More hidden costs that sap marketing ROI

Continuing our series of tips, hints, and whatdidyoudothatfor's on the real cost of doing business, we have our fifth set of unspoken money-losing marketing misdemeanours:

The misallocation of internal marketing management resources when there is a…

… failure to delegate/outsource non-management functions

… failure to outsource high level strategic planning

… failure to use the skills of marketing staff

… failure to adequately fund the marketing function


These may sound controversial, so let me explain. There are four basic functions of the internal marketing function: 1. Overseeing the planning process 2. Planning the execution/implementation of the marketing plan. 3. Delegating responsibilities for implementation. 4. Managing the people who you are reporting to and who report to you.
`
I have not met a truly great marketing manager who was a truly great strategic planner. The truly great manager brings in expertise and manages it to get the best plan. As for other marketing staff, they are often treated as messengers or personal assistants when they should be given challenges to drag out of them high levels of performance. And companies that appoint a marketing manager and don’t give them a budget equal to the job to be done are better off without their marketing manager.

In all these cases the organization is not getting full value from its investment in marketing, and could in fact be posting a significant loss on an internal cost accounting basis.

COPYSCHOOL IS IN

A lot to digest in last post, so I'll leave you to go on digesting with these three thoughts:

1. Have you ever read a contemporary ad that spent so much time romancing the story? Listen to the way he builds in the tiniest detail. Modern copywriters rush to the end of the copy, scattering a few features and maybe a benefit or two in their wake.

2. Note the Caption to the image: The girl's remark is the fulcrum of the drama in the situation. And, as we know the majority of readers will look at the image, maybe then the headline, and maybe then the caption to the image (to find out 'what's going on here?'), this is the bnest way to pull them into the story.

3. There is a story. It's in a newspaper. Newspapers are bought by people who want to read stories.

Read it again and listen to the voices.