Private label SEO agencies differ from most solo
entrepreneurs in a way that their company is usually bigger. While a “solo-preneur”
operates by himself and does everything on his own, an agency often has
separate marketing and IT teams. Or at least, in many cases, there’s an
employee assigned to take care of IT and there’s someone assigned to look after
marketing. But regardless of the size, reseller agencies often struggle with
making the two departments work together.
A new study by consulting and outsourcing company
Accenture revealed that indeed these two silos have trust issues. Apparently,
they are not most cooperative when it comes to working together. And SEO
resellers, particularly bigger agencies, have a lot to learn from the research.
Trust Issue on Marketing Priorities
“CMOs and CIOs have an obvious trust issue,” the report
says. The study asked chief marketing officers and chief information officers
on what their priorities are. There was an obvious disconnect between the two
camps’ answers.
CMOs think Marketing should work closely with IT. (Source: Accenture)
When it comes to technology adoption and usage, both sides
believe that the CMO should prioritize two things: 1) gaining better customer
insight, competitive intelligence, and market knowledge and 3) reaching and
engaging with the market more efficiently and effectively. Private label SEO
agencies perhaps can identify to these two priorities as companies are
typically moving toward using data to better understand their markets. But the
agreement ends there.
When it comes to where “marketing IT” stands on their
priority list, 64% CMOs think it is at the bottom of the CIO’s list. On the
contrary, 45% of CIOs says they have it as their top or near the top priority. For
CMOs, tying website and digital engagement analytics to business outcomes and transactions
is a low priority, making the list of only 33% of marketing executives as
opposed to 45% of IT executives.
Some 45% of marketers consider lead generation as an important priority but only 33% of IT professionals share this view. Some 44% of marketing executives think improving their team’s productivity and performance is crucial but only 36% of CIOs think this should be a marketing priority.
Some 45% of marketers consider lead generation as an important priority but only 33% of IT professionals share this view. Some 44% of marketing executives think improving their team’s productivity and performance is crucial but only 36% of CIOs think this should be a marketing priority.
Trust Issue on IT Priorities
On the opposite side of the fence, there’s also a
disconnect on what should be IT’s priority. For marketers, the No. 1 priority
should be priority is deploying better marketing execution and operational
systems and platforms. This, however, ranks only sixth in the eyes of IT. What
CIOs think should be their main goal is to advance platforms to aid in
marketing measurement and campaign optimization.
Where does this item stand on
the marketing team’s list? Sixth place. Some 26% of IT executives think the
introduction of a closed-loop campaign measurement and tracking should be a
priority. Only 19% of their marketing counterparts feel the same.
Marketing teams are fourth on IT executives' list of organization they should work closely with. (Source: Accenture)
In essence, CIOs tend to focus on measurement and
optimization. CMOs, on the other hand, are bent on generating leads and eventually
sales. This leads to a problem, researchers said. “Because they are not
marching to a common purpose, collaboration cannot occur.”
How to Align Marketing, IT Priorities
The Accenture study cited at least five ways to ensure
that the two departments work hand in hand for the company. They are:
1. Identify the CMO as the chief experience officer (CXO).
2. Accept IT as a strategic partner with marketing, not
just a platform provider.
3. Agree on key business levers for marketing and IT
alignment, such as access to customer data vs. privacy and security
4. Change the skill mix to ensure that both
organizations are marketing- and tech-savvy.
5. Develop trust by doing just that—trusting.
Researchers placed the emphasis on the last item, saying
with trust existing between the two divisions, companies can provide better
experiences to their customers.
What SEO Reseller Agencies Can Pick Up
Most private label SEO agencies do not need to worry
much about the disparity between IT and marketing teams because in many cases, they
do not have large teams to align. Being small in size does not equate to immunity
from the IT-marketing disparity. Agencies should therefore reevaluate their teams
to determine if they are indeed composed of a good mix of both technology and
marketing people. For future growth, this disparity must be kept in mind so
that it can be avoided or at least addressed if it has already begun in your
organization.
The truth is, there’s one simple lesson here: marketing
should be powered by technology, and vice-versa. It is only through IT that
marketing can truly see a great view of its target market. It is only through
marketing that IT can be maximized and recognized as a revenue-generating
component of the company, rather than a platform provider. Today’s companies
need a good mix of the two to be able to better understand customers. If you
understand your customers’ plights and praises, you’ll be able to provide more relevant
services, which will then translate to better books.
