Marketing is changing and so should your marketing department

Globalisation and the impact of digital technologies have brought new opportunities – bigger markets, faster communication and new marketing tools. But with these come new challenges – a change in customer behaviour and the expectations and issues presented by big data.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing has issued new professional marketing standards, designed to help marketers plan their career development from the awareness and limited knowledge of the issues, and the potential to develop through to mastery at the highest level of knowledge and application.

At the highest level, the application of marketing best practice becomes habitual and is driven by continuing professional development and strategic thinking. Core to this authoritative level of business practice is the use of analytics and metrics to provide vital evidence for the business, to empower the highest quality of decision making to support growth and contain risk.

As marketers consider the rapidly changing environment in which they operate, they need to understand where their strengths and weaknesses lie, and to be continually in search of materials, learning and mentoring to fill their skills gaps.

At the heart of their development the core capabilities of insights, strategy and championing the customer sit at the centre of their world and are relevant to all marketers regardless of their role, their industry sector or the stage that they have reached in their career.

The core capability ‘strategy’ plays an essential role in both informing corporate strategy from a marketing perspective and translating this into effective marketing plans that contribute the achievement of business goals and sustainable organisational performance. The most effective strategies are driven by clear insights and by consistently championing the voice of the customer in the organisation. This is most often best achieved in a collaborative manner by working closely with sales, support and other customer facing teams in the business.

Integrating all marketing communications within a consistent brand strategy and using a clear and engaging value proposition remains at the centre of the well-rounded marketer’s role and it will become ever more important with the increasing proliferation of digital technologies, platforms and opportunities. The customers’ experience at all stages in their journey – from becoming aware of the brand to converting to a customer and then being retained as they exhibit loyalty and advocate the business – is fuelled by a consistently engaging user experience which focuses on the outcomes and what is in it for them rather than the traditional features/benefits positioning of old.

Future-proofing the business is becoming the most significant consideration for progressive marketers and their teams. Cambridge Marketing College is running a series of January workshops for marketers and heads of marketing departments or HR departments who are interested in understanding the power of a fully-trained marketing department, and the importance of creating a vibrant and participative marketing community in response to the changes in the world of marketing. The workshops are also ideal for individuals who want to find out how to update their skills for the future and become a valuable asset to their marketing team.

For more details and to book please visit www.marketingcollege.com/events/

Neil Wilkins, Fellow & Tutor, Cambridge Marketing College

Tel: 01954 234 940

Email: charlotte@marketingcollege.com

Web: www.marketingcollege.com

Twitter: @cmcpointsofview