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Kathryn Fisher

By: Kathryn Fisher on May 25th, 2017

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It Is Time to Join Forces: Why Marketing and IT need to Team Up Now!

Email Marketing | Workforce & Human Capital | Lead Generation & Growth Strategies | Change Management | Marketing Automation

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There seems to be this struggle between IT and Marketing teams; each feeling the other is a threat, which causes tension. The fact of the matter is we need each other! This trend isn’t new, it has been creeping its way from tread to reality as more and more organizations are accepting they need to be data-driven. But who controls that data? IT? Marketing?

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Does it matter?

Marketing departments are evolving to needing to embrace technologies but IT is evolving as well. IT is no longer to needed to build/manage its own internal infrastructure but now, according to HubSpot is needed for “solution evaluation, implementation, optimization and innovation that creates competitive advantage for the business.”

Since the roles are already evolving, why not evolve together?

• Focus on the data: Marketers need data, they live by it and data is enabled through the technologies. Use the common ground…

o IT: Are you tired of having to pull data reports for the marketing team that keeps coming to you needing a list in 2 hours or tomorrow?
o Marketers: Aren’t you tired of asking for those reports; and having to wait longer then you would like to get them?

• Evaluate vendors as a team: To accomplish the list pulling issue, you will most likely find you need new tools. This is the perfect time for departments to come together!

o Marketers: The tools will be pretty and seem to do everything you want but without the integration and implementation, you will still be stuck going to IT for those lists.
o IT: Your marketing team will be using this system the most, so let them take some lead on the function piece; we don’t want them getting frustrated with the platform and coming to dump on you to fix saying “the other platform would have prevented this!” With that said, this is your chance to shine because the first mention of SQL or API’s they will need you.

• Leverage each other’s expertise: Now it is time to implement this solution and first priority is to keep the data integrity, so this means we must lean on each other. 

o IT: This is your sweet spot! Data migration, accurate data and aligning business processes are all things you know; and now all you have to do is work with marketing to talk through how their specific needs would fit into the current business infrastructure.
o Marketing: You have the strategy and how this would work all mapped out in your head, but don’t you want to make sure your precious data is handled with care and stored correctly? You have done all this work around collecting the data so use this chance to let the IT team make sure it is implemented right.

Bottom line: Work together to keep the customer happy and the experience consistent. After all, the most successful organizations are the ones who have aligned IT and marketing teams to be customer-centric.

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