Whether events are all or just part of what your organisation offers, performing a marketing MOT on the business as a whole is a good way to get a real feel for where you are at the moment and therefore how far you'll need to come to become a future proof, digitally savvy marketing team. It can also help you identify the strengths you can capitalise on, as well as areas where you can make some quick wins in terms of improvements.

Performing a B2B marketing MOT on your business in advance of undertaking any new marketing initiative will give you a proper 360 view of the current state of play. This in turn will put you in the best possible position to make an effective plan to move your organisation forward. Organisations that attend our accelerator labs find this excercise particularly valuable before they actually attend the workshops.

So, now that you know what it's for, here's how you do it:

1) Look at how much "new" you've taken on board in the last 12 months.

A high performing marketing team is always in some kind of state of change. They test new things all the time and seek to innovate and improve even tried and tested techniques and channels. As a benchmark, anywhere between 10-25% of truly new ideas is ok and a further 25-50% of existing stuff that's been tested and tweaked and tested again to create a better performing tactic.

2) Evaluate how much "old" you've been able to let go of in the same period.

You can't keep shovelling new ideas into marketing plans without taking stuff out. Being brave enough to try new stuff is only half the battle. You have to let go of your security blankets and give your team room to breathe and thrive. A high performing marketing team is one with the will (and the organisational endorsement) to drop or radically innovate stuff that's yielding mediocre to poor results. For all the new stuff you're putting in, you need to be taking at least that much out of stuff that doesn't work so well any more. 

3) Map your skills portfolio.

Event marketers are generalists, that's part of the role and it's unlikely to change. But that doesn't mean that within your team you can't develop and nurture particular skill sets and specialisms, even if everyone has to be proficient at everything at a basic level. Create a map of your team, listing particular skills each individual has and the degree of maturity they have achieved so far. At the same time, score them on attitude. Prioritise the skills that are most important for your organisation's bottom line in the next 12 months. This exercise should enable you to quickly identify 2-3 individuals and areas where investing in training will achieve an instant positive impact on your business. It'll also enable you to see any gaps that you can close by hiring in the skills or developing them from an existing team member whose attitude impresses you.

4) Create a list of blockages.

Even the best marketing teams and organisations have roadblocks that hold them back from their optimal state. You'll never be rid of all of them but taking time to assess what they are and look for those where progress can be made will enable your team to operate with a greater sense of freedom and ultimately do the kind of innovative marketing that will really drive results. Start by making a list yourself, then ask the rest of your team. Try not to let it descend into a negative moaning session by setting out the rule at the beginning that every roadblock identified must also have a potential solution suggested for the team to explore.

5) Identify the areas where marketing really works.

In the same way that there will be areas and results you'd rather sweep under the carpet, there will be areas where you feel your team is super strong. This is a different exercise from skills mapping as you're not just looking at people, but at processes, technologies, anything in the marketing universe or that impacts on marketing. By creating a list of all your strengths, you'll be able to see opportunities to push those areas further, identify areas of the business that will support new ideas and areas where tests are most likely to be welcomed and get the resourcing they need to succeed.

If you know where you are standing you'll know where you need to go

Performing these MOTs or internal checks will prevent your business falling into the trap of sameness. We all know that "Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results" but hardly put this into practice. This particular situation is very prevalent in the events industry and while it is changing slowly, there is still much road to cover.