Marketing systems will make or break your long-term success. Take systems seriously.

Anyone who knows me well wouldn’t hesitate to admit that I tend to get irked very easily. Wasted marketing effort and wasted marketing money are two things that are at the top of my list of “those things that make me yell at inanimate objects” (usually computer screens)

It all comes down to this: if you don’t have rock-solid (or at least good hardwood solid) marketing systems in place then you’re wasting your own time and money. People who waste time and money irk me. 😉

What’s a marketing system?

As you can guess, we’ll be using my definition that always tries to not rely on using other business catch phrases to define a catch phrase.

When I construct a marketing system for a client, the goal is to establish protocols, marketing techniques, tools, procedures, and metrics that both control and guide marketing strategy and consequential activities (advertising, sales, PR, search engine marketing, etc.). I’m not talking about some diagram in a book where manufacturers and OEMs and different channels within a market work together to sell more stuff. I’m talking about a businesses ability to effectively “DO” marketing from start to finish.

A good marketing system for a business is like having additional employee who has the job of communicating with customers (and analyzing if what you’re doing is working), making recommendations where to place advertisements, and manage the customer relationships to ensure that you’re not losing potential sales due to any leads slipping through the cracks…. if you think you’ve never lost a sale because someone slipped through a crack, then you’re lying to yourself. It happens. We’re human. A marketing system helps keep the entire marketing process on track to counteract the pesky mistake-prone humans that we are 😉

What parts make up a marketing system?

Most often you can fit most of these within a good CRM system. However, management – humans, the managers, still have to be diligent in following up with sales or admissions teams to ensure that the work is actually being completed (simply looking at reports won’t cut it).

Things I most like to see in marketing systems (in this case where the technology helps guide the process)

  • Automated task creation (for calls, emails, etc. based on when a potential customer first contacted your business)
  • Group task creation (so managers can “mass create” tasks assigned to entire departments. To promote large seasonal sales, for example.)
  • Real-time lead counts and reporting. At any given time you should know exactly how many leads are in the queue, who is working them, and what the current results are.
  • Accountability. Certain reporting data should be visible by all employees, particularly successes. There’s nothing wrong with a little positive competition.
  • Integrated and segmented lists. Automated (based on customer interest, location, etc.) when a new lead is entered they should be added to applicable segments within lists; or at bare minimum to search criteria so you can quickly generate lists as needed based on interest, location, past purchase behavior, etc.
  • Top to bottom customer tracking: lead source, contact points, history, revenue, and post-purchase follow-ups. You should be able to track your revenue all the way back to specific ads and marketing channels.

Good technology can create good habits. Systems can be a massive help in determining if your current marketing is working, as well as guiding you to where your marketing should go. Don’t waste your money on advertising your business if you have no method of tracking or converting leads to sales. Work smart and implement systems… you’ll thank me eventually.