You know the mornings? The ones where you feel ready to tackle the world or maybe just a few chores on the way to your office? This was me, “commuting” upstairs with my laptop, that laundry I folded this morning, a pair of shoes that I could drop off in my daughter’s room, and my cup of coffee. Predictably, this ended with a dramatic, slow motion fall up the stairs. Coffee everywhere, not only negating the laundry but giving me a good 15 minutes of cleaning up my mess before starting the rest of my day.
As I cleaned a thought struck me: isn’t this what marketing can sometimes feel like? We juggle so much – content creation, strategy, analytics, new technologies, requests from colleagues, expectations from other departments…the list goes on. And just like my ill-fated morning climb up the stairs, trying to carry everything at once can lead to spills, delays and ultimately a lot of wasted effort.
The Expanding Role of the Marketer
The landscape for CMOs and marketing leaders like many of us is becoming increasingly complex. As Namita Tiwari highlighted in her Forbes article, “The Top Five Challenges For CMOs”, “the expectations from CMOs are skyrocketing further with the advent of GenAI.” We’re not just marketers anymore; we’re strategists, growth catalysts, and even tech adopters. PwC echoes this, noting that “today’s CMOs face a complex landscape” with “rapid tech advancements, rising customer expectations and stretched marketing budgets”.
The Pitfalls of Spreading Too Thin
The Gartner Inc.’s 2024 CMO Spend Survey revealed that “average budgets fell by 15% compared to 2023”. Yet, we’re still tasked with delivering greater impact. Trying to chase every new trend or fulfill every internal request without a clear focus can lead to diluted efforts and a lack of measurable ROI – the very thing that undermines our internal Marketing Our Marketing Strategy. As the PwC report points out, “demonstrating ROI remains crucial for securing marketing budget’”. If we’re spread across too many initiatives, proving the impact of any single one becomes incredibly difficult.
Focusing on Doing Fewer Things, Better:
Just like I should have made a second trip up the stairs this morning, sometimes the most strategic move for a marketer is to prioritize and focus. The PwC survey found that “only 54% of CMOs strongly agree that the value of marketing is understood by key decision-makers”. By concentrating on fewer, high-impact initiatives that directly align with overall business goals, we can better demonstrate our value and secure necessary resources.
Strategies for Marketers:
- Saying “No” Strategically: It’s okay to say no to requests that don’t align with your core strategy or will stretch your resources too thin.
- Prioritization Framework: Implement a clear framework for evaluating and prioritizing projects based on potential impact and alignment with business goals. I have a note tacked above my desk with a prioritization grid and a list of my high level KPIs for quick reference.
- Effective Communication: Clearly communicate your focus and the expected outcomes. Frame your efforts in terms of business impact, not just marketing activities.
- Data-Driven Decisions: Invest in “the channels that demonstrate results or an ROI impact”, as Tiwari notes. Use data to justify your focus and demonstrate the effectiveness of your chosen initiatives.
- Collaboration and Alignment: Work closely with other leaders (as PwC recommends) to ensure marketing efforts are aligned with the company’s strategic vision. This can help manage expectations and demonstrate how focused marketing contributes to overall success.
- Building Your Reputation: By delivering tangible results in key areas, you’ll be on your way to building your reputation and achieving recognition as a strategic leader.
Embrace a More Focused Approach
The urge to tackle everything that comes our way is understandable, especially in today’s marketing environment. However, just like my unfortunate encounter with the stairs, trying to do too much simultaneously can lead to messy outcomes and missed opportunities. By embracing a more focused approach, prioritizing strategically, and effectively communicating our value, we can move from simply juggling demands to driving real, measurable impact for our organizations – and maybe even avoid a few metaphorical coffee spills along the way.
