The Importance of Leadership in Digital Marketing
Leadership is an important skill, beneficial for varying fields. This is no different in digital marketing, where excellent leadership can ensure that a company’s digital assets are optimized to achieve its goals. According to a human capital report by Deloitte, 42% of companies considered developing leadership extremely important. This was back in 2017, and leadership is considered even more important in today’s digital age.
Since digital marketing involves using digital platforms to optimize advertising, most people assume that the most important skills needed for a digital marketer include advertising, social media, email marketing, and content marketing. While advanced skills are an important part of the job, many fail to realize that standing out in this vast field requires strong leadership skills.
Furthermore, while the aforementioned skills are essential, they need to be utilized properly to companies to benefit from them. This is where leadership comes in. Digital marketing requires collaboration across numerous departments and uses the effort of many people to achieve its purpose. As such, digital marketers require leadership skills to lead their teams effectively. Other skills included in this are innovation and communication.
Why Leadership Is an Integral Part of Digital Marketing
Every organization requires strong leaders who can make the proper decisions to ensure success, gain new opportunities, and grow their brand. Digital leadership achieves this by levering digital technology in marketing to improve sales, increase revenue, and optimize customer satisfaction. In this article, I will highlight the importance of leadership, especially as it pertains to digital marketing as a whole. Read on to find out how marketing leadership can help with digital transformation, business strategy, and customer acquisition and retention.
Leveraging Data
While data collection is easy, knowing what to do with it is not. Leaders in digital marketing don’t just hang on to data but leverage it and use it to get ahead. They can identify trends and customer behavior to make adjustments to marketing strategies based on data analysis. Since they can spot market trends, they also know where to focus data analysis and make recommendations based on the results.
Mentorship
Simply put, leadership is required in every aspect of a business. However, many firms outsource marketing because they don’t have quality digital marketing experts with outstanding leadership qualities. While a good leader knows when to delegate, some firms completely remove themselves from the equation and don’t keep up with technological advancements in the digital sphere or new ways to market to different audiences.
Leadership in digital marketing is important because good leaders aren’t just aware of the latest news in their fields but also decide to mentor and coach those around them. In sharing their knowledge, they not only better equip their teams for success but also educate and create the next generation of leaders. By mentoring those around them, leaders can build talented teams without hiring temporary employees, replacing employees, or outsourcing work. There’s a need for new leaders, and the way to fulfill this need is to have current leaders who are prepared to teach and prepare future leaders.
Adapting to Changes
Increasing digitization means that there’s always something new on the market. Whether it’s technological advancements or tools to better train workers, one thing is for certain – things never stay the same, and adapting to changes is integral to survival. Leaders in digital marketing don’t just adapt to changes. They ensure that the same is done for those around them. Delegation and mentorship are large parts of leadership in digital marketing, and these should always include ways to adapt to changing technology.
Unfortunately, many newly appointed leaders are stuck in their old ways and take time to get used to their new roles. Applying the skills used on them to those below them takes much longer than it should. Leaders training these employees beforehand is part of embracing change and teaching those below them to embrace it. After all, great leaders are those who make people around them better and inspire them to work harder. The more skilled and open to change the people in a company are, the more likely the company is to succeed and grow in the long run.
Increasing Revenue
By working on customer satisfaction, a business can serve more customers and increase revenue. Digitization can better serve customers, which will make them less likely to switch to a competitor’s goods or services. This increases retention rate, and repeat customers allow you to increase revenue. Digital marketing across different platforms also allows businesses to reach more customers in general. A good leader can make the most of the digital tools at their disposal and target new audiences. By using a mix of social media, email marketing, content marketing, and PPC, a business can attract new customers and grow its market share.
Getting People to Buy-In
Good leadership is essential in digital marketing because of the need to get people to buy into your ideas. Communication skills are a major factor as open and effective communication are needed to get everyone on the same page. Additionally, by communicating the strategy to people around them, leaders in digital marketing allow others to make their own decisions based on their instructions and the information given to them. Digital marketing leaders have to communicate and collaborate with individuals and teams from the IT, Sales, R&D, and Finance departments, as well as report to upper management. Leadership skills are a requirement and allow digital marketers to control large groups of people and get them on the same page.
Part of digital marketing for a business is getting all stakeholders to understand and implement certain plans. Not every step can be taken alone, and innovation requires the support of people around you. In order to transform a business and put your ideas to use, you must get everyone to buy in. This includes upper management who may not understand the importance of innovation in digital marketing. For an organization to truly succeed and embrace digital transformation, digital marketing must become part of the company’s fabric. Leaders in digital marketing communicate the need for innovation and out-of-the-box strategies so organizations can implement them and keep up with the constant changes in the field.
Increasing Productivity
Marketing leaders also increase employee productivity by equipping their subordinates with digital tools that can make their work easier and allow them to complete more work in the same amount of time. Without the right leadership, employees may have access to the same tools but may not know how or why to use them. Digital marketers who display strong leadership skills eliminate wasted time and focus on things like automation to increase workflow. By automating routine and repetitive tasks, they free up workers and allow them to spend more time on customer service and other important matters.
Improving Customer Satisfaction
Satisfying your customers and turning them into repeat customers is important if you want your business to thrive. This is especially true in today’s competitive environment. By working on customer support services, speed, and convenience, leaders can grow their businesses and retain loyal customers.
Prioritizing Customer Centricity
Simply providing good customer service isn’t enough for a business to succeed. Digital marketing can create a lasting impression on customers by making the organization as customer-centric as possible. This includes using collaboration, communication, and analytical skills to focus on customers’ wants and needs. Customer-based brands are known for working through co-creation and collaboration. In fact, a company must have consistent messaging throughout its marketing in order to spread this message. An interconnected company has the best chance of doing this and attracting more customers as a result.
A large part of becoming a customer-centric brand is anticipating customers’ needs. Leaders focus on research and conduct competitor analysis and pain points to solve problems and provide customers with solutions that are effective and affordable. Leadership requires advocating for customers and using digital marketing and other techniques to fulfilling promises and retaining clients.
Keeping consumer preferencing in mind when developing products and services also allows for a more personalized approach. This includes innovation, targeting specific market segments, and problem-solving to create the best possible overall customer experience.
Leadership in Marketing Success
Leadership isn’t just a skill. It’s a part of an overall marketing strategy and is integral to successful marketing. The end result of increasing sales and revenue, and furthering growth through customer acquisition, engagement, satisfaction, and retention require expertise in the various fields. In addition to experience in social media marketing, digital marketing leaders must know the ins and outs of email marketing, content marketing, PPC, and more. That being said, none of this can be optimized without good leadership.
Leadership in digital marketing utilizes innovation, inspiration, expertise, and business intellect to drive customer satisfaction, gain a competitive edge, and grow the company. A great leader is aware of this and works hard to improve this across every available channel. Ultimately, this results in the betterment of the company and success in today’s competitive digital world.
