Full Sail Partners Blog

Marketing is like the Swiss Army knife of a company. Whether it's analyzing market trends, crafting messages that resonate with customers, or collaborating with top-tier decision-makers, marketers are the glue that holds these diverse aspects of a business together. By actively embracing change, they not only stay ahead of the curve but also contribute significantly to the company's adaptability and long-term success. Let's explore a bit about what marketing entails and how it is beneficial for companies to embrace change.  

The Many Faces of Marketing in Managing Change

The External Researcher

Marketing serves as the economic detective, constantly staying ahead of industry and economic developments. The role involves continuous research and analysis, with a particular focus on external factors that impact the business. Marketing often uncovers the initial clues to market change, making it an integral part of the change detection process.

This role involves monitoring competitor movements, tracking consumer behavior shifts, and anticipating economic trends. By interpreting these clues, marketers not only provide early warnings about potential disruptions but also position the company strategically to proactively respond to emerging opportunities. In essence, they act as the business's radar, navigating through the dynamic landscape to ensure it stays on course despite the change in economic currents.

The Positioner/Communicator

Once change is detected, marketing's role evolves into that of a positioner and communicator. The task is to internally convey the change to the executive team and then respond through market communications to customers, essentially defining the company's market positioning. Internally, marketing collaborates with the executive team to determine necessary business changes, constructing communications that help employees understand the impact of the change positively and accurately. In positioning, marketers look into the perspectives of customers, competitors, and industry analysts, communicating through various channels such as social media, articles, papers, and presentations. These external communications demonstrate the company's awareness and capability to navigate a changing environment while providing value to customers. The Executive Team Participant

Marketing teams function as analysts, consistently monitoring the industry landscape to anticipate future business trajectories and align the company accordingly. Serving as the middleman of both customer relations and the company's positioning, marketing assumes a pivotal role in internal transformations. Effective communication stands as a cornerstone, entailing the reinforcement of core messages through systematically delivered and timely directives. Leveraging a proactive communication approach across various channels ensures that our workforce is well-informed at every step of the way, fostering an environment valuing input and feedback.

The Technology Evolver

While marketing spearheads internal changes, it must also adapt its own processes, especially in terms of technology. Forbes.com refers to this as "Adaptive Marketing," emphasizing that marketers must embrace change rapidly and radically due to evolving technologies. Implementing process changes and calculating organizational impacts become differentiators, emphasizing that technology alone does not solve problems; it merely highlights them.

One such technology is AI. Marketers use AI to make engaging social media captions and blogs, leveraging algorithms that analyze user behavior for optimized language and style. Additionally, AI tools curate video content by identifying and cutting out snippets of interest, intelligently captioning them for social media sharing.

This integration not only expedites content creation but also helps to build personalized connections with the audience. Embracing AI is crucial for marketers navigating evolving technology, offering efficiency and a competitive edge. The integration of AI into marketing processes allows for a responsive approach, aligning campaigns with ever-changing audience preferences. In the era of adaptive marketing, AI serves as a powerful ally, adding to human creativity and driving impactful, data-driven initiatives.

The Influencer of the Company Culture

Having a good company culture is important. It's like the secret sauce that helps our team do their best work. At Full Sail Partners, our organizational culture revolves around collaboration and adaptability to change, and we prioritize creating an engaging and fun work environment.

This commitment is evident in the events our marketing team organizes, both internally and externally. These events also serve several purposes. Beyond providing a source of enjoyment, they are designed to strengthen team bonds, encourage idea sharing, and even attract new talent. Whether it's a casual gathering or a virtual meet-up, these marketing events play a pivotal role in maintaining connectivity and enhancing collaborative efforts within our team.

Furthermore, we emphasize open communication as a fundamental aspect of our work culture. Ensuring that every team member has a voice is of paramount importance to us. We value the contributions of each individual, fostering an atmosphere where everyone feels acknowledged and appreciated. In our recent company get-together, we had everyone share where they were and what the weather was like. It was a cool way to get everyone involved, and since our team is all over the place it was interesting to hear the range of weather. Marketing also created the "Virtual Water Cooler" on our Microsoft Teams where folks can post birthdays, life events, and other non-work things. This positive atmosphere contributes to the resilience and adaptability of our work culture, particularly in the face of dynamic changes in the marketing and technology landscape.

Marketing Roles Organically Manage Change

Adapting to change is a constant in the business world, and marketing teams play an organic and pivotal part in ensuring smooth transitions. Marketers continuously engage in market research, create internal communication strategies, and position businesses effectively to keep them ahead. Functioning as early detectors, they monitor external factors, providing crucial insights for strategic adjustments.

Moreover, once a change is on the horizon, marketers collaborate with leadership to ensure a positive and accurate message to the team. And, as with our own team, marketing excels at fostering a positive company culture through organized events, both in-person and online, strengthening team bonds and fortifying our work culture. In essence, the many faces of marketing naturally set the stage for managing the ongoing challenges of a dynamic business environment.