Even some veteran data-driven marketing organizations stop short of fully operationalizing their data management. Why? Because it is a high-risk and difficult initiative. It requires time, budget and spending of internal equity. But when done right, it has a high payoff and ROI.

Doing it right requires implementing a framework that addresses five interconnected areas. The first key area is to plan your data implementation strategy. Step two requires stakeholder engagement.

Having internal and external stakeholders on board, aligned, engaged, and empowered is vital to successfully operationalizing data management. You will need to establish buy-in not only from your IT team, but also from your internal product, sales, marketing and finance groups, along with external agencies, consultants and technology partners.

Getting buy-in will require expending the internal equity you have built as a leader. This will be a time to judiciously use your stock to drive change and rally people behind the initiative. It will require asking people to have faith in you and the process.

As part of MSIGHTS’ roadmap to successful data implementation, we help our clients engage their stakeholders through these three key areas:

Alignment

  • Key metric definitions
  • Source management
  • Ongoing updates
  • Integration promotion cadence
  • Analysis responsibility

Engagement

  • Entire process integration
  • Feedback and input balanced with direction
  • Distribute analysis responsibility
  • External partner boundaries

Empowerment

  • Teach to fish, not to cook
  • Separate what from why
  • Direct access to data and results reporting
  • External partner team
  • Scheduled readouts

To transform your company into an effective data-driven marketing organization, you must engage your stakeholders, so they understand the importance of this high-risk initiative. If you’re going to invest the time, budget and internal equity, then you must get the stakeholders on board and aligned to the shared vision.

Check back over the next few weeks as we discuss the remaining key areas of our data implementation road map. If you missed the first one, you can read it here.