Rod Favaron CEO of social marketing platform Spredfast reveals what CEOs really think about the marketing department
What do you, as a CEO, think of marketing?
In the B2B world, the digital side of marketing is fundamental. You can’t be successful without a focus on how you interact with customers and get your point of view across. What marketing does is fundamental; it’s the lever of what makes businesses do well.
Has it changed for better or worse?
The opportunities are significantly better now. Fifteen years ago there weren’t as many marketing channels that exist today. For example, website optimisation has greatly improved and all organisations, no matter the size, can build their own communities. While this makes navigating marketing more complex, there are so many more places to interact and touchpoints to directly reach customers or potential customers.
What’s been the catalyst for the change?
Technology is definitely the catalyst. Everyone is now a publisher and every form of media has evolved thanks to the emerging technologies that have come to market in recent years.
What does your marketing team need to improve on?
Becoming more cost efficient with allocated budgets – unless it’s a must-execute idea. We’re always going to challenge teams to do more with their budgets. Some of our best ideas have come from pushing teams to think outside the box rather than just throwing money at it.
What can marketing do to ensure it is taken seriously as a department?
Marketing needs to connect with people and ensure it markets products they need. My advice to smaller marketing departments would be to show the company how you’re connecting the business to its customers. Then they’ll have no choice but to take you seriously.
