These days, it seems everyone is talking about content marketing. There’s good reason for all the discussion: engaging, branded content is a great way to connect with consumers, and help pull them through your sales funnel. Done properly, great content can generate quality leads and, just as importantly, position your organization as a trusted resource for information.

It goes without saying that change is often met with resistance. But in marketing, change and the next big idea is key to attracting new consumers, gaining market share and raising awareness of your brand. Leading change with new initiatives is an important part of any marketer’s job. Fortunately, the path of change can be a smoother, easier one to navigate with the right tools at your disposal. Here are just a few of my tips on approaching, and leading, change in your organization.

In a recent webinar, Ian Michiels, principal and CEO of Gleanster Research, spoke of the importance of developing a road map for planning and implementing marketing resource management (MRM) software. This thought really struck a chord for me. A road map can serve many different purposes: it sets expectations, identifies possible roadblocks and helps ensure a smooth implementation.

We work with a lot of clients who need help managing their local marketing budgets. Managing, allocating and approving requests across a number of marketing budgets – from co-op to market development funds; advisory council budgets to target market funds and more – can become a complex task. 

When your organization decides to rebrand, your company’s leadership team has probably spent
hours discussing, planning and strategizing the why and what of the new brand. Once it’s time to take your new brand to customers, it’s important to invest just as much time and detail in the how - the execution of getting your new brand and messages out in local markets.

Encourage vendor participation with solid MDF, co-op program

Market development funds (MDF) and co-op funds are one way to effectively reach local audiences. Managed correctly, these tools can motivate and incentivize affiliates, channel partners, resellers, distributors, or other third party sellers to put your brand’s message in the local marketplace with company-approved campaigns.

Saving time is simply a matter of doing more with the resources you already have. Too often, sales and marketing professionals try to take on more than they can reasonably handle in order to push themselves to achieve greater efficiency. The results are usually less than stellar.

At the risk of labeling myself a musical novice, I have to admit that I am rarely moved by a piece of music the first time I encounter it. I need to hear it a few times, get familiar with it. Over time, some music can evoke a pleasant feeling of general nostalgia. Other pieces become associated with specific memories. So, although the initial experience may not have affected me at all, over time that same music could have the power to generate a genuine emotional connection. It strikes me that there is a similarity here with the brand experience.

“A penny saved is a penny earned.” We’ve all heard the wise words of Ben Franklin at some point in our lives. And when it comes to your personal finances, it’s generally pretty good advice. Even when it comes to business, specifically your co-op / market development fund, there’s a tendency for leadership to be content with money going unspent – it helps the marketing and sales teams finish the quarter or year within their budget and the leftover money simply drops to the bottom line. But when you really look at the numbers, sorry Ben; a penny saved is revenue left on the table.

It is our pleasure to welcome Christina Motley to our Marketing Organizational Leadership series. A strategic marketing executive, Christina has earned over 200 awards for her leadership, creativity, writing and results across all marketing and communications channels. We talked to her about her book, Leadership Philosophies From Unsung Leaders: A compilation of principles and best practices from real people demonstrating positive change through positive leadership.