Who owns technology selection within your corporate marketing staff? Perhaps the analyst charged with providing Salesforce.com with your data? Or the one lone team member with an iPhone? I mean, that is techno-literate, isn't it?
Be truthful and look around. True marketing technologists are few and far between. Who said five years ago, Go get an IT degree and then go into marketing and you will have it made? But yet, business' are screaming for the blended skill set.
Do you have an IT savvy marketing team? Are you building a sound business strategy around this capability? Or are you still focused on creative slogans, printed sales brochures, brand identity and event-based marketing?
High caliber marketing is making the difference in today's business by reducing costs and transitioning away from antiquated and non-effective practices.
With that in mind, who is defining your technology strategy and what is the skill set on your current team? Is the marketing staff member chosen to define your digital direction simply because they currently have a Facebook page or Twitter account? Activity does not equate to a marketing outcome for the business.
Do you have a succession strategy to gain the talent you need to excel in a recession? Are you aggressively moving your marketing and your team to a modern approach? Is it anecdotal or systemic?
Does anyone on your current marketing staff have a valid technology background? And more importantly, do they have a tactical business focus?
Rare. Very rare.
So how does the typical marketing staff move forward with modern marketing strategies if you do not currently have the in-house skills to get you there?
If you can't hire in a recession----can you develop existing resources? Does the learning curve time continuum mean you miss the advantage of digital?
There are tremendous costs if you do not have the technology and marketing skill set necessary for today's gains.
