Change can be scary, both in life and in business. To change often requires hard work and commitment, and most of the time the outcome or results of those efforts are uncertain. In business, technology is constantly driving change. While some industries are quick to embrace that change, others are slow to adapt.

Tags: digital marketing, big data, manufacturing marketing, online marketing, brand management, traditional marketing, campaign management, insurance, direct mail marketing, MRM, social media, marketing technology, marketing resource management, financial services marketing

Think like a human, not like a company

Tags: branding, silos, messaging, organizational leadership, brand image, marketing, communication, customer relations, MRM, marketing technology, marketing resource management

Part of any marketer’s role (and any executive’s role, really) is to identify emerging industry trends and separate those with real staying power from the mere flavors of the week. This is particularly difficult when it comes to tracking emerging digital resources. For example, while experience would suggest Twitter is the second-most utilized social networking tool, a new report states that Google+ has actually overtaken Twitter in percent of market-share and active users.

While social media is just one example, the point is that while these individual trends can be tough to predict, one thing is clear: digital marketing mediums are not just here to stay; they are ever-expanding. And their growing prevalence means new challenges that stretch well beyond the confines of the marketing department.

Tags: digital marketing, CDO, IT, MRM, marketing technology, marketing resource management

Part of any marketer’s role (and any executive’s role, really) is to identify emerging industry trends and separate those with real staying power from the mere flavors of the week. This is particularly difficult when it comes to tracking emerging digital resources. For example, while experience would suggest Twitter is the second-most utilized social networking tool, a new report states that Google+ has actually overtaken Twitter in percent of market-share and active users.

While social media is just one example, the point is that while these individual trends can be tough to predict, one thing is clear: digital marketing mediums are not just here to stay; they are ever-expanding. And their growing prevalence means new challenges that stretch well beyond the confines of the marketing department.

Tags: digital marketing, CDO, MRM, marketing technology, marketing resource management

Whether it’s a one-page holiday card sent to 100 people or a comprehensive annual report distributed to thousands of company stakeholders, any creative project your business takes on has its challenges. If your designer goes through several rounds of revisions, not only can there be confusion as to which version is the most recent, but multiple documents can also eat up email or FTP storage space. Executives need to sign off on the creative, but don’t want to be overloaded with the minutiae of daily edits and emails. And every person involved has to adhere to a timeline so that the finished piece is in the hands of shareholders or customers when it needs to be.

Tags: creative production management, CPM, marketing technology

With the proliferation of marketing technology comes the build or buy decision. Through our discussions with marketers, we often encounter departments that have built their own systems in-house, and these systems often mimic the functionality of marketing resource managment (MRM) systems. Many companies put these proprietary systems in place before the widespread availability of the numerous marketing technology solutions available today and are considering whether it’s time to buy a new solution from a third party vendor. Here are some thoughts to help guide your marketing technology decision journey.

Tags: MRM, marketing technology, marketing resource management

In parts one and two of this three-part series, we discussed key digital marketing trends that need to be on your marketing radar for 2013. If you’ve decided it’s time for a digital marketing makeover, implementing your marketing technology solution is just the first step. With increasing scrutiny of marketing ROI by Senior Leadership, once your digital programs are rolling, you’ll need to be prepared to refocus your marketing efforts around driving digital value. Here’s how.

Tags: digital marketing, marketing ROI, MRM, marketing technology, marketing resource management

In part one of this three-part series on digital marketing, we reviewed four key trends reported in the CMO Council’s
The State of Marketing 2012 Report: Given that the digital marketing makeover is a ‘key transformational mandate’ for marketers in 2013, below we offer a roadmap and ideas for undertaking your own digital marketing makeover this year.

Tags: digital marketing, Marketing Integration, marketing campaign, MRM, marketing technology, marketing resource management

In its recent State of Marketing 2012 Report (n=550 senior marketing executives), the CMO Council has declared 2013 “the year of the marketer.”

Tags: digital marketing, mobile marketing, marketing technology

Marketers have many new technologies at their disposal that increase efficiency, agility and productivity, including marketing resource management
systems, but building the business case for investing in these resources can be difficult. When evaluating any new tool, marketers and business leaders need to look at ROI, but they should also consider the cost of inaction (COI), as reported recently by B2C. Measuring the cost of inaction involves quantifying the opportunity costs of continuing in the status quo, as well as engaging with internal stakeholders to gather the information you will need to create urgency for the proposed change. Here are three steps for making the case for change – and succeeding.

Tags: marketing ROI, MRM, marketing strategy, marketing technology, marketing resource management