Getting the Word Out
Communications without intelligence is noise; Intelligence without communications is irrelevant — Gen Alfred Gray, USMC
Marketing is about understanding and addressing markets. Marketing is about communication. Marketing is about positioning. Marketing is about promotion. Every IT organization I’ve worked with has been self admittedly weak at all of these.
Strategically, understanding the IT customer base is critical. Most commonly this means the business units which IT supports. This is the market is who will use IT services. Today anticipation and preparation for the demands are more important than ever as time compression and high expectations are the norm. The days of ”tell me what you want and I’ll get back to you” are a distant memory.
There are few things more important than strong internal communications. Staying on message to the troops is critical for reasons ranging from morale to proving a corporate compass for people to follow. Inconsistency erodes credibility. Getting the message right and communicating it consistency and in ways which resonate is a core marketing function.
Positioning the IT department with the executive team has a great deal to do with presentation of the right information, at the right time, in the right manner. Being able to establish the right tone and tenor with the executive team will go a long way to position the IT department as either an enabler or crutch in the eyes of the executive team. These are all key attributes of marketing.
There are very few IT organizations which people consider ”destination workplaces”. While it is possible to get there by paying outrageous salaries to everyone who walks through the door, a more effective and long-lasting means to achieve this is through external promotion and public relations. While not common in the typical CIO or IT professional, effectively applying these marketing skills will pay huge dividends.
Marketing skills cannot be left to those in the marketing department. There is a heavy dose of marketing in IT. The job of the CIO depends on getting the marketing part right.
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Good points. The best CTO/CIO I knew leveraged internal communications to the hilt to drive all stakeholders (management, IT team, vendors and others) in the same direction. By clearly setting and communicating goals via internal newsletters, periodic updates, employee recognition, milestone celebration etc he was able to create and atmosphere of excitement.
After all, marketing is indeed about positioning, messaging, promotions et al, but more importantly it is the tool to help drive adoption and change. This is something that every CIO wished to do.