Marketing Operations: What Not to Do?

About the best marketing practices, there is a lot of helpful advice. Understanding what to avoid doing is also crucial.

There are numerous articles that discuss best practices, tactics, tips, and other marketing advice. But occasionally it’s beneficial to consider this in a different light. Or, what one should avoid doing.

Here are some suggestions for improper marketing operations.

1. Keep the Legal Department in Mind

Departments of legal and marketing have a love-hate relationship. Marketers frequently want to move rapidly, gather and use a lot of data, and refrain from making public statements. In order to safeguard the company against danger and difficulties, most lawyers take a different and more careful approach to those issues.

Legal should be viewed as a valuable collaborator rather than as something that kills dreams. In my experience, the lawyers I’ve dealt with are prepared to work together to develop practical and appropriate strategies because they recognize the significance of marketers’ objectives. 

In addition, protecting a company that doesn’t make money or creates income is pointless. Since they understand that advancing the organization is just as vital as defending it, most lawyers will work in good faith.

2. Don’t Blow off Sales

A key ally of marketing is the sales division. Marketers entice consumers. Deals are closed by salespeople. However, these departments’ KPIs are occasionally out of sync.

For instance, in order to achieve their goals, marketers want to remove areas that ask for auxiliary or nice-to-know information from lead forms. Some of this information, though, can assist salespeople in narrowing their emphasis and closing deals. 

Therefore, a balance between marketing and sales is necessary to meet the needs of both divisions. To prosper, they require one another. It takes time and effort to collaborate, but it is very worthwhile.

3. Don’t Forget to Account for Resistance to Change

Marketers are influential people. Even if it occasionally causes things to shatter, they want to go quickly. But not everybody thinks that way.

Marketers must be aware that resistance is a common human reaction to any change, whether positive, negative, or neutral, real or imagined. Even under horrible circumstances, at least one is aware of the devil they are up against; a different devil might be worse.

Change management is a discipline that can aid with change and resistance to it. To improve uptake and success chances, some experts and frameworks assist in anticipating and handling resistance. I suggest conducting research.

4. Don’t Keep Information Hidden

Imagine what life would be like if everyone was constantly having to invent new things. That doesn’t sound enjoyable or productive.

The organization is one place where information can be shared. Contrary to popular belief, no one has the ability to read minds. Marketing documentation is essential because of this. To assist others in understanding what is required, avoiding difficulties, and maximizing efficiency, document needs, requirements, lessons learned, people engaged, etc. 

Information hoarding serves no one. You might become more indispensable to your company as a result, but you might also end up being bugged at inconvenient times. Additionally, it prevents groups and organizations from realizing their objectives.

5. Don’t Overlook Business Goals

The strange thing about business objectives and requirements is that they sometimes appear too clear to define or discuss. Why would somebody desire something if it didn’t serve a purpose? Why isn’t that intention evident to others? 

Understanding the business purpose of a martech or marketing operations project is critical before starting. This helps everyone see the big picture, allowing people to make countless smaller decisions on which no one can vote.

Furthermore, establishing the business purpose might aid in determining the effectiveness of the project. Other stakeholders, such as the organization’s board, legal, financial, and information security departments, will likely want to know why they’re investing money and time in such efforts.

Keep in Mind the Dos and Don’ts

There is a lot of good advice on what to do, but often the advice on what not to do is just as vital.