The best companies use best practices. Easy to say, right? But it is not so easy to do.
Here we look at best practices consistently followed by successful marketing companies or marketing departments within successful companies. If you’re not currently following these best practices, it’s time to turn your company’s valuable resources into high-performing assets.
It’s not always easy, as we said. Running a business is never. But follow these 10 steps to business best practices and you’ll be on the right track:
1. Strategize to strengthen the company’s dealership model
- Do you have the right strategy/company model to support your marketing goals?
- Is the company model and entire roster aligned with your organizational requirements?
- Is it structured to move you forward and accelerate your marketing priorities?
Structure always follows strategy and it couldn’t be more true with agencies. Successful CMOs have a carefully defined and orchestrated model that the marketing organization has adopted and adheres to in order to get the most value from it.
2. Develop a robust data-driven scope planning framework
- Are they equipped with accurate, comprehensive, up-to-date data to make insightful recommendations?
- Are you still negotiating documents via email for weeks or asking companies to accurately predict your needs?
Successful CMOs implement an efficient, streamlined way of scoping resources that ultimately reduces waste and gives them and their organization what they need most.
3. Constantly scour the agency industry for top talent
- Do you have the right agency partners on your roster?
- Do you have the best talent in those agencies working for your business?
- Do these agencies provide the kind of competitive edge work you need to deliver relative to your goals?
Successful CMOs keep a pulse on agency talent, scour the market for gems, and are ready to seize opportunities to partner with top-performing agencies and niche vendors who can advance their efforts.
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4. Ensure organizations collaborate effectively and align with commons
- Are marketing objectives and team expectations clearly defined by the organizations?
- Are all your services working together as efficiently as they could?
- Is everyone united behind common goals that support your company’s growth?
Successful CMOs have set clear expectations of agency partners and internal client teams and implemented effective processes to ensure full collaboration between all of their vendor’s resources.
5. Establish and refine incentive-based compensation models
- Are key company associates rewarded and rewarded for going above and beyond to deliver exceptional performance for your business?
- Are they compensated as true business partners with your goals as the ultimate measure of success?
Successful CMOs have implemented carefully orchestrated performance-based compensation arrangements that increase their marketing performance and create win-win situations.
6. Encourage great work by sharing structured feedback
Successful CMOs provide organizations with the type of constructive feedback they need to drive continuous improvement and create greater value from their commitment.
7. Set up agency partners for success by providing easy access to critical resources
- Are you providing the information your dealerships need to operate effectively in your business?
- Do you have onboarding and training resources that are easily accessible and automated?
- Do you operate as if your agencies were simply an extension of your organization?
Successful CMOs have established a predictable process for existing and new companies to access the information they need most to interact with their internal customers and comply with various guidelines, policies and best practices.
8. Make internal teams responsible for better informed classroom and client practices
- Are your services updated effectively?
- Did you know that up to 1/3 of company resources can be wasted due to poor customer engagement practices that can be easily addressed with tools, standards, processes and training?
Most studies show that companies lack the necessary guidance they need to avoid countless re-updates, endless revisions or creative reviews that waste resources and delay campaign execution. Successful CMOs have equipped their team with the resources they need to be the best customer possible and reduce unnecessary churn and wasted effort.
9. Cultivate a culture of accountability, transparency and recognition
- Do you reward the result or the outcome?
- Do you foster a performance-based culture that rewards those who deliver consistent results?
- Do you foster a culture of accountability that encourages better work and leads to higher performance?
Successful CMOs demand full transparency and demanding results, not activity. Progress, not movement. By recognizing top performers, they set the right example for all others to follow.
10. Operation of campaign activities for the efficient use of company resources
- Are your campaigns running effectively?
- Do you have too many moving parts, too many cooks in the kitchen?
- Can you speed up your go-to-market activities, improve work, and use fewer company resources?
Successful CMOs have a management system that allows them to monitor and optimize the organization’s resources. They work better and ultimately get more for less.
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If you’re not currently following these best practices, it’s time to turn your company’s valuable resources into high-performing assets. At Agency Mania Solutions, we ensure that your efforts and resources are not significantly undermined by poor quality relationships, lack of process rigor or unproductive practices. See how stronger relationships contribute to better marketing. Contact us at https://www.agencymaniasolutions.com/
Originally published in April 2015 by the Association of National Advertisers
“Top 10 Best Practices: Successful Companies and Marketing Organizations Put Them Into Action.” Agency Mania Solutions, 2014.