Everyone hates attending a meeting which could have easily been an email. You know the kind of meeting we are talking about, the kind where almost nothing gets done but a lot of time gets wasted – time you could have spent on something truly productive such as creating effective business strategies. A good business leader not only values their time and the time of their employees, but they also understand the importance of a well-structured meeting where everyone can contribute to something great.
Unfortunately, when it comes to complex processes like the ones in the marketing department, leaders love setting meetings without preparing well in advance. One of the goals of marketing is to help your company grow, and in order to do that, you have to conduct productive and effective meetings, so let’s take a look at the five tips that will help you prep for every meetup with your team, whether on Zoom or in person.
Prep the agenda and key talking points
To “wing it” means to make a meeting with your marketing team needlessly long and unproductive, because remember, you might have some talented people in your team but you are the one who is supposed to bring that talent to life with your leadership and guidance. If you just waltz in and let everyone have their say without structuring the meeting and following a strict agenda, you’re not only bound to spread confusion but you’re also invariably going to let an important detail slip through the cracks.
With that in mind, your first priority is to make a detailed agenda. Start by listing the reasons why you’re meeting with your team, who the key actors are, and list the primary objectives for this session. Next, list the key talking points per person and marketing sector (social media, PPC, SEO, SEM, and others), and be sure to allocate enough time for everyone. Finally, give an outline to key discussion points, topics, and any questions that your team members might have.
Compile and collate marketing KPIs
You can’t hope to achieve much if you don’t have relevant, timely, and actionable information to guide your meeting. Remember that every good business decision is based on relevant consumer, industry, and market information, which is why you have to collect and collate your marketing data into actionable reports. These reports will help structure your meeting and give you a clear overview of marketing performance and department as a whole.
There are many important KPIs that every team in your marketing department should monitor at all times, including the customer’s lifetime value, brand awareness and reach, social proof, marketing qualified leads, marketing ROI, and more. Make sure to compile all of these metrics into one comprehensive report to help guide the meeting using reliable information and insights.
Equip the room with the necessary tech
Technology has revolutionized the marketing industry as well as the modern business world as a whole, which is why technology should be the key component in your every meeting if you want it to be as productive and fruitful as possible. Aside from using a smart reporting tool and analytics tools, you should also use dedicated CRM software, email marketing tools, project management tools, and more.
That said, marketing meetings can be lengthy at times, so you have to make sure that all devices are topped off at all times. If you’re meeting with your team on the go or if you’re using your phone throughout, having a 20000 mah power bank is a good idea to prevent your smartphone from dying on you midway. Make sure that you and all your team members are well-equipped to participate in a productive way by combining software and hardware tools, and you’ll have no problem running an effective meeting.
Allocate time for ideas and questions
A big part of marketing meetings is brainstorming and coming up with new ideas that will spruce up your strategies and deliver better results in the short, mid, and long term. This takes time and it requires a relaxed yet productive atmosphere.
Whatever you do, don’t rush this process, but rather give your team enough time to come up with interesting ideas and concepts that you can sign off on, so that they can work on them after the meeting. Be sure to dedicate time to questions and answers as well, and encourage your team members to ask anything that comes to mind right then and there instead of bombarding you with emails the following day.
Compare new with last month’s goals
Finally, always compare and contrast on last month’s performance in order to set better goals, refine your metrics, and adapt your approach to improve your marketing efforts in the future. Don’t think of this as an opportunity to point out where your marketing team is underperforming, rather, look at it as an opportunity to discover new areas where you can improve. Be a leader and give honest and encouraging feedback, throw some of your ideas around, and make realistic goals for your next meeting that will motivate your employees to dream bigger and achieve more.
Wrapping up
A marketing meeting is something that can make you roll your eyes and hope to God that it will be over soon, or it can be something truly inspirational that will help you achieve many business goals while connecting with your team on a deeper level. Be sure to use these tips to organize amazing marketing meetings that will transform your business.
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