Virtual assistants are becoming an important part of any business owner’s toolkit. Digital strategy expert, Adam Stewart, explains how a virtual CMO (chief marketing officer) can help grow your business while giving you back some much-needed time.
As a business owner, you know how demanding marketing can be.
On top of having a lot on your plate with other areas of the company, you might find yourself needing to allocate more time and resources to researching marketing strategies and implementing them all by yourself.
But with a virtual CMO, you can have an expert with years of experience in marketing who is working for you on a flexible basis. He or she can work around the clock, or on a monthly or weekly set schedule. A virtual CMO will help you grow your business and scale your marketing.
What is a virtual CMO?
A virtual CMO is an experienced virtual chief marketing officer who can help you grow your business without taking up any of your valuable time. They’ll work with you to create a custom marketing plan that fits your budget and timeline.
The concept of a virtual chief marketing officer has become more popular in recent years as businesses strive to do more with less. Essentially, a virtual CMO is an outsourced marketing executive who provides strategic and tactical marketing guidance and services.
Besides creating effective strategies and marketing tactics, the role of a virtual CMO can extend to providing marketing leadership and guidance for a company or organisation without having to be on-site all the time.
But you might find yourself thinking that it’s hard to find someone you can trust to handle your marketing for you, so what makes a virtual CMO helpful and worth investing your resources on?
A virtual CMO might be the best solution for your business if you are struggling with any of the following:
- You don’t have the budget for a full-time CMO
- You need help scaling your marketing efforts
- You have a Marketing Director but they are not providing the strategic leadership you need
- Your current CMO is leaving and you need an interim solution
- You are a startup and need a strong pillar to lead and establish your marketing
Benefits of having a virtual CMO
More flexible and adaptable than on-site CMOs
Virtual CMOs can be more flexible and adaptable than on-site CMOs for several reasons.
For one, they can easily adapt to the changing needs of a business. If the company undergoes a change in direction or strategy, the virtual CMO can quickly respond to those changes and not be tied down by ad hoc tasks. They can also be more hands-on when needed, providing the company with the necessary guidance and support to make sure that its marketing efforts are on track.
Additionally, virtual CMOs can provide a higher level of service than on-site CMOs since they are not glued to one location. This means that they can work with clients from all over the world, which can be a huge benefit for companies that operate in multiple countries.
Finally, virtual CMOs often have a more diverse range of skills and experiences than on-site CMOs due to their freelancing nature, which can be a major advantage for businesses that need help with their marketing but don’t necessarily have the budget to hire an on-site CMO.
Provides a fresh perspective and outside-the-box thinking
Because CMOs have years of experience in marketing, they can provide fresh perspectives and outside-the-box suggestions for businesses with specific needs. For example, they can help attract new customers by developing creative marketing campaigns that not only are unique, but also align with the company’s overall goals.
They can also help improve customer retention rates by coming up with new ways to engage and interact with customers. Moreover, CMOs can provide businesses with valuable insights into the latest trends and technologies that can help them stay ahead of the competition, and whether or not these trends are something that the business needs to leverage.
Offers a gold mine of knowledge
For companies who have long hired a virtual CMO, this person is considered a critical part of the business, as they offer a gold mine of knowledge and experience that can help to guide the company in the right direction.
Even with the ever-changing digital marketing environment, it’s always possible for a virtual CMO to keep up with all of the latest trends and changes, as well as provide the best solutions.
More affordable than hiring a full-Time CMO
A virtual CMO is a great option for businesses that want the benefits of an in-house CMO but can’t afford to have one on staff full-time. After all, a virtual CMO can still help with marketing planning, execution and measurement, and they can also provide guidance and support for other members of your marketing team, just as a full-time in house CMO would.
If you’re thinking about hiring a virtual CMO, be sure to ask about their experience and success in helping businesses reach their goals.
Tips when hiring a virtual CMO
Check if they have experience in your industry
The significance of making sure that your CMO has experience in your industry is that they will be better equipped to understand the nuances of your company’s industry, and how to market your product or service accordingly. They will also have a better understanding of the competition and what strategies may be more effective in reaching your target audience.
Let them understand your company’s culture and values
One of the most important things you need to do is to let your pool of potential CMOs understand your company and its culture and values during the hiring and selection process. This helps makes it easier for the CMOs to know how your company functions which will be paramount later on during the transition, implementation and execution.
Ensure they know the level of support you need
If you’re looking to bring on a virtual CMO, it’s important to make sure that they are comfortable with the level of support you need. They should be able to provide solutions to the areas of your business that need further improvement, in order to grow your company. If they can’t provide what you need, it might be time to look for someone else.
A virtual CMO can be a great asset to a growing business. They can provide the necessary marketing solutions and activities that weren’t possible before, helping your business grow to the next level.
However, you need to make sure that you are choosing the right virtual CMO that will truly help your business thrive and flourish. Otherwise, you might just waste more money and end up starting all over again.
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Now read this:
You don’t have to be a big business to profit from using a virtual CFO