Though marketing leaders agree on the importance of developing a long-term strategy to strengthen relationships with their organizations' consumer base, the majority spend more time, money and effort on short-term projects, according to survey data cited by the Harvard Business Review.
This "short-termism" is caused primarily by the pressure to demonstrate immediate results, a lack of available strategic roles in the sector, general ambiguity about marketers' roles and an imbalanced compensation structure, per HBR.
To combat these obstacles and better prioritize a future-focused strategy, the article offered eight suggestions:
1. Allocate time every week to think long term
2. Invest in marketing capabilities
3. Drive decisions from data
4. Focus on growth
5. Deepen cross-functional ties
6. Fund marketing for the long-term
7. Demonstrate the impact of marketing
8. Don't compete on price — build value
Read more here.