As the world of marketing becomes more integrated with technology, companies have begun to allocate more money to tools for analysis, automation, and analytics in the marketing space. With the need for a leader who truly understands this technology, many B2B companies are creating a new C-Suite role this year—the Chief Marketing Technology Officer.
This new position of CMTO combines aspects of the traditional chief marketing officer and chief technology officer, adding a quantitative aspect to the CMO role and signifying the growing importance of technology and analytics for marketers.
In this new role, CMTOs will be tasked with analyzing consumer and market data and then translating that information into insights—and sales. Now that data is available from sources beyond the traditional sales database, information gleaned from social media and the company blog will be a part of the CMTO’s realm. And all these sources of data are also channels for pushing out marketing messages, placing further emphasis on multi-channeled marketing plans.
CMTOs not only need to be well-versed in all types of technology, but they are more and more involved as an influencer in technology-buying decisions. With a strategic eye, they must integrate and execute the company’s vision across both marketing and technology.
To take things up a notch this year and remain relevant to your company, pay attention to how technology can contribute to your marketing campaigns and stay informed of new developments. Start incorporating relevant tools into every aspect of the marketing process—from data analysis, digital marketing, automation, mobile, e-commerce, and analytics. There are many types of technology out there—and it’s now your job to determine which ones to adopt and how they are best utilized.
In many cases, the CMTO role is actually replacing the traditional CMO job responsibilities. Unfortunately, if you aren’t learning, adapting, and integrating technology into your marketing efforts this year, you may soon be searching for a new job. Even if CMTO is not yet an official title at your company, it’s time to realize that technology is your competitive advantage, so we encourage you to take steps to become a leader in this space in the new year.
What do you think about the new role of Chief Marketing Technology Officer? How do you plan to incorporate technology into your job this year?
Image credit: Sean Loyless
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