The thinker & the doer
To be a marketing leader — fractional or on-staff — in today’s environment, it is not enough to say “I just do strategy.” Because teams are thin and budgets tight, marketing heads also need to be able to switch gears, roll up their sleeves, and get stuff done -- content creation, survey creation, podcast management, and more.
In today’s world, staying “lean and mean” is the order of the day for B2B marketing teams. Even companies that are thriving are, at best, holding marketing budgets steady — or, more likely, making cuts by leveraging AI, automation, and other digital resources.
According to a 2024 Gartner survey of CMOs, marketing budgets now account for 7.7% of total revenue at the average firm, compared to 9% in 2023 — and 11% in the years before the pandemic.
Stepping in to fill many shoes in this era of consolidation are “fractional” leaders — CMOs, creative chiefs, and other “freelance” department heads who bring needed expertise and guidance, but often work 20 or even fewer hours a week. They usually do not earn benefits but help deliver (or should) some of the focus and consistency that on-staff leaders would.
But to be a marketing leader — fractional or on-staff — in today’s environment, it is not enough to say “I just do strategy.” It’s true that CMOs need to focus on the big picture — continually aligning marketing strategy to brand and product goals and synching up all of the department’s many activities.
But because teams are thin and budgets tight, marketing heads also need to be able to switch gears, roll up their sleeves, and get stuff done. It is popular these days to say “multitasking is impossible” — but today’s marketing leaders need to find a way to make multitasking a way of life; otherwise, they will be letting precious opportunities fall thru the cracks.
What could and should a marketing leader do? Here are some thoughts:
Talk to CMOs at your top three clients to find out their marketing plans for the rest of the year — and how your companies can partner.
Help your COO or CTO prepare for a LinkedIn live interview on the ways that AI is helping your company raise its game.
Develop a survey for clients on how they would like to see your company improve customer service in 2025.
Host a podcast series on ways that your company is helping employees develop their personal brands.
Hold lunch meetings with the sales team to develop new techniques for making your conference booth truly irresistible and impactful.
Does it sound like a lot? In a world of shrinking marketing budgets and teams, “a lot” is the new “just about enough.” The marketing leader cannot afford to be a behind-the-scenes player exclusively, presenting to leadership and tweaking the same planning deck from quarter to quarter. If you are not visible and seeing the sun (physical or metaphorical) shine on your head every day, you are missing too many opportunities and letting your company down.
The truth is that the marketing leader has unique power in the organization to straddle departments and reach out to other C-suite leaders for … whatever might seem like a good idea! Making things happen and driving innovation is always the marketer’s purview — and if it isn’t, something is broken and needs to be fixed.
Is this a call to become a Superman? Maybe — and maybe that is what is needed. It’s not about keeping your job; it’s about making sure your company has what it needs to thrive in a truly tough marketplace.
If that is not the CMO’s mission, what is?