It's all well and good to talk about the benefits of aligning sales and marketing, but it takes more than just a few statistics — however compelling they may be — to really create change in your company.

And even with actionable techniques, like data-sharing and SMART goal setting, getting these two teams to work together effectively often feels like an uphill climb. 

The missing element is company culture.

The success of your marketing campaign is directly measurable by your sales. At least, so it would seem. But when your marketing and sales teams aren't closely aligned, it can be difficult to get a clear picture of the success of either team.

When they work together, however, you could see as much as 20% revenue growth. Now that's measurable progress. 

Despite the clear correlation between sales/marketing alignment and measurable progress, however, many CEOs actually encourage competition between the teams as a way to spur productivity. Read on to find out how to avoid this common mistake.

Marketing Managers are already beginning to take note of how 2016’s social media data will shape their strategy for 2017. Social media challenges faced in 2016 were more extrinsic, with things like reaching out to influencers (cold) and hosting live Q&A sessions, ranking high for many marketers.

Quality content is the driving force behind any lead-generating campaign. But if nobody ever sees your content, it doesn't matter how outstanding it is—consumers and businesses can't respond to content they can't find.

That's why you need to boost the marketing signal your company is putting out, by building a strong online presence through content marketing. Keep reading to learn more about the three key ways you can build that presence: blogging, social, and SEO. 

When sales are low or falling, the "shift-the-blame" game starts. Sales will complain Marketing isn't generating enough quality leads, and conversely, Marketing will complain that Sales aren't working hard enough to convert their provided leads into a sale. In most cases, the root cause comes down to a misalignment between Sales and Marketing.

An often-overlooked key to the success of any marketing strategy, from the content that you post on your blog to the email vouchers you send out from time to time, is your buyer persona. Most marketing teams look at the demographics of their target audience; few go any deeper than the age, marital status, and income level of that audience. But a well-developed buyer persona is essential to quality lead generation: without one, you could be marketing to the wrong people.

There are definitely compelling advantages to Smarketing, but the actual practice of getting the sales and marketing teams to work seamlessly together requires more than goodwill. One key component to success is a strong information system which manages, documents and leverages concrete data behind all marketing and sales activities.

A fundamental understanding of your business' Unique Selling Point (USP) is key to the success of any marketing or sales effort. USPs are a core part of a business, not just some airy-fairy statements on a piece of paper that is locked in a dusty cabinet. If you don't have USPs, or feel that your existing USPs do not accurately describe your business, four simple questions can help you get started.

The statistics and results about Smarketing don't lie; it produces outstanding benefits in revenue growth for businesses, on average, a 20% bump, according to Hubspot. However, as we discussed previously, the implementation of a major organisational shift is never simple. This is especially true if both teams are significantly divided. Let's dive a little deeper into the strategy of getting Sales and Marketing staff support behind the move to a Smarketing "state of mind."

2017 has seen a major seismic shift in the application of media and social channels to both empower and disrupt players in the corporate and political landscape. A whole new generation of media pundits and social media users are finding new voice and power over established brands.

So what are brands and marketers to do in this new, volatile world, where media channels are both a vehicle for enthusiasts, and a weapon for the disgruntled?