The decision to switch to digital marketing is not always an easy one, especially if there is pushback from management. Our panel discussed some of the issues and solutions faced when convincing the decision makers that digital is a necessity. However, not every company has this issue. Fortunately, sometimes management is keen on switching to digital because they have seen the added value of this channel, as mentioned by Efrat.

The panel provided some great ideas for those struggling with reluctant management. Some of the tips mentioned included stressing the importance of not antagonizing those using traditional marketing as their main channel, but instead presenting a different approach. First of all, make sure you have a clear strategy and goal that the whole team believes in and understands. It is important to unite everyone under one idea. In order to get management on board, show the value of digital marketing. One way of showing the necessity of digital marketing is through the leads created. Using digital marketing a company is able to make visible exponentially more people than traditional marketing alone, and further more, track and present these leads clearly. The influencers made visible today through a digital campaign are the decision makers of tomorrow, and now your sales team has potentially great leads. But don’t be mistaken– marketing today is not necessarily only digital; it is digital and traditional working together to provide great leads.

It is important to keep in mind that digital marketing is still a relatively new channel and management needs to see the processes to understand the necessity. As a marketer you may need to prove your techniques more than a traditional marketer, but that should not discourage you. Prove the value of digital marketing and management will be more open to proving budget for campaigns.

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