It has been said that imitation (successful people or businesses) is the best form of flattery. Knowledge can be gleaned from many sources. Hence, watching your favorite CEO may provide some insightful learnings to assist in your own business growth.
In today’s economy, it isn’t enough for CEOs to just sit in the ivory tower and watch the ships pass by. With the increased pressure to deliver results to stockholders, generate sales and in some cases, just plain survive, today’s CEOs are actively engaged in every aspect of their business operations, including marketing.
Marketing has become a significant foundation for businesses because it is a launch pad to track and gain metrics for the company’s revenue streams. CEOs now review all marketing reports, seek information on how to expand their networks and are interested in what future capital investments are under consideration. From a reporting standpoint, CEOs are able to gain insights on what is performing well (or not), which channels are growth opportunities and if current lead generation is working hard enough, to name a few. Since these reports are backed by facts and figures, it is easy to understand why many CEOs are joining themselves at the hip of their Marketing teams to ensure the overall success of their businesses.
As a small business owners, sometimes looking outside is the best method to learn without the risks. Be aggressive and make time to ensure your Marketing team is aligned with what you deem are the goals that need to be achieved. Since most small businesses are lean when it comes to staffing, it may be easier to keep everyone focused on the same goals in order to effectively gain the results sought after. Many large businesses have learned, some the hard way, how important Marketing is for the overall success of the company. Given technological advances and the ease to gain access to and measure results, marketing in many organizations are leading the charge. Consumer’s behavior continues to:
Ever evolve and sometimes it is harder to make the short list for purchase consideration
Demand to be included in the conversation and not “talked at” remains important ingredient to businesses that are more favorable
Have a barrage of messages permeating their lives and an on-the-go active lifestyle can make capturing their attention difficult
All of this may seem like a daunting task to crack the DNA code to grow your business. Mobile and social channels are gaining prominence given technology advances and should be factor in communication messages. Small business owners should study best practices and albeit have these CEOs “mentor” you from afar. With a watchful eye on larger CEOs success stories one can take the appropriate steps to organize your business and groom your own success story! Be sure that your vision is center stage and the trip-wire for your Marketing team to construct best in class channel communications.
Adele Lassere is a marketing/advertising consultant with 20+ years experience, freelance writer and author of “Elements of Buying” (self-help advertising guide); available at Amazon.com. Adele was listed as Black Enterprise’s 2011 Top Execs in Marketing & Advertising and Black Enterprise’s 2013 Top Women Executives in Advertising & Marketing. Contact: [email protected]
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