Aerospace marketers are frustrated that they have too much to do. They are tired of last-minute fire drills and feel forced to react to a never-ending barrage of requests, requirements and demands. 

There are a lot of reasons this happens, but the bottom line is that staffing isn’t keeping up with expectations. At the same time, tried and true marketing tactics keep changing, and learning new techniques and technologies — things that could make you more efficient and effective — is one more thing to do. 

For those who are committed to making a change, there are ways to accomplish more without working more, just by approaching things differently. Here are five ideas to get you started.

1. Set Goals

Having goals gives you focus, and by focusing on desired results you can stop spending time and money on things that won’t get you where you’re going. 

Tip: Start with a foundation of annual sales and marketing goals that link directly to revenue goals. Establish 3-5 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to monitor progress and identify challenges.

2. Have a Strategy and a Plan

There are lots of tools and tactics — many more than you have time or budget to support. Having a strategy linked to goals, supported by a calendar and budget, will keep you from veering off course. It also helps you spend more time working proactively and less time reacting to someone else’s priorities.

Tip: Get management buy-in to your plan up front. Once you have approval it’s your job to make it happen.

3. Take Ownership

The ability to measure and track success puts you in a position of authority with senior leadership and opinionated colleagues. When you own the marketing function and are recognized as the authority, you’ll be in a strong position to say no to the many requests that just don’t support organizational goals.

Tip: Don’t let them think of you as the person who does brochures. Be the person who drives revenue.

4. Re-evaluate

Ignore anyone who tells you “we’ve always done it this way.” Evaluate every expenditure and every opportunity with a critical eye. Why are we going to this trade show or convention? What did we get from it last year? What do we plan to accomplish this time? Ask hard questions and require a return on every investment. 

Tip: Build your marketing plan from a clean slate every year.

5. Learn to Love Technology

Once you have your program under control, start learning about new tools and techniques. Technology can help you with everything from project management to analytics to lead-generation and social media scheduling.

Tip: Start with a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and build from there.

This Just In

Nine percent of advertising and marketing executives recently surveyed by The Creative Group said they plan to expand their teams this year. The majority of respondents (64 percent) anticipate maintaining staff levels and hiring primarily to fill vacated roles. See the complete survey results here.

Here are two resources to help you expand your knowledge. This before and after analysis shows how having a strategy and plan can transform a marketing program. And this marketing planner is a step-by-step “how-to” developed specifically for aerospace marketing professionals.