David C. Smith’s Post

Stepping into a marketing leadership role can feel like navigating a new galaxy 🌌—exciting yet daunting. The secret to making a stellar impact? Quick wins that resonate across the organization.🚀 Here’s how to leave your mark and build instant credibility: 1. Insightful Customer Conversations 🗣️: Dive deep with 10 customers and unearth an insight that’s been overlooked. This fresh perspective can be a game-changer, illuminating new paths for strategy and engagement. 2. AdWords Audit🔍: Intent is king in terms of search. Scrutinize your AdWords spending with a detective’s eye. Are you investing in searches that truly align with your audience's intentions? Sometimes, less is more—especially if it means stopping the cash flow on clicks that don’t convert. 3. The Power of One Email ✉️: In a world flooded with digital noise, one exceptionally crafted email can cut through the clutter. Engineering sectors, in particular, often have gold mines of engaged contacts just waiting for that spark of relevance. Find it, and ignite engagement. 🔥 4. Consultant Conductor🎼: You know that one consultant who’s worth their weight in gold? Bring them on board, even if it’s just for a brief symphony. Let their expertise shine on a targeted project, delivering high-impact results that can shift your marketing strategy’s rhythm. Great marketing isn’t just about broad, sweeping gestures; it’s about strategic, well-timed moves that resonate on a deeper level. These quick wins aren’t just about gaining immediate results; they’re about laying the groundwork for sustained success and demonstrating the profound impact marketing can have across every corner of the organization. #MarketingLeadership #QuickWins #StrategicImpact #B2BMarketing #AkheleashRaghuramMarketing #ARM

CEOs who place marketing at the core of their growth strategies are twice as likely as their peers to have greater than 5 percent annual growth, according to a recent survey McKinsey conducted with input from the Association of National Advertisers (ANA). CEOs and chief marketing officers (CMOs) must work together closely for any marketing […] https://lnkd.in/duG2_wW5 www.Cyprus-CEO.com #CEO #business #management #marketing #tech #AI #legal #money

“Here comes the marketing person, they always want to do too much, too fast,” echoed a CMO from a multi-billion dollar software company. Offered as a warning for other CMOs when seeking to collaborate with their peers, my mind was spinning on the real issues here. Of course, CMOs want to get a lot done quickly The clock is ticking even before they start. That’s why many B2B CMOs have to present a 30/60/90-day plan just to secure a job. Inherent in this frequent (and annoying) request is an expectation of having an immediate impact. If CMOs were being asked for a 3-year plan, then their push for quick impact could and would happily shift. But I don’t see that happening, do you? [Note: We’ll be discussing the Future of the CMO at the CMO Super Huddle on 11/8 in Palo Alto - ping me for the discount code] CEOs expect CMOs to be instant miracle workers I’ve written about this before, but it’s worth revisiting in this context. The biggest mismatch in expectations between the CMO and the CEO is the time frame for meaningful impact. CEOs, particularly at PE/VC-backed companies, think in terms of quarterly, not annual, impact. This is so misguided as to almost be laughable. Reputations are built impression by impression, experience by experience, quarter after quarter. Sure, one brand, Chat GPT, reached 100 million users in 2 months. It was revolutionary. And free. Name another.  But what about the fail-fast mentality prescribed by Zuckerberg and Bezos? Let’s separate tactics from strategy. Getting your overall business strategy right takes time. It’s not a marketing problem. It’s a company problem. Sure the CMO can help drive strategy, bringing together product, sales, customer service, finance, research, and HR to unite around a single vision. Great business strategies are enduring and require solid foundations. Weak strategies are disposable. If you want to fail fast and forever, go with the latter. Speaking of Bezos, I’m currently listening to “Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and the Washington Post” by Martin Baron. I’ve enjoyed learning how Bezos approached transforming an old media stalwart into a digital-first publication. Before he offered “fail fast” tactics, he worked with the executive team to define the vision. Notably, Bezos insisted on putting the customer (i.e. the reader, not the advertiser) at the center of the transformation. For several years after, the publication enjoyed extraordinary growth against a singular purpose - engage readers. Great strategies drive better experiments Ultimately, the goal is not to fail fast. The goal is to succeed fast. Doing that is much easier if you're working from a strong strategic foundation. There are always things to test and no shortage of ideas. What CMOs need are filters to help sort the possible from the probable, the diluting from the additive. If one of your peers says, "You're trying to do too much, too fast," go deeper with them. Is this your problem? Or theirs?

“Succeed Fast” is only possible with a well designed and well planned Strategy. The foundation of a solid and integrated strategic marketing structure is pivotal to a company’s growth trajectory and success.

"Ninety percent of CEOs think they know the benefits of marketing. However, only 50 percent of CMOs see the same connection." Across the industry, there are lots of titles and changes in the definition of marketing. We’ve seen new roles such as the chief growth officer, chief digital officer, and chief customer officer. The traditional four Ps of marketing have been fragmented across multiple roles in the organization, which creates a challenge.... ....When we also looked at the official executive job class for CMO, we saw that less than 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies have a CMO or even a customer officer at the C-suite table. That’s a worrying sign. -- podcast interview with Robert Tas, Partner at McKinsey & Co. Here's a summary of the McKinsey article on the CEO-CMO relationship and its effect on growth: • CEOs who prioritize marketing in their growth strategies are twice as likely to achieve over 5% annual growth. • A disconnect exists between CEOs and CMOs: 90% of CEOs believe they understand marketing's benefits, but only 50% of CMOs agree. • The roles within marketing are evolving, with new titles like Chief Growth Officer and Chief Digital Officer emerging. • Technology and data analytics are crucial for modern marketing, but there's a gap in connecting data analytics to business impact. • CMOs should be involved in strategy planning and seen as growth unifiers, focusing on customer insights and experiences. • Marketing is constantly changing, and it's important for CMOs to adapt and be accountable for real business outcomes. https://lnkd.in/eXs-GANt?

CEOs who place marketing at the core of their growth strategies are twice as likely as their peers to have greater than 5 percent annual growth, according to a recent survey McKinsey conducted with input from the Association of National Advertisers (ANA). CEOs and chief marketing officers (CMOs) must work together closely for any marketing […] https://lnkd.in/dH_GpuXH www.Cyprus-CEO.com #CEO #business #management #marketing #tech #AI #legal #money

CEOs who place marketing at the core of their growth strategies are twice as likely as their peers to have greater than 5 percent annual growth, according to a recent survey McKinsey conducted with input from the Association of National Advertisers (ANA). CEOs and chief marketing officers (CMOs) must work together closely for any marketing […] https://lnkd.in/dH_GpuXH www.Cyprus-CEO.com #CEO #business #management #marketing #tech #AI #legal #money

The trio of skills marketing operations leaders need. + BONUS playbook. 📑 𝟭. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 • Marketing is a game of perception. How well you can shape your prospect's belief system will determine the length and ease of your sales process, starting at the top of the funnel. 𝟮. 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 • How you operate as a marketer will determine how good you are at your job. ↳ Did you reduce friction in the buyer's journey today, this month, last quarter? ↳ Are you creating content that aligns with your Sales team's focus to power pipeline? ↳ How well do you know your ICP? This knowledge will allow you to anticipate needs and develop early solutions, freebies, and resources before customers buy. ↳ Do you know how to measure your marketing ROI? Or are you stuck in a revolving door of 'random acts of marketing?' 𝟯. 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 • A great demand message sent to the wrong, lukewarm audience won't cut it. • If you want to grow, track what your contacts are doing so you can speak to their behavior and partner with them in their unique pursuits. • Segment your audience based on where they sit on the buyer's journey. 𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗧: Most people forget that you can segment TOFU contacts from BOFU contacts based on the content topics they consume. 💡 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 >>> 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗼𝗸 • 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀? Develop how-to guides and industry reports. Show up on social media to offer your opinion.    • 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀? Create and publish content on prominent publications where your target audience hangs out—partner with industry leaders with access to potential leads.    • 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱? Segment contacts based on fit (means to purchase), intent, and engagement level. Send them compelling omnichannel messgaes about why 𝘯𝘰𝘸 is a good time; add urgency. Lastly, AI can and should support all of the above for efficiency. If you haven't already, find a way to fold it into your process. Above all else, be human and be helpful. What's missing? Add to the conversation by sharing a 4th skill marketing leaders need to be successful this year. #marketingoperations #b2bmarketing     

Question: What’s the latest advice for marketers who want a seat on the Board? Answer: Learn more skills. At least, that’s what’s recommended in this article from The Drum 🤷♀️ But is that realistic given how much the CMO already has to do? I think marketing is one of the toughest gigs in many B2B organisations. I don’t see heads of finance, operations, or tech (for example) being advised to skill up in marketing (from USPs to ICPs and all the bazillion other acronyms in between) to secure their respective seat on the Board. Don’t get me wrong, everyone is in the same boat, so it helps if everyone understands the corporate vessel’s direction and ultimate destination. It just seems to me that while the other business functions can focus their energy solely on rowing, everyone looks to marketing to ensure the whole crew avoids all of the nasties lurking just under the surface waiting to take a chunk out of your backside (I’m looking at you #AI), all while increasing the pace and batting away the competition at every stage of the journey. At Wildfire, we know that it’s as important for marketers to navigate inside the boat as much as outside. Our campaigns are designed with the objectives of the business in mind. Whether the corporate ambition is to increase brand awareness, build a better reputation or drive revenue growth – we’ve got the chops to help. And it's a good job because, more often than not, the ambition turns out to be 'all of the above' 👀 Our experienced client services team will make your whole squad shine. Hire Wildfire and your colleagues will thank you later 😉 #B2BMarketing #Growth #PR #MarketShare #Technology #Marketing

CEOs who place marketing at the core of their growth strategies are twice as likely as their peers to have greater than 5 percent annual growth, according to a recent survey McKinsey conducted with input from the Association of National Advertisers (ANA). CEOs and chief marketing officers (CMOs) must work together closely for any marketing […] https://lnkd.in/duG2_wW5 www.Cyprus-CEO.com #CEO #business #management #marketing #tech #AI #legal #money