Marketing is a team sport

The 'old school' idea about marketing is that it is a department of its own that advertises the company’s products and services and makes sure the offering meets the wishes and demands of the target group. But to what extent is this traditional view on marketing still valid? Marketing has increasingly become a team sport; a philosophy of how you as an organization act, together with all employees of all departments. Marketing affects everyone in the organization.

Marketing is a team sport

A successful marketing strategy is one that is supported by the entire organization. Everyone contributes to the success of the strategy. Just like a sports team you jointly strive for the best result and an individual mistake impacts the whole team. A few examples:

-   Sales people must bring in new business. But that is impossible without a thorough understanding of the industry. What is going on in the heads of your sales targets? What are their wishes and demands? Those insights can be delivered by marketing.
-   Product developers are not only responsible for developing products that function well. The products must also contribute to the organization in the long run. Products must be 'hot', future-proof and based on the latest trends.
-   The financial department must take care of the financial housekeeping. But they also contribute to the image of the organization held by the outside world. By having everything under control, communicating in a timely and accurate manner and taking care of things properly, they contribute to a positive image of the organization.
-   The HR department is the most important maintainer of the organizational culture. They are responsible for hiring and retaining people who, in terms of norms, values and capabilities, fit perfectly into the vision of the organization.

By teaming up with each other and focusing on the same goal, the best result is achieved.

Involvement is necessary

A football coach who does not share the tactics with his team, or only with his captain, does not make a name for himself. In a team sport, getting people involved is of crucial importance. Therefore, the marketing strategy should also be shared with everyone. It makes no sense to impose a strategy to the organization. Marketing is about a shared vision, a mission you have as a company, core values ??that you live by as employees. You need to find out what your company stands for, what you are good at and what the added value of your organization is. You base your marketing strategy on these unique aspects. This ensures that it matches the identity of the company and increases the chance of receiving internal support for your marketing efforts.

Philip van Kemenade is marketing manager at Dysel and is in contact with software end users every day.