The Problems Marketing Operations Can Fix

Marketing operations is not a silver bullet; it can’t fix every problem in an organization. But there are some things for which it is just what the doctor ordered. For the problems marketing operations can fix, read on!

Listen to Season 3: Episode 19

The Challenges of Marketing

Marketing teams are never short on challenges and problems to fix. Let’s face it, that is both the joy and the agony of being a member of the marketing team.

But as you’re trying to run the race for more visibility, authority, and leads, you may be experiencing mechanical issues with the marketing race car. Those are the places where our marketing operations team can be helpful.

Why Have Marketing Operations

The whole point of having a marketing operations team (or someone in your organization responsible for the mechanics of marketing) is so that everyone can stay in their lane. The creative people can keep being creative, the designers can keep designing, the strategists can keep doing big-picture thinking, and all the tactical implementers can excel in their channels, whether that’s PR, pay per click, or search engine optimization. We know the marketing machine runs best when everyone is operating the set of controls at which they are most skilled and experienced.

In the realm of marketing operations, we find teams have had technology or systems set up for them that they become reliant on because they help everyone stay in their lane. But then those technologies become fragile, or there is an update or change to the system that forces the team to either abandon it, hack around it, or use the technological equivalent of duct tape and baling twine to keep things running.

Problems Marketing Operations Can Fix

When thinking of problems marketing operations can fix, one is certain: when your systems have become fragile, or you’ve started to work around the systems because they’re no longer functioning how they used to. This is like if a tire is continuously low on air and you just keep airing it up. Or if you have that rattle in the engine that tells you that it isn’t working correctly, but so far, the car is still getting you where you want to go (but for how much longer, no one knows).

Properly repairing existing systems is a key role for marketing operations. We are experienced in diagnosing the issue and then determining how to appropriately update it so that you can keep relying on it.

Another of the problems marketing operations can fix is improving systems. When systems, technologies, or automations are set up, the capacity needs, other systems, or how people will actually use them aren’t always a consideration. Many times, after an initial setup, the system requires improvements. Sometimes those improvements are anticipated from the start, but other times those improvements aren’t known when the system was originally set up. It could be that other apps came along, new integrations were identified, additional sequences for welcome or additional segmentation are needed, or additional functionality is wanted.

And finally, marketing operations can solve challenges of scale. Many teams will start off with a piece of technology that works for now. Maybe it’s ActiveCampaign. Maybe it’s MailChimp. Then they get to a point where they need more or an integration is required. Essentially, what they have working for them right now isn’t going to scale.

This is the most powerful place to use marketing operations: preparing to scale by not only updating existing systems and technologies to scale but thinking about what needs to happen next. Having that long-term vision that helps us make better decisions today for more scale tomorrow is one of the major problems marketing operations can fix.

The Payoff of Marketing Operations

In the three areas of fixing, improving, and scaling, marketing operations is a critical component to keep the race car on the track, help it run a better race, and prepare for the races to be run in the future.

And further, not only can the marketing machine be in top performance shape, but each member of the marketing team can also stay in their lane so the team can collectively help meet the aggressive goals of the organization and race to win.

Keep Learning about Marketing Operations

In this episode, we covered the list of “dos” for marketing operations. In the next episode, you’ll learn the list of “don’ts,” that is, what problems marketing operations can’t fix.

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