10 Common Chief Marketing Officer Skills

On the strategic level of your organization, you have marketing. Your reach—and in connection, your revenues—are dependent upon your ability to market in diverse arenas. Your CMO will need a specific set of skills in order to move your organization forward. Here are ten of the most common chief marketing officer skills you should look for:

1. Leadership: CMOs are leaders. They work with people, help motivate them, and coordinate their efforts to achieve results. They also help develop staff for future leadership opportunities.
2. Data analysis: Analytical thinking skills are a must for the CMO. She or he will be dealing with marketing and financial data and will have to draw meaningful, actionable conclusions from that information.
3. Strategic thinking: The CMO will use data to develop strategies and coordinate multiple marketing functions. This requires strong logical thinking skills.
4. Creative thinking: Just as important as strategic thinking ability is creativity. The CMO must constantly adapt to the ever-developing world of technology-driven marketing, and this requires the ability to have new ideas.
5. Technical skill: Since so much of modern marketing strategy involves technology, CMOs need at least a little technical skill. They should be comfortable working with social media, SEO, and other forms of online advertising while being able to develop campaigns for each.
6. Teamwork: Since there are so many technical elements involved in today’s marketing practices, a CMO will need to be able to collaborate with others effectively. This is especially important in the case of working with IT to develop tech-based strategies and campaigns.
7. Marketing: Classic marketing knowledge is, of course, a must for the CMO. However, this knowledge also needs to be adapted to modern methodologies. CMOs need to be able to develop and coordinate numerous marketing strategies in order to be successful.
8. Communication: Both marketing and executive leadership involve communication. The CMO will need to be able to communicate effectively with both the target audience as well as with the board.
9. Learning: Since the world of modern marketing is constantly changing and growing, a CMO needs to be enthusiastic about learning new concepts and skills. They should be constantly on top of marketing and technological developments in your sector.
10. Vision: Above all, a CMO needs vision. If they are not devoted to organization’s mission, marketing campaigns will be lackluster at best.

CMOs use a wide assortment of skills in order to extend the reach of your brand. Not only do they need strong marketing, leadership, and technical skills, but they need to constantly be honing their skills and knowledge to keep up with best marketing practices.