Getting to the good stuff takes curiosity, lots of scribbling and doodling, sleuthing and marketing smarts. It’s a no-holds-barred grudge match between the right brain and left brain. Except at some point in the process the two hemispheres become allies and proceed to beat the heck out of the mediocre and mundane. In the end you have smart, interesting creative work that gets results
If you were to spend any time at all speaking with a team member of a marketing department you are likely to become aware of a critical truth – marketing departments are failing. Marketing departments are an integral part of an organization’s success but unfortunately in most cases these teams are put on the back burner. Left with limited resources, little talent, inadequate funding and low expectations, marketing professionals can only do so much. The inefficiency of these marketing departments have detrimental effects on companies’ accomplishments and can lead to low customer volume, bad advertising and budget problems. Marketing is comprised of several elements in which marketing departments today do not cover due to inadequate support, staffing, funding and talent. Though, as one of the most powerful and influential tools in today’s society, it is one of the major departments that endure adversity and shortcomings. The best way to boost a company’s success is to invest in the marketing team. In this article we will explore 5 of the reasons why marketing departments are failing
A marketing department’s structure, size and organization is influenced by the company or organization. Depending on what college you choose to analyze the department’s composition will vary. Most often college marketing departments are small in staffing. According to Delta Marketing article “Studies Find Marketers Are Overstressed”, 80% of marketing professionals feel that their departments are understaffed and are overloaded with work. While some departments require more staffing than others, it is important to suitably staff teams in accordance to workloads. With an adequate size marketing department the first steps to creating more productivity and efficiency within the department can begin. As the functions of marketing departments have advanced to incorporate more than the standard work such as several social media platforms and digital content there has been very little change in the amount of employees within these departments at various companies. The lack of considerable workers causes these few employees to work under pressure resulting in low productivity, energy and efficiency.
Due to the limited staffing in most marketing departments, employees are overworked. Based on a work study completed by WorkFront, a software and project management company, about 80% of marketing department staff members feel overworked and understaffed. The effects of an overworked team can be detrimental and reflect the efficiency of the team. It can result in a decline in work quality, employee burnout, high turnover rates and ultimately, department damage. The normalization of overworking employees in the marketing industry is prevalent within many companies and organizations, affecting marketers and creatives worldwide. As the responsibilities of a marketing department grow every day so should the team in order for the professionals to produce good work and move efficiently
While other departments within a company often receive support and attention, marketing departments seem to be swept in a corner. This is a universal issue, marketing professionals and team members worldwide are expressing this undervalued feeling. With marketing being such an integral aspect of business and media success today, marketing departments should be held at a higher value. To increase the impact of marketing departments, companies need to implement changes to department importance. It’s unfortunate that many marketing departments are pressured to do more with less resources, support and staffing.
One of the major problems many marketing teams face is the lack of support and funding from their company. Inadequate funding is a significant factor in why most of these departments are failing and is the leading cause of the many setbacks that they face. Unable to provide the employees and professionals with substantial resources, without funding it is quite difficult to work toward advancement. The lack of funding is a clear example of how these departments are overlooked and not taken into consideration.
Many marketing departments consist of marketing professionals with little experience or no expertise as a result of insufficient knowledge and under-funding. This talent shortage has a crucial impact on why marketing departments are failing and results in inefficient work. With the addition of greater talent and marketing expertise, college marketing departments could create immense success and a much greater impact. Marketing is multidisciplinary consisting of multiple fields that require a range of skills. According to the U.S. News article, What You Need To Know About Becoming A Marketing Major, the substantial areas of marketing employment are vast and departments should include “professionals like product managers, social media marketers, media planners, advertising specialists, marketing managers, copywriters, event managers, web content managers and graphic designers”. The significance of having an all inclusive and experienced team of marketing professionals from every field is a critical component to a department’s advancements. Improving the team of marketing professionals means enhancing the department’s knowledge and overall abilities. The steps toward creating a more successful marketing department begins with a commitment of support and investment from the company. In the absence of financial support, ample staffing and talent, marketing departments will continue to fail. The future and success of many businesses and organizations begin with marketing therefore having a remarkable department is essential. With marketing advancing everyday as one of the vital tools used for company success, these departments should be set to a much higher value