4 steps to innovate your marketing operating model

The pressure to launch big, splashy marketing campaigns is a common one. But how many of us have seen these ambitious plans fall flat, or fail to get off the ground entirely? 

Much like rotting fruit, these types of campaigns can die on the vine before they’ve had the chance to succeed. And before you think, they were bad ideas, it’s not that at all. It’s because the foundational work of innovating the operating model hasn't been done first.

As marketers, we’re hardwired to be customer-obsessed. But I believe the most impactful work isn't necessarily the sexiest; it's the tough, behind-the-scenes work that enables your team to do their best. 

So, let’s get started. Here are four key principles for innovating your marketing operating model and how to implement them to drive meaningful, long-term change.

Principle 1: Efficiency before innovation

As marketers, we know it's critical to drive innovation. However, the best transformations often fail because teams are not given the time and space to metabolize them. 

To lead a successful innovation agenda, you must first "clean out the closet."

I start by meeting with frontline marketers across divisions and geographies to understand their pain points. What processes or systems are slowing them down? I take it all in, identify the common culprits, and then work to solve those problems. 

Time sucks often exist because they are difficult to tackle, but once you do, you'll have bought your team the oxygen they need to take on the innovative work you’re planning.

Common culprits of inefficiency

While many pain points are specific to an organization, I've found a couple that are common almost everywhere.

Martech redundancy

This is common in organizations that have grown through mergers and acquisitions. Efficiencies are often identified in back-office functions, but the "too-hard" projects – like consolidating redundant marketing technology – are left untouched. 

I think of this as marketing tech debt. It accumulates over time, creating a mess of fragmented customer data and making it difficult to share best practices. A common example is having multiple email service providers. 

My advice is to partner with your product and data engineering teams to consolidate your martech stack. It’s tough, but it will streamline so much of what your teams can do.

Lack of process for sharing best practices

This is a major pain point in global organizations. Smart ideas can come from anywhere in your organization, but a lack of a systematic way to share them means these ideas often die. 

Find a way to celebrate those smart ideas across teams. Do this for both best practices and "lessons learned" – like what worked and what didn't. This will create a culture where everyone is celebrated for innovating and learning.