Why Every Marketing Department Should Be Its Own Agency

Every marketing department these days is facing a significant challenge. Things have changed. The days when the marketing department was only responsible for creating compelling ad copy and pretty images are long gone. Much more business impact is expected of marketing teams these days.

Taylor Ryan, CMO of Valuer is Bernie’s guest on this episode. Together, they highlight the changes that have happened to the marketing landscape and make recommendations to help those in the marketing department understand the vital role they play in today’s organizations. You’ll hear Taylor address exactly why marketing departments need to think of themselves as their own agency, why they should not depend on the sales department alone for data and statistics, why every marketer is served well by becoming a Swiss Army Knife, and more.

Really? Why Should A Marketing Department Be Its Own Agency?

Marketing is more complex than it used to be because the world has changed. The digital age has introduced many channels and opportunities for marketing professionals that didn’t even exist 10 years ago. It’s a fast-paced environment that requires a diverse set of skills and knowledge.

One example Taylor provides has to do with the issue of SEM (Search Engine Marketing). Many companies outsource their SEM needs, which makes sense, since there are many aspects of SEM that require specific, technical knowledge. But what winds up happening in some cases is that the contracted agency doesn’t measure what it’s doing according to what’s important for the specific market the company serves. Why? Because the agency is not well-versed in the issues that are important to the industry. They don’t KNOW the market as well as the company does.

That means someone inside the company who DOES have the specialized knowledge of their industry needs to become well-versed in SEM in order to take on that role internally. Of course, there are external agencies that are very good at getting into the details of their customers’ industry. But Taylor’s point is well-taken. There’s a lot more on the plate of the modern marketing department than there used to be and sometimes external agencies aren’t enough to meet all the demands.

The Marketing Department Needs To Take Ownership Of Tracking Results

The data needed to make good marketing decisions gets stored in a good tech stack. You need to be able to use the tools you’ve selected to track, measure results, know where conversions came from, and understand what channels produce the most revenue. If you’re looking for reports on leads, the marketing department needs to set those up within the tech stack themselves instead of relying solely on the sales department to provide them.

It’s not that the sales department is unwilling. It’s that sales professionals have a particular set of skills that make them great salespeople but not always great providers of detailed data needed by the marketing department. They typically aren’t focused on keeping detailed stats. It’s simply not how they are wired.

The steps that need to be taken to ensure that every lead is followed up with appropriately and adequately needs to be put in place by the marketing department, through marketing and sales alignment. That means the head of marketing and the head of sales need to be collaborating together to ensure seamless integration of the data. This integration needs to benefit the entire organization, especially the sales team, otherwise it’s hard to get their collaboration.

To Create Great Marketing Content, You Have To Be The Swiss Army Knife

Do you remember the Swiss Army Knife? It’s many tools in one – a knife, a screwdriver, a pick, maybe even a knife and fork. Whatever tool you need, the Swiss Army Knife is intended to handle it. Marketers in the world today need to be able to accomplish many tasks, oftentimes on-demand, without having to pass the work to someone else. They have to be like Swiss Army Knives.

A diverse skill set is required, which is one of the reasons a wide-ranging, capable marketer will always be in demand. Listen to hear the skills Taylor suggests modern marketers adopt in order to be successful. He also shares helpful insights regarding the kind of attitude that enables marketers to thrive even when they don’t get the recognition they deserve.

Modern Marketing Has Evolved Way Beyond Creative Ad Copy And Images

Let’s take a moment to consider all the areas for which a modern marketing department may need to produce content.

• Website
• Email newsletters
• Blog posts
• Podcasts
• Video
• SEM
• Social media
• Whitepapers
• Case studies
• Use cases
• And many more…

The point of this exercise is to illustrate how marketing has changed. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to marketing positions. Marketing departments these days need to function as internal agencies, effectively producing specialized content for their target market in a variety of forms.