Hit the Ground Running: Five Key Actions for a New CMO’s First 90 Days
marketing
All
October 12, 2023
6
min read
Alex Kelly
Marketing Director / CMO
As a newly appointed chief marketing officer (CMO), the first 90 days on the job are crucial for setting the tone and direction of your marketing efforts. It’s a time to quickly assess the landscape by understanding the market, competition, and brand, and then developing a solid marketing strategy to drive success. Here are five key actions to take to deliver impact in your first 90 days.
The first 90 days as a CMO are critical for laying the foundation for marketing success. By taking these key actions you can hit the ground running and set your marketing team up for success:
understanding the marketplace and competition,
digging deep into the numbers,
reviewing the brand,
developing a content strategy, then creating contact and channel strategies, and
fostering collaboration and alignment with cross-functional teams to align marketing efforts with overall business goals
Without a doubt, the very first step for any new CMO is to gain a deep understanding of the marketplace and competition.
Review the industry landscape, market trends, customer needs, and competitive positioning.
Conduct market research, analyse customer data, and study the competition’s marketing strategies.
Find opportunities, gaps, and challenges in the market that can direct your marketing approach.
This knowledge will serve as the foundation for your marketing strategy and help you make informed decisions moving forward.
As a CMO, it’s essential to understand the numbers that drive your business:
Dive into the company’s financial data, sales reports, customer metrics, and other key performance indicators.
Analyse the data to find patterns, trends, and areas of improvement. Look for opportunities to optimise marketing spend, increase return on investment (ROI), and drive revenue growth.
Use data-driven insights to guide your marketing decisions and prioritise resources effectively.
Understanding the brand’s current positioning and reputation in the market is another crucial step for a new CMO.
Review the brand guidelines, messaging, and visual identity to ensure consistency across all touchpoints.
Evaluate the brand’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Identify areas that need improvement or repositioning to align with the company’s overall marketing goals.
Now it’s time to develop a comprehensive marketing strategy. Start with content as it forms the foundation for all other marketing efforts.
Define the key messages, content themes, and storytelling approach that align with the brand’s positioning and resonate with the target audience.
Develop a content calendar and plan for regular content creation, distribution, and amplification across various channels.
Once the content strategy is in place, move on to the contact and channel strategies.
Define the target audience segments, customer personas, and buyer’s journey.
Name the most effective marketing channels, such as social media, email marketing, search engine optimisation, pay-per-click advertising, and other relevant platforms.
Develop a plan for customer acquisition, retention, and loyalty, and align it with the overall marketing aims and business goals.
As a new CMO, building strong relationships and fostering collaboration with cross-functional teams is crucial for success. Work closely with other departments, such as sales, product, finance, and operations, to align marketing efforts with overall business objectives.
Collaborate with the sales team to understand their needs, challenges, and customer feedback.
Partner with the product team to ensure marketing messages and positioning align with product features and benefits.
Work with finance to track and measure marketing ROI.
Team up with operations to streamline marketing processes and workflows.
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