Consultants' Corner

How do you advise marketers to take on a more strategic role in their companies?

As firms offer more advisory and consultative services, marketing departments are becoming a hub of progress and innovation. With the increasing use of automation and analytics, marketers can take a more strategic role by turning data and metrics into strategic insights. By understanding what is driving numbers of subscribers, open rates, clicks, website traffic, event attendance, social media engagement trends and more, marketers can provide data-based feedback on what is resonating with existing and prospective clients. This allows for more refined marketing efforts that result in high-quality marketing leads. The success of this strategic role is best achieved by ensuring that marketers are intentionally involved in internal conversations to create alignment with firm goals and objectives.

Arianna Campbell, Boomer Consulting, Inc., arianna.campbell@boomer.com

There is a good reason to get marketers more involved in strategic thinking. Our annual study of the fastest growing, most profitable firms shows that their marketing teams are more involved in a wider range of non-traditional activities, such as recruiting, setting pricing and strategy development.

To make your work more strategic we suggest relating each of the marketing practices to the business goals they're aimed at achieving. It's important to do this on a repeated basis to make the connection clear to all your stakeholders. We also suggest putting a strong emphasis on tracking results. This tells the entire organization that your intentions are strategic.

Lee Frederiksen, Hinge Marketing, lfrederiksen@hingemarketing.com

Most marketers must initially ask to be part of strategic discussions. If a partner or other firm leadership meeting is scheduled, ask if the firm’s growth strategy is on the agenda. If it is, you need to ask to be there for that part of the discussion (if not for the whole meeting) when strategy is covered. This will likely be uncomfortable for you (it was for me); but make your case by explaining that you cannot drive strategy if you don’t hear what is desired.

Join the first meeting and listen. Afterward, share what you learned and what you can do with that knowledge. Over time you won’t have to ask to participate; you will just get invited. And soon your opinions will be sought after, too.

Katie Tolin, CPA Growth Guides, katie@cpagrowthguides.com

Interviews by Richard Shippee