Agility Rules – How to get started with Agile Marketing

In previous blog posts we discussed how agile methodologies have gained significant momentum in the marketing arena, as they allow marketers to quickly adjust to the rapidly changing nature of the industry. Some of the characteristics of agile marketing include shorter campaigns, focus on ROI and measurements, adoption of new tools, and an emphasis on fresh, original, and valuable content. You may see the potential and the benefits, and may be willing to give agile marketing a try, but you may ask yourself how to go about implementing agile methods in the first place.
How about some tips? 

• Acknowledge the paradigm shift. For a lot of marketing teams agile methods can be quite a big paradigm shift, especially when it comes to self-assignment of tasks and a faster output rate. It’s important to recognize this and to understand that you may hit some bumps along the way. Be patient, give the process time, and in true agile fashion, be prepared to fine-tune your approach on an ongoing basis.
• Keep focusing on your customers. Anything and everything you do as a marketer has to be done with the customer experience in mind. Don’t lose sight of your target audience at any point in time as you are implementing agile methods.
• Build and coach your team. As mentioned above, because agile marketing is still a fairly new approach, some of your team members will need to get used to the new pace and increased autonomy. Be sure to identify the individuals who are the most enthusiastic, flexible, and communicative, and allow them to become cheerleaders for your approach, and hopefully leaders in their respective areas.
• Plan small iterations. Agility is based on short iterations. Instead of producing elaborate artifacts and project plans, you develop sprints with specific outcomes. Ensure that your sprints are small enough to allow you to identify what doesn’t work so that you can change course if needed, but also long enough to provide you with sufficient data to measure your progress.
• Determine the desired results. As you plan your sprints, don’t get caught up in details, but instead, identify the desired outcomes and let your team members determine how to to achieve them. Focus on the “what”, not so much on the “how”.
• Encourage self-assignment. Agile methods don’t leave room for micro-management. Trust your team to do what they need to do to achieve the desired results and create an environment of autonomy.
• Foster real time communication. Agility works best when team members communicate frequently and directly. I recommend holding daily stand-up meetings, in which each team member answers the following questions: What did I do yesterday? What am I going to do today? Are there any road blocks?
• Inspect and adjust. Agile marketing is extremely metrics-driven. Therefore, it’s essential that you track and measure as much as you can, including your social media engagement and the traffic that social media drives to your site. After each sprint, meet as a team and discuss what worked, what didn’t work, and what to do next.

Have you implemented agile marketing methods at your company? What are some pointers that you can give marketers who want to give it a try?