What did Heraclitus say? ‘Nothing is as constant as change.’ The ancient Greeks already knew a thing or two ahead of their time. 2024 - the VUCA world sends its regards! And in this unstable and volatile world, flexibility is the key to success. And this is especially true for marketing! Being agile offers exactly that. It enables teams and campaigns to adapt quickly to new circumstances and work more efficiently. But what does being agile in marketing really mean? And how does it lead to improved results? In this article, we take a closer look at this and show why more and more companies are adopting this approach.
Need a quick start? Watch this 3-minute video about being agile:
Agiles Arbeiten in 3 Minuten erklärt (youtube.com)
Being agile in marketing vs. agile marketing
But let's first clarify the terminology, because being agile in marketing is often equated with agile marketing.
What is being agile in marketing?
Being agile in marketing describes the use of agile methods such as Scrum or Kanban to organise marketing projects flexibly and iteratively. Teams work and organise themselves in short iterative cycles (sprints), process feedback directly and continuously improve their processes.
What is agile marketing?
Agile marketing is a strategic approach in which marketing campaigns are designed to be flexible and data-based in order to respond quickly to market changes and customer needs. The Agile Marketing Manifesto defines the following 5 points:
- Focusing on customer value and business outcomes over activity and outputs
- Delivering value early and often over waiting for perfection
- Learning through experiments and data over opinions and conventions
- Cross-functional collaboration over silos and hierarchies
- Responding to change over following a static plan
So what's the difference?
Being agile in marketing focuses on internal working methods and project management, while agile marketing describes a comprehensive, flexible marketing strategy based on rapid adaptation.
Being agile in marketing
Let's delve a little deeper into the subject. Being agile in marketing dissolves traditionally rigid processes and replaces them with flexible, adaptable structures. Teams work in short, iterative sprints in order to react more quickly to changes and incorporate regular feedback into their decisions. In this way, there are no lengthy planning phases, but dynamic processes that respond to current developments.
A key advantage of being agile is the ability to react quickly. An example: A company is planning a major marketing campaign, but suddenly the market environment changes. A traditional approach would require a complete reorganisation process. Being agile, on the other hand, allows the procedure to be adapted directly without losing time. This allows teams to make course corrections at any time and still remain efficient.
The benefits of being agile
Being agile brings a number of advantages, especially in marketing. It not only strengthens efficiency, but also collaboration within teams. Traditional hierarchies are broken down, which leads to more open communication.
Another advantage is the proximity to customers. Being agile promotes regular dialogue with customers. This makes it possible to continuously adapt marketing strategies to the wishes and needs of the target groups. The result: campaigns that are better tailored to customers and therefore have a greater impact.
Internal collaboration also benefits. Agile teams work cross-functionally. This means that experts from different areas come together to drive projects forward together. This results in creative solutions that would often not be possible in a rigid, hierarchical structure.
Agile methods in marketing
Being agile in marketing is based on several proven methods that originally came from software development. The best-known methods are Scrum, Kanban and Design Thinking (strictly speaking not a method, more on this below). Each of these methods has its own advantages and can be used flexibly depending on requirements.
Scrum is a method based on short sprints. A sprint usually lasts two to four weeks. At the end of each sprint, a verifiable result is delivered - be it a campaign, a concept or a prototype. Scrum promotes transparency and quick adjustments. Regular meetings - known as ‘stand-ups’ - allow team members to discuss the current status and identify obstacles. This method is particularly suitable for projects where the end state is not yet clearly defined and requirements can change during the process. Well-known Scrum tools include Jira, ClickUp, Monday and open source tools such as Taiga, OpenProject and Odoo.
Kanban, on the other hand, is a visual method in which tasks are divided into different phases on a board: ‘To-Do’, ‘In Progress’ and ‘Done’. This method ensures clear prioritisation and gives the team an immediate overview of the current status of the work. Kanban is particularly useful for optimising existing processes and identifying bottlenecks at an early stage. Well-known Kanban tools include Trello, Wekan and Kanboard.
Design thinking is often mentioned in conjunction with agile methods, but strictly speaking it is not an agile method in the traditional sense. Rather, it is a creative problem-solving process that is user-centred and is often used in combination with agile methods such as Scrum or Kanban. Design thinking focuses on understanding customer needs and developing innovative solutions, while agile methods support the iterative development process and rapid implementation.
Although it is not officially part of the classic agile methods, design thinking is nevertheless often used in agile working environments, particularly in the early phases of product development or when creating marketing strategies.
The role of cross-functional collaboration
One of the most important aspects of being agile in marketing is overcoming traditional departmental boundaries. In many companies, marketing teams still work in isolation from other departments. These silos make communication difficult and lead to inefficient processes. Being agile, on the other hand, promotes cross-functional collaboration.
In an agile marketing team, experts from different areas work together. This means that creatives, data analysts, product managers and developers work together on a project. These diverse perspectives lead to more innovative solutions and better alignment with customer needs.
Another advantage of cross-functional collaboration is faster decision-making. In traditional, hierarchical structures, decisions often have to go through several instances, which costs time and flexibility. In agile teams, members are authorised to make independent decisions, which speeds up the process considerably.
This type of collaboration not just breaks down silos, but also improves the quality of work. Teams can react more quickly to changes and better anticipate the needs of customers.
Challenges of implementing agile into marketing
As many advantages as being agile has, implementing it also brings some challenges. The change from traditional to agile processes often requires cultural change and change management within the company. Employees have to learn to take responsibility and adapt to new ways of working. This can cause resistance, especially in companies that are strongly organised hierarchically. Above all, it is a change in behaviour that is a major challenge for people in general.
Furthermore, not every project is suitable for agile approaches. It is important to find the right balance between agile and traditional methods. For example, long-term, clearly defined projects can still benefit from a traditional approach, while dynamic projects are better suited to agile methods.
Of course, employees also need to be brought on board. Agile methods such as Scrum or Kanban are still new to many teams today and require appropriate familiarisation. Companies must therefore invest in training their employees to ensure that the methods are applied correctly.
Finally, communication is also a challenge. Agile teams often work in short cycles and make quick decisions. This can lead to misunderstandings or unclear expectations if communication is not well organised. Regular meetings and clear communication channels are tried and tested ways of maintaining an overview.
Agile applications in email and content marketing
Not only does being agile offer advantages for the entire marketing department, but also for specific areas such as email and content marketing. Here it becomes clear just how much being agile can improve effectiveness and targeting.
Agile email marketing uses the principles of flexibility and adaptability to dynamically tailor email campaigns to the behaviour of recipients. Instead of rigidly planned campaigns, content can be continuously optimised. For example, email content is adapted in real time based on the click or opening behaviour of recipients. If a subscriber regularly opens emails about a specific product, future emails can be tailored to this product and related offers. This not only leads to greater relevance for the recipient, but also to stronger loyalty.
Agile content marketing works in a similar way. Instead of creating long-term editorial plans that are set over weeks or months, an agile content team works in short cycles. Content is produced quickly, tested and continuously improved. For example, a company can test different headlines or topics and optimise them based on feedback. This leads to continuous improvement of the articles and ensures that the content always meets the actual needs and interests of the target group.
Conclusion
The ability to react flexibly to market changes and feedback creates a decisive competitive advantage. Of course, there are also challenges when implementing agile methods. A cultural change in the company is often necessary, as is the willingness to learn new ways of working. But with the right preparation and a clear approach, these challenges can be overcome.
Agile marketing is certainly not a passing trend. It is a response to the constantly changing demands of the market and customers. Companies that successfully implement being agile are not only more flexible and efficient, but also better able to understand their target groups and achieve long-term success.
Foxio Consulting supports companies in finding people who can make this change and fully utilise the benefits of agile marketing. Our consultants know what really matters in the marketing of tomorrow and are professionals in this field.
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