What is Scrum Marketing?

Hello, this post about scrum marketing belongs to a series that includes the titles: scrum team roles and How to implement scrum in a digital marketing agency, which I will be publishing in the following weeks.

I write about this topic since we have been practicing for a while when projects allow it, because it is not always possible to do so, and the results obtained are very interesting and surprising.

Of the scrum they say that it is the revolutionary method to work twice in half the time, let’s not kid ourselves, as possible, but there is a way to reach those levels of success in its application.

It is a way of managing a team which is synchronized and strives towards a goal, say its creators, Jeff and JJ Sutherland or rather as defined, the popularizers of the method, which like a rugby team moves the ball through the field, scrum brings the team together to always carry the project forward.

This method has been extensively tested by Google, Amazon, Toyota, American government organizations among other corporations and ratify its virtues and good results.

It is simple and quick to implement and so why not take advantage of it too?

Index of contents

• A little Scrum
• How to do Scrum Marketing?
  • Separate chaff from grain
  • Sprints or how to progressively accelerate the team
• What are the benefits and advantages of Scrum Marketing?
  • The Scrum Marketing method allows solving problems of all kinds.
  • The fitting of mega specialists for specific projects with scrum in marketing agencies
• Direct benefit applied to digital marketing management
• Building a Scrum Marketing team
  • Scrum Master, its role and function
  • The Product Owner
• When is it good to implement the Scrum methodology?
  • Small teams
  • Little need for documentation
  • Projects at risk of process changes
  • Trust in scrum methodology
• And within the agency, what typical projects can we execute with scrum marketing.
  • Lead Designer
  • Content Creator
  • Data Analyst
  • Digital strategist
  • Front End Developer
• conclusion

A little Scrum

Perhaps on some occasion you have felt that you have enough strength and with enough courage to start a great project.

I’m not talking about something simple, but rather a really big company or venture that lasts over time.

It is not crazy and there is nothing wrong with it despite the difficulties you are going to encounter or that you think you are not sufficiently prepared, but we must bear in mind that it is not something that will develop overnight and that, to achieve this, we must obtain the best results in each phase.

We have to put in place certain mechanisms and ways of doing that allow the optimization of our resources and capabilities.

There is a management methodology that has helped today’s large technology companies to achieve this.

It is the Scrum methodology and like everything great, it was born for an end and then it evolves transforming to implant itself with other points of view and in other sectors for which it was designed.

Scrum was born to order and manage software projects and can be used for all kinds of projects.

This tool ensures that the entire team that is involved in the project, knows their tasks, delivery deadlines and much more really well.

Scrum helps achieve this and streamlines all kinds of processes to deliver value to customers in really short intervals of time.

Allowing, or rather ensuring the satisfaction of anyone who wants to do business with us, the company or projects in which we are working.

But the most interesting thing from my point of view is the ability to evolve the members of the project, to sprint, cut times and budgets in an increasing way throughout the project.

How to do Scrum Marketing?

In a simple way, I would say that it is a process or framework used by agile teams that can undertake quite large and / or complex projects.

It is really an extremely versatile work methodology that has as one of its main purposes to deliver value to customers as soon as possible , without having to wait for the complete completion of the project.

It is based on three fundamental pillars: the transparency of its operation, the inspection within the company and the adaptation of the team members.

Of course, Scrum Marketing comes from the field of software and the technological world that is dominating the current scene, however, it can be used to manage projects in many other sectors in a really efficient way.

Why? Well, because  it is not based on a completely rigid methodology in which precise phases, procedures and deliverables will be marked.

This allows entrepreneurs, small or large companies to apply the principles to any activity and also take them to Marketing , thus, Scrum Marketing was born a few years ago .

Separate chaff from grain

The first thing to do with this methodology or way of working is to make a list of high-level requirements, which must be ordered in terms of priority and based on the maximum benefits or value that can be given to the client as soon as possible. .

These deliverables will be the first to work and get, and as some of you may know this list is known as Backlog or Product Backlog.

It is through this list that the blocks in which the projects can be carried out to obtain better results begin to be planned. These blocks or time capsules are commonly known or called Sprints.

Sprints or how to progressively accelerate the team

Once we understand this, we create Sprints that have to contain a list of tasks (called Sprint Backlog) that will be carried out by the team after they have been clearly defined in a planning meeting called Sprint Planning.

It is important to also know that the duration of each of the Sprints should comprise a not very long period that would be between two weeks and a month, which should also be defined by the same team that is thinking of carrying it out.

After all this we also have the Daily Scrum. This is essential for Scrum Marketing to function properly. It is simply a daily meeting whose duration is not more than 15 minutes.

In it the members of the entire team will share the progress of what they have been doing by answering key questions that will guide everyone to be more focused.

These questions are of the type: What have you done? What obstacles do you have to cross? How could they be solved? What will you do today to help the group accelerate? , etc.

Finally, after all this, there is the Sprint retrospective. It is a small meeting in which the team members themselves discuss the Sprint that has just ended.

This will allow us to identify the problems that were faced, what went very well in the process and what could be improved for the next Sprint that is about to start.

What are the benefits and advantages of Scrum Marketing?

The number of situations, simple or complex, that can arise within a marketing agency is no secret to anyone.

Whether it has just opened or if it has been on the market for a long time …

There are too many problems that have to be faced to coordinate the work required by clients and that is why methodologies must be sought that safely help to achieve the best results in the shortest possible time and with less costs.

The Scrum Marketing method allows solving problems of all kinds.

A clear example is when the costs of realizing products or services that we are routinely marketing and that are part of our specialty come to skyrocket .

Initially, production costs are low and as we overload the agency with this type of work, profitability decreases. We drown the processes ourselves.

Solving this can be somewhat complicated, but with Scrum Marketing we can lay the foundations to solve the problem in a very short time and in the best way.

Of course, it also offers the versatility of solving problems concerning customers.

When they do not receive the product or service that best suits their needs, ways can be found to get ahead, rethink, and gain approval despite small setbacks during the process.

Obviously, we can also find solutions when the delivery periods of the products or services are really long.

Dynamic group meetings, the implementation of techniques and specific task assignments help to attack these types of threats before they are significant or in many cases insurmountable.

It is also very common for any digital marketing agency to find itself at that time in which the products or services we offer have to evolve or improve .

At first glance we might find ourselves trapped, but with the implementation of Scrum Marketing we will have better opportunities to attack these problems from the roots and in the shortest possible time, allowing us to obtain better results in a very short time.

And as we well know, the better quality our products and services have, the greater acceptance we will have from customers and we will also obtain an increase in them because we will be earning their trust in what we are offering.

The fitting of mega specialists for specific projects with scrum in marketing agencies

Are usual situations in which we need to focus a lot on work ultra specialization within the range of solutions, tactics and techniques to develop digital marketing products or services involved.

By pursuing a good implementation of Scrum Marketing in our digital agency we have the opportunity to work virtually with specialists who help us find the maximum contribution of quality in our services.

They incorporate and adapt to the equipment, to the times and to the processes with an amazing ease and speed. Of course, as long as the professional has a minimum of experience in the system.

Coming to consider our digital marketing agency as a favorite not for the economic, but for how easy, profitable and really feasible it is to ally with our company.

Another thing that usually happens when you have a growing company is that you lose, to a greater or lesser extent, the spirit of work within the group. Be it due to fatigue, stress, lack of results or something similar.

When we start applying Scrum we will discover thousands of opportunities and ways in which these situations could be solved without any problems.

Once this point is resolved we will discover a truly motivated team capable of dealing with any circumstance that we are about to face with our agency.

The biggest benefit that we should not overlook is the ability of Scrum Marketing to solve all kinds of problems in a really systematic and orderly way.

It sounds easy, but not all people and less all the methods that exist have ideal ways to order ideas or implementation steps and attack certain problems that arise on a daily basis.

Or even, to be able to use everything that surrounds us in our favor and make the most of those circumstances.

Direct benefit applied to digital marketing management

The Scrum applied to marketing management allows the company itself to adapt to the rhythm of the market and achieve better reaction and traction against the competition.

It is no secret that in the business world, the digital age and everything in between, there are many other companies that are offering products or services similar to ours.

But the really interesting thing is to face them and that all customers may prefer our product portfolio, before that of other companies or companies. Only Scrum can provide the different options to solve these situations.

Other advantages that derive from using Scrum Marketing in an appropriate way could be the motivation for teamwork.

Flexibility to changes that may arise in terms of schedules, milestones and much more.

It is important to note that Scrum improves communication between team members, allowing them to be more united and that they have even more desire to share their ideas for sprinting and that could result in great benefits for the company.

The implementation of this methodology will significantly reduce the risks that may arise.

Delivery times will be much more predictable and quantifiable to offer the best to our clients.

We will greatly optimize all quality processes and reduce confusion regarding product or service definitions at hand.

Building a Scrum Marketing team

As we can see there are great advantages that exist when implementing the Scrum methodology in our agency or project.

But obviously we cannot do this alone, but just as in a rugby, soccer or other team sport we must have a large group with which we can understand each other and who, together with us, can carry out this methodology. best possible.

Each member and their involvement will be necessary to put the entire company to work at its most optimal level.

The Scrum Marketing team is basically made up of the Product Owner, the development team itself and the Scrum Master , they are teams that organize themselves, that fulfill different functions, that are able to choose the best ways to carry out their work and none is led by someone who is external to the team.

When we talk about Marketing and Scrum, we can see that the bases are very similar, although there are very clear differences in the types of roles and in the marketing processes.

Scrum Master, its role and function

This figure is the facilitator and the main bridge between the Product Owner and the other team members.

It does not control the team since it is intended to work to eliminate all kinds of obstacles that prevent reaching the goals of the sprints.

He also works to provide useful advice to the Product Owner to maximize the ROI of the equipment.

The Scrum Master is extremely valuable to everyone and must ensure the high quality of Scrum Marketing, agile processes and the correct application of all events, the use of tools and more, which will allow the team to move forward without many problems.

The Product Owner

In a few words we could say that he is the owner of the product, it is the literal meaning in Spanish.

This is the person who must have the vision, authority and skill necessary for the team to work from their own perspective , making the team fall in love with their work, their product and who can encourage others to give their best for the project first. and the company later.

This role is the only one with the power to change the backlog. In turn, it also has the responsibility that each item or object within it is appropriately prioritized, that its content is clear, and of course, easy to understand for all members.

A marketing Backlog in general usually has different types of items, which correspond to the different objectives, so it is common that information about them is always needed.

The Product Owner himself must have the ability to strike a balance between the value of the product and the work of the marketing team under his charge.

When is it good to implement the Scrum methodology?

You have to answer this as honestly as possible and it is certainly not necessary and on many occasions, it is not convenient to use the Scrum methodology for all kinds of assignments.

This is why we have to know what the requirements must be for any project we are thinking of in order to use the method as efficiently as possible:

Small teams

Truly, when the projects are of work teams that do not exceed 8 people, it is highly recommended to use the Scrum Marketing methodology .

Although there are specific cases where companies have used this method with incredible success with much larger teams, it is not highly recommended.

I would say that between 10 and 12 is ideal, maximum 15 members.

Little need for documentation

When the client demands that the entire project must be very well documented from the beginning (the consultation phase and all the decision-making for complex requirements) to the end, then we know that Scrum will not work well for us.

However, when expectations are fast deliveries and having a lot of control over the project, Scrum will be a very useful agile tool because it is specifically focused to bring the maximum value of the project at the beginning and quickly.

Projects at risk of process changes

As the Scrum methodology runs in phases from 2 weeks to a month, it allows enough flexibility when undertaking changes mid-project, since after each phase the specific tasks and objectives will be rethought.

Trust in scrum methodology

It should be noted that the person who decides to assume the implementation of Scrum Marketing in an agency is in charge of ensuring its strict compliance.

So before working on a project with Scrum we must learn well the principles and ways of operating and feel completely comfortable with them in order to pass that trust on to the rest of the project and company actors.

And within the agency, what typical projects can we execute with scrum marketing.

These that I list below are the most common digital positions, but thanks to the versatility and adaptation of the method we can incorporate any other position:

Lead Designer

This is the main individual or person who works on the general conceptualization and design of a specific project. He is the person in charge of taking full responsibility for the conceptualization of a company product.

His main task as Lead Designer is to work hand in hand with the production department, shape the project and help in the creation of the calendar, designation of the resources that are available and of the times.

In some moments, the lead designer can take the role of Project manager and assume their responsibilities to guide the production of the entire team during the design and development of all processes, such as graphic pieces, schedules and more, they can also verify That the design is and complies with everything that the client has requested.

Content Creator

The content creator, in Spanish, is the person in charge of being active to create and publish original content for a specific audience on one or more platforms.

It is no secret that every organization, product, company or company must be active and present by publishing content on the wide variety of existing platforms.

This allows you to create an audience, interact with the same followers and allows you to reach the variety of market segments in order to build a unique and individual brand that does not have any equal competition.

A writer can also become a content creator when he begins writing for a variety of channels. Be they writers of books, scripts or simply by writing daily on a blog.

But there are even more positions that can be integrated and found within an optimized project with Scrum Marketing .

Data Analyst

As we can imagine this is a person in charge of measuring, searching or recovering, analytical data through the Kpi, this is only the first part, it is the analytical profile moment.

Then the analytical profile moment comes into play , which communicating and delivering the conclusions from the data that have been selected, the rest of the members react.

Clearly, it could be said that it is or is responsible for obtaining, analyzing and reporting all the data received from business metrics towards user behavior and, of course, the performance of a product with which we are working.

A data analyst can:

Raise queries to retrieve data from a certain database and be able to share them with investors, clients, colleagues, etc., at a precise moment.

Monitor user behaviors to find ideas or some kind of trend that can be used in our favor to improve the performance of the product or the organization.

Correctly interpret the results of an A / B test and make recommendations that can be based on the results obtained.

Digital strategist

We could define this person as the one who works within the organization to, through a previous analysis, be able to identify all those deficiencies and needs that have not been met, establish objectives, opportunities and challenges of all the departments and aspects of a business or specific project to be born, maintained or grow.

Subsequently, they can create, monitor and / or implement the execution of the plans within the specific departments to achieve all the objectives of the strategy that can go from the creation of all the content to the direct sale to the clients.

Front End Developer

This is the programmer who creates the visual element of a software , application or website for the client or internal project.

This person is in charge of creating components and features that are directly visible and accessible to the end customer or user.

Usually, the Front End Developer’s job is to convert a web page design to HTML, JavaScript (JS), or CSS.

This usually includes the basic design or template of the website, images, buttons, content, internal links, navigation, blogs and much more.

conclusion

The agency scrum method is basically a way to do agile team and project management.

With workgroups smaller than a dozen members, maximize productivity in sprinting mode as we complete the commissioning phases .

By integrating the client as a spectator, it allows us to deliver parts of the project, testing whether such deliverables are necessary.

The contribution of the maximum value occurs in the initial part of the works, that is, the most important in terms of perceived value for the client will always be executed as soon as possible.

If you have a dynamic team in your agency, this is a widely recommended method to boost performance and add value to stockholders.

Be clear that at the beginning of the implementation that good results are not obtained , but the advantage is that since the same system allows to evolve in short times, the improvements can be seen quickly.

The entire project work process under the scrum system must be transparent , accessible to all members and even to the client, and we must be willing to readjust objectives and processes quickly and quickly.

Much of the success of the applied scrum lies in its daily meetings, which, far from being extensive, take place in 15 minutes, standing if possible and focused on identifying and eliminating obstacles that prevent the team from becoming faster and more efficient.

Well applied, it makes it easier for us to solve problems, optimize resources and reduce costs.

Ideal for agile work with team members physically in other locations and optimal when faced with orders with a high probability of change.

Finally I would make a point / recommendation, the figure of the Scrum Master should be occupied by someone who knows first-hand all the project processes from a technical point of view, this will facilitate the design of sprints and modifications, there is nothing like understanding the work of a partner when you have to influence him.

And you? Did you know the method or have you ever practiced it?

Tell me how it went and if you have made any specific adaptive modifications, I would love to be able to test your agile management.