The number digital marketing tools, experts and trainings is on the rise. So does the number of challenges. How could we cope with them in a fast changing environment? We’ve talked with Georgina Park, tutor at Oxford College of Marketing and trainer at Institutul de Marketing about the key digital marketing challenges and gaps and how to close them. Like all tutors and trainers working with Institutul de Marketing, Georgina has the vital and required blend of hands on professional experience as well as teaching and tuition skills. She is herself a successful Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) graduate and has been working within companies such as EY, Experian or Nettle Stead Associates. She is a knowledgeable B2B as well as B2C data centric marketer with a genuine passion for marketing leveraged by more than nine years digital marketing experience and four years management experience.
Think of marketing like a game of chess; you’ve got to be second guessing (with data) what your customer’s going to do
What are some key digital marketing areas that many organizations still ignore or don't fully exploit?
The biggest gap in digital marketing in my opinion is the ability to integrate all the channels (both online of offline). When you're using multiple channels to get your message through, it’s far more effective (both for your customer and your budget) to ensure that everything it’s fully integrated. And that you’re using each channel to convey a specific message, at a specific time. So, understanding your customer journey is critical..
Think of marketing like a game of chess; you’ve got to be second guessing (with data) what your customer’s going to do. What move (channel) will they use next, and how are you ensuring the journey/messaging makes sense?
What are your favorite top three companies in terms of digital strategy and why?
The obvious one for me is John Lewis. They display joined up thinking and a very clear understanding of their customer and positioning. And they’re willing to test new channels which is key to their success.
Hubspot, is my chosen B2B example. Again, they really understand their customer, and have a very joined up approach to both acquisition and retention. They have taken the 7P’s (product, place, price, promotion, process, physical evidence and people) and ensured the customer needs and wants are pivotal at every stage.
And finally, Amazon. A fascinating brand that has achieved global dominance. They have a really clear and focused strategy and mission. This is absolutely key when using data to influence every aspect of their customer journey and experience.
You’re yourself a CIM graduate and you’ve started with the most advanced and challenging program: Chartered Postgraduate. Why have you decided to do one more CIM training program in digital?
It's so important to keep on learning and developing yourself. The world of marketing is developing so rapidly, and we spend so much time learning about new technologies, it’s very useful to remind ourselves of the models and tools that should underpin our thinking.
CIM is more relevant today than my marketing degree!
I find the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) courses great for embedding learning. A two days digital marketing course is great, however combining that that with an assignment, helps us embed the knowledge we're acquiring and practicing with more tools and frameworks that give structure and depth and enables us to apply them in the context of the organizations we’re working with.
Personally, I’ve found that my CIM studying has aided my career development. CIM is becoming more and more recognised with employers, and I believe is more relevant today than my marketing degree!
What would be the number one advice for the CIM students that aim to get a digital certification?
They’re hard work, but that’s why they’re so valuable to your career. Make sure you do the background reading, it really helps solidify what you’re learning and helps develop the concepts in your assignment.
And if you can, come to the classes in person. You’ll get so much out of them in terms of participation and real life examples.
How should they improve their digital audits?
Digital audits are the basis of the paper, so I’d suggest really delving into what works and what doesn’t work within your organisation. You don’t need to show this to your boss, so be really honest. This will give you lots to work on and embed within your recommendations throughout the paper.