Reside is an ExactTarget client and sponsored the Route 1 to 1 event in Minneapolis. As part of the event, they conducted a survey of attendees and came up with some interesting results.
The average respondent indicates 2.5 marketing focuses for '08-'09, with the most common combination being "Drive Higher Sales" and "Engage Prospects". However, for same-company respondees (representing 33% of the overall mix of participants), there seems to be a great discrepancy in identified focus. A full 50% of these participants had a zero match to their colleagues when identifying their focuses for the year. Of the remaining, those who matched their colleagues' identified focuses did so only half the time (49%). Could there be room in the marketing department for clarity of focus and business objectives?
On the surface, these results may seem surprising. However, more often than not I see this issue where colleagues who work side by side every day do not have a common definition of success. I hear it already... "But WE don't have that issue!" Everyone says that. "Our objective is to drive revenue!" Yeah, everyone says that too. But, do your objectives drive decision making? Are there clear standards for how decisions should be made?
Companies that do this well have a marked advantage over the competition. In Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath cite one reason for Southwest Airlines success is the fact that they have successfully communicated objectives to the ENTIRE organization. "Be THE low cost airline." Followed by "Have Fun!" Everything they do flows from there. Faced with a question about adding in-flight meals? Nope, that is not in line with their objectives. Make jokes over the PA? Sure, why not?
Without these clear guidelines, people fulfill their roles and focus on their personal objectives--there is no compass to guide day to day decisions. This is not a moral statement... it's simply human. And... it provides a simple explanation for the results of Reside's survey.
For some practical tips on evaluating objectives for email marketing, check out David Baker's recent article on Mediapost.
