Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Why Aligning Your Tech & Marketing Teams Is a Must

In today’s digital-first landscape, marketers are relying more and more on technology to improve customer experience, drive client growth, and capture and analyze valuable consumer data. As businesses continue to increase their MarTech budgets and implement new tools, collaboration between tech and marketing teams is fast becoming a strategic necessity.

When these two departments are in alignment, MarTech tools can be used to optimum efficiency. Marketers can use their expertise to drive market differentiation and create the best customer experience, while IT teams can focus on running, managing, and scaling the technology in a streamlined and cost-effective way. The entire organization benefits from this synergy, especially when it comes to maximizing the bottom line.

Why IT Departments Matter in Marketing

Today’s digital business environment requires that all companies, regardless of the product or service they provide, have some degree of technological expertise. 
While marketing teams may be the ones responsible for creating innovative and engaging content, the success of that content now relies heavily on how it’s presented and delivered from a technological standpoint.

Data-based and dynamic creatives, for example, depend on fast and precise IT systems in order to be effective. No matter how clever the messaging may be, it won’t convert if the data is not accurate. So it’s essential that, whenever appropriate, tech leads be brought in as early as possible to help with data-based marketing strategies, including:

Evaluating New Marketing Technologies

The rise of cloud-based SaaS software has made it possible for marketing teams to find and deploy applications without any involvement from their tech teams. But this is a mistake, even for startups and small business, as it limits the criteria by which an application is evaluated.

Marketers, naturally, will be focused on how a platform performs in terms of its ability to enhance campaign efforts and provide measurable ROI. While these are important metrics, a much more comprehensive picture of the tool’s efficiency comes into view when measured alongside tech-minded criteria such as reliability, data security, integration, and support needs.

Assisting With Implementation

Because some cloud-based marketing platforms require minimal tech skills to deploy, marketers may falsely assume that all enterprise-level applications can be integrated into their existing business systems with ease. But this is not the case — the processes are much more complicated the majority of the time and require careful planning to be most effective.
 

In order to ensure a smooth and efficient transition, a number of tech-focused factors need to be considered, including data migration, synchronization with other applications, permissions, mobile strategy, and integration with single sign-on systems. It’s also important to have a clear idea of how the application will be supported by IT teams once it’s been deployed moving forward.

Optimizing Analytics

Collaborating with IT teams to best leverage analytics tools helps boost ROI. Because in all likelihood, no matter how tech-savvy a team of marketers may be, they are typically not as familiar with the intricacies of analytics software as their tech-trained counterparts. When brought in early to assist with the development of specific project metrics, tech teams can help ensure all data are maximized and turned into actionable insights.

Customizing Automation Tools

Organizations are relying more and more on marketing automation to streamline workflows and optimize campaign performance.
While there is no shortage of automation tools available for marketers to utilize, most require some level of customization to be fully beneficial.
Additionally, when marketing teams collaborate with IT to identify and automate the manual tasks that slow them down the most (including basic admin work and tedious creative design tasks such as batching editing or file resizing), they can improve their productivity and run more efficiently.

Coming Together: 4 Quick Tips for Aligning Your Tech & Marketing Departments

  1. Meet Regularly: Have tech and marketing team leads meet at least one a month to review projects and align performance objectives.
  2. Create Joint Roadmaps: Map projects with IT’s involvement from the outset, outlining the skills and capabilities needed from each team.
  3. Assign Roles: Avoid conflict mid-project by clearly defining and documenting which team owns what. Make sure all team members understand their role and responsibilities.
  4. Invest in Cross-Training: Provide opportunities for marketers to upgrade their tech skills via marketing analytics, data science, or other relevant courses.

In Conclusion

As marketing strategy becomes more reliant on systems and data to succeed, the need for collaboration between tech and marketing teams has become essential. And while this urgency has certainly increased over the last fourteen months, harmony between these two departments has proved to be a beneficial business strategy long before the pandemic. In a 2018 study from McKinsey, for example, companies with CMOs who worked closely with IT to achieve business goals were found to be more successful, increasing revenues at 10% a year.
 
A unified approach means better business all around, as well as highly targeted marketing campaigns that utilize data to deliver optimized and personalized experiences and maximize your ROI.

You may also like...

Subscribe to Our Blog

Subscribe to receive an email when we publish new content!

    Ready To Empower Your Business?

    We can help you future-ready your business with customized, innovative solutions designed to foster sustainable growth.

            Meto

            Meto

            Meto is a tech-based nonprofit intent on making access to quality higher education a reality for all students. We have a special focus on creating scholarships for low-income students.


            In 2018, Meto was founded to connect African students with university opportunities. Along the way, we have learned that all students can benefit from our innovative model, wherein universities make the first move and invite good-fit students to apply. So, in 2023, we opened our platform to students across the globe.

            website: https://meto-intl.org/

                      Nikhil Badlani Foundation

                      The Mission of the Nikhil Badlani Foundation (the “Foundation”) is to enhance the lives of underserved children in West Orange, NJ and neighboring communities through music lessons, scholarships, and traffic safety education for all.

                      Since the Foundation was established in 2011, Theorem has consistently been an annual sponsor of and team participant in the STOP for Nikhil 5K Run/3K Walk. This event intends to raise traffic safety awareness and to serve as a way to remembervbgfc ≈ and honor those who have been killed or seriously injured in traffic accidents. We recognize the importance of raising awareness and road safety amongst teenagers and parents alike, especially in the local communities of our Chatham, New Jersey office. Learn more about the Nikhil Badlani Foundation at nikhilbadlanifoundation.org

                      Diversity and Inclusion

                      Theorem actively aids in the ongoing fight against systemic racism and discrimination, realizing the importance of ongoing discussions surrounding diversity and inclusion.

                      By contributing to organizations such as Black Girls Code and the Anti-Racism fund, we aim to be a fundamental supporter of diversity in the workplace and beyond. These organizations specifically speak to Theorem’s role as a leading voice in the technology innovation space and we avidly support their missions. The vision of Black Girls Code is to empower girls of color, ages 7-17 to become innovators in STEM fields and encourages them to be the builders of their own futures. The Anti-Racism Fund serves as a response to the inequities experienced by the African-American community. It provides monetary support to a dynamic portfolio of curated organizations as a way to inject and enable social change.

                      Feeding America

                      Feeding America is the largest charity working to end hunger in the United States. By partnering with local food banks, food pantries and other community food programs, Feeding America looks to advance change across the country and ensure equitable access to nutritious food.

                      As a long-standing contributor and sponsor of Feeding America, we deeply believe in their vision of an America without hunger. The need for and importance of organizations like Feeding America has has become more and more prevalent as communities face more hardships as a result of the pandemic and the current economy. Theorem is dedicated to its continued contributions to Feeding America to do our part to empower and strengthen our communities. Learn more about Feeding America at www.feedingamerica.org

                      Grameen America

                      Grameen America is dedicated to helping entrepreneurial women who live in poverty build businesses to enable financial stability mobility.

                      Since their founding in the United States in 2008, Theorem has supported Grameen America’s mission, which seeks to build upon the legacy of Presidential Medal of Freedom, Congressional Gold Medal and Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus. Through financial contributions and event participation, Theorem has contributed to Grameen America’s cause. As an immigrant entrepreneur himself, our CEO Jay Kulkarni is especially eager to support the organization’s mission of aiding underserved communities. Learn more about Grameen America at www.grameenamerica.org

                      Vision Spring

                      VisionSpring is making the wonder of clear vision possible for all by helping provide affordable and quality eyeglasses to those in need. For many, lack of access to affordable eyeglasses leads to loss of employment or less educational opportunities.

                      VisionSpring partners with organizations who join them in their mission of supporting livelihood initiatives, enhancing potential for all. Learn more about Vision Spring at https://visionspring.org Theorem has consistently partnered with VisionSpring to organize free events, such as eye check-ups, across multiple villages in the Mysuru, India region, impacting over 3,000 rural residents. We stand with VisionSpring in their mission to increase accessibility to quality eyewear and eye care.

                      Covenant House

                      Covenant House provides housing and supportive services to youth facing homelessness, helping young people transform their lives.

                      For more than 5+ years, Theorem has supported Covenant House with corporate sponsorships, leading career-building workshops at their Newark, NJ shelter facility and participation in the organization’s fund raising Sleep Outs. Covenant House utilizes these Sleep Outs to raise funds and help shine a light on the injustice of youth homelessness, inspiring communities to step up and protect the vulnerable. We are proud to support Covenant House’s programs, which are designed to empower young people to overcome and rise above adversity, today and in the future. Learn more about Covenant House at www.covenanthouse.org

                      Contract Type

                      |

                      Location

                      Job Title

                      Contract Type

                      |

                      Location

                      Job Title

                      Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.