Have you ever tried to impress your CMO with REAL thought leadership? If so, you’ll know that it is difficult because it takes real courage to step out of the box and present new ideas that will change the direction of a marketing program. So what do you do? Many people have found success by focusing on these three areas:

1.)  Innovative Technologies
2.)  Marketing Cost Efficiencies
3.)  Expanded Marketing Reach

CMO’s are responsible for implementing programs to ensure that their message is communicated clearly and consistently everywhere sales, marketing and customers meet. While CMOs are typically strategists, they rely heavily on their internal teams to tactically implement their plan. That said, they are always looking to their team to make recommendations on ways to improve their programs. Especially, when cost efficiencies are involved!

Things to consider…

There is nothing worse than staying with the status quo. New innovative marketing technology should not just be ‘cool’, but should help better differentiate your message. This is important because using technology for technology’s sake can often hurt rather than help. When recommending a new technology, communicate how it will strategically help your marketing program and clearly outline tactical implementation.

Make sure your ideas help your CMO expand their reach cost effectively. With reduced budgets, CMOs are always looking to improve and expand their reach with limited dollars. Reuse of content for various channels, making marketing materials more accessible to sales teams, and expanding into global markets are a few hot topics that weigh heavily on their minds.

If you’re looking for a way to impress your CMO, think about innovation, cost efficiencies and expanded reach. These will provide the best avenues to become a thought leader in the eyes of your CMO.

Now that you know what your CMO is looking for you should be ready to present your ideas with confidence. It’s time to shine!