Top Questions on Marketers’ Minds

In January, my focus at Performics shifted back to my first passion, client services. With a few months under my belt meeting and talking extensively with our client partners coast to coast, I’ve noticed some common themes in conversations. Some of these topics may be on your mind too.

1. Are we using the best tools and technology to power our programs?

Choosing specific technologies used to fall in the “don’t care to know” file for many marketing executives. Today, that’s not quite the case. Some have designated this issue as a top priority, understanding that having the best platforms and tools in place creates the right foundation for digital marketing success. They want to make informed choices between DART Search, Kenshoo and Marin for search campaign management, for example, or when choosing the best overall analytics or attribution providers. The right combination of technologies differs by need, but its importance is constant.

Marketers also want better ways to use technology. They want the ability to better assign credit within and across different channels. They’ve incorporated performance marketing into their mix and want ways to infuse the concepts into existing channels, new channels and all their key marketing metrics.

But remember, while tools and technology are a necessary foundation, the driving force in marketing effectiveness is and will remain the talent that powers them both on the client and agency sides of the equation.

2. Are ALL the basics covered?

While marketing execs don’t want to miss the next big thing, they absolutely want to make sure all the fundamentals are being done well. This is an execution imperative.

Dell embraced Twitter early on to run promotions and sell products. Threadless leveraged crowd sourcing and the cost effectiveness of social media. Many other brands have experienced similar successes, but the bar for success always rises as channels mature and new ones arise. This equates to more reasons for marketers to explore new opportunities, particularly in accountable media and performance campaigns, where ROI can be predicted and managed to a fixed cost of sales.

I encourage marketers to experiment with new opportunities and empower agency partners to do the same. Innovation created performance marketing and migrated the discipline from offline direct response marketing to affiliate marketing, search marketing, social media, and practically any online or offline channel today.

The challenge for any eager-to-experiment marketer or agency is to test and evaluate new opportunities without sacrificing performance in other well established and profitable channels. Again, it is imperative that the entire orchard of low hanging fruit is captured. Although taxing at times, marketers and agencies that successfully balance exploratory efforts with exceptional campaign execution across all channels get rewarded with a snowball effect of success.

As new channels and new opportunities within existing channels are tested and evaluated, the most effective efforts should be integrated with other core campaign elements, and on and on. Marketers just need to avoid the ever-present pitfall of getting so caught up in the excitement of new opportunities that they forsake their current campaigns’ optimization and execution needs.

3. How well have we integrated our marketing and media?

Integration means different things to different marketers, but lately, three complementary aspects of advertising integration often come up in conversation:

• Measurement and budget allocation integration: Many have taken steps to better understand performance within and across different ad channels. This enables more informed budget allocations that put more resources behind the best channels.

• Ad channel management integration: Designating responsibility for an overall performance marketing effort has taken hold with many brands. In addition to better budgeting and optimization, centralizing this effort can keep CMOs more informed and empowered and enable more balanced, impartial decision making.

• Creative integration: Without sacrificing the benefits of specialty agencies or consolidating partners, marketers are mandating that agency partners work cooperatively. This means more consistent—and more effective campaigns—across multiple channels. And that’s good news for everyone.

Michael Kahn ([email protected]) is senior vice president, customer services, at Performics and a monthly contributor to Chief Marketer.