| A recent study by marketing think tank IDC, which | | | | equipped to staff individual departments or functions |
| provides market intelligence and strategic insights to | | | | for marketing operations. To address this need, small |
| clients, revealed that close to 60% of major high-tech | | | | companies should instead create a company-wide |
| corporations have hired personnel to manage their | | | | culture and consciousness geared towards marketing |
| internal marketing operations. | | | | operations. They should emphasize to their staff the |
| In addition, an increasing number of B2B firms listed in | | | | need for greater accountability and streamlined |
| the Fortune 500 are jumping on the bandwagon as | | | | processes as well as using the correct software to |
| well and creating their own marketing operations | | | | support the marketing function. Given limited resources, |
| departments. | | | | they should make everyone think like a marketing |
| Clearly, major corporations have recognized the | | | | operations manager. |
| importance of marketing operations and are staffing | | | | Initially, there may be overlapping functions or barriers |
| accordingly. But what about small and medium-size | | | | that exist among, say, finance and sales, but this can |
| corporations? Are they simply just too small to staff | | | | be overcome easily for cross-functional relationships to |
| up and tackle the challenges that marketing operations | | | | be set in place. |
| addresses? | | | | Creating a marketing operations culture requires |
| Certainly not. Since marketing operations covers all | | | | practice, vision, discipline and the right type of people. |
| aspects of the marketing function, it is essential for | | | | Most of all, it requires practice and a consistency of |
| small companies as well, if not more so. Given that | | | | purpose. Think how marketing operations can improve |
| people in small companies are more prone to take a | | | | staff performance and maximize results then talk to |
| jack-of-all-trades approach to their work, it is more | | | | your people now. You will feel an immediate |
| likely for job requirements to slip within the cracks. | | | | difference, and get on course to "optimizing your |
| The main difference is that small companies are not | | | | marketing machine". |