Resource decisions are some of the most important and
difficult decisions that a marketing leader must make. Do I have the right
people doing the right things? Should I use in-house resources, external resources,
a combination of the two, or just punt that great idea into another quarter and
hope that the decision magically takes care of itself?
Planning and deploying a marketing strategy will
benefit from an objective point of view and skills that may not be available
in-house.
But how will you choose the right resources to
optimize results? A new Ascend2 research study, Marketing Resource Effectiveness Survey Summary Report,
provides valuable insight to help companies make critical resource decisions in
2019.
Here are a few noteworthy findings from the research
study:
Finding #1: Collaborate on Planning
and Deployment
About three-quarters of marketing professionals
consider a collaboration between outsourced and in-house resources a valuable
combination of objective and subjective insights for both planning and deploying
a marketing strategy.
There
is great value in having a fresh perspective as you create your marketing plan.
To get the most value from the ideas and input from external resources, make
sure to have an open mind when you receive their contribution. It is also
important to get data and input from your audience on what they want and how
they want it. But make sure you do more than ask; it is critical that you
listen.
About
75% of marketing professionals consider a collaboration between outsourced and
in-house resources a valuable combination.
Click To Tweet
Click To Tweet
Finding #2: Begin by Determining
Your Objectives
To determine the appropriate resources you need, you
should first determine your primary objectives. Increasing the number of leads,
sales prospects and customers acquired, and improving brand awareness, are all
primary objectives for a marketing strategy according to a majority of
marketing professionals.
Finding
#3: Most Effective Tactics Used
With so many marketing tactics that you can do, an
important step is to determine what you should do based on what works. Social
media marketing, content marketing, and SEO are effective tactics for 53%, 48%
and 47% of marketing professionals respectively. While email has been
integrated into virtually every form of digital marketing, it no longer tops
the chart as a stand-alone tactic.
When deciding on the resources that you need, consider
how your resources understand the individual tactics that they will work on as
well as how all the pieces fit together. You want your resources to be flexible
and strategic.
Finding #4: Seek Outside Resources
to Lead Your Most Difficult Tactics
While the previous chart shows only 25% of marketing
professionals consider data and artificial
intelligence-driven marketing to be a most effective tactic, 49% consider it
a difficult tactic to deploy. This may be a case of difficulty impacting
effective use. You may need to seek outside resources to lead your most
difficult tactics, as compared to not doing those tactics.
49%
of marketing professionals consider data and AI difficult tactics to deploy.
Click To Tweet
Click To Tweet
Finding #5: How Effectiveness is
Changing
As marketers become more proficient in all forms of
digital marketing practices and technologies, the effectiveness of the tactics
used is increasing. A total of 94% of marketing professionals believe that the
effectiveness of tactics is improving to some extent. A key reason that
effectiveness is improving is the improved skills of marketing professionals,
continuing education (online courses, certification courses, webinars, reading
online resources, etc.), and advancements in technology.
When faced with a difficult decision, I always look
for research that can help guide my decision. Research can also be used to sell
my plan to the management team, and make an adjustment to my current strategy.
Get more research insights by downloading the entire
study, Marketing Resource Effectiveness Survey Summary Report.
The post 5 Statistics to Guide Your Marketing Resource Decisions in 2019
appeared first on Convince and Convert: Social Media Consulting and Content
Marketing Consulting.
No comments:
Post a Comment