This Old Marketing Department: How To Streamline & “Rebuild Rome”

Sometimes when you start a new job, it’s more a fixer upper than a million dollar home. Leaky roof. Bad plumbing. Weed infested lawn. You may need to roll up your sleeves and get dirty to make your dream home a reality.

The same can be said for a marketing department.

Tradeshow assets are in shambles. Databases are not accurate and centralized. Dependable vendors are not in place.

This is the time to roll up your sleeves.

In two of my past jobs, this was definitely the case. I spend weeks and months streamlining and cleaning up marketing departments that had no rhyme or reason.

In one case, the marketing department was moved from Florida and arrived in cardboard boxes.

The tradeshow equipment was damaged or outdated.

The budget historicals were inaccurate and marketing files were littered all over the server.

I spent the first few months conducting inventory on tradeshow equipment and replacing the old with the new. I constructed a folder system on my laptop/server so all marketing historicals and files could be found by the click of a mouse.

There was no one to train me, so I had to make due on my own. It was a one man show.

Both companies, had no one to show me the ropes. I had minimal training and guidance.

I taught myself.

I constructed my own systems.

I read up on product information.

I got familiar with the products and competitors in the space.

The bottom line is the company wants you perform and perform well with no excuses. They don’t care if they gave you the marble; they expect you to build Rome.

I planned the tradeshows & ordered equipment.

Set up logistics and even loaded the show equipment myself. I learned CRM software. I constructed accurate and centralized databases.

I put together media libraries. I accumulated videos and pictures which were used for collateral.

I implemented Web 2.0 tactics such as Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube.

I maintained accurate budgets when past historicals were inaccurate.

I surrounded myself with dependable vendors, partners, and colleagues.

I adapted to my environment and you have to as well. These are the golden opportunities that you can’t pass up.

You may get frustrated and think no one cares. However, if you can leave a job and say the department is in better shape than when you arrived, that’s pretty gratifying. I am now seeking another fixer upper to make into a marketing mansion.