It has been months in the making... late nights, early mornings… tons of coffee… gallons of red bull… but we did it… our company took a huge step forward this week. MARKET LAUNCH!!! We pushed a new website live , created new messaging and positioning, developed new brand assets , introduced huge product features, and started offering a free trial .
What is amazing to me is not the amount of things we did, but the way we were able to bring singularity and focus throughout an entire organization on a common goal. As everything is being activated and rolls out into the market, it is almost like watching a well choreographed musical. But instead of sitting in the seats with the audience, I get to be behind the curtain.
As a marketer , I am a true believer in forcing functions. Those moments where you get people working together to unleash an experience out into the world. The reason... you are never officially "done" with anything in marketing. There is always another test, another iteration, a new way to engage a customer on their journey… it never stops. Nor should it. But if you don’t set a boundary, you will catch yourself in the death spiral of marketing hell. Which consequently leads you down one of two paths: 1) Absolute mediocrity, or 2) Burnout.
Whether you have incorporated sprints within an agile mentality or run a more traditional waterfall approach in your marketing team, forcing functions work. The fun part is when it radiates outside of the marketing team into the rest of the organization. The accountability and deadline driven approach does amazing things to drive priorities and truly create impactful change for the entire company, and its customers.
Related: How to Jumpstart Your Marketing Strategy
Although it is never easy to do, getting collaboration on an initiative from teams outside of marketing is really when the magic happens. It elevates a marketing campaign or program to a true market launch.
Think of it similar to a musical…
An amazing experience for both the audience and the participants when you can bring it all together.