Let me pose a question to my fellow marketers: have you lately felt more like your company’s IT department than its marketing strategist?
In the past few years, chances are that your role has taken a significant turn towards “IT Specialist”. In the digital marketing age, marketers are expected know, implement, maintain, explain and execute various software programs and digital marketing tools that both promote the company brand and generate sales. According to the Harvard Business Review, 67% of marketing departments plan to increase their budgets for technology related expenses over the next two years.
As this trend progresses, marketers have started wearing the “IT” hat as well and get the “how do I do this” and “how do I fix this” questions from colleagues.
Here are some tips on how marketers can manage their IT investments to ensure return on investment and maintain a bit of sanity!
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Organization is Key
Keep a file of your marketing programs that includes their purpose, what type of marketing activity it serves (content, digital, social media, lead generation, etc), costs and expiration dates, version numbers and who has access. This will not only allow you to stay organized, you can then liaise with your IT department for any technical issues that may arise and keep administration on its toes when it’s time to renew or upgrade.
The Merger Between Marketing and IT: A Guide to B2B Marketing ROI in the Digital Age
