Most companies have a CEO -- the person who drives the direction of the company and makes the important decisions. They also likely have a
CFO, COO, CTO, and even possibly a chief product officer or chief revenue officer.
But what about chief marketing officer? Lots of companies choose to go without one, full-time or
fractionally. There are a number of reasons why.
First, marketing is a “fuzzier” function than, say, technology or finance. It’s a little harder to be specific about
what a CMO does or adds. “If I have junior marketers doing work, what does a CMO add?” they may ask themselves. In addition, senior businesspeople often believe they know enough about
marketing to do the work of oversight.
But the biggest reason companies go without a CMO is, they have gotten used to what it’s like without a true marketing leader. Like homeowners who
forego rehabbing their house for so long that they stop noticing the peeling paint, leaky faucets, and outdated look and feel, these companies can’t seem to prioritize what real marketing can do
for them.
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So here’s a few signs that your marketing may not be delivering enough value for your company -- and that you might need some experienced marketing leadership to get you over
the hump.
You’ve been saying “we need a website update” for so long you’ve lost count. Websites get old. However, there’s nothing more important for your
business. And letting it molder is a sure sign you’ve lost the ability to recognize the business lost by giving prospects the wrong first impression about your company and its offering.
The marketing you do is a series of tactics and one-offs. No customer ever sees your strategy. So, at the end of the day, marketing is actually a series of activities and behaviors you
perform in the world. However, your strategy is what helps connect your execution across time, channel, and customer. Without strategic leadership and the rigor that comes from it, you may be pushing
out mere transactional messaging, transitory promotions and random product news.
And because no one has built a holistic plan, nothing is adding up over time in the customer’s mind. As
I’ve written here before, great marketing is a “system,” working together as “connective tissue” to add value to an organization.
Your brand’s story
is all about what you do, but not why. A clear purpose is a sign of a strong strategy – and it helps frame your narrative around the value you provide, vs. the attributes of your
products and services.
Buyers buy solutions that promise to solve their problems and challenges; product attributes are the reasons to believe your promises, not the main message you tell.
You aren’t obsessed with your customer. When marketing is strategically led, it is always developed in the service of its customers. But without a CMO driving it, it’s likely
that your company’s efforts are focused on “push-based” marketing, vs. insight-based marketing built around customer need.
Every good marketer at your company leaves.
The thing about good marketers is that they love marketing. They want to do strategic, interesting, big things. Without a leader in marketing, their work instead ends up being completing a long to-do
list, spinning plates, and working on putting out the latest fire. Good marketers don’t feel fulfilled by this type of work.
No one is setting objectives, developing goals, or
measuring your results. When marketing is focused on today’s fire drill, it’s likely there’s no long-range planning. And, importantly, you’re more than likely not tracking,
or optimizing your efforts on an ongoing basis.
A CMO -- full-time or fractional -- may seem like an indulgence or luxury, especially for an early-stage or startup company. But if you know how
to spot the signs, you’ll realize that without one, your marketing is likely to not leave a mark at all.