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Marketing Leadership for CEOs: An Executive Guide to Growth
This blog is part of Chief Outsiders’ Marketing Leadership for CEOs series, an ongoing examination of the critical dimensions of Marketing (the capital “M” is intentional, as you’ll see) that every CEO needs to understand.
What Giraffes can Teach You about Building a Strategic Growth Plan
Thu, Jul 23, 2015 — A funny thing happened as animal beings evolved over the past several billion years – one such beast was bestowed with the ability to get a bird’s eye view of all it surveyed – while staying firmly planted on the ground. The giraffe can grow up to 18 feet high, with nearly half of that height accounted for with a neck and head. The giraffe, rightfully so, is often chosen symbolize taking in the big picture, communication and gracefulness. This, my friends, is why you will understand when I say you need to roadmap like a GIRAFFE – visualizing your organization from a broad view before fabricating the details of its long-term strategic direction.
Your 2020 Vision Is Now A Five-Year Plan
Wed, Jun 24, 2015 — For those who have been disciples of futurist Arthur C. Clarke, it’s quaint to look back at his prescient interviews of a half-century ago, and try to imagine how he could possibly pinpoint conventions like the internet, instant messaging and even the way we as a society would interact. Even just two decades ago, the year 2020 still seemed a destination so distant, that it was difficult for many to bring into focus a realistic vision of what it could be. But author John Kotter, in his 1996 book, Leading Change, said, “The rate of change is not going to slow down anytime soon. If anything, competition in most industries will probably speed up even more in the next few decades."
3 Ways to Justify a Chief Marketing Officer
Thu, Jun 4, 2015 — I frequently talk to chief executives about the value of a focused, well-reasoned strategic marketing plan. Invariably, during these discussions, I’m hit with the big question: “But how can we measure the ROI of our marketing efforts?” It's THE question that makes many marketers shudder, because, let's face it, what they're really asking is "can you please justify your existence, your budget, and your future with this organization?"
What Digital Marketing Managers Can Learn From the Slow Food Movement
Thu, Apr 23, 2015 — The Need for an Organic Marketing Strategy Pay-Per-Click (PPC), sponsored content, and paid links have become the McDonald’s of modern marketing. With these methods, marketers hope to get traffic and, with luck, conversions, as quickly as possible and with as little effort as possible. It’s as if digital marketing had a drive-through window.
How Predictive Fitness Analytics Can Better Health & Wellness Programs
Thu, Mar 26, 2015 — Technology is changing Predictive Fitness Analytics Technology has made it possible for billions of consumers to shrink the world down to bite-sized, accessible chunks of data. But the growing popularity of health and wellness programs, predictive fitness analytics, and wearable devices is motivating users to focus not only on the world around, but the world inside as well.
Key Marketing Metrics for Revenue and Profit Growth
Fri, Mar 13, 2015 — Marketing metrics are at the essence of any business program. Key marketing metrics indicate the heights to which revenues will soar or the depths to which fortunes will plummet—as a result of your strategic business efforts.
It’s Inc. 5000 Season – Should You Apply?
Mon, Feb 23, 2015 — What Does It Take to Make the Inc. 5000? To make it in the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest growing private companies, a business needs to move from being a scrappy startup to a scaling company. First, the company must simply stay alive 5 years and then hit some revenue minimums to make it on the list. The Inc. growth ranking is based on the last 3 of those 5 years minimum of being in business. The full requirements and application are listed on the Inc. 5000 application site. (Note this year’s deadline is April 30th)
How to Use Predictive Analytics & Lead Scoring to Supercharge Your Sales Funnel
Thu, Feb 5, 2015 — It's time to add predictive analytics and lead scoring to your sales strategy tool belt. As I have discussed in my previous articles, digital marketing tools and technologies are transforming the way businesses connect with prospective and existing customers. Adoption of these technologies is key to maintaining and gaining competitive advantage.
The Difference between CEOs who Manage vs. Lead
Tue, Jan 27, 2015 — A long-time client surprised me last week. He called to update me on his pursuit of a new position within his company and, in the course of our conversation, said that his CEO “is an extremely talented manager but not much of a leader.” The assessment itself didn’t surprise me. I have known this CEO for over 30 years and agree completely. What did surprise me was hearing my friend make the distinction. We have often talked about the differences between managing and leading. Like most people, however, he generally uses the terms interchangeably and doesn’t really make a distinction day-to-day—just the kind of thing that drives leadership experts like John Kotter crazy. For over 40 years, Kotter has been on a mission to get people to think about the distinction between management and leadership. Our ongoing transition from a manufacturing-based economy to a service-based economy, however, has made Kotter’s work much more difficult. We still need to understand the difference between management and leadership, but it is increasingly difficult to be an effective CEO without also being a good leader.