How do you tell your story? Do you utilize an internal marketing team that’s dedicated to the task? Or are your company marketing activities divided among an individual contributor and a series of agencies and freelancers? It doesn’t matter if you’re a small, local business or a large, global organization, a cohesive marketing strategy is vital to the health of your brand and the bottom line of your business. How you tell your story matters, and an outsourced CMO model can better help you tell it.
Why every company needs a CMO
Today, many organizations that tell their story successfully engage contracted Chief Marketing Officers. While part-time “fractional” contracted or retained employees are not new, you may be more familiar with the term in connection with the titles of CIO or CFO. But retaining a fractional CMO can work exceedingly well for your business and your bottom line, if you’re willing to give it a try.
Fractional CMOs don’t have to be a full-time hire either. CMOs offer organizations all of the expertise and experience of a full-time employee, without the hefty price tag. CMOs can lead companies for a short period of time (for example through a crisis period, during a time of growth or until an internal full-time individual or team hire is made) or they may be retained for the long term. Even short-term commitments aren’t always exceedingly short. Most outsourced marketing relationships are at least six months, sometimes longer. What’s critical is that all marketing activity for any organization be based on a sound strategy. That strategy requires high-level C-suite expertise that a CMO brings to the table. Digital agencies often aren’t familiar enough with corporate revenue goals and operational plans to offer that level of strategic guidance. It comes from a CMO.
Outsourced or in-house?
Some companies prefer to outsource their marketing indefinitely, because hiring outsourced firms ensures up-to-date knowledge from subject matter experts who make it their business to know marketing best practices inside and out. The best marketing leaders and their teams are always learning, always evolving and always looking for the next best way to drive client success and ensure positive outcomes. Outsourced teams make it their business to be in the know about all aspects of their work, so you’re always working with subject-matter experts who are the best of the best.
Companies of all sizes can benefit from the leadership of a fractional CMO and the dynamic knowledge of their hard-working team. Providing sound strategic leadership, a CMO carefully looks in from the outside, examining company needs, raw data, customer experience, past initiatives and more. Then the CMO and their team move forward to form a plan to propel your company forward. CMOs and their marketing teams work with C-level leadership, sales teams and others to ensure the best possible results. They can even train and manage internal employees, other partners and vendors.
The CMO’s secret weapon: an outstanding team
Outsourced marketing teams are not only cost-effective, they also allow companies to retain savvy experts that really dive deep into the needed tasks, skills and marketing functions of each organization they serve. Led by CMOs, these teams are simply priceless to organizations of all sizes. Marketing best practices are evolving at the speed of light, and today’s marketing leaders and hard-working teams must be experts in a wide variety of tools and able to follow sound strategy outlined by a CMO.
Smart businesses understand that outsourced marketing support led by a dynamic CMO offers priceless navigation through today’s digital landscape where SEO, paid digital, social media, various kinds of copywriting and graphic design are all vital pieces of an overall puzzle that tells the story of organizations, drives sales, influences customer behavior and so much more.
Outsourced teams are also better at seeing the bigger picture. Your inside teams sometimes remain too internally focused. Outsourced CMOs are able to look from the outside in and offer a different and valuable perspective. They are focused on not just handling day-to-day company emergencies, but concentrating on strategy with intention and executing on in-depth analysis.
In today’s unique work world, the “gig economy” is becoming more understood and more accepted. Harness the power of this trend when you add a fractional CMO and a team of outstanding marketing experts to your company. Whether it’s for a short period of time or for a longer duration, you will enjoy a dynamic relationship with talented individuals that offer diverse skill sets that cover multiple disciplines. Leverage these unique capabilities and get ready to launch your team’s next success story. We promise, this one has a happy ending.
Are you seeking a better way to tell your story? Do you need outsourced marketing support? Contact the experts at Wild Coffee Marketing today to learn more. Think outside the box with Wild Coffee. We love helping companies grow better.
