How to Collaborate Effectively with Your Marketing Department

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face quite common challenges when it comes to marketing. And its not what you think. Read on to find out.

When working with their marketing department or consultants, many small business owners often find themselves at one of two extremes: either micromanaging every step (why hire a professional then? opt for an administrative assistant and give step-by-step instructions) or giving full creative control without clear expectations (forcing their marketing consultant spend additional funds on doing work that had been done already, like making own estimates and calculations).

As a business owner, it's natural to want to keep costs down and take on various tasks yourself. However, before you opt for micro-management, believing it's more cost-effective to hire low-paid assistants and tell them what to do, rather than hire a professional, consider this: your time has a value too.

Take a moment to calculate the real cost. Multiply the hours you spend on these tasks by your own hourly rate. Then add hours you didn’t spend on other tasks, that are your responsibilities. This calculation will reveal the true financial impact. This cost isn't just monetary; it extends to missed growth opportunities, increased overall workload, and potential effects on your mental health.

It's essential to seriously reflect on this aspect of your business approach. In the long run, the price of micromanagement can outweigh the perceived savings, affecting not only your financial bottom line but also your ability to seize new opportunities and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

There is a better, more balanced approach to working with a marketing team. To set the boundaries, see the common goals and outline the budget, use a well-crafted marketing brief. Whether you're working with an in-house marketing team or hiring external consultants, it is essential for ensuring everyone is on the same page and going in the same direction. Let’s explore what a marketing brief consists of, its importance, and where you can find free templates to streamline the process.

Before writing a brief, start with analysis. And do not start by thinking “I have no time for this”, because just as if you want to have a safe journey, you need a well-oiled fully-gassed vehicle, similarly, to run an effective marketing campaign, preparations need to be conducted.

Setting Clear Goals

Marketing is not a shot in the dark; it's a strategic process that should align with your overall business goals. Here are some examples of common business goals and how marketing goals can be derived from them:

Business Goal: Increase revenue

Marketing Goal: Generate X% increase in sales through a targeted marketing campaign.

Business Goal: Expand the market reach

Marketing Goal: Increase website traffic by X% to reach a wider audience.

Business Goal: Generate repeating sales

Marketing Goal: Launch a customer loyalty program to increase repeat purchases by X%.

Business Goal: Diversify portfolio in order to cover seasonal drop in sales

Marketing Goal: Launch a new product product to a specified niche

Estimating Market and Internal Capacity

Understanding your market and internal capabilities is essential. Here are some steps to estimate your market and capacity effectively:

Market Assessment: Begin by identifying your target niche market. Research the usage patterns of your product or service within this market. Look up statistics on consumer spending related to your product or service. Multiply the usage data by the spending data to estimate the market potential. For example:

Let’s assume your product is hairspray and you are trying to identify your market size in your geographical region. You consider the target consumer of your product are mainly hairdressers. Pull up stats on how many hair salons operate in your area (i.e. 10,000), pull up stats or do your own research on how many cans of hairspray each hair salon uses on average (for example 3), then multiply by the amount every item costs per year (i.e. $10 per month = $120 per year). Market Size = 10,000 x 3 cans/month x $120/year = $3,600,000.

Of course, this is a simplified approach, but the logic is obvious. Without dwelling into economics theory too far, the following is another example:

If you are a coffee shop, you can estimate your market size by pulling up foot traffic data, for example based on Smart Phones usage in the area (most of these you have to pay for), or at least census data of how many people live in the area (try local statistics published by authorities). After having estimated how many people are around you (i.e. 100,000) , multiply by the niche percentage of coffee drinkers (i.e. 50%) , then multiply by percentage of medium to high disposable income, because the higher the income the more likely people will spend on take out coffee (i.e. 20%), and multiply by the average price of your coffee (i.e. $1) and by number of times people pay for takeout coffee per month (i.e. 4, which is roughly once per week). Market size = 100,000 x 50% x 20% x $1 x 4= $40,000. Here you can adjust by the presence of Starbucks in the area (deduct percentage of die-hard Starbucks fans) or Tim Hortons (if your are in Canada) or other local brand preference.

If you are a coffee shop owner who just estimated their market and it seems too low, now is a great time to expand your reach to other niches, play with pricing, substitutes… Basically a great starting point for your marketing brief.

Capacity Evaluation: Evaluate your internal production capacity. Determine how many units of your product or service you can produce on your best day. Strive to operate at this capacity consistently. If this capacity can be easily achieved, explore opportunities for expansion. This might involve hiring additional staff, investing in technology, or creating another office in another area.

Assessing Competitors

When considering your competitors, focus on those operating in your price segment. Here's a structured approach:

Identify Closest Competitors: Identify the competitors that closely match your product or service offerings and price range.

Analyze Their Strategies: Study what these competitors are doing in terms of marketing. How are they promoting their products or services? (i.e. Offering free products, discounts, loyalty programs). What channels are they using? Do they rely on traditional methods, such as outdoor banners and flyers in the mail, or do they focus on digital marketing, like social media advertising and email newsletters? Suppose you find that a successful coffee shop uses a combination of an eye-catching outdoor banner and targeted mail flyers to attract customers. This indicates a successful offline marketing strategy that may be the way to go. Are there any unique selling propositions (USP) they emphasize? Perhaps a competitor coffee shop prides itself on offering single-origin beans sourced from a specific region, or they highlight their commitment to sustainability by using eco-friendly packaging. Identifying their USPs can help you understand what sets them apart in the eyes of customers.

Identify Strengths and Weaknesses: Assess what your competitors are doing right and wrong. If you were to enter their market share, what strategies would you replicate, and which ones would you improve upon? Take note of what your competitors are doing exceptionally well. For example, if a rival coffee shop has a strong social media presence with engaging content and a large following, that's a strength worth following. If your competitor coffee shop has limited operating hours, slow service during peak times, or inconsistency in product quality, note these as opportunities to outperform them.

What Is a Marketing Brief?

Now that you have analyzed your market and goals, its time to write a brief to your marketing department/consultant. A marketing brief is a document that outlines the essential details and objectives of a marketing project or campaign. It serves as a roadmap for your marketing team with a clear understanding of your goals, target audience, messaging, and expectations. A well-structured marketing brief can save time, prevent misunderstandings, and ultimately lead to more effective marketing efforts.

A comprehensive marketing brief should include the following key elements:

Project Overview: Provide a brief description of the project or campaign, including its purpose and scope.

Business Objectives: Clearly outline the business goals and the marketing goals your are looking to achieve.

Target Audience: Define your ideal customers, including demographics, interests, and pain points.

Unique Selling Proposition (USP): Highlight what sets your product or service apart from the competition.

Key Messages: Specify the core messages you want to convey through your marketing materials.

Channels: Indicate the marketing channels that will be utilized (e.g., social media, email, SEO, etc.). Encourage input from marketing.

Budget: Clearly state the budget allocated for the project or campaign.

Timeline: Set realistic timelines for the project's start and completion or leave it open for discussion.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Define the metrics that will be used to measure the success of the campaign.

Free Marketing Brief Templates

While marketing brief is Fortunately, there are many free templates available online that can simplify the process. Here are some reputable sources where you can find these templates:

Indeed offers a nice concise template. Download here

HubSpot: HubSpot offers a variety of free marketing templates, not marketing brief per se, but a few communication plans and proposals designed to streamline your marketing efforts.

Canva: Canva provides a user-friendly platform with customizable marketing and project brief templates that allow you not only put together a content but also add your branding elements effortlessly.

Template.net: This website offers a wide selection of marketing brief templates in various formats, such as Word and PDF, that you can download for free.

TidyForm: TidyForm provides a collection of professionally designed marketing brief templates that you can access and customize at no cost.

Tips for Creating an Effective Marketing Brief

• Now that you have access to templates, here are some tips for creating an effective marketing brief:

• Be clear and concise, use straightforward language and avoid jargon to ensure everyone understands the brief.

• Set realistic expectations to ensure that your goals, budget, and timeline are achievable.

• Involve key stakeholders in the brief's creation to gather diverse perspectives and insights.

• Regularly review and update the marketing brief to reflect changes in your business or market conditions.

• Encourage open communication between your marketing team and other departments to address questions or concerns.