Identify your gaps

We are Christina and Peter Pilarski, founders and leaders of CIPR Communications.

Previously, we talked about how to identify where you stand as a company in relation to your goals and within the context of your industry. We looked at how to assess your current in-house resources. Having done all that work, you need to identify the gaps you have found. What are the resources you need to reach your marketing goals, but don’t yet have?

Have an open conversation with your staff

Once you have laid a foundation of honest and open communication with your team, it will quickly become apparent where the gaps are. You may need more analytics, you may be short of strong graphic design skills. You don’t necessarily need to fill all the gaps right away. Think of them in terms of the goals you are trying to achieve. If your specific goal is to build a new website, or to launch a major social media marketing campaign, think about the resources you need to achieve those particular outcomes. Maybe you already have experts in specific marketing tactics and need somebody to oversee the project from a higher-level perspective – someone who can plan and manage a marketing strategy. Have an honest conversation with your staff about where they fit and whether or not they have the skills required. If you have an open rapport with your team, they will make it clear which parts of the project they feel competent to handle and which ones are outside of their current skill sets.

This assessment of your in-house staff will enable you to take inventory of your business’s marketing skills. You will then know what you have in your existing team and what you need to source from outside. This will put you in a more informed position when it comes to briefing your digital marketing agency. You and the marketing specialists involved in your project – both in-house and those at the agency – can then ensure that they each bring complementary skill sets to the table, making your marketing goals more achievable.