How digital marketing teams may survive in an uncertain environment.

There are times when agility is the only viable alternative.

The pandemic pivot is a clear illustration. There are, nevertheless, equally acute, albeit less dramatic, examples of forced adaptability occurring daily in businesses.

The digital marketing team was given less than six weeks to rebrand our global website. The project involved over thirty groups and six geographical locations, which had to be completed throughout the holidays. Fun times!

Only by utilizing the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) running on the Now Platform were we able to accomplish this while remaining relatively sane and dedicated to the work.

SAFe is a collection of Agile best practices that enables large enterprises to rapidly develop and deliver high-quality products and services. Since we have embraced it, there is no turning back—that is effective for digital marketing management.

Digital Marketing is not a solo sport

Playing soccer or basketball without both defensive and offensive players is impossible. Digital marketing is identical. Each team member provides a distinct skill set and perspective to achieve victory. To create and deliver value, enterprises need to comprehend the available capabilities and ecosystems and the dependencies and bottlenecks that impede growth.

For many online marketing teams, this requires a significant mental shift. The employees are distributed: Too many concurrent initiatives. Too frequent meetings. Not enough resources. Unrealistic ambitions. Competing objectives.

The outcome is a reactive mentality characterized by limited executive visibility, chaotic stakeholder communications, and too few deliverables crossing the finish line on time. Consequently, stakeholders and customers receive lower value.

Working diligently does not necessarily imply working strategically.

SAFe works, but why?

We therefore resorted to SAFe. It is reliable and predictable: We can swiftly integrate and test digital upgrades in an environment simulating production. We can update feature pages and deliver products of superior quality to the market more quickly. Additionally, SAFe adds a layer of resilience. The digital marketing team can swiftly implement new campaigns or assets if the market shifts and develops an insatiable need for further information or items. Under an all-at-once approach, undertakings might be divided into manageable components and milestones.

Under an all-at-once approach, undertakings might be divided into manageable components and milestones.

In place of an all-at-once approach, undertakings might be divided into manageable components and milestones.

Organizational agility is another significant advantage of adopting SAFe. Our marketing teams can make decisions more quickly since they have a deeper understanding of the deliverable’s complexity, timeframe, resources, and methods. The teams comprehend the requirements for program execution and the related dependencies and dangers. With lower backlogs, the team can engage in transparent discussions around priorities. And shorter test-and-learn cycles inform refinement or replication efforts, reducing risk and maximizing rewards.

The emphasis that SAFe places on stakeholder participation promote openness. Teams comprehend what we deliver and the business benefits their efforts generate. Small, frequent victories promote team listening, trust, and improvement through collaboration.

Digital marketing is answerable not only to its priorities but also to the company, product, and solution teams. Consequently, broader team talks are essential. Post-delivery retrospectives report back into the execution loop, allowing teams to evaluate what went well and what could be enhanced. What is the result? A constructively proactive frame of mind.

Using SAFe

During our six-week brand revamp, the influence of SAFe became obvious. We changed SAFe processes and adopted a daily work cadence for deliverables, resulting in 15-minute standups every morning.

Particular performance measures assisted in driving continual learning and enhancement, mainly when we rolled out modifications in new geographies. Quick touchpoints, regular leadership reports, and daily progress demonstrations helped us stay on track and address any difficulties that developed.

With SAFe, marketing teams have a critical instrument for turning the vision and priorities of digital marketing into achievable work pieces that produce exceptional user experiences.

Digital marketing must deliver an exceptional, unified digital experience to customers, prospects, partners, and other stakeholders that supports the company’s vision and objectives, drives business success, and stimulates customer and prospect participation. With SAFe, marketing teams have a critical instrument for turning the eye and priorities of digital marketing into achievable work pieces that produce exceptional user experiences.

Contact Seattle Advertising today to discuss your digital marketing solution.