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HOW-TO GUIDE
Getting Started with
Agile Marketing
HOW-TO GUIDE
When you hear the word agile, you probably think about agility, which refers to a system’s ability to
change by adapting to its new environment. Similarly, agile movements are quick, light and easy.
When we speak in terms of marketing, Agile Marketing is a method for planning and executing a
marketing plan borrowed from the world of software development.
Instead of long, “waterfall” methods of development that too often result in delayed or out-of-
date products launching later than planned, the agile method follows a simple process of build,
measure, and learn. Agile Marketing, then, is the application of these methods to marketing.
Marketers all over the world are adopting this method to the extent that 2013 has been dubbed
“the year of Agile Marketing.”
This How-To Guide defines why Agile Marketing is important, outlines its key principles, and iden-
tifies an action plan for getting started.
The waterfall method refers to traditional marketing plans that involve a fixed sequence of stages
throughout the project lifecycle. You would not move to the next section, let’s say product design,
until you had completed the previous section, in this case, research. This marketing plan was
oriented vertically with a series of cascading steps, hence the waterfall association. The problem
with this method is that it does not easily account for project or plan delays, which are far too
common. Once a section of work is complete in a waterfall plan, there is no return — or no climbing
back up the waterfall.
Agile Marketing improves marketing by enabling what the waterfall method never could – completing
work in smaller chunks and adapting quickly and effectively to change. Through a system of checks
and balances, Agile Marketing lets you evaluate your projects while they are works in progress.
When something isn’t working, you’ll know it sooner, in time to try a new approach. This lets you
make quicker decisions about when it’s time to abandon part of the plan altogether. The value
of this approach is flexibility. You cannot predict with 100% accuracy the market or how well your
plan addresses its needs, but with Agile Marketing you can quickly adapt your plan as necessary,
allowing you to achieve better marketing results.
This is where Agile Marketing comes into play. Rather than having your team operate in large,
time-consuming “sprints,” it is much more efficient to work in shorter and more defined sprints,
such as monthly. This allows your team to touch base consistently about where they are in their
timeline and what is going on with the work they own. It doesn’t mean that you throw out your
annual plan; it just means you work on smaller monthly goals that will all add up to your annual
objective. In order to achieve the best results, it is important that everyone on your team have an
equal opportunity to contribute. It’s time to abandon the silo and get everyone working together,
whether a junior employee or regional manager. Employees at all levels and in all departments
can bring something unique to your plan – the Agile Marketing approach gets everyone involved
in creating and successfully executing your marketing plan.
Most businesses using Agile Marketing have adopted the scrum technique: a cross-functional
team, consisting of six to ten people. The idea here is simple: each scrum has a project deliverable
(the user story) and works in sprints. The scrum meets frequently (stand-up) with the other groups
to discuss your progress and get feedback, thus improving future sprints and project deliverables.
At the end of each sprint, there is a review. Here you will determine if your goal was met, discuss
possible improvements for the next sprint, and then the cycle repeats. Each sprint builds upon
the last to achieve success in your overall plan; however, breaking each project down into smaller
pieces will make your marketing plan much more manageable.
Bottom Line
Agile Marketing is the future of marketing. The success of your business ultimately depends on
your ability to plan and execute well. Traditional marketing plans, based on the waterfall concept,
take a long time to create, have notoriously short shelf lives and do not adapt well to rapidly
changing marketing conditions. Agile Marketing overcomes these limitations and helps the organ-
izations that use this method function as a nimble competitor.
Select A
2 Deliverable
Identify Story
3 Points
Agile Scrum Master Checklist
VIEW RESOURCE
Determine The
4 Sprint
Schedule
5 Standups
Review and
6 Refine
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