More and more businesses are talking about the power of agile marketing, a corporate philosophy that has the goal of improving a company’s overall efficiency by encouraging each employee to improve their performance throughout the entire process, as well as working harmoniously to accomplish dynamic goals.
Krishen Iyer, the owner of MAIS Consulting, has studied a variety of marketing philosophies and approaches over his 20-plus years in business, and said that agile marketing has some definite advantages that can work in a variety of industries.
A general goal of agile marketing gets everyone moving in the right direction and makes sure they all have the right general skills to tackle all sorts of problems, rather than simply specific backgrounds or specialized skills. It also includes a focus on being flexible and able to pivot easily when needed.
Being agile includes breaking up overall objectives into smaller goals and figuring out what resources are available and needed for each one. It also benefits from regular informal check-ins with participants, rather than more formal meetings that are less frequent.
This agile approach, says Krishen Iyer, can work especially well in all types and sizes of companies and in different departments with different tasks. It helps give attention to what items have been decided to have higher priority than others, and also puts less emphasis on tasks that aren’t as vital.
This keeps people who are involved in the various efforts aware of their place in the whole process and empowers everyone in an organization to want to keep on contributing.
Although it is frequently used in larger organizations where there are multiple projects and multiple teams, its principles can be adapted to smaller companies, even individual departments.
Agile use in marketing
Interestingly, according to Krishen Iyer, agile can also be used by marketing departments as a way to focus on their tasks and achieve larger goals. Yes, it’s kind of meta to figure out ways to use agile marketing to help marketing.
But it makes sense: who better than members of an experienced marketing department will be able to try to tackle efficiencies that they’ve helped other departments implement?
They can use the same techniques to collectively decide which marketing tasks are more or less important than other tasks.
They also can make adjustments to marketing projects as they’re being developed, pausing or redirecting if something doesn’t appear to be heading in the right direction.
A focus on being more agile also includes attention to reaching an end product and something that will appeal to customers and end-users in some form of direct value. Customers need to get what they expect in the end.
What to learn
Krishen Iyer has researched a variety of business techniques to improve overall performance.
MAIS Consulting has the goal of helping insurance firms or those working within these industries.
He is familiar with different roles and positions in the industry and how each can be part of the larger whole. Over the years, he’s worked for owners of agencies and owned agencies himself.
Even before he became an insurance industry consultant, Krishen Iyer would look for areas of collaboration and opportunities to help others succeed. As a consultant, this is important as well.
MAIS Consulting is all about helping clients find growth opportunities by sharing marketing expertise with them along with general support.
A typical day can start with spending time with clients and learning what challenges they’re facing, especially where marketing and outreach are concerned. These quick check-ins are important.
Following these client check-ins, Krishen Iyer will meet with his staff. These gatherings can include seeking ideas from them on ways to address some of the challenges that clients say are present.
Having these check-ins and brainstorming opportunities on a regular basis can go a long way to generating useful ideas and reassuring clients that you’re on top of whatever situation they’re involved in.
Krishen Iyer’s background
Krishen Iyer grew up in the California area. He graduated from San Diego State University with degrees in urban development and public administration.
He entered the insurance business and quickly gained experience in different endeavors within the industry, including managing companies and promoting affiliate distribution centers that provided various sales and services to clients.
He’s also launched several successful companies, such as MNP Insurance/Name My Premium, which offered customers the opportunity to choose what insurance coverage they like or available products, based on how much they have budgeted. This approach even attracted the attention of Inc magazine.
Following this successful company was the creation of MBS or Managed Benefit Services, a full-service licensed insurance agency and marketing firm.
Here, Krishen Iyer and the MBS employees offered all sorts of analytical data about customers to people working in the insurance business. The data also included possible recommendations from that data showing which customer groups have the highest likelihood of becoming clients and wanting more products.
Having access to this type of data can make it easier for clients to approach prospective clients, especially those who have already indicated their interest in certain products.
After MBS was sold, the next move was to create MAIS Consulting, where he offered marketing expertise and general support.
