The business world is always evolving, and shifting factors influence how companies do business. The COVID-19 pandemic is the most recent major event shaping enterprises’ operations. In fact, around 47.5% of small businesses claim the pandemic has harmed their operations.
Companies had to lessen physical contact between workers to avoid spreading the virus. Many abandoned face-to-face operations and adopted remote working setups. This disrupted the usual workflow of businesses, leading to the bankruptcy of some enterprises.
However, this is not the first instance of a catastrophe that shocks the business world. The black death and the great depression also influenced commerce and marketing at the time.
Too many rapidly evolving factors in business make it hard for companies to keep up. For firms to adapt to change readily, they need to take on a strategy like agile marketing.
What is Agile Marketing
Agile refers to the iterative approach to project management originating from software developers. It is a marketing strategy that requires collaborative efforts from all departments. Team members collectively prioritize tasks based on what provides early value to customers. And then accomplish them accordingly. At the end of each project, data is gathered to optimize current methods.
Understanding agile marketing becomes clearer in learning its fundamental principles:
Customer Centered
Agile marketers pride themselves on being customer-centered. Members create meaningful and cost-effective experiences for customers in the least time needed. Project methods and teams are structured around the customers’ goals, motivations, and pains to achieve this.
Customer-centeredness can be achieved by conducting project-end reviews. Members can assess if their methods provide quick value to their consumers based on the project’s outcome.
Cross-Functional Teams
A traditional organization divides employees into departments concerned with a specific business aspect. But companies under agile marketing value collaboration over silos. In agile, all departments are involved in setting goals and deliverables. They are also encouraged to contribute to other functions when they can provide value.
Cross-functional teams allow the management to maximize the company’s resources. Members can monitor each department’s workload with a Kanban board or a centralized work tracker. This helps in setting realistic goals and achievable deliverables.
Furthermore, collaboration allows departments to help in each other’s work. For example, managers can find experts in other departments when marketing needs a Facebook post about a complex topic. The company’s IT head can become an excellent source for creating tech content.
Rapid and Continuous Value Over Perfection
Agile marketing seeks to deliver value to customers early and often. Determining which tasks provide client satisfaction at the earliest time dictates their priority. Creating sprints (short work timeframes) enhances customer experience rapidly and continuously.
Short but impactful campaigns are better than long ones. This is because lengthy projects confine marketers to a fixed tactic. On the other hand, sprints allow companies to respond quickly to changes, enabling them to adopt new methods at the end of each campaign. This allows businesses to focus on improving deliverables over time. Consistently optimizing efforts is better than sticking to static plans.
Learning by Iterating
Experiments and results drive agile marketers instead of opinions and industry-set standards. This means that marketers see iteration as an opportunity for the company to improve continuously. Data from previous sprints help distinguish the best approach moving forward.
Agile redefines ineffective results as learning outcomes for the company. Managers under agile are not discouraged by lackluster results. Instead, they analyze findings and determine how to improve their strategies in future campaigns.
Holding market review sessions are vital in the application of learning by iterating. Members are allowed to discuss the conclusion of each sprint. During review sessions, members determine what aspects of the campaign strategy should improve and which to continue. Eventually, the methods used will evolve to the point that it reaches the company’s goals.
Flexible to Change
Flexibility to change is essential for any company looking to establish longevity in its industry. As market factors are constantly shifting, companies must tweak their strategies correspondingly. Being resistant to change leads companies to miss business opportunities.
The rise of the internet is a prime example of a change that urged marketers to adjust their advertising tactics. Companies that digitize their business early or hired social media outsourcing companies provided quick value to their customers, resulting in higher online sales conversion and customer satisfaction.
Agile marketing is a proven effective management strategy. Integrating its core principles into how companies operate could be advantageous overall. Successful agile marketing can provide businesses with the following benefits:
Ability to Measure Outcomes
Because of agile’s data-driven nature, companies benefit from measuring project outcomes. This allows the business to assess its efforts and derive interpretations useful for future projects.
Teamwork and Trust
Managers, stakeholders, and employees will be inclined to help each other in Agile. Members will learn to trust one another more as they aid each other in projects.
Efficient Work Process
The work process becomes quicker and hassle-free when everyone is well-informed. Additionally, freedom in decision-making makes the work process more efficient. Encouraging collaborative efforts also helps the company maximize its resources.
Empowerment through Transparency
Employees feel more valued when they are included in the planning phase of a project. When a company allows the workers to take part in setting goals and deliverables, members are less likely to be over or underworked. Moreover, transparent management enables members to make quick, educated decisions when needed.
High Morale and Satisfaction
Team morale grows higher when members are given more value. Employees will look forward to each project knowing their work capacity is heavily considered. Furthermore, giving members opportunities in other departments train employees to be more versatile. This can also reduce the cases of disengaged employees, giving them more areas to find interest in their work.
Flexibility and Adaptability to Change
As the primary goal of agile, flexibility and adaptability to change are its key benefits. Agile allows companies to respond better to shifting factors in the business world. With agile management, the company ensures profitability regardless of business changes.
Conclusion
Agile marketing offers endless benefits not limited to the ones mentioned. The marketing strategy creates customer-centered, data-driven, collaborative, highly motivated, and flexible workers. This will help companies in the success of their business.
In starting your company or looking to improve operations, consider an agile strategy for project management. Projects like social media campaigns or SEO services Philippines are better in agile. If you are looking for SEO managers to help you in online marketing, check out services by Digital Marketing Philippines.
References:
- https://business.adobe.com/blog/basics/agile-marketing
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EyvShR77eA
- https://agilemarketingmanifesto.org/
- https://hiredigital.com/blog/benefits-of-agile-marketing
Jomer B. Gregorio is a well-rounded expert when it comes digital marketing. Jomer is also known as a semantic SEO evangelist and practitioner. Check out our Digital Marketing Services today and let us help you in achieving positive and profitable results for your business.