Agile Marketing blog series – Part 4: The Agile Marketing Manifesto 

By now, you should have gained a solid grasp of Agile, its advantages, challenges, and the type of team you need to assemble for successful implementation. But before we explore Agile in action, let’s take a step back and get to know the guiding methodology of everything we’ve discussed so far: the Agile Marketing Manifesto. 

First dreamt up in 2021, the Agile Marketing Manifesto is a guide for simplifying marketing efforts through the use of core values, principles and technologies, which, combined, allow for smarter, more efficient marketing efforts. 

Core Values 

The manifesto compiles the core components of the agile marketing movement, providing a foundation for other marketers to adopt their own agile approach to working. Some of the principles and specific ways we each apply agile marketing may vary, but the core values should always remain the same: 

#1 Focusing on customer value and business outcomes > activity and outputs 

By prioritising the needs of our customers and business, we can develop marketing programmes that are highly targeted and relevant. In simpler terms, the focus should be on creating the ‘right things’ rather than simply adding more to the mix.  

It’s easy to fall into the trap of carrying out marketing activities for the sake of it, but our primary value should lie in dedicating ourselves to delivering maximum value to our customers and understanding the positive impact it can have on our business. 

#2 Delivering value early and often > waiting for perfection 

Instead of waiting for perfection, we should initiate the delivery of value to our customers early on in the cycle, and we can consistently deliver value by applying insights gained from our previous endeavours.  

By avoiding the pursuit of perfection, we allow ourselves the opportunity to learn from our customers and deliver even greater value in the future. Striving for perfection, on the other hand, often leads to lengthy production cycles and an overwhelming and inefficient “big-bang” approach. 

#3 Learning through experiments and data > opinions and conventions  

Through experimentation, we can acquire knowledge and gather data. This valuable data and the insights we gain will empower us to make informed and impactful marketing decisions next time. On the other hand, disregarding the data and relying solely on opinions or outdated norms hinders our ability to cater to our target audiences and wastes precious time producing irrelevant content. 

To avoid this, we should strive to be validating learnings through an iterative process of implementing, measuring, and learning, and prioritising data-driven insights over blindly following conventions or relying on external opinions. 

#4 Cross-functional collaboration > silos and hierarchy 

Effective collaboration, with a customer-centric focus, results in superior marketing outcomes compared to isolated efforts and rigid hierarchical decision-making. Similarly, silos within a marketing organisation prevent the sharing of valuable tribal knowledge, ultimately leading to a disconnect from customer needs. 

#5 Responding to change > following a static plan 

This principle draws inspiration from the original Manifesto for Agile Software Development, initially published in 2001. Since then, a minor modification – incorporating the word ‘static’ – has been made to enhance its relevance to the marketing domain.  

That’s because if we fail to adapt to unforeseen changes in buyers, markets, or the global landscape (i.e., remain static), we run the risk of not meeting the needs of our audiences and achieving the results we need. 

Guiding Principles

In addition to core values, there are ten principles – each of which expands on the values outlined in the previous section – to help modern marketers keep up with the speed and complexity of today’s digital world. 

1. Great marketing requires close alignment, transparency, and quality interactions with internal and external customers 

2. Seek out different and diverse points of view 

3. Embrace and respond to change to enhance customer value 

4. Plan only to a level sufficient to ensure effective prioritisation and execution 

5. Don’t be afraid to risk wrong – we learn from our mistakes, so it’s important to make plenty in the pursuit of perfection 

6. Organize in small, cross-functional teams where possible 

7. Build marketing programs around motivated individuals and trust them to get the job done 

8. Long-term marketing success benefits from operating at a sustainable pace 

9. Agile marketing isn’t enough. Excellence in marketing requires continuous attention to marketing fundamentals as well 

10. Above all else, keep things simple – after all, the more complex projects become, the harder they are to optimise 

Useful Tools

Every Agile marketer needs the proper tools to put these values and principles into action as they support the project and help the team to identify, track and complete every project.  Here are examples of some core tools to help them achieve that: 

Jira 

Jira is a robust tool that aligns seamlessly with Agile marketing practices, serving as a comprehensive platform to support the iterative and collaborative nature of Agile methodologies. With its customisable workflows, backlog management, and sprint planning features, Jira empowers marketing teams to effectively plan, prioritise, and execute tasks within Agile frameworks like Scrum or Kanban. Teams can break down projects into manageable units, assign tasks, set deadlines, and track progress, fostering transparency and adaptability. By facilitating real-time communication and offering detailed reporting capabilities, Jira enhances collaboration, enables quick adjustments to changing priorities, and empowers Agile marketing teams to consistently deliver results-driven campaigns. 

Asana 

Asana serves as a powerful tool in the context of Agile marketing, providing a platform that enables marketing teams to effectively implement Agile methodologies. With its user-friendly interface and customisable features, Asana allows teams to create and manage tasks, plan sprints, prioritise work, and collaborate seamlessly, all in alignment with Agile principles. Its visual boards, lists, and timeline views facilitate transparency, communication, and adaptability, crucial components of Agile practices. Asana’s capabilities empower Agile marketing teams to rapidly respond to changing priorities, deliver iterative campaigns, and achieve higher levels of efficiency and collaboration throughout their projects. 

Trello 

Trello proves to be an invaluable asset for Agile marketing by offering an intuitive platform that fosters the principles of Agile methodologies. Its visual boards, lists, and cards provide a structured yet flexible approach to task management, enabling marketing teams to easily plan, prioritise, and track work in a collaborative manner. With the ability to create and customise workflows, set deadlines, and assign responsibilities, Trello facilitates the iterative and adaptive nature of Agile marketing. Teams can seamlessly organise and adjust tasks, adapt to changing priorities, and maintain clear communication, thus empowering them to swiftly respond to market dynamics and deliver successful campaigns within an Agile framework. 

ActiveCollab 

ActiveCollab is a project management software designed to automate repetitive tasks, helping you organise your work into smaller and more manageable tasks and subtasks. It allows you to prioritise your work, and collaborate with your team and clients in real-time. With various useful features like time tracking, budgeting, invoicing, reporting, in-app chat, and task dependencies with automatic rescheduling, ActiveCollab reduces distractions and enables you to focus on productive work. 

Planbox  

Planbox is a tool created to help with managing innovation and agile product development. It encourages a culture of innovation, makes agile product development processes smoother, and promotes ongoing improvement. With its wide range of tools and features, it assists in managing the entire innovation process and delivering value to customers through collaboration, social engagement, data-driven decision-making, and analytics and reporting. 

LeanKit 

LeanKit enables you to create a Kanban board quickly. You can personalise the boards, move cards between sections, leave comments and attach documents, set limits on work in progress, and keep the team informed about the project status at every step of the way. 

Conclusion

In an era where marketing landscapes shift rapidly and customer expectations evolve constantly, the Agile Marketing Manifesto serves as a beacon of guidance. By embracing its values and principles, marketers can navigate change with confidence, pivot strategically, and cultivate marketing excellence that resonates with both customers and business goals. In this dynamic journey, the Agile Marketing Manifesto proves to be an indispensable companion, leading the way towards impactful, adaptive, and customer-centric marketing strategies. 

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This has been the penultimate entry in our five-part series on Agile Marketing. If you’re interested in embracing Agile and the benefits it offers your people, profits and customers, join us for the final part of our series, where we’ll look beyond implementation to understand Agile in action!