After a combined 15 years as a member of various marketing services agencies – I’ve learned a lot. In fact, you could say I’m a bit of an expert on why and how things get done.
Sadly, I’m also an expert on how they don’t.
I’ve seen more thoughtful marketing strategies fail to make it to market than I’d care to admit. Why? Because marketing teams encounter several internal hurdles when it comes to getting the rubber to meet the road.
A convoluted approval process: When more than two people have to sign off on a marketing deliverable, I smell trouble. I’ve seen many marketing professionals running around their organization, making numerous revisions to a particular program only to have it shot down in the eleventh hour or bumped for a product launch or other competing priority.
Disparate teams: Your audience experiences your brand and value as a single entity. Yet, we have many teams marketing on behalf of the same brands with completely different priorities and messaging. It’s confusing for a longtime customer of your product to receive messaging that’s meant for an early-stage prospect. What about the prospect that gets invitations for three different webinars from your company on the same day?
No Vision: Perhaps it’s not fair to say “no vision” because there is always a vision when it comes to the marketing of an organization. However, if that communication isn’t widely communicated, then you end up with disparate teams – cogs in a wheel that churn out marketing with no attachment to a goal or purpose. I’ve always said, in marketing, the whole should be greater than the sum of its parts. Meaning, every specialist and channel should be working together to create an audience’s experience with a brand. An experience is comprehensive and immersive – it’s not a bunch of tactics created in isolation.
Decision paralysis: I hear the term, “fail fast culture” thrown around – yet very few organizations can put their money where their mouth is. While strategy and planning are important – if you are spending more than two weeks on a strategy or program plan, you are wasting valuable time market testing and establishing a baseline by which to improve.
Internal bandwidth: I understand the pressure and inclination to rely on internal teams for marketing and communications. My experience has been that these teams are often overwhelmed with the work of an entire organization. Every project is a high priority, and that can result in substantially longer timelines.
Introducing The Paris Group:
It’s been one of the great joys of my career to assist my clients in overcoming these hurdles.
In fact, as an agency associate – I love earning a client’s trust, and being able to make high quality work happen for them without any headaches or obstacles. Brilliant things can happen when you have a team who’s number one priority is You.
When I formed The Paris Group, it was to remove the organizational elements that prevent a marketing leader’s ability to execute on their vision. I’ve assembled a team of brilliant marketing specialists, technologists, and creative thinkers that I’ve worked with throughout my career. Together, we are a powerhouse tiger team of professionals who really thrive on “doing.”
If you’re a small team, or even a team of one, and you’re ready to make your vision happen – reach out today, and let’s get to work.