10 Non-Technical Requirements for Personalization

A version of this article was previously published in CIO Applications Magazine.

Modern-day marketers know their function is simply no longer possible without technology. We need data. Automation. We’re moving into AI. Insights turned into personalized storytelling drive sales. The martech stack needed to reach customers and prospects according to their expectations grows more sophisticated by the minute. IT should be our best friends, followed closely by Sales and Product.

What if your best practices are sound but all too much is still manual? What if you’re in an industry with a reputation of slowly adopting marketing technology? What if the obstacles that keep you from modern marketing in your organization have little to do with the desire to innovate? 

There is a way forward. Surprisingly, it isn’t about technology. It’s about people and culture. In addition to my experiences, the roadmap discussed below was largely inspired by John Kotter’s Leading Change | Why Transformational Efforts Fail.

The CliffsNotes™ version is, it takes guts.

Walk with me for a bit CEOs and CIOs. Let’s unravel the 10 non-technical requirements needed to launch marketing personalization in your organization. Your CMO will thank you.

Let’s say the vision of what I want to build is epitomized in the 2017 commercial by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners for Adobe Experience Cloud. Minus the robbers of course. I do after all, work for a bank.

I’m in Sacramento, CA, about 2 hours from Silicon Valley. I know there’s a start-up not far from home that will make this gig extinct. If we don’t innovate, we will die. It’s not a matter of if. It’s a matter of when. For my initiative to proceed, embracing that isn’t a nice-to-do. It’s a need-to-do.

Kingdoms can exist in large organizations. Power dynamics are a reality. And we tend to undervalue the fact that projects require the same resources. In my example, that means we need the royal approval and legitimate support of IT, Product, Retail, PMO, Marketing, and Executive Leadership. For the good of the realm.

You probably need to communicate more with your workforce, even if you think you already do enough. We need to make the narrative proactive, reassuring, and consistent, especially given the disruptive nature of items #1 and #2. This is a transformation after all.

Projects can take a long time. The project plan needs to identify and communicate out milestones that get us closer to the goal. Early reminders on progress will help build momentum and commitment.

Do you recall someone standing on an aircraft carrier in 2003 in front of a sign that said, “Mission Accomplished”? The war in question continued for 8 more years. Regardless of your politics, this illustrates the importance of not appearing to minimize extraordinary complexity. Items #4 and #5 should be measured and honest.

If the most dangerous phrase in business is “we’ve always done it this way,” then the most dangerous activity is ignoring existing procedures and how they contradict new initiatives. You can’t be afraid to change or toss outdated methods.

Closely related to #7, band-aid initiatives and unfunded mandates are symptoms of an organization that doesn’t nix bad projects. I call them Zombie Projects. Identifying an initiative as a top priority is more than moving it to the top of the list. It also means killing other projects. This too takes courage. It could mean spending political capital by making a case to the board or disagreeing with executive peers.

Authenticity has extraordinary value. Leaders earn respect by owning their vulnerability and mistakes. Innovation is iterative. Admitting a first effort didn’t work, what we learned, and where we’re going as a result is the sign of a good leader and healthy culture. At best, Pollyanna’s are considered naïve. At worst, delusional.

If legacy processes are allowed to linger, the new platform won’t last and all that work will be for naught. For example, if my marketing automation platform launches, but I still manually segment to email and direct mail people the way we always have, what's the point?

People tend to pay attention to that for which they are paid. Therefore, bonuses should be based around harnessing the new technology. Update your processes. Eliminate the old ways. Plan for recurring training, maintenance, and upgrades.

The technology behind personalization and marketing automation is impressive. But the appetite for change and collaboration of the people behind it is critical for its success. Chances are, your CMO wants to build this or build on this, with you. She/he just needs your help.

Are you game, Your Majesty?

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Vickie Sherman is the Senior Vice President, Director of Integrated Marketing at Rabobank, N.A. The views and opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of my employer. You can follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.