As an agency, our overarching goal is to create campaigns for clients that help build brands, educate consumers and, ultimately, drive sales. But the specific strategies and tactics employed across campaigns can vary greatly depending on the objectives. It sounds simple, but nailing down expectations sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. People are either moving so fast they haven’t thought through the details, or they simply assume everyone is on the same page.
What does success look like? Who is the target? What are the challenges? The more specific you can be about what you’re trying to accomplish, the more likely you are to get what you want—and that requires alignment.
To set yourself up for success, secure stakeholder alignment—from your internal marketing, sales and product teams, to your outside agency partner. And don’t forget to look up! What are the goals and expectations of your leadership team and how will this work support them? Getting a consensus early as well as effectively documenting and sharing with all parties can be a real difference-maker. Here are just a few important ways this alignment can support success.
1. Better collaboration
When stakeholders are aligned, collaboration between teams becomes more efficient and effective. You can ensure your internal teams and agency partners are working towards the same goal—your marketing North Star. This will guide everyone throughout the process. Establish that alignment early to make sure everyone has the same understanding of the target audience, messaging and desired outcomes.
2. Consistency in messaging
Mixed messaging, confusing or conflicting priorities are what typically occur when stakeholders aren’t aligned. For example, if there is confusion about the target audience or inconsistent benefit messages, it can lead to customer confusion and ultimately harm your brand reputation and hinder sales efforts. It’s critical to keep everyone speaking the same language!
3. Effective management
Marketing initiatives require investments in resources, time and money. Stakeholder alignment avoids the “spinning” with multiple rounds of revisions, which can be costly and frustrating for all parties involved. When everyone is working toward the same goals and priorities, marketing campaigns are more likely to be successful and run smoothly.
4. Improved customer experience
When stakeholders are aligned, they can work together to create a more consistent and positive customer experience. Marketing can work with their cross-departmental teams to ensure messaging is consistent across all touchpoints—internally and externally. When customers are seeing consistency across touchpoints like social media, emails, customer service interactions, sales meetings and events, it helps build trust and credibility, leading to stronger brand loyalty and customer retention.
5. Greater flexibility
In a fast-evolving market, there are times when you need to pivot your marketing strategies. When stakeholders are aligned, you are better able to react to changes in the market or shifts in business priorities. Strong alignment gives you greater flexibility to redirect and adjust, ensuring the brand remains competitive with the constantly shifting industry.
Before you start creating that beautiful campaign and releasing it into the world, it’s critical to ensure key stakeholder alignment. It not only sets the campaign and your team up for success, but builds trust and creates a dynamic with your partners that will help you all navigate today’s competitive market successfully, together.
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