From Siloed to Synchronised: Fixing Marketing Misalignment

Misaligned marketing efforts can derail projects and produce poor results that miss the mark entirely. In fact, according to a Highspot report, 71% of sales and marketing pros agree that misalignment between sales and marketing teams has a negative impact on revenue. When collaboration is aligned, companies can see faster growth and a boost in profitability. But not every company shares this struggle. Some teams collaborate flawlessly to get their intended results. 

Here’s what those companies do differently.

1. Establish strategic leadership

Successful teams are powered by a clear vision that aligns priorities and strategies between teams. That vision is typically created by the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). But some companies don’t have the budget for a dedicated, full-time CMO. That’s where a fractional CMO comes in. With a fractional CMO, you get a dedicated leader to implement executive-level strategy without paying a full-time salary.

When you have a dedicated leader, initiatives are prioritised based on company goals rather than individual department needs. Having a CMO aligns efforts, eliminates silos, and avoids duplicate work. Centralizing your marketing strategy gets everyone on the same page with all gears going in the same direction. As a result, you hit more targets without wasting resources.

^{Read more: The Strategic Leadership Imperative}

2. Define and standardise metrics

Marketing alignment requires standardised metrics across teams and shared KPIs that connect to revenue and customer satisfaction. Every team needs to see how their work impacts each marketing funnel. That can only be achieved by translating goals into measurable outcomes that can be applied to each department. For instance, rather than telling everyone the goal is to grow revenue by 20%, set your goal to “generate $X from the pipeline” and “close $X in new deals.”

Most importantly, KPIs need to be standardised across sales and marketing teams. This begins by anchoring everything to a primary business goal, whether it’s generating more revenue, improving customer retention, or increasing profit margins. For example, if your marketing team is generating leads that don’t convert and your sales team is closing deals with a limited pipeline, that’s a sign of mismatched targets.

To achieve and maintain unification, it’s crucial to use a single source of truth. For instance, everyone should be using the same CRM so all team members are accessing the same data to make decisions. This consistency will eliminate discrepancies caused by different applications producing different metrics. While not every back-end dashboard will be 100% accurate, you’re in a better position when everyone sees the same data.

3. Regular touchpoints

Top-performing teams align through regular connection. For example, weekly alignment huddles allow departments to share updates, express concerns or stuck points, and request support if their next move depends on someone else’s tasks.

Most importantly, high-performing teams have action-oriented outcomes attached to all meetings. Every huddle ends with clear next steps and deadlines captured in a shared document, so nothing slips through the cracks.

Successful teams also utilise collaboration tools, such as project management software (like Basecamp or Asana), and a team communication platform (like Discord or Slack). These applications keep teams organised and on track while allowing for real-time collaboration, file sharing, and discussion.

4. Bring in outside experts

High-performing teams know when to use outside talent for better results. No matter how good a marketing team is, there’s always something that can be done better by an expert. For example, many teams hire SEO experts, UX/UI developers, and data analysts to troubleshoot and rework their existing strategies. By leveraging external talent, it’s easier to fill in the gaps and maintain momentum.

^{This may interest you: Mastering the Art of Digital Marketing: Strategies for Success}

For example, say you’re running an e-commerce store and you can’t get past a 10% checkout conversion rate. It might not be your ads or sales pages. It could be the user experience. A UX/UI specialist can come in, diagnose the problem, and implement a solution. They might do the following:

• Simplify the checkout experience by removing redundant form fields and implementing real-time validation.
• Optimise the buttons by increasing the size and contrast of your primary CTAs.
• Streamline navigation by adding a “Continue Shopping” link to prevent accidental exits.

These changes can significantly increase the number of completed checkouts. Without a UX/UI expert, your development team might not even know what’s wrong. By leveraging outside expertise, you can quickly fill these gaps and amplify the impact of your existing marketing campaigns.

Unified growth begins with unified strategies

Aligning sales and marketing objectives isn’t difficult when you have the right leader. Appoint a CMO, standardise KPIs, leverage external talent to plug skill gaps, and keep everyone on the same page with real-time communication tools. When everyone is aligned, teams will perform better, you’ll see more revenue, and growth will become more predictable.

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