Why Your Marketing Team Should Lead Your Website Redesign
The state of the market has changed for website redesign, development, and maintenance. Companies initially relied on their internal IT teams to control and update their website. In the past, our web development team expected client stakeholders to be Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) who would focus on the technological capabilities and needs for their organization’s digital properties. Security and powerful integrations were a primary concern when exploring options for website design and development, and clients were more comfortable keeping those capabilities inhouse.
As market reach becomes more dependent on digital platforms and cloud technologies, companies have jostled their marketers into leading their digital presence–including overhauls. Clients seeking website redesign and development are now asking for specialized digital marketing recommendations and strategy. Technical infrastructure is still a priority, but clients have realized cybersecurity and marketing has changed; they require additional insight outside of their internal teams in order to be successful online.
Our strategy and project managers have found that clients “want to see the baby, but not have to go through labor.” Marketing and communication teams have a harder time relating to IT teams and the more technical aspects of the solutions they provide. In the end, communication teams wish to solve their challenges through strategy, content, and design instead of a bulky and heavily guarded CMS system.
What a Marketing Lead Means for Client/Agency Partnerships
Marketers come to the table with big questions: “What are the challenges we are having and how we are going to solve it?” Their goals can include increasing revenue, fostering membership, and expanding their mission. IT and development teams can provide specific solutions to specific problems, but are often unequipped to answer the larger marketing and qualitative communication concerns.
Strategists break down business goals and user needs in order to get to the meat of the challenges faced by organizations. Business, creative, and strategic analysts take the understanding of client problems and translate them into technology solutions. In the context of an outsourced relationship, strategists are the client’s therapist and the critical thinker.
Digital agencies have adapted to the need for marketing solutions by providing strategists who can bridge the gap between marketers and developers. Once your strategic partner understands your problem, they can coordinate specific solutions with developers.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: How to Adapt
A lot of the changes in the tech industry tend to come and go in cycles. However, the strategy-forward approach is likely sticking around for a while. More industries are adapting to the virtual worker, but marketers still prefer human interaction for outsourced ideation, business strategy, etc. While IT teams become more comfortably remote, business strategy continues to rely on direct client interaction. Of course, strategy is no replacement for development. As long as the thinker is willing to work with the doer, they are going to need each other.
Marketing leads in website redesign projects have proved to be crucial in attaining business goals. While CTOs had a strong grasp in technical capabilities, marketers seek company-wide results. Marketers have a more holistic perspective on the purpose and usage of the website. In the end, marketing innovators determine the value of digital platforms within any industry and seek the best strategy to expand their businesses.
Learn more about how an expert digital strategy team can support your marketing goals.