Day 10: Information Systems

 

Dear Reader,

This morning I’m going to write about a competitive career advantage that marketers rarely, if ever, talk about.

Have you heard of the term Marketing Information System (MKIS)?

If you haven’t… let me be the first to tell you… it’s a way to level up your worth at your organization.

In my 20 year career as a marketing director, one of my biggest keys to success was building information systems within marketing departments.

You see… organizational skills are an important requirement for all marketing professionals.

A MKIS will enable you to collect, organize, and analyze internal and external information to make better marketing decisions. The MKIS will also help you and your team execute marketing strategies faster.

Look, I’m not talking a super sophisticated system here…

When I first started out… I developed a habit of bookmarking important marketing research, tools, trends, and vendors into neatly organized folders in my browser.

Over the years, my bookmarks turned into hundreds of ‘best of the best’ resources, and my very own knowledge management system. And today, it’s the Flashcard section at CMO Swipe File.

Below is some information to store in your MKIS:

• Your Brand Style Guide Including Logos, Fonts, Colors, etc.

• Brand Strategy Documents, Key Messaging, Past Offers, etc.

• Customer Discovery, Market Research, & Competitor Intelligence

• Customer Satisfaction Survey Results and S.W.O.T. Data Analysis

• Monthly, Quarterly, and Annual Marketing Management Reports

• Historical Marketing Goals, Objectives, & Measures of Success

• Marketing People (inside & outside), Vendors, Tools, & Swipe Files

I hope you see the importance of building a MKIS for your company or client projects. It’s an opportunity for you to take ownership of valuable marketing information. It pays off and it’s worth it.

Good luck,
Anthony Ragland Signature

P.S.
Next week, I’m going to write about the most effective marketing strategies in 2021. Until then my friend.

From the Desk of:

Anthony Ragland

Thursday, May 6, 2021
7:14 a.m. (ET)

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