Martech: Martech is Marketing Logo
  • Topics
    Digital Transformation
    Marketing Operations
    Data
    Customer & Digital Experience
    Performance Marketing
    Marketing Management
    Special Reports
    MarTech Topics
  • Conference
  • Webinars
  • Intelligence Reports
  • White Papers
  • What is MarTech
    Mission
    Staff
    Newsletter
    Search Engine Land
    Third Door Media

Processing...Please wait.

MarTech » Agile Marketing » Getting started with the Agile Marketing Navigator: How to hold a successful Brainstorm session

Getting started with the Agile Marketing Navigator: How to hold a successful Brainstorm session

An agile framework designed specifically for marketers includes a Brainstorm session for stakeholders and the team.

Stacey Ackerman on June 2, 2022 at 10:10 am

We recently introduced you to Agile Marketing Navigator, a flexible framework for navigating agile marketing for marketers, by marketers in the article “A new way to navigate agile marketing.” The navigator has four major components: Collaborative Planning Workshop, Launch Cycle, Key Practices and Roles. Within these categories, there are several sub-pieces for implementation. Over the next several weeks, we’ll dive into each piece and give you practical, actionable ways to use them at your company.

The Collaborative Planning Workshop is the first stop in your agile marketing journey. Within that, there are four distinct pieces: Guidepoint, Brainstorm, Minimally Viable Launch and Blueprint. Last week we took you through how to align on the Guidepoint. Now, let’s dive into the Brainstorm and I’ll give you some tips from how I’ve facilitated this with several clients that maximizes creativity and contributions from everyone.


agile marketing workflow

Catch up on the Agile Marketing Navigator series!

  • Aligning on a Guidepoint
  • How to hold a successful Brainstorm session
  • How to determine the minimally viable launch
  • Creating a blueprint
  • Building a Marketing Backlog

A place where ideation can happen

The business stakeholders and all team members should participate in the Brainstorm. Even though the stakeholders aren’t the ones doing the work and may not be as in tuned with how it all comes together, leveling the playing field and working as equals often leads to better empathy between everyone, and quite frankly — better ideas from different perspectives.

To get started, make sure that you have a place where ideation can happen. For virtual teams, a sticky note tool like Mural is great for everyone to be able to easily submit ideas. If you’re in a co-located office, find a conference room with plenty of sticky notes and wall space.

Next, make sure there’s a facilitator who can provide clear expectations, watch the time and ensure that everyone is participating. Typically, this is done by the Agile Champion on the team. This role may also participate in the brainstorm.

While there’s no ‘right’ way to hold a brainstorm, I’ve found that providing everyone with what’s expected of them makes it go smoother. Here are some things I’ve tried:

  • Everyone should submit at least five ideas.
  • Your ideas should be something executable to the marketplace (avoid things like “research” or “plan” as those are internal tasks).
  • Try to be as specific as possible. Rather than say, “Social post” say something like “Patient stories on social media” (in a healthcare context — see below).
  • The timebox is…. (15 minutes is typically enough time).
  • Ask the group if they’d like silence for brainstorming, or music in the background. I’ve had some teams where someone offers to be the DJ!

Get the daily newsletter digital marketers rely on.

Processing...Please wait.

See terms.


Brainstorming a healthcare Guidepoint

Here’s an example from a team of marketers from a healthcare system. Their Guidepoint was: 

“Market the opening of a new state-of-the-art birthing center by reaching 2,500 expecting parents living within a 10 mile radius. Once the birthing center opens, 25 percent of them come to our hospital.” 

Here are some of the ideas that they generated through the brainstorm activity:

The brainstorm is a really important part of agile marketing. It helps ensure creative thinking can happen that’s truly aligned with the business outcomes that the team is trying to achieve. This activity replaces work requests that come through to the team without any conversation. The brainstorm is an empowering event for marketers — plus it’s a lot of fun!

Read next: Freeing agile marketing from its software development roots


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.


New on MarTech

    How clean, organized and actionable is your data?
    Replacement Survey: The top 5 solutions replaced
    What’s the biggest hidden secret in Google Ads?
    Native video tops social media in brand awareness study
    Worsening economy has more shoppers getting online info before making in-store purchases

About The Author

Stacey Ackerman
Stacey knows what it’s like to be a marketer, after all, she’s one of the few agile coaches and trainers that got her start there. After graduating from journalism school, she worked as a content writer, strategist, director and adjunct marketing professor. She became passionate about agile as a better way to work in 2012 when she experimented with it for an ad agency client. Since then she has been a scrum master, agile coach and has helped with numerous agile transformations with teams across the globe. Stacey speaks at several agile conferences, has more certs to her name than she can remember and loves to practice agile at home with her family. As a lifelong Minnesotan, she recently relocated to North Carolina where she’s busy learning how to cook grits and say “y’all."

Related Topics

Agile MarketingMarketing Management

Get the daily newsletter digital marketers rely on.

Processing...Please wait.

See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS The MarTech Conference logo.

September 28-29, 2022: Fall

Start Training Now: Master Classes

Start Discovering Now: Spring



The SMX Conference logo.

Start Training Now:: SMX Advanced

November 14-15, 2022: SMX Next

March 8-9, 2022: Master Classes

Webinars

Agencies: Grow Revenue Streams Through Web Accessibility & Compliance

Protect Your Paid Advertising Spend Against Ad Fraud and Invalid Traffic

Build an Integrated Search Strategy Across Google, Amazon and YouTube

See More Webinars
Intelligence Reports

Enterprise SEO Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Identity Resolution Platforms

Email Marketing Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

See More Intelligence Reports
Featured White Paper

Site Search 101

See More Whitepapers

Receive daily marketing news & analysis.

Processing...Please wait.

Topics

  • Transformation
  • Operations
  • Data
  • Experience
  • Performance
  • Management
  • All Topics
  • Home

Our Events

  • MarTech
  • Search Marketing Expo - SMX

About

  • What is MarTech
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • RSS

© 2022 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.