In today’s dynamic business landscape, the ability to adapt and evolve is paramount. This agility extends far beyond product development and market strategy – it’s crucial for your internal communication too. As a communications expert, I see countless businesses struggle with the inertia of traditional communication plans. Let’s explore why agile communication is the secret weapon for driving successful change within your organisation. 

The high cost of communication silos 

Imagine this scenario: you unveil a ground-breaking new strategy, complete with detailed reports and presentations. Yet, weeks later, you find pockets of your workforce still operating under the old model. This disconnect, the result of a rigid communication approach, can be incredibly costly. 

Studies show a direct correlation between poor communication and decreased productivity, employee disengagement, and even higher turnover. When employees are left in the dark about changes, they become anxious, disengaged, and ultimately, less effective. 

Building a strategic communication plan for agility 

So, how do we break the cycle? The answer lies in a strategic communication plan that prioritises agility. Here are some key elements: 

• Clearly define Your “Why”: Before launching into “how” the change will work, establish a compelling narrative about the “why.” Why is this change necessary? How will it benefit the company and its employees? Frame the change as an exciting opportunity for growth and development. 
• Tailored messaging: One-size-fits-all communication doesn’t cut it. Segment your audience and tailor messages to resonate with different teams or departments. Consider their concerns and information needs. 
• Multiple channels: Don’t rely solely on email blasts or company town halls. Leverage a multi-channel approach that includes video messages, internal social platforms, and targeted Q&A sessions. 
• Embrace transparency and honesty: Be upfront about challenges and potential roadblocks. This fosters trust and encourages open communication from employees. 

Making your communication land and drive change 

Agility isn’t just about the tools – it’s about the mindset. Here’s how to ensure your communication lands with employees and drives the change you need: 

• Two-way street: Communication is a two-way street. Encourage feedback from employees through surveys, focus groups, and open forums. Actively listen to their concerns, address them and adapt where possible. 
• Emphasise What’s In It For Them (WIIFM): People are naturally resistant to change if they don’t see the personal benefit. Highlight how the change will directly impact them – will it open new career paths, improve work-life balance, or streamline processes? 
• Leadership visibility: Seeing senior leadership actively champion the change is crucial. Regular updates and “on the ground” engagement demonstrate commitment and inspire confidence. 

Measuring & showing value in agile communication 

Communication isn’t just about sending messages – it’s about driving results. Here’s how to measure the impact of your agile communication strategy: 

• Track employee sentiment: Regular surveys and pulse checks can reveal employee attitudes towards the change and the effectiveness of your communication efforts. 
• Monitor KPIs: Align communication goals with key performance indicators (KPIs). Are you seeing increased adoption of new processes? Are engagement metrics improving?
• Showcase success stories: Highlight examples of employees or teams who have embraced the change and achieved positive results. This motivates others and reinforces the value of the change. 

Real-world example of communication driving change 

Think communication is an afterthought? Think again. Here’s a real-world example of how effective communication has been a key driver of successful change: 

Monzo, a UK-based digital bank known for its innovative app and focus on customer experience, faced a challenge in 2021. As they matured from a disruptive startup to a more established financial institution, they needed to adapt their internal culture to maintain their core values and agility. 

How Monzo used agile communication to navigate their internal cultural shift: 

• Focus on transparency and open dialogue: Monzo leadership, led by CEO TS Anil, emphasized open communication. This included regular town halls, “Ask Me Anything” sessions with senior leadership, and an active internal forum where employees could discuss concerns and provide feedback. 
• Data-driven communication of goals: Monzo presented clear data on market trends, customer needs, and the evolving competitive landscape. This data-driven approach helped employees understand the rationale behind the cultural shift and its importance for the bank’s long-term success. 
• Redefining the “Challenger Bank” spirit: Monzo recognized the importance of retaining the core values that propelled their initial success. They communicated a redefined vision of their “challenger bank” spirit, emphasizing innovation, customer-centricity, and a commitment to a positive work environment, even as they scaled their operations. 
• Upskilling and reskilling programmes: Monzo invested in training programs to equip employees with the skills needed to thrive within the evolving culture. This demonstrated the company’s commitment to its workforce and addressed potential anxieties about the changing landscape. 
• Pulse surveys and focus groups: Monzo conducted regular pulse surveys and focus groups to gauge employee sentiment and identify areas where communication could be improved. This allowed them to refine their messaging and ensure their communication strategy was effectively addressing employee concerns. 

The results of Monzo’s agile communication approach were positive. Employee morale remained high despite the cultural shift, and the company successfully retained its core values while adapting to its new market position. This example demonstrates the importance of open dialogue, data-driven communication, and a focus on employee well-being during critical internal cultural changes within a B2B tech company. 

From strategy to action 

In conclusion, agile communication is not just a buzzword – it’s a strategic imperative for driving positive change within your organisation. By proactively crafting a well-considered internal communication strategy which embraces a multi-channel, transparent, and employee-centric approach, you can ensure your communication lands, inspires action, and propels your business towards successful and effective change. 

Want to learn more? 

Join us for our webinar on:  

Effective and agile communication in leading organisational change webinar
on Tues 30th April at 12pm BST  

The session will include a panel of communication experts, who’ll be exploring the role of agile internal communications in driving successful change within organisations. 

In the session, designed for B2B leaders involved in change programmes, we’ll be covering… 

• Linking effective change communication to business success  
• The cost of communication failures  
• Developing an agile strategic communication plan  
• How to ensure communications land with employees and drive the change needed  
• Measuring & demonstrating value  
• Examples of where communication has or is driving change 

This promises to be a really informative session with plenty of practical takeaways that will help you drive the change you need to achieve your business goals. 

Click here to sign up via LinkedIn 

Times are tough, changeable and high pressured for most senior B2B marketers and CMOs. Aligning to business goals and demonstrably driving business growth is more important than ever.  

Over the last few years working with senior marketers to deliver greater marketing effectiveness and agility I’ve learnt about and applied the ideas of Revenue Operations (RevOps) with the principles of agile marketing. Agile marketing, the foundation of Bright’s ethos to help marketers demonstrate value through delivering great work; champions adaptability, customer centricity, and efficient collaboration. The introduction of RevOps expands these benefits across all revenue-generating functions, through improved alignment, efficiencies and effectiveness, and quantifiable growth against shared goals. 

Before diving into the relationship between agile marketing and RevOps, I’ve identified common indicators that signal the need for a RevOps framework in B2B organisations: 

1. Misalignment between revenue generating functions:
   – including Sales, Marketing, Partner & Alliances, Product and Customer Success: Operating in silos indicates the need for the unified strategy that RevOps provides 
2. Inefficient use of data:
   If leveraging data across customer touchpoints is challenging, RevOps’ integrated data analytics approach offer a cohesive view for informed decision-making 
3. Inconsistent customer experiences:
   Disparate customer experiences suggest a coordination gap, which RevOps addresses by harmonising interactions 
4. Operational inefficiencies:
   Manual processes or redundancy point towards the process automation and efficiency enhancements facilitated by RevOps 
5. Difficulty in measuring Marketing ROI:
   The inability to directly link marketing efforts to revenue outcomes underscores the need for RevOps’ accountability and clarity. 

Lots of firms have these challenges many of them are perpetuated through the organisational culture, the ways of working as well as team and departmental silos. As I share how the integration of agile marketing principles with RevOps, the emphasis on collaboration with the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), cross-functional teamwork, and a cultural shift towards alignment and collective goal pursuit becomes increasingly significant. These are critical success factors for marketers committed to making an impactful contribution to revenue growth. 

Collaborate with the CRO 

We all know that a productive partnership between marketing leaders and the CRO is critical for sales and marketing alignment and forms the bedrock of RevOps success. For example, when one of our software client’s CMO and CRO began holding regular strategic sessions, they achieved a unified view of the customer journey, enhancing cross-sell opportunities by 10% within six months. This partnership ensures every initiative is directly linked to revenue, creating a united approach to growth.  

The power of cross-functional collaboration 

Cross-functional collaboration is a key principle of agile marketing and underpins the success of a RevOps approach, reducing and removing (where you can) silos to create greater cross functional collaboration to continually improve the customer experience. An example from our work at Bright is a project with a global HCM software marketing team that focused on improving cross-functional collaboration to improve efficiencies and formed cross functional agile squads/hubs including their sales stakeholders and product Subject Matter Experts (SME), which led to a 20% reduction in lead follow up times and improved conversion rates by >5%. This collaborative approach and culture ensure all departments are working towards common business goals.  

Cultivating a culture of alignment and collective goals 

RevOps necessitates a shift towards an alignment and collective goal pursuit are prioritised. Everyone moves in sync and are focused on KPI and OKR that are shared and aligned to the business goals. A Bright client – a continual improvement product and services firm – implemented agile marketing and activated RevOps to define, agree and set common goals and metrics as well as ensuring there was data & reporting to support this approach. This included the CRO, CMO and CFO as well as cascading across the sales and marketing teams. This culture of alignment enabled the organisation to adapt to changing internal and external market factors effectively and meet strategic objectives with greater cohesion. 

How to get started 

Implementing a RevOps model is a strategic shift that focuses on aligning cross-functional teams and cultivating a culture of shared goals and objectives. For B2B marketing leaders, establishing common goals and KPIs is the first step. This ensures alignment across all teams contributing to revenue generation. 

Quick-start Agile Marketing & RevOPs checklist: 

1. Align on objectives and KPIs:
   Ensure revenue generating teams such as marketing, sales, and customer success teams agree and share common goals
2. Review current processes:
   Identify gaps in collaboration and alignment 
3. Establish regular cross-functional communication:
   Keep all teams informed and engaged
4. Implement shared reporting:
   Use dashboards for transparency and to track collective progress 
5. Pilot small agile marketing projects:
   Demonstrate the benefits of agile marketing and RevOps approaches by starting with manageable initiatives such as a pilot customer acquisition or retention campaign.  

 This approach offers a clear framework for beginning with RevOps, guiding organisations through the early stages of adopting a more aligned and efficient revenue generation strategy. 

Integrating agile marketing principles with a RevOps framework is an effective strategy for not only elevating the role of marketing in revenue generation but creating alignment and strategic focus to propel your businesses forward towards its objectives.