see how marketing is used beyond branding (which FYI is also more than just colouring in but that’s a rant for another day).

Kirstie Looms

Having worked in the business of marketing for 15 years, Kirstie learnt a few things along the way – and has a very unique commercial perspective on what customers, clients and agencies want.

I get it, techniques of old were focused on appearances and it was extremely difficult, nay impossible to trace direct success or results.

As such, it was difficult to prove its value or justify its cost. It was more focused on generalities and generating interest.

The issue stems, I believe, in the disconnect between Marketing and Sales teams and I often come across businesses where there is little respect held for each other’s discipline. It is crazy when you really think about it – everyone wants the same thing: bums on seats, revenue, sign ups etc. Everyone wants the numbers to go up.

Sales is hard, but it is even harder if you’re selling something no-one has ever heard of. It’s also a slog if everything you do is outbound.

How good does it feel when a warm inbound lead comes in that is a piece of cake to convert? That s**t is golden.

Conversely, you can spend all the time in the world on marketing strategies but if they do not align to the business and sales strategy, it is simply a waste of money. Vanity marketing can cause irreparably damage to the internal reputation of marketing within a business. The colouring in reference is funny, but what is really means is ‘you add no value’.

It is the companies and marketing leaders that foster a data driven and insight led approach to marketing and branding strategies, that prosper. They closely align themselves to ROI and see the relationship to supporting sales as the key to their licence to operate. When marketing talk numbers, sales listen.

Businesses that truly invest in performance-based marketing strategies, and I mean really invest, do reap the rewards, but it is up to marketing to start talking commercially, to start being held accountable for the campaigns and activities they do (as sales always has been) and to generate that buy in at all levels (from budget sign off to the telesales teams).

Sales and Marketing cannot be successful without each other. True Story.

Marketing leads that horse to water, and sales makes it drink.

Everyone: Marketing is just colouring in

Me: eugh, whatever, you don’t know

Also me: