Selling Alignment Internally Conclusion

Align your Marketing Strategy and Business Goals Series—Part 10 of 10

Selling Alignment Internally Conclusion continues from Determine the Value of an Initiative

Selling Alignment Up the Chain of Command (cont'd)

Frame Strategy and Marketing in Terms of Benefits

When selling strategy internally, marketers are challenged with explaining why change is necessary. In order to quell the fear about a proposed change, marketers should outline the benefits that execs can expect from the investment; The use of relevant data makes the value of suggested strategies and initiatives much easier to summarize and understand.

Speak in Terms of Numbers

Building on the idea of framing marketing as an investment is to speak in terms of numbers – return on investment – which is often how top management and entrepreneurs naturally think. Aligning yourself with an entrepreneurial mindset first will allow you to frame what you want to do in logical cost/return terms. For example, a common goal among businesses is to “increase exposure.” If a marketer supports their suggestion of increased Twitter presence with “Our Twitter audience is 20% more likely to visit our site and spread our message than the average internet user,” they are clearly outlining how a specific tactic can get the business closer to its goal.

The Ask

Be specific about what you need to get the job done. Show them your plan and make that plan concise. What are the immediate next steps and what investment is needed both in terms of time and money? Be clear about internal vs. external resources, who needs to do what, and any dependencies. Include a timeline or strategic plan calendar with specific dates and responsibilities laid out in black and white. Be real with numbers and don’t be afraid to ask for what you really think it will take. The worst that can happen is they say no.

The best is an enthusiastic YES!

Your goal is to secure the resources you need to execute when your executive team is the most receptive—immediately following your amazing pitch laying out the vision, goals, risks and benefits.

Align Your Marketing Strategy and Business Goals Series Conclusion

This concludes our Align Your Marketing Strategy and Business Goals Series, and thank you for reading! To wrap it all up:

Owners and stakeholders are looking for good advice and tangible tools that will make a difference. If you bring new ideas that drive growth and truly impact the bottom line, make teams more effective and customers happier—the benefits of alignment will become self evident.

Start by asking WHY – to understand underlying motivation
Set SMART goals – to create definition and consensus
Create Buyer Personas - to understand your customer
Define KPIs – to know what to measure
Create Tactics – to achieve specific goals
Track everything – to capture important data
Analyze what you track – to validate assumptions
Make adjustments – to refine your tactics or pivot when necessary
Repeat – create a process that is continually refined

Thanks and be well,
~Your Friendly Animus Rex Team

The Align Your Marketing Strategy and Business Goals Series:

Animus Rex builds world-class websites and provides no-nonsense, well-considered advice like this to all our clients. Want to know more, or have a question? Please Contact us. We're happy to help.