A-Z Of Marketing — D — Decision-Making
Decision making is vital in marketing.
Branding and campaigns work best with a clear decision-making process.
Imagine a trend is happening right now on TikTok, and it’s about to go VIRAL. You have this feeling that it is about to peak and you could get so many views. But you have to act now and get it posted.
In a small business, that’s easy. You get it done.
In a huge corporate with lots of levels, your video may need to get sign off from the Marketing Manager, Content Manager, Videography department, Head of Marketing, VP of Marketing, Legal, Brand Manager and sometimes the C-suite before the video can be posted. This could take days to coordinate, and by the time you’ve got approved, three more trends have passed.
Knowing who needs to be part of that decision-making chain is very important. And there needs to be a process in place for the odd fast turnaround.
Additionally, poor decision making can lead to muddy brands and washy campaigns. Branding and campaigns need to be consistent, so you need to decide on certain aspects and have faith in your decision to stick with it through thick and thin. That’s not to say you can’t change direction, but the decision should be thought out and the direction change carefully managed.
The best decisions are guided by research and facts. You should always have up to date research on your customers and other stakeholders. Being in constant communication with customers and sharing your insights with your team and the wider business. Encouraging a culture of challenging managers higher up the chain is important to allow employees to present facts and data that back up their ideas so that good campaigns can flourish.
Decision-making is arguably the most important skill in marketing. Need help with it in your company? Lennie & Stan can help! Contact me, Lydia Carrick, on LinkedIn for more information.
