Small business owners have a unique advantage: they often know exactly who their customers are. This is because they’re usually the ones directly building relationships with the people they serve.

But as businesses grow, maintaining this direct connection becomes a challenge. The business evolves, departments form, and communication can become more segmented. This often leads to a reliance on data to paint a picture of customer needs and market trends…and it takes skill and time to understand what the data is really saying.

Leadership is crucial in steering the company through these changes. They must maintain a clear focus on where the organization is headed. Here, marketing teams play a pivotal role, especially if they have a seat at the leadership table. A marketing leader can act as a bridge, merging customer feedback with internal insights to understand how well the company is meeting market needs.

However, marketing teams face their own set of challenges. It can be tempting to look at flashy campaigns from other brands and want to copy them. But remember, not all that glitters is gold.

Many strategies that seem successful on the surface might not actually align with deeper business objectives OR be successful. It’s crucial for marketing efforts to remain connected to what truly matters—the impact on the business.

Marketers should make a habit of reconnecting with who their true customer is and continuously refining their strategies to better meet these needs.

Here are a few ideas from some great authors that can help marketing teams get realigned.

1. Find ways to measure marketing’s business impact.

Katie Paine, in her book “Measure What Matters,” emphasizes the importance of measurable outcomes that genuinely align with strategic business goals. She argues, “If you can’t measure something, you can’t understand it. If you can’t understand it, you can’t control it. If you can’t control it, you can’t improve it.”

2. Come to a shared understanding of reality.

Richard Rumelt discusses in “Good Strategy Bad Strategy” how many strategies fail because they are more about lofty aspirations than they are about actionable steps. Effective marketing strategies are grounded in realism and are directly tied to tangible business impacts.

3. Be willing to make adjustments along the way.

Scott Brinker advocates in “Hacking Marketing” for applying agile methodologies to marketing. This approach helps marketing teams quickly adapt to changes and align closely with what delivers the most business value, transforming uncertainty into manageable risk.

The main role of marketing is to help the business grow. This involves a mix of creativity, strategic discipline, and agile practices.

Effective marketing isn’t just about standing out for the sake of being different; it’s about thoughtful, purposeful action that drives the company’s broader objectives forward.