What on earth is Agile marketing? You might have heard the term used before, in a few different contexts. You might even think it’s nothing more than a buzzword — something for marketing teams to throw around in boardrooms and impress stakeholders.
But Agile marketing is much more than just jargon. Done right, it’s a highly effective way to approach your marketing and one that companies of all shapes and sizes are rushing to embrace.
For example, a 2024 survey found that 86% of all marketing organizations plan to transition at least some of their marketing department to an Agile methodology. And with good reason — another report found that 39% of those who use Agile achieved the highest performance rate for their projects.
In this article, we’ll show you what Agile marketing is, why it’s so useful, and how you can start using Agile in your own marketing.
What is Agile marketing?
Agile as a concept comes from the world of software development. IT companies have been using this framework of principles, best practices, and tactics for a long time to manage projects more efficiently, optimize resources, and get better results.
In the world of marketing, the basic principles remain the same. Agile is a project management philosophy based on using your energy and resources where they have the most impact. It involves working in short sprints in high-value areas, with teams working closely together in a fast-paced environment.
Another feature of Agile marketing is its data-driven approach. It’s all about constantly tracking performance, assessing progress after each sprint, and using insights to constantly course-correct and do better next time.
Why is Agile marketing important?
Agile marketing works so well because of its focus on speed and ruthless efficiency. This can take you to new levels of productivity and help you stretch your resources further and ultimately achieve far better results.
Let’s break down a few key benefits of Agile marketing:
- Agility — as the name suggests, an Agile approach to marketing allows you to respond to data insights, implement changes, and jump onto trends much more quickly
- Better teamwork — with its focus on regular meetings, collaboration tools, and ongoing communication, Agile helps you take a more connected and team-focused approach to your marketing
- An empirical approach — Agile is all about testing, refining, and improving on a continuous basis. Instead of making marketing decisions based on hunches and gut feelings, you’ll be able to take an informed and data-driven approach.
For all these reasons and more, using the Agile methodology in your marketing can help you get better results, make the most of your resources and budget, and pull ahead of your competitors.
Different Agile methodologies
One thing to keep in mind about Agile is that it isn’t one single, rigid philosophy. There are lots of different ways to approach Agile marketing, depending on factors like your goals, preferences, team members, resources, and so on.
The three main Agile marketing methodologies are Scum, Kanban, and a mix of them both called Scrumban. Let’s take a closer look at each of these.
Scrum
The Scrum methodology started life in the world of software development, and takes its name from the sport of rugby. The Scrum framework is characterized by short sprints of work. Teams break the project down into distinct chunks and then focus on each one at a time, prioritizing speed and efficiency. Scrum projects also include daily meetings to review progress and course-correct.
Kanban
Whereas the Scrum approach breaks down project management into separate blocks of work, Kanban takes a more holistic approach based on continuous improvement and flexibility. Teams work together to monitor problems on a constant basis, making adjustments where needed to keep things moving forward. Like Scrum, Kanban relies on regular meetings, called cadences.
How to get started with Agile marketing
So how can you start implementing an Agile approach to marketing and access the benefits we’ve talked about?
Let’s find out.
Set clear, relevant goals
What are you actually trying to achieve with Agile, and with your marketing strategy more broadly? Try to avoid vague goals like, “We want to reach more customers” or “We want to optimize our budget.”
Instead, focus on setting specific and measurable goals. Hone in on KPIs like return on investment, customer satisfaction, and customer retention rate. This allows you to measure progress much more objectively, identify problem areas, and make adjustments decisively and quickly.
Your Agile marketing goals should be tied into your wider business goals. It’s important to remain constantly aware of how marketing benefits the business as a whole.
Build the right team
At its core, Agile is all about teamwork. Your Agile journey depends on having the right people in place and giving them everything they need to work together effectively within the Agile framework. Here are some best practices to keep in mind:
- Remember the key word is agile — the bigger your team gets, the harder it will be to move with speed and agility. Think carefully about the skill sets you need, and build a small, lean team of committed individuals.
- Choose the right leader — by far the best option is to appoint a team leader who understands the Agile philosophy and has worked on successful Agile projects before
- Be ready to learn on the job — with smaller teams, it’s likely that team members will need to quickly adopt new skills and learn as they go along. This can be an excellent opportunity for growth, but it’s not always easy.
- Build an atmosphere of collaboration — Agile is all about effective communication and teamwork. Give your team everything they need to collaborate as effectively as possible. Tools like Slack, Asana, and Zoom are all extremely — as are platforms like Forecast that use AI to streamline and improve the Agile marketing process.
Set the stage for success
Once your team is ready, it’s time to get clear on expectations and make sure everyone is on the same page and understands their roles and how they fit into the project.
It’s common to start off with a kickoff meeting where your leader will explain how the rest of the project will work. This is an opportunity to make sure everyone understands Agile principles, why you are adopting Agile marketing, and how things will be different from a more traditional project.
As a leader, this is your chance to address any confusion or questions and give your team members all the information and resources they need to succeed.
Data is your friend
Agile is the perfect opportunity to embrace a data-driven approach to your marketing strategy. This allows you to base your decisions on hard evidence as opposed to guesswork and hunches, and tap into more accurate and reliable insights.
You’ll need to focus on measuring and collecting data as much as possible. The more information you can gather, the more useful your insights will be. Constantly tracking relevant KPIs and discussing your progress during daily meetings is an excellent way to make sure your project is on track and always improving.
This is an ongoing process. Your teams should be focused on finding areas for improvement and ways to create more rewarding customer experiences and tighten up the marketing process. Then, do regular testing to try out new ideas and find out how well they work in practice.
Remember that it’s a learning process
Agile marketing is not about getting things absolutely right the first time. It’s an iterative process — the goal is to get started and make constant adjustments along the way in response to what you learn and observe.
Don’t be disheartened when things go wrong — failure is an essential part of the Agile process because it shows you what to avoid and what to do instead. It’s important that everyone on your Agile marketing team understands this principle.
Get the support of your organization
The best Agile marketing teams are usually on the smaller side, but that doesn’t mean they exist in a vacuum. Your Agile projects will be much easier if you can get the buy-in, support, and understanding of people in the wider organization.
Decision-makers and leaders are the most important — trying to implement Agile marketing without the full support of the C-suite is like trying to swim upstream. Take the time to make a strong, compelling, evidence-backed case to your company leaders and show them why Agile is such a powerful approach for the business as a whole. Keep them in the loop and inform them about your progress and wins. Support here will give you the freedom and resources to make the changes you need to succeed.
Outside of the leadership suite, it also helps to forge relationships with other people in the organization. For example, sales teams can provide valuable information about customers and what they’re struggling with. Through their conversations, they’ll have access to insights that can help you market more effectively.
Take feedback seriously
Agile marketing is all about making constant adjustments in response to data. This includes the KPIs and metrics that we’ve discussed, but it also involves listening to feedback from people. This could be team members, other people in your organization, or your customers.
For best results with Agile marketing, invite constant feedback from as many places as possible. Your internal standup meetings are a great tool for this, but you can also proactively approach stakeholders and people in other departments. When it comes to your customers, customer satisfaction surveys and beta tests can be extremely useful tools.
Common challenges with Agile (and how to address them)
Agile marketing implementation isn’t always easy. Let’s take a look at some common challenges that companies run into when trying to implement Agile, and how to get around them.
Resistance from within
One of the most common challenges new Agile marketers face is resistance from company members who just aren’t convinced by the need to leave behind the old, familiar methods and embrace this new way of doing things.
Resistance is always a problem, whether it’s coming from your intern or your CEO. The only solution is to make a strong, convincing case for Agile marketing, and take the time to address people’s individual misgivings. Trying to force an Agile mindset on people who don’t want it will never end well.
Assessing your capabilities
Lots of new Agile teams do a poor job of assessing what they are actually capable of. They might overestimate their team’s capabilities and take on far more work than they can handle, or underestimate and end up wasting resources and falling short of their potential.
This is where a flexible and iterative approach really works. Start small and manageable, and adjust your workload and team’s responsibilities as you learn more about what you can effectively handle. And remember — don’t make promises to company leadership that you can’t keep.
Missing the point
Agile is a highly effective way to approach marketing, but it’s ultimately just one of many possible routes to the same goal — a more productive and efficient marketing process. Some companies get caught up in the Agile process and end up focusing excessively on the sprints, meetings, and buzzwords without actually making any real progress toward their goals.
Your Agile team needs to always be aware of the wider marketing context and how Agile helps bring the business closer to its goals. If certain Agile activities aren’t working, or if the needle isn’t moving despite Agile, it’s time to regroup and reconsider your approach.
Crush Agile marketing with Forecast and AI
Managing Agile projects can be tough, but with the right tools and technologies, it becomes much easier.
The Forecast platform is built to help you manage resources, track projects, and bring your Agile marketing teams together. Powered by AI, it’s designed to make Agile project management simpler, more profitable, and more rewarding for your teams and your customers.
Book a demo with us to learn more and get started.
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