How could a Virtual CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) help my business?
A Virtual CMO or Marketing Mentor can be a cost effective way to get some senior expertise into your business without having to pay a salaried staffer to undertake the role.
VCMOs & Marketing Mentors can set your strategy for your business and help to create or upskill a team to be able to deliver against it to get results. This can include:
- Recruitment for the right people to undertake marketing
- Help guide large scale projects including research, branding and web presence
- Create reporting and results monitoring tools to give visibility to your managers
- Advise on budgets and appropriate spend for ROI
- Identify research or insight initiatives necessary to inform decisioning
- Represent your team in marketing at Board Meetings
- Evaluate campaign performance
- Audit current marketing plan and activities for effectiveness
All our VCMOs are paired to your business to fit with your industry, or the relevant skills you need in order to get your results.
The Muscular Dystrophy Association used our VCMO service to help their Marketing Manager to get fresh perspective and to improve their campaign performance.
Deborah was the busy Marketing Manager of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. With over 15 years experience of charities and corporates under her belt you might wonder why she needed VCMO support.
But Deb was the only marketing person in a small management team. She was stretched of resources and changes to budget or strategy required board approval. Over the course of her role, her list of needs became longer and longer, as did her to-do list.
‘I just needed a sounding board!’
Deb came to us saying that whilst she trusted her years of expereince, she missed the resourses and team approach working in a larger organistion had afforded her in her previous career.
We introduced Deb to a Virtual CMO, who spent a few hours with Deb every month to go through her thoughts and ideas, and to assist her behind the scenes with the resources of the wider NZ Marketers implementing team to get things done.
We helped Deb to take a step back from her campaigns and review them with a different set of eyes, and to help her finesse her pitches to the board and overseas Head Office, which was based in Australia.
The AU team were skeptical of the need to change messaging to localise for NZ and Deb found that having the VCMO on her side she was able to pull together her ideas quickly and easily.
She found it easier to present her direction to the Board and AU counterparts with an external consultant able to back up her strategies and ideas with the evidence she had previous run out of time to find.
What did you hope to get from working with a Virtual CMO?
A fresh perspective! This was the biggest thing I felt our marketing and fundraising needed. Often you get so bogged down getting your massive ‘to do’ list completed, you simply can’t see the wood for the trees. I also had a huge challenge in developing new telefundraising strategies, which included packaging the support services we provide for people with disabilities, into something people wanted to financially support. This is a huge challenge, as the not for profit sector, is the most competitive industry I have ever worked in, there are so many worthy causes out there asking for the same dollar!
How could other companies benefit from a marketing mentor?
Often working for smaller organisations you are the sole person in charge of marketing, from start to finish. Those that have worked as part of a bigger marketing team in large organisations understand there is a huge benefit in brainstorming. Generating ideas and sounding your strategies and concepts off others with the expertise, can strengthen your plans hugely. I think all organisations should invest in mentorship, both to benefit the business and the development of their staff. If you can’t afford a full time marketer as part of your permanent staff then this is a great option to get the marketing support you need, when you need it.
How has having marketing support helped your business generally?
It helped to breathe new life into my work and it was amazing how having someone with the expertise working alongside me, helped to pick out things I had missed or concepts that worked but I had moved away from. It really helped to revitalise our programmes.
What was the most useful aspect of working with your Virtual CMO?
No matter what experience you have in marketing, it’s the kind of work that continues to evolve and change, there is always something new you can learn. Having a one on one mentor meant I could continue to grow the work I was putting out and help make it the best it can be.
What would you suggest to a business thinking of undertaking a VCMO with Max Marketing & NZ Marketers?
Invest in this resource, there is nothing like having an experienced strategic marketing working alongside you to build your business. It’s something that every business should factor into their annual plan. Professional considered marketing strategies implemented well, is a vital