We all make mistakes and we learn however its now more important than ever for leaders/business owners and senior executive teams to work with marketers to better understand their new and existing customers during and post COVID 19 if they want to survive and thrive.
Mistakes business leaders/business owners make:
- They consider themselves as marketers without having up to date knowledge of new and current media channels, deep audience insights and trends
- Marketing alone will drive sales
- Marketing is responsible for driving all levels of engagement
- Marketing is the key measure to their sales success
- Offer input based on personal views, likes and dislikes instead of the end buyers needs and desires, then when things go wrong, they blame marketing
- Get blame marketing when things go wrong, instead of working understanding the approach and knowing the expected outcomes – no surprises!
- Don’t take time to understand the marketing strategy
- And few really know the role of marketing
Every orchestra has a conductor who leads the band and directs without the expertise of knowing how to play each instrument. Good leaders do the same.
As we transition out of this period of lock down its imperative that leaders work with their marketing team to understand their marketing strategy and develop a revised course of action.
Customer sentiments and buyer behaviours are changing, think about how your buying habits have changed? It’s important that your senior executive teams big or small come together and work with the marketing team to research and understand your new customer personas. It’s a good reason to connect with clients and for managers to reacquaint, show empathy and discuss the company’s new approach of support. Conversation will provide insights to everyone and allow your team to collectively work together to deliver a marketing strategy that fits your new environment and customers.
Author Tip: Don’t make the mistake of assuming you know what your customers want based off your own personal experience.
What’s the biggest mistake marketers make?
- Focus more on writing content than creating content that resonates
- They don’t get involved with product development and service design from its inception and are left to understand the product last minute
- There reactive, pander to the demands of the CEO and senior managers
- Don’t educate and engage decision-makers early and explain the marketing plan, strategy and go to market approach instead present it and expect buy-in
- Don’t do a team skill gap. Like any profession, some people are sound strategists and planners, others are great ideators and others, master tacticians. It’s imperative you know where your primary strengths lie and work to that and ensure your marketing plan and strategy is led by good strategists and planners. Be smart to be successful.
- They don’t showcase wins instead see it as business as usual until questioned on activities
- Don’t have good governance practices and compliance policies in place to mitigate risk to staff and the brand
Author Tip: Approach your decision makers in the same way you do customers – create awareness and educate early.
