A Big Group Hug with the IT Department

Over the last few years, the Marketing department has grown steadily dependent on the IT department.  This has occurred because Marketing is increasingly leveraging systems (managed by the IT department) to streamline marketing effectiveness and increase marketing efficiencies. 

As a result of this dependency on the IT department, Marketing (more than ever) needs to maintain strong ties with its IT counterpart.  This can be achieved by:

• Taking your IT team out for a group lunch or other group outing (formal or informal) to strengthen the relationship between the two groups.
  
  
• Educating your IT team on the business impact of their efforts.  This could be accomplished by scheduling educational meetings with the IT department to demonstrate how their efforts translate into business value.  In this instance a little bit of time spent, on the part of the business, can go a long way.

• Rewarding your IT department for a job well done.  Free tee-shirts, marketing trinkets, special outings all fit the bill for a job well done.  The point is that you consciously reward your IT team for a job well done.

Marketing's reliance on the IT department will only increase with time.  So the sooner you engage the IT department in a positive and constructive way, the better.