Eventually every marketer will have a situation where he/she needs to re-prove the value of their efforts. Maybe you have a new manager or VP now or your biggest client has had turnover or restructuring at their organization, but no matter what the situation is, being able to articulate your value is of the utmost importance during this transition.
In my mind, nothing is more stressful professionally as knowing that the great working relationship you had is gone and, at the same time, the value of your work is being scrutinized by someone who may or may not think favorably of the type of work you’ve been doing. It’s enough to make any marketer break out in a cold sweat and start to panic. But after being in the industry for 10 years, I’ve had to do this more times than I can count. So here are my top tips for proving the value of your marketing efforts again:
In my mind, nothing is more stressful professionally as knowing that the great working relationship you had is gone and, at the same time, the value of your work is being scrutinized by someone who may or may not think favorably of the type of work you’ve been doing. It’s enough to make any marketer break out in a cold sweat and start to panic. But after being in the industry for 10 years, I’ve had to do this more times than I can count. So here are my top tips for proving the value of your marketing efforts again:
Listen
The most important thing you can do is to start by listening. Ask your new boss or client what their goals are and what their familiarity is with the type of work you’ve been doing. This will help guide future conversations so that you can provide foundational information, where necessary, and go into more depth, where possible. It will also allow you to frame wins properly in terms of new organizational goals. This is the best way to avoid wasting time and offending your new leadership.
Lean on The Numbers
The numbers don’t lie. Okay, well metrics can be deceiving sometimes, but as long as you’re being honest with your reporting and disclosures, the numbers should back up your value. Don’t just simply state the value of your efforts, use the numbers to reinforce your value. Focus on KPIs and tell the story behind the numbers to give them context.
Highlight Major Wins
Metrics are great, but they don’t always paint the whole picture of the work that you’ve been doing. Always focus on major wins throughout the duration of the work that you’ve been doing and give a progress report of the wins you’re on your way to currently. Align wins with past and future organizational goals to prove that your work is key to the organization’s success.
Provide Ad Hoc Reports
After listening and highlighting wins and metrics, there may still be some holes left to plug. This is where ad hoc reports come into play! If your new client doesn’t seem convinced of your value, ask what else you can provide. Report on numbers that you didn’t already cover and provide custom reports that your new client can review as he/she gets settled in. Remember, custom reporting isn’t something that you’ll just have to do at the beginning, you should continue to offer this on an ongoing basis throughout your time working together. (…And just hope that your new client ends up being relatively low maintenance!)
Kate Pierce is the owner of LionShark Digital Marketing LLC, a West Michigan internet marketing company. Her areas of expertise include Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization, Business Blogging and Web Copywriting. She lives in the Grand Rapids area with her husband and son and enjoys cooking, watching sports, and spending time together as a family. Like a true digital marketing expert (i.e. geek), she loves talking about current marketing trends… so don’t say you weren’t warned!
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