Creating and managing innovation can be one of the most complex challenges facing organizations large and small today. Part of innovations management includes "marketing innovation management."

Marketing innovation is the process of developing, creating and maintaining new ideas and methods for building sales teams, lead generation, getting the word out about your products and services and creating buzz.

The marketing landscape is forever changing and what that markets classifies as valuable is a fast moving target.

Marketing managers know that to succeed in the long term they must constantly package and re-package meaningful relevant messages and techniques to appeal to old customers, new customers and old markets and new markets to meet new demands.

One of the possible first steps toward marketing innovation is sharing knowledge.

Marketing executives and managers must share knowledge not just with the sales and marketing team members, but also with other departments.

Companies should consider a "hybrid" marketing team that consist of managers from various departments.

This can include...

Product Development Managers Sales & Marketing Managers Manufacturing Managers HR/Service Managers Other Managers

To this mix should be a small group of customers who love you and customers that cant stand you.

Developing a process to allow such diverse department heads to make contributions to the marketing mix will give the marketing team many more ideas to work with, different perspectives and a more accurate finger on the pulse of how the products and services should be marketed for best results.

Knowledge sharing should be encouraged among individuals and groups even below the management level.

Teams should be allowed to freely exchange ideas and relevant information between departments. One of your biggest marketing innovations can from a completely different department.

Fostering An Innovative Environment

With change being the raw material of innovation, one of the key elements to marketing innovation is fostering an environment that embraces change rather than shies away from it.

There are countless organizations that remain static year after year. The likely culprits are managers who fail to recognize the need for innovation and change. When an organizational culture is created that embraces changes and encourages new ideas and attitudes, innovative methods for marketing and selling products and services are likely to be spawned.

With time customers and clients change and they are changing today faster than any other time. Todays urgent scratch is tomorrows forgotten itch.

Their needs are dynamic, waxing and waning with changes in technology, the economy and socially.

It is vital that marketing managers recognize the ebbs and flows of client needs and encourage an innovative atmosphere where workers support marketing innovation. They can do this by applauding individual and group efforts to design new practices that are aligned with corporate strategy, vision and objectives.

They can also set aside time for individuals and groups to focus on innovative practices or creative techniques. Doing so will ultimately create an environment where innovation is constantly occurring.

To win the marketing game and allow your organization to fly above the competition, creativity and innovation practices must become the norm rather than the exception to the rule or a side show.

Copyright 2006 Stephen Pierce