Whether you want to lose weight or give up smoking come January, it’s fair to say that many of us will be setting some New Year’s Resolutions. Sure, you still haven’t used that annual gym membership you signed up for following last December’s Christmas binge – but that doesn’t mean you can’t try again – right? Hope and determination keeps the world afloat, so why not bring this positive, well-meaning spirit into the world of business and set some goals for the year ahead? Sound good? Then here are 10 New Year’s resolutions for finance CMOs from the Contentworks Agency team :

1. CMOs Be more social

While a spontaneous upload of Nan rockin’ around the Christmas tree is sure to get a few ‘likes’ this festive period, it’s worth putting a bit more time and effort into your upcoming social media strategies. Tapping into platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn is a great way to cast your net and appeal to a wider audience. With the right social strategy you can not only increase brand awareness and improve your online reputation, but you can also run campaigns which will potentially have a direct impact on your bottom line – now that can’t be bad can it?

In the booming world of cryptocurrencies and ICOs, one particular platform to suss out now and in the coming year is Telegram. This social messaging service has more functionality than many other messaging apps out there and is a great way for companies to discuss financial services such as digital token offerings in more detail.

2. CMOs Strengthen your relationships

As a chief marketing officer, it’s important to develop a strong relationship with your staff – and that means delegating work effectively and respecting one another’s ideas and opinions. Of course, this isn’t easy at times, but when heading up a team you must come up with ideas that will make the most of individual skill-sets and promote the company in the best way.

You should also work on strengthening relationships with your cliental. This may be via clever social media strategies, streamlining your PR activity, re-thinking your branding or simply improving overall communication methods. Ask yourself questions such as:

• Are we handling customer queries quick enough?
• Are we targeting the correct target audience?
• Is our website well-optimised and easy-to-read?

3. CMOs Embrace change

The marketing world has changed dramatically and your staff may operate in different ways. While traditional marketing artists take a customer-centric, emotional approach, marketing scientists may be more concerned about data and accuracy. Aligning the two will help take your marketing team to new heights – and that’s your job. Good luck!

4. Lose some excess weight

Christmas is a time of indulgence, but no matter how many mince pies or duck-fat roasted potatoes you throw down your neck – we’re not saying you need to go to the gym. Instead, we’re suggesting you stop weighing yourself down with unnecessary tasks at work. When the New Year arrives, try to start afresh by aligning your marketing strategies with growing trends and buyer preferences. Take a good, hard look at what’s worked in the past and adapt your techniques to ensure they stay modern, relevant and fresh.

Going forward, be sure to always set KPIs at the start of any project as this will help you to monitor your performance and make it easier to carry out a marketing review down the line.

5. Give up smoking

If you’re regularly showing feelings of anger and frustration – stop it! Getting wound up by daily events is not productive and certainly won’t make your team members want to approach you with new ideas or concepts. Yes, the marketing world can be stressful but try to use all that wasted “in a huff” energy more effectively – perhaps by delving into the launch of a new ICO or working out what Blockchain actually means – see that’s way more fun, right?

6. CMOs Be more adventurous

When faced with compliance issues and a host of red tape it can be difficult to let your creative juices flow – but if you want to stand out from the crowd, being adventurous is a must. There are many ways to promote your finances and services without getting a slap on the wrist from regulatory giants; you’ve just got to think outside the box. Blogging about the industry and setting yourself as go-to gurus for the finance sector can help attract attention – and how about developing infographics or creating innovative video content and scripts?

7. Take more time to learn

Being a CMO means keeping up to date with all the latest trends and updates. The finance world changes at a rapid rate, so take the time to study and learn new things. Make an effort to attend conferences and read in your spare time if necessary as this will help your department to become thought leaders and innovators.

8. CMOs Use your market research

If you ask ten people whether they like burgers or sausages the best and the overwhelming response is burgers – why would you then buy sausages? It makes no logical sense. While time is of the essence and you need to roll out projects promptly, don’t forget to carry out and utilise your market research as this will give you a deeper insight into the wants and needs of your target audience.

9. Accept that mistakes might happen

It’s not what happens in life, but how you handle it that’s important. Blowing your top at the smallest issue will not make your job easier, so it’s better to have ‘crisis management’ strategies in place just in case. For instance, in a fast-paced world where content is generated quickly – particularly on social media – you need to know how to handle bad PR to ensure your online reputation remains intact.

10. CMOs Utilise the services of an agency

Whether you’re snowed under or could simply do with a little help and advice – don’t be afraid to collaborate with an agency. Here at Contentworks, we know what it takes to create a standout content marketing campaign and have a team of professionals fully clued up on all finance-related compliance issue. So, what you waiting for? Contact us today for more information.

What are your marketing resolutions for next year? Tweet us @_contentworks and let us know!