CMOs face a variety of pressures: to prove marketing’s ROI to the CEO, to stay on top of marketing trends and changes and to provide their teams with the training, tools and leadership they need to perform. It’s a lot to manage, but a successful CMO is a powerful force for their organization’s growth and development.
This year, we think all CMOs should resolve to take the work of their departments to the next level. Here’s our advice for making it happen:
The most successful digital marketing is data-driven. You’d be hard-pressed to find marketers who disagree with that statement, and yet not all marketers are committing the resources required do data-driven marketing right.
In the coming year, take steps to maximize accuracy in your data-driven predictions. That means employing one or more experienced data scientists (or working with a partner firm), and giving them the tools they need to work effectively. Ask your team what data collection and analysis tools they would most like in place for the coming year.
Interdepartmental alignment starts from the top, but to be impactful it needs to be implemented at all levels. That means empowering your team to take ownership of their relationship with the rest of your organization.
How can you do this? First, train your team to better understand how they impact the rest of the organization, from sales to IT. When individuals feel connected to the overall operations and purpose of your organization, they feel more invested in their work. Moreover, they will be driven to make connections with their colleagues across departments.
If you’re like many marketing leaders, you make time for some professional training for your team members, in the form of occasional trainings on new tech tools or talks on industry trends. But in 2016, think outside the box when it comes to professional development for your marketing team. You may not have the resources to give your employees 20 percent of their time to work on passion projects, as Google used to, but you can still embrace unconventional professional development projects.
Consider aligning your professional development programs with your organizational purpose and provide opportunities for your team to do pro-bono work or volunteer in areas they’d like to explore. Or, encourage team members to think creatively by setting up a quarterly or annual activity that stimulates their imaginations. Perhaps have your team brainstorm ways to market a fictional product from a popular movie, or try out each other’s roles as a training exercise.
Looking for more guidance on how to better support your team in 2016? Browse our library of white papers.
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