Before COVID-19, agencies were key resources for clients to help them Get Stuff Done (GSD). Digital has made everything faster and “always on”. In my opinion, over the last 5 years, the role of agencies evolved to become very linear, mostly tactical, and sometimes strategic.
But in the new world, the role of agencies is changing. Clients need partners and stakeholders who have skin in the game. The best agencies are working with clients, not for them. They’re a strategic change agent to rethink the marketing strategy, and how the marketing ecosystems should really work. Great agencies help companies build Sustainable Competitive Advantages (SCAs). They create value by planning, designing, and enabling ecosystems. Great agencies also measure for insights. Marketing is a virtuous circle and ideally a flywheel that captures momentum.
Right now, one of the biggest gaps (and where companies need the most help) is determining the key business model drivers. In the new world of reduced budgets, marketers and their agencies need to identify drivers within the business model that will make the biggest impact. That is exactly what we strive for at Tekside. Rather than just do “stuff”, our teams engineer the business levers for optimum impact.
How do we deliver impact?
Our team are systems-thinkers and highly experienced practitioners. We have engineers, architects, developers, and computer scientists who collaborate with our “full stack marketing” team - who are experts at marketing operations. Everybody is comfortable with data and are able to efficiently interpret data to uncover insights. The real magic is finding a better way to do things.
Full stack marketers also think long-term and assemble the building blocks to create strategic capabilities. They build solutions using the digital and tech assets available. And, they know how to activate the MarTech ecosystem. As Brian Halligan (CEO of Hubspot) says, Marketing Ops is at the core of bringing marketing, sales, and service together!
Why does this “new alignment” matter right now?
A lot of companies will come out of COVID-19 hurting, and will need to make tough choices. There’s a lot of scrutiny on budgets. Marketers need to do more with less. Companies can’t do it all with the people they have.
Leaders are having conversations, discussions, and rethinking marketing. But, it’s important to get diverse input and applied expertise. Have conversations with systems thinkers and specialists. Turn those conversations into a proven playbook, with some plays that you can test. If you engage the right agencies and experts, they will get you to a better place faster.
Comments