What is Agile marketing?

Agile is a set of methodologies and processes for projects development.

It is based on the flexibility and speed to adapt to changes and project conditions, using these changes as an advantage.

The projects are divided into small phases that have to be finalized and delivered in short periods of time, together with a continuous re-evaluation and adaptation of the plans.

It emerges as a revolution in the 90`s compared to traditional project management models.The computer sector created this model with the objective of improving software development processes.The good results, since its inception, made posible that Agile was adopted by other sectors.

Its name is precisely due to what these revolutionaries sought: the maximum agility and efficiency possible in the management paths, which seemed stuck in long processes that did not allow them to advance with firm step or react to possible changes.

The short work phases are linked to partial deliveries, so the accumulations of work and the extra hours at the end of the month ... do not get along well with the Agile methodology.

This way of working has been adopted by both "startups" and large companies. As explained by the saying attributed to the Roman emperor Julius Caesar, "Divide et impera", divide and conquer.

Agile Manifesto

In this manifesto created by a working group led by Kent Beck in 2001 the principles on which all Agile methodologies are based are summarized.

• The highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous deliveries of products that satisfy a need.

• The requirements are changing, and must be exploited to offer a competitive advantage to the client.

• Frequent deliveries will be made, weekly, since the division of work allows executing it in this way.

• It is necessary the daily joint work between the client, company and the developers, with the objective of measuring progress.

• The projects are developed around motivated individuals. The methodology is based on multifunctional and self-organized teams, which should allow finishing the work of dispatches, referring to orders from above without being in direct contact with the project.

• The most effective communication between the members of a team is face to face. Regular meetings with collaborators and clients are very important.

• The finished product is the only project worth. But this doesn´t mean that it isn´t important to use simple language to inform the customer of the changes during the process.

• Agile needs sustainable development. It is not about working, but about reaching the product. It is appropriate to maintain a constant rhythm throughout the processes, rather than working overtime.

• Technical excellence and design facilitate agile work. It is important that although we have not decided from the first moment, there is a clear quality in the design.

• Simplicity is essential. Sophisticated instruments are not necessary to manage the product, it is better to do it in a simple way; which will also facilitate communication with the client.

• Self-management is very important. As a general rule, teams work better and more motivated when they feel responsible for their project.

• Changing circumstances and work at regular intervals allow teams to adapt and reflect on how to be more productive or effective.

The most important Agile methodologies are Scrum, Kanban, Crystal Clear y Extreme Programming, among others.

Scrum

It is probably the most successful one. Why? Because it is the one that best adapts to other sectors besides software development.

Scrum is an Agile methodology used to reduce the risks in projects realization. It is based on the daily monitoring of progress, which allows an improvement of communication in the team and with the client.

To do this, Scrum works with Sprints, which are a kind of phases that must be completed within a certain time frame. Each Sprint lasts a period between one and four weeks and will contain one or several well-defined deliverables, for example, in a Branding development we could have several sprints (brand platform, naming, visual identity, brand manual, parts and AAFF).

All the tasks of each Sprint are defined in the Backlog o Product Backlog, which is a kind of central repository where each of the project tasks are from beginning to end.

When working with Scrum, particular roles are also used, such as:

• Product Owner: he is the representative of the business and interlocutor of the feedback with the client. In each Sprint you must mark the agreed goal so that the product increases its value.

• Scrum master: it basically manages the processes and tries to eliminate the impediments that arise for the delivery of the product. He is responsible for Scrum moving foward.

• Development team: self-organized professionals, who work according to each one`s role and capable of generating an increase in value without relying on external aids.

• Stakeholders: are the people who have the commercial needs and wants, that is, those who finally propose the requirements that must be met.

Agile for marketing agencies

The marketing sector has traditionally been considered chaotic, perhaps because the existing methodology is reduced or, why not say it, bad. This has generated delays in deliveries and problems between customers and agencies.

To reduce these problems, solutions have been sought such as the application of the Agile methodology to the world of digital marketing, even if it is something recent.

It´s true that the world of design takes more time applying these methodologies for the development of UX / UI or user experience. Being a very close section, I think the design has been the gateway for the Agile methodology has been extended to digital marketing.

There are a series of Agile processes that adopted by the marketing agencies, increase productivity, as well as the commitment of the professionals involved in the project.

The application of this methodology has real advantages in the creation of the annual marketing plan, in the elaboration of a social media plan or in the execution of tasks and projects with marked delivery over time. Why? Because, for example, if the client requests some kind of change, the team will be prepared to carry it out during the process, not on a finished project.

The planning of the Sprints, offers the continuous possibility of adaptation and improvement to the adversities of the project.

The 15-minute daily meetings help the team synchronize and create a plan day by day, evaluating the progress toward the Sprint goal. If we also do a weekly meeting as a retrospective, the possible errors in the development will be reduced and will make the team work like a perfect gear.

The use of digital applications such as Asana or Trello, for the management of projects and processes is essential for an agile operation of the agency. These applications make it easier for each team member to manage their daily tasks, in turn, within general boards divided by clients or by general projects.

The application of Agile in marketing agencies has three great advantages:

• Greater customer satisfaction: intervenes and receives fast and continuous deliveries.

• Reduction of costs: repetitions are avoided and it is stepped on insurance.

• Most happy and productive team.

More and more marketing agencies use Agile methodologies, since it is proven that they increase productivity and offer proven results in attracting valuable leads. Therefore, if you still do not use any of them, what are you waiting for?

Image by Alternate Skate