There has never been a time in history that has justified the need for lean marketing more than the COVID-19 pandemic. Even today, impacts from the pandemic are lingering, and a potential recession looms in the near future. All forms of rigid planning in marketing have been thrown out of the window for better agile forms of marketing that fit these unprecedented times. Ready to get started now? Check out our Ultimate Guide to HubSpot Administrators here, and learn more about lean marketing!
The Need for Lean Marketing
In preparation for the recession, marketing teams are downsizing their budgets and taking other austerity measures to brace for tougher economic times ahead. This pandemic is sure to change how most businesses work and operate for years to come.
This calls for a marketing strategy that maintains focus while being agile at the same time. A marketing strategy that is flexible to new developments and the uncertainties brought about by this recession.
Where Does Lean Marketing Come In?
The saying "with crisis comes opportunity" is true now more than ever. Lean marketing proves to be an untimely solution for marketers at this point. Other marketing strategies are proving to be unreliable by the day. Lean marketing helps teams:
- Come up with measurable solutions to marketing problems
- Brainstorm on short term strategies
- Cut costs and get maximum value by eliminating unnecessary and redundant procedures
- Create flexibility and ability to adapt to changing times
- Enhance teamwork and better understanding within the marketing team
Rapid Transitioning
Now that the need for lean marketing is set and established, marketing team leaders cannot start reading books and creating long term strategies. The severity of this emergency calls for quick action, hacks, and tips that can enable rapid transformation in the wake of this crisis. In disasters, every second counts.
Ditch Long Term Strategies for Short Term Ones
Agility is one of the strongest pillars of lean marketing. The fact that we are in a global pandemic with no end in sight calls for shorter measurable marketing strategies. A HubSpot Administrator can assist in the adjustment your current strategy to meet the needs of today's buyers. Bulky long-term strategies that require massive budgets and several teams are less rewarding and can run you out of business in this recessionary environment.
Focus and Automate
Another critical pillar of lean marketing is the ability to give maximum attention to the essential aspects of marketing. If your customer base responds more to social media than to radio, consider ditching radio as a marketing strategy and encourage your team to lean heavily into social media as a way to reap the maximum benefits.
Now is also the best time to make good use of marketing software and technology. Redundant tasks in your marketing team should be automated or outsourced to marketing software. Marketing automation can streamline processes immensely, and is easy to execute in HubSpot. The fact that social distancing requires fewer workers further justifies the decision to automate tiring and time-consuming tasks that your team members handle.
Aim For Agility
Agility is also a significant pillar in lean marketing and is a sure way to transform your marketing team rapidly. All internal bottlenecks and red tape on adjustment or change should be removed from your team. Lean marketing requires proactive marketing that changes with the business environment.
Assessments and Meetings
Assessment is also another great pillar of the lean mentality. Incremental progress has to be made in your projects every single day and shown in daily reports. The progress made in the iterative marketing projects also has to be recorded in daily reports. This is made even easier by creative analytics such as those offered by The Insight Studio.
Those long round table meetings with some guy at the end of the table lecturing a mentally absent audience with platitudes has no place in lean marketing. One of the quickest ways to introduce lean marketing is by holding stand-up meetings, which may be virtual due to social distancing guidelines. This enables the rapid flow of information and ideas within the marketing teams.
For more insights on lean marketing and for the best marketing advice for HubSpot Users out there, contact us at The Insight Studio today and let us be part of your transformation.
Updated 3/14/23
