If you’re a business owner without the resources to hire a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), then you’re not alone.
According to recent studies, the average salary of a CMO is $175,395 per year. That’s a pretty penny, and small businesses that are just making it above the 7-figure mark can’t afford to spend lavishly while continuing to operate their business.
In this article, we’ll explore four strategies for taking your marketing game to the next level without breaking the bank on an expensive CMO salary.
Table of Contents
Reverse engineer the top-ranking websites in your niche
Reverse engineer the top-ranking websites in your niche to figure out what they’re doing right, and mimic their best practices. This is a great way to quickly learn the latest trends and implement them without having to be an SEO or marketing guru.
Why reinvent the wheel when someone else has gone through all the painstaking work required to make a proven system?
Sure, it takes a little effort but not nearly as much as if you were starting from scratch with no benchmark.
Plus, you can find interesting and unexpected insights about what makes successful content just by analyzing other successful sites.
That said, there are times that just because you see a website rank in the top search results does not mean it’s a good website to model off of.
Review their content, navigation structure and traffic stats through Ahrefs or Semrush to get a sense of how popular the site is.
There’s nothing wrong with learning from the best; it’s the best way to gain inspiration and validate your ideas.
Constantly update your website with fresh content
If you want your website to stay ahead of the curve, you have to keep it constantly updated with fresh content.
You need to be an authority in your space, and the only way to do that is to cover all kinds of topics in your industry.
Whether that’s writing the content yourself or hiring freelance writers to follow a clear content marketing strategy.
Create helpful content for your ideal audience that doesn’t try to slide sales pitches in. Instead, focus on being genuinely useful – think along the lines of giving away tips, tricks and secrets.
You’ll find quickly enough that once you help others out without expectation, they’ll be more likely to support and appreciate your work –– helping to position yourself as an authority in your industry.
They say nothing in life is free. But, I believe that’s not true when it comes to providing valuable information to people with an issue they are grappling with.
When you give out helpful advice without expecting anything in return, you tap into the law of reciprocity – and people tend to be so appreciative they will be all too happy to repay the favor.
Furthermore, newer studies show that brands who blog produce an average of 67% more leads per month than those who don’t.
That means if you’re not posting regularly about trending industry topics, you’re missing out on serious business and SEO opportunities.
Writing great content can be really time-consuming. That’s why I highly recommend partnering with a freelance writer who can help save time when you’re trying to manage other business tasks and still get the content you need.
Use social media to connect with potential customers and clients
Social media is the new networking playground. It’s often the best platform to connect with potential customers and clients.
Figure out what platforms they use, then create a presence on those platforms and start engaging with them.
Posting content regularly is great, but the real value of social media lies in connecting one-on-one with your target audience.
Don’t post links to your website or blog – find out what people are talking about and join those conversations.
If you play your cards right, you stand a good chance of turning those conversations into meaningful business relationships that bring tangible mutual benefits.
Invest in SEO now – it’s no longer optional
If you want to remain an active player in the digital world, SEO investments need to become part of your routine – no ifs, ands or buts.
You can try ignoring it and hope for the best, but if you don’t make an effort to understand how modern search engine algorithms are changing and evolving, your website or marketing strategy will be pushed aside quicker than a Stranger Things marathon on a Sunday morning.
Consider investing in an SEO freelancer. A great SEO partner can take over the hard part of your website and make sure you have the right content, link-building, and technical infrastructure that search engine algorithms need to understand your website properly.
It’s an investment well worth making – if done right, it will pay off immensely in the long run. Keep in mind though, every Tom, Dick and Harry on the internet claim to be a so-called SEO expert.
That’s why a call ballpark price to pay for SEO should be $1000+ per month, otherwise what they’re offering you may seem too good to be true (using Black Hat SEO).
Consider hiring a fractional CMO instead
In the past, business owners often hired a dedicated CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) to help take their brand to the next level.
But as you learned in this article, it’s super expensive to do so and is a luxury for smaller brands.
But with fractional CMO services now being an available option, more and more businesses are taking advantage of this new offering – allowing them to get expert marketing help without the hefty price tag of a full-time CMO.
Fractional CMOs can come in and handle all your marketing needs from strategy to execution without having to commit to an expensive long-term contract (with annual leave and sick pay tied to it).
Ultimately, this is one of the smartest investments you can make as a business owner – as it allows you to focus on what you do best and leave the marketing to a proven expert.
So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed with all the various marketing activities you need to take care of, consider hiring a fractional CMO.
There you have it – four essential marketing tips for businesses without CMOs.
A CMO is a great asset to have, but it’s not always feasible for most businesses.
Fortunately, there are options like fractional CMOs and freelancers that can help fill the gap and provide expert knowledge when you need it.
Too often, people feel discouraged when they realize how much work is needed to create a strong digital presence for their business. These tips are designed to help make the process simpler and more efficient so you can focus on what’s most important: growing your business.
