Sure, the role of chief marketing officer is designed for those who embrace complex challenges and are invigorated rather than broken down by stress. Today, most CEOs expect their chief marketing officers to: Engage in a more meaningful way with customers Digital transformation, like yesterday Upgrade the marketing function with digital marketing skills, coding, agile, and data analytics Do all of this with our next-generation marketing budgets – tighter and spread throughout an increasing number of evolving digital, mobile, and social channels. Fear of Making Decisions Yes, there’s a lot of pressure to get things right when the rest of the C-suite is expecting consistent, measurable revenue growth. Plan out your testing and view your metrics in terms of both short and long-term goals. You already have dozens of metrics to use to help you make better marketing strategy decisions because you view your data holistically. Talk Agility Without Actually Practicing It Agile marketing is the methodology revolution that has allowed some brands to really rise up to the current pressures of digital marketing transformation. CMOs that really take the time to access resources on how to implement agile methods, experiment with it, and facilitate their team to go agile – all the way agile – are the ones who will unlock the true potential of their marketers. Make your transformation to a digitally-savvy marketing team an ongoing process. MarTech will continue to evolve. All three of these marketing CMO leadership mistakes point to an underlying theme – hesitation.
The CMO role has always been viewed with a sense of both awe as well as some ‘I’m-glad-it’s-you-and-not-me’ mentality.
Sure, the role of chief marketing officer is designed for those who embrace complex challenges and are invigorated rather than broken down by stress. Those who sign up tend to value grit and the ability to get things done more than work-life balance and sleep.
Still, stepping into the office only to find that lasers are shooting at you from every direction does get tiresome eventually – for the CMOs that last that long, that is.
CMOs in the food industry, for example, seldom last more than a year. The automotive and healthcare industries are also notorious for short tenures. The modern corporate marketing head faces even more challenges than yesteryear’s superhero CMO.
Today, most CEOs expect their chief marketing officers to:
- Engage in a more meaningful way with customers
- Digital transformation, like yesterday
- Upgrade the marketing function with digital marketing skills, coding, agile, and data analytics
- Do all of this with our next-generation marketing budgets – tighter and spread throughout an increasing number of evolving digital, mobile, and social channels.
Despite the job difficulty, there are survivors. And some who excel in this role.
For CMOs struggling to master their universe, here are the pitfalls to watch out for. It is these common mistakes that make marketers cringe when a new chief comes aboard. Steer clear of these misunderstandings and oversights and see how much more empowered the CMO role can be.
Fear of Making Decisions
Yes, there’s a lot of pressure to get things right when the rest of the C-suite is expecting consistent, measurable revenue growth. Your marketing team have enough on their plates, weaving meaningful brand stories into your latest campaign and figuring out how to leverage your new CRM software. However, it is still important to make bold decisions and move forwards.
Afraid of making poor choices, some CMOs get caught in the trap of endless A/B testing and employee polls. This can muddy the decision making process rather than give you the clarity you’re after. The trick is to be calculating when it comes to mining for your data insights. Plan out your testing and view your metrics in terms of both short and long-term goals. Also, look at each test, poll, and survey as part of a greater whole. Watch how the numbers evolve. And, then balance your strategic data gathering with a continual…
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