Non-specialised marketing a financial risk

Leaving marketing implementation in the hands of unskilled staff is rolling the dice with one of the business’s most critical spends.

Nicole Crump, Director of marketing plan specialists Tactix, says tasking unskilled staff with strategic elements of marketing communications has a major part to play in New Zealand SMEs failing to achieve the growth they desire.

“While most directors and CEOs understand the importance of marketing, far too often the planning and execution of what should be a strategic activity is given to staff without the necessary skill set to see it succeed,” says Crump.

“What begins as a cost cutting exercise can lead to an entire marketing spend wasted through poorly targeted planning and implementation,” she says.

More than just the need for cost saving, Crump believes this propensity for delegating the marketing role internally can be a by-product of the very thing that makes SMEs a vital part of the New Zealand economy – our love for ingenuity and DIY.

“As Kiwis, we tend to think of ourselves as problem solvers and jacks of all trades, and for the most part we do a fantastic job in finding innovative ‘number eight wire’ type solutions. However, when it comes to strategic implementation and building plans around business objectives, it can be a bigger risk than most businesses can afford.”

“This is particularly prevalent in the manufacturing, engineering and IT industries,” says Crump, “both well known for innovation but not traditionally strong in a marketing sense. It is not uncommon to find companies in these sectors, often as much as five to ten years into operations, using a PA or office manager to plan or implement marketing.”

“There are real opportunities in these markets for companies with a proactive and strategic marketing approach to strengthen their brand with customers and within industry circles,” she says.

Crump believes what is required is a fundamental shift in the mindset of CEOs and directors of small to medium businesses to put more emphasis on marketing as a core business function, particularly in the start up or subsequent growth phases. Rather than relegating marketing, it should be built into the organisation’s budget alongside staff salaries, paying the rent and product or service delivery.

Tactix is a unique marketing solutions company that creates fixed price marketing plans that cater to SMEs by allowing a scalable approach to marketing. Fixed price plans remove the threat of a rolling marketing budget and provide the clarity on spend that many organisations require before committing to marketing activity.

In her 20 years in the industry, Crump has frequently been approached by organisations requesting a marketing plan that reflects the company’s goals, puts their brand in the right places and aligns the existing marketing activity at a fixed price.

Tactix was created to respond to this need. The company’s packages range from a simple activity audit and one-off marketing plan, through to full implementation of a comprehensive campaign and ongoing marketing support.

The generic packages designed by Tactix each include an in-depth organisational analysis and a review of the competitive market, so while the approach offers the price predictability of a cookie cutter service, it is easily catered to all businesses.

Crump and the Tactix team bring together a wealth of experience from across a diverse range of sectors, from the SME field to some of the country’s biggest telecommunications, central services and insurance brands.