When discussing brand strategies, one of the more common statements we get from public sector agencies and nonprofits is, "We don't have any funding to hire a communications coordinator." The challenge with this statement is that it assumes that strategic communications is the responsibility of one person or one department. Maybe it's time to consider a decentralized marketing model (DMM) that puts the focus on how everyone interacts at various customer touch points to build a brand that highly engages citizens, customers, stakeholders and partners.
A DMM is an operational structure that engages the entire organization with responsibilities in strategic communications all the way from one-to-one interactions to mass outreach. It is a model in which all staff plays a role in brand management, marketing and communications to engage customers consistently at all touch points. What would some of these customer touch points look like within education, workforce or economic development organizations? Here are a few examples:
- Orientation presentations for new customers
- Two-way social media posts between customers and staff
- Online interactive educational and informational tools
- Customer intake processes within the organization
- Enrollment processes
These are considered customer touch points and are an integral part of marketing the organization. Why? Because customers no longer separate marketing from the product or service itself; it's about the experience that they have from top to bottom within the organization that counts.
When organizations become focused on how to engage customers, marketing shifts from a "push" tactical perspective (ads, one-way social media posts, marketing materials) to a two-way process of gathering objective "voice of the customer" data that drives priorities and stimulates dialogue throughout the organization to deliver cutting-edge customer engagement approaches.
As the DMM is executed, the "marketing organization" will look different. Staff will undertand their role in strategic communications at various customer touch points. Data based on customer insights will become the central component for making decisions about service delivery.
Is your organization struggling with how to execute successfully on strategic communications or not sure about actual impacts? Contact FCM for a complimentary consult on how a decentralized marketing model can benefit your organization.
