Unexpected Ways To Leverage Marketing In Your Business

Christine Pilkington is the CEO and founder of Crisp, a fractional CMO and contract marketing services firm based in Vancouver, Canada.

In the context of any given business, the marketing function is typically thought to encompass certain responsibilities like customer or client communications, advertising, posting on social media, organizing events and running promotions.

However, I’m here to tell you that if you can leverage a marketing philosophy in your business, you can use it to unlock so much more potential. Rather than thinking of marketing as a siloed department or a set of typical tasks and responsibilities, you can leverage its applications and insights for just about any business situation.

Here’s an example. I once consulted for a brilliant founder who was working on a billion-dollar valuation for his startup. He looked at marketing differently than a lot of other founders, in that he understood the value of creating a buzz around his brand for his target audience: investors. In other words, he wanted to leverage marketing tactics to get his target audience’s buy-in.

So what marketing know-how can leaders apply to similar situations? Here are a few examples:

Leverage the power of positioning.

When it came to pitching, this ambitious founder wanted to go big—so he knew that the company’s branding had to be elevated in order to punch above its weight class. We decided a rebrand would resonate with investors and target clients alike.

Being strategic about your positioning includes getting super clear on a brand’s value proposition—an exercise usually done with regard to a brand’s target audience, which, in our case, included investors as well as potential clients. It also means strategizing on how to differentiate your company from the competition as industry thought leaders through quality content.

Create hype.

In order to be attractive, a brand must first be credible. When aiming to garner investment, marketing metrics—such as the number of followers you have on various platforms or the brands you’ve partnered with—matter.

Strong numbers and big names convey a great deal of authority and generate affinity and appeal, and they can do a lot to strengthen pitch decks and proposals.

Strengthen your communications.

Marketers know how to communicate well, whether in writing, with visuals or in other creative media. My client got great feedback on the strength of his presentation skills and other communications materials.

Being an effective communicator requires understanding your audience. Getting clear on their priorities and motivations, and the type of language and examples that will resonate with them, will help you make a great case. For example, knowing when to bring in data versus taking a storytelling approach can make all the difference in a pitch.

How else can companies leverage a marketing philosophy?

Aside from securing investors, what impact can marketing have on other business applications? Here are a few more scenarios I’ve encountered in my career as a marketer and fractional CMO:

1. Recruitment: Differentiate yourself.

When it comes to recruiting, having an eye for employer marketing can help differentiate your company from competitors in order to secure (and retain) top candidates. Being able to clearly articulate how your brand values relate to your business vision is an important aspect of any careers page, job description or interview conversation.

Meanwhile, a social media or content strategy specifically aimed at attracting and engaging with prospective hires, for example, by showcasing company values and culture, can go a long way.

2. Exiting or selling a business: A strong digital footprint can be a selling point.

I once advised a business owner who had plans to sell the company in the next few years. In addition to tangible assets, like the storefront and inventory, I encouraged her to consider the business’s digital marketing footprint as a potential selling point.

For example, a loyal audience—whether in the form of an email list or social media following—and a quality website are both valuable aspects of brand equity. Put another way, given the hypothetical choice between two companies, one which has an established marketing infrastructure and one which does not, it’s fairly obvious which one many buyers would prefer.

3. Change management: Get internal buy-in for new projects.

When a business undergoes significant changes, whether adopting new technology, pivoting its strategy or restructuring, the success of any given initiative often hinges on how well the change is communicated and embraced internally. Here, marketing insights and skills can be instrumentalized to shape key messaging, operationalize communications and engage stakeholders.

For example, let’s say your company is transitioning to a new enterprise software system. Rather than emphasizing functionality, the leadership team might focus on getting employee buy-in to make the rollout effective via an internal “campaign” around the software launch. This could include branding the project with a name and a visual identity, tailoring communications to different employee groups, creating boilerplate copy to standardize messaging around the change and crafting a project launch strategy to generate excitement.

By dissolving traditional borders around marketing applications, companies can unlock innovative solutions to challenges across various business functions. Whether securing investors, attracting top talent, preparing for a sale or managing internal transitions, the principles of marketing can help to create clarity and alignment and drive major change. The key is to think of marketing not just as an individual function, but as a strategic mindset for growth.

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