Fractional CMOs Use Research for Strategic Growth
This article was published on July 19, 2020
Categorized in: Digital Marketing
One of the most important functions of a Fractional CMO is that they drive strategic growth. There’s a lot that goes into this, and in some situations, it can take months to determine how to take the company to the next level. However, no matter how long it takes, it’s worth it do this phase properly because it will create a solid foundation for the Fractional CMO to drive business growth.
Not only does everyone at the company need to be on the same page concerning business goals, but the digital marketing needs to be developed with growth in mind. Research builds a solid foundation. Here’s more information about how Fractional CMO’s use research:
Preliminary Research to Gain Valuable Insights
One of the most important tasks for a Fractional CMO is that they need to do research in order to understand the market, industry and the competition. Note that before the search phase even starts, you should convene to align on business goals. This will help the Fractional CMO determine the best strategy for conducting the research.
There are several items that will be included in the research phase, and here are a few of them:
- Insights. Use data to gain insights about your audience and target demographics, as well as the industry as a whole.
- Personas. You can take the research a step further and use it to develop targeted customer personas.
- Targeting. Determine if your current understanding of your target audience is correct, or if you need to make some adjustments.
- Industry. Research is your ally when it comes to gaining insights about your industry. It can uncover patterns and trends, and even create new business opportunities.
Research can be done in different ways, including using data generated from pre-existing marketing campaigns, as well as checking on the industry as a whole. It can uncover insights that may have gone unnoticed.
Use the Research to Create a Usable Marketing Strategy
As mentioned above, the research phase could take several months to complete. Once it’s done, though, you will be well poised for the Fractional CMO to develop a stellar marketing strategy that will really drive the strategic growth you are looking for. After the research findings are summarized for the team, the Fractional CMO can then develop a marketing strategy that will help the business achieve its goals.
However, without the research phase, it would be very difficult to develop a strategy that will work as well as it could. With fresh insights on the market and the target customers in hand, this will direct the strategy marketing institutions towards the shared business goals. After the strategy is developed, this is when the Fractional CMO will work with your teams to get the strategy implemented in the most effective way possible.
As you can see, research is an important part of the process. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to gloss over it. It may seem like it’s taking a long time, and you might be eager to get going on the strategic part of the process. However, the more time spent on this phase, the better off you’ll be.
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About the Author: Brick Marketing President, Nick Stamoulis
Nick Stamoulis is a digital marketing expert and President of Brick Marketing. With 25+ years experience, he specializes in solving complex digital marketing challenges through SEO, content marketing, social media, PPC, email marketing, SEO for AI (GEO) and conversion optimization.
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