Introduction
In an age of digital transformation and integration, it’s getting increasingly harder for brands to stand out from the crowd. Digital channels are multiplying and your customers expect a seamless experience wherever they go online.
In today’s digital-first world, consumers are used to accessing their favorite brands through various devices. Therefore, it has become essential for companies to have a CMO who can help drive customer acquisition strategy across digital channels.
A fast-moving organization requires someone with leadership and innovation capabilities as well as hands-on operational skills.
So how do you find the right CMO and when do you hire them?
There are a number of elements that you need to consider before making the final choice on hiring a specialist in this field. Let us take a look at some of the key factors that will help you make an informed decision:
What’s your digital marketing objective?
You need to consider what your digital marketing objective is before recruiting a CMO. If you are looking for someone to drive organic growth, then you should hire an organic growth specialist.
If you want to hire someone to help improve your brand awareness online, then an online marketing expert would be the best choice for you.
If your objectives require the CMO to be able to handle both organic and paid acquisition strategies, then this person must have the capabilities of being able to work in different channels at the same time.
How is your team performing?
A key first step to finding the right person for your organization is assessing how your team is performing.
A CMO can be an individual or a team. If you have a team, it’s important that they are highly skilled and collaborative. They need to be able to work together in order to bring their ideas across all digital channels.
What should you look for?
Some questions that you might want to ask include:
- What are their strengths?
- Can they think strategically about the business?
- Do they have a track record of success in leading teams or companies?
- Is there anything that stands out about them?
- Do they have any relevant experience in the sector that you are operating in?
- How do they see your role within the company, and what can you offer them from your perspective on the business?
- Does their background make sense with the area that you are looking for them to lead (i.e., marketing)?
What other skills does a good fractional CMO have?
We typically think of the CMO as being someone who is solely in charge of digital marketing. However, it’s important to find a candidate who has other skills as well.
Diverse Background
It’s not just about having a strong digital presence – you need to have people with diverse backgrounds who can understand the brand and its market.
Overall Marketing Strategy
A good CMO will also be able to help you define your overall marketing strategy across different channels and drive customer acquisition objectives. A wholistic fractional CMO can be extremely helpful
Positioning
They must also help with defining your brand’s voice and positioning, build relationships with key stakeholders, manage budgets and spend wisely, develop strategies for growth, and manage change effectively.
Experts in their field
It’s also important that CMOs are experts in their respective field; they should have experience in marketing or advertising along with content strategy. A CMO is ideally someone who can share this expertise while working alongside other marketers and learning from them.
How long has the position been vacant?
It’s important to take into consideration the length of time that the position has been vacant. A key factor here is whether there is a senior team in place and if they can provide adequate guidance and support.
If you are looking for someone who is new to the field, it will be hard to find a CMO who fits your needs. Therefore, you should consider outsourcing your search for a CMO to companies like Hire or any other market research firm that specializes in this area.
If the vacancy has been open for less than three months, then it might not be worth considering hiring a specialist as there are chances that the person whom you are hiring for won’t last long with you.
The four must-haves for a great CMO
1) Experience
A good CMO will have an extensive and relevant work history in digital marketing. They should also be well-versed with the latest digital trends and trends in advertising.
2) Skill Set
You need someone who is capable of handling all aspects of customer acquisition, such as analytics, CRM, PPC marketing, social media, and content creation.
3) Leadership Skills
The right candidate must have the ability to lead a team that is working on multiple projects simultaneously. They should also have the creativity and energy to stay ahead of the curve.
4) Innovation Mindset
The ideal candidate will be able to introduce new strategies and experiments to help your company grow and adapt to changes in technology.
