Marketers Running IT?

The explosion of digital marketing means that the marketing department is taking more and more control of a company’s IT spending, implementation and decision making.

It’s a trend that is only going to get bigger.

Scott Brinker, who calls himself a marketing technologist, recently produced this graphic showing the myriad of technologies that marketers now have to deal with.

By Scott’s own admission the range is not complete and expanding daily.

Scott’s blog is full of great posts on how marketing and technology have joined together, and a great insight into where it is all going.

Yet I strongly suspect that it is this strange union which is probably at the heart of many business owners reluctance to join the online party.

The Business Game has Changed

For so long marketers and business operators just got on with selling their wares and pressing the flesh and left the technical stuff to the backroom boys.

Now however, as we all know, technology is front and centre of everyone’s lives, especially business.

Those that understand it prosper, while those that don’t flounder, and unfortunately it’s becoming a get onboard or get left behind scenario.

As I pointed out in a previous post - More Australian Retailers Online, But Floundering.

Today business and marketing is technology.

Marketers will soon be spending more on technology than the IT department according to Laura McLellan, a research VP at Gartner.

What This Mean for Business

This collision of right brain and left brain activities is causing everyone to question what it is exactly that they do:

Am I a marketer or a tech? Am I running a business or a computer program?

This is not an easy fit for anyone.

Right brain types have to discipline themselves to understand complex technology while technicians find themselves surrounded by more and more flaky suits asking them how this program is going to make the customer feel.

For the small business owner having to grapple with the bewildering range of technological options, the situation is not just daunting but paralysing.

Many have adopted a siege mentality and are trying to keep the techno savvy competitors at bay. Unfortunately we all know that won’t work.

The only option is to get on board and run like hell to catch up.  See Australian Retailers Guide to Staying Up to Date with Ecommerce.