We’ve all been there and I come across this quite regularly -- restraining a laugh or almost throwing up hands in despair, when a company’s leading men put forth an opinion any modern marketer would find outrageous.
But then, we can’t always blame the CEO or the owner. After all, many chief executives simply don’t come from a marketing or technical backgrounds, and even if they do, their knowledge is most likely to be not current.
(That takes it back to my earlier post – How old is your Marketing Head?
However, the fact today is that marketing has evolved to become increasingly technical as well as emotional, whether the CEO/ Business Owner believes it or not.
Here are 10 statements that we hear commonly that indicate that these CEO’s views of marketing are stuck in the past.
1. “Social media is a waste of time.”
2. “Our customers are not on social media.”
3. “Our blog should talk more about how well we do things.”
4. “What do you mean I can’t fight back on Twitter / Facebook?”
5. “Every piece of content should always lead to a sale.”
6. “Let’s get demand gen up by attending more trade shows.”
7. “Listening to market feedback is a waste of time.”
8. “We should rebrand to better communicate our value.”
9. “Friction between Sales and Marketing is normal.”
10. “I know what the customers want.”
These examples are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to CEOs / Business Owners not understanding the marketing intricacies that drive their companies’ growth and that prevent many businesses from moving forward and realizing their full potential.
