We secured buy-in for technology and onboarded the entire global marketing team to a streamlined project management system for the content, social, PR, digital, and product marketing teams. We moved from siloed groups and markets to a successful global integrated marketing team. Map integrated marketing goals After we identified the obstacles and silos that were preventing us from becoming a truly integrated marketing team, mapping the goals became easier. Our goals included: Have an executive-level view to show what projects everyone was working on Have drill-down views to show the interconnectivity of the efforts Better illustrate the value of individuals’ efforts by rolling their tasks into quarterly marketing campaigns Map efforts to each stage of the marketing funnel – top, middle, bottom, post-purchase engagement Build a project management ecosystem to improve alignment across teams Document and streamline workflow processes for every job function to identify roadblocks and areas where potential efficiencies could be gained Scale campaigns across multiple markets in a timely way and make sure the message remains impactful for each market and region (i.e., giving regional leaders the autonomy to adapt the message for their market) Alert the relevant stakeholders at the right times to weigh in on projects so that deadlines could be met more predictably Measure increased efficiencies and benchmarking success by tying together paid, owned, and earned results 3. It was time to let my marketing leadership team know I was going to connect with vendors to see if there was a solution worth considering. Or was a team from the vendor going to help with tech adoption and change management, and see that every person in my group felt like they were part of this? Now, it was time to go back to the marketing leadership team with the recommended solution. We called this the Tiger Team and our tasks included: Developing a Roles Accountable Consulted Informed (RACI) chart to outline clear expectations for each Tiger Team member Acting as the leaders of our groups and communicating progress to the broader marketing department Mapping each group’s workflows for every project under our scope of influence Assessing the order of each task in a workflow and who should own that task Understanding how long it took to create a project and assessing the acceptability of that timeline Identifying areas of potential concern and roadblocks to implementation Looking through a global and a local lens (We tried to understand whether we could use the same uniform processes for several markets or if we needed individual and customized processes for each market.) Most of the team was using the project management system for their day-to-day tasks, and projects were being scaled across groups and markets more efficiently. That was how we became the better global integrated marketing team, which felt like a victory for all.
We knew we had a problem.
As an enterprise global marketing team of more than 100, we had no clear way to see what each group and individual was working on. Even worse, regions sometimes featured messages that conflicted with our brand direction. Obvious inefficiencies and a general lack of process routinely caused project roadblocks and confusion. We were unable to scale large campaigns across markets quickly.
In short, we were disorganized and we were wasting time and money.
What were we to do?
I became a master of change management. We secured buy-in for technology and onboarded the entire global marketing team to a streamlined project management system for the content, social, PR, digital, and product marketing teams. We moved from siloed groups and markets to a successful global integrated marketing team.
And, with these tips, your team can do the same.
1. Identify obstacles and silos
Outline what roadblocks your teams face. Our global team had a unique challenge – many of us worked in different cities, even different countries, and most worked remotely. We had highly talented people to get the job done. What was stopping us?
Our biggest challenges included:
- Lack of clarity on which campaigns were priorities
- Difficulty communicating project status and moving projects forward
- Difficulty getting approval from stakeholders
- Confusion over document revisions and different versions for each market via email
- No way to document different services available in different markets
- Scarcity of resources
- Difficulty with global and cultural competency and service offerings – we struggled with implementing impactful messages across markets
By identifying and documenting these obstacles, we were able to set the stage for conversations around budget and buy-in for a technology solution to help solve those challenges.
2. Map integrated marketing goals
After we identified the obstacles and silos that were preventing us from becoming a truly integrated marketing team, mapping the goals became easier. How could we easily integrate our day-to-day calendars and better complement each other’s efforts?
Our goals included:
- Have an executive-level view to show what projects everyone was working on
- Have drill-down views to show the interconnectivity of the efforts
- Better illustrate the value of individuals’ efforts by rolling their tasks into quarterly marketing campaigns
- Map efforts to each stage of the marketing funnel – top, middle, bottom, post-purchase engagement
- Build a project management ecosystem to improve alignment across teams
- Document and streamline workflow processes for every job function to identify roadblocks and areas where potential efficiencies could be gained
- Scale campaigns across multiple markets in a timely way and make sure the message remains impactful for each market and region (i.e., giving regional leaders the autonomy to adapt the message for their market)
- Alert the relevant stakeholders at the right times to weigh in on projects so that deadlines could be met more predictably
- Measure increased efficiencies and benchmarking success by tying together paid, owned, and earned results
3. Connect with leadership
With the roadblocks faced and primary goals outlined, how could we get from A to B? It was time to let my marketing leadership team know I was going to connect with vendors to see if there was a solution worth considering. I also asked leadership about the budget – how much money could be set aside for something we could all benefit from if it meant we could see real efficiencies and measurable outcomes? Having a rough number was useful to share with vendors.
4. Do your homework
First, I vetted several project management platforms. Before each sales call, I would send the salesperson the clearly outlined roadblocks faced by the team and the goals we set to address them. That saved time and gave the salesperson a better idea of what I hoped to see when we discussed their solution.
Trust me, doing your homework with vendors is an essential and vital step in your overall success. The last thing you want is to come back to your team with newly purchased technology and no clear understanding of whether it’s the right solution for your team’s needs. I’m going to let you in on a secret I learned – obstacles and goals were only part of the equation. I also needed to assess:
- How prepared were the salespeople? Did they address solutions for my unique situation or just run through a generic sales deck?
- If the solution didn’t check every single box, how agile was the organization? Could it come up with a short-term solution to meet my needs? Did it have a mechanism for the front-line team to relay feedback to the product team to get an improvement slated…
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