5 learnings from implementing inbound in global organizations

Changing the way you market and sell in your organization is not something that happens overnight. It’s a step-by-step process. And those steps are, to say the least, a tad longer if you are an organization spread across multiple offices, countries and cultures. 

But implementing the inbound methodology into your global marketing and sales organization will leave you with great, long-term results. And this is doable.

You’re probably thinking: Sure, but how can they possibly know that?

Well, for one we’ve been responsible for rolling inbound out globally for great companies, like ISS and VELUX into 15 countries. We’ve also been training and advising multiple other large organizations on how to go inbound on a global scale. 

So, we’re pretty sure we know what we’re talking about. And a guy that knows more than most is Jeppe Nyrup, our Head of Inbound. That is why I decided to interview him and get some of his golden inbound nuggets out to you guys.

Here’s the result from digging around Jeppe’s thoughts: 5 great tips for rolling out inbound globally in large organizations.

1. Local buy-in is key

We can’t emphasize this enough: In order to be successful with inbound globally you need to establish acceptance and buy-in for the methodology locally. The physical distance between employees means that you can’t hold their hand for every decision they have to make. That is why employees need to buy into the inbound way of thinking and working – if this is not in place, you will make little headway.

 2. Focus on stakeholder management

Rolling out inbound is more about stakeholder management than about marketing. A lot of people have interests – there are both local and global departments. Sales-, marketing-, analysis-, advertising-, social media-, and digital optimization departments, fighting over the same budget. Figuring out a way to influence the right people to put inbound on the agenda is key to success.

You cannot just create one global campaign and then roll it out in all countries around the world. Consider local legislation, culture or market shares, and make the campaign adjustable or optional. This means leaving some space for local marketing departments to call the shots.

4. Use your budget wisely

Scaling a campaign globally takes a lot of money. So, it would be nice to know if this campaign has the ability to perform well, don’t you think? Throwing money out the window is, well, stupid. So be smart about your budgets. If you develop an idea or a concept, then test it locally first – and if it shows great results you can scale it globally.

5. Things take time

Patience is a virtue, especially in large global organizations. With our smaller clients, the distance from idea to execution is short, meaning results come rolling in faster. With larger organizations, “fail fast” is usually not an option, meaning campaigns get polished by multiple departments before seeing the light of day. That slows everything down and thus the results. So, arm yourself with patience. It will be worth it in the long run!