Achieving Marketing Agility with Kathleen Stockham, CMO of South College

In this episode, CMO Kathleen Stockham discusses the structure and operation of her lean team at South College. She emphasizes that success doesn't require a large team but rather a group of talented individuals committed to execution and quality work. Kathleen explains how her team's roles and responsibilities are divided, highlighting the significance of their creative director, project manager, and strategist. She also mentions the importance of strong partnerships with agencies handling paid search, social media, and media ads. Kathleen shares her hands-on leadership approach and her belief in the value of direct feedback and continuous improvement. She also touches on the significance of data privacy and accessibility in their operations, as well as the evolving nature of marketing strategies.

Takeaways: 

Leverage a Multi-Talented Team: You don't need a huge team; what you do need are talented people who can handle multiple responsibilities and are committed to execution and quality. This keeps operations lean and efficient.

Foster a Hands-On Leadership Style: Being deeply involved in the day-to-day tasks alongside your team, rather than just dictating from a corner office, can foster better team dynamics and ensure high-quality results.

Use Formal and Challenging RFPs: When seeking new partnerships, use formal, challenging RFPs to weed out non-serious contenders. This helps ensure that only the best and most committed agencies or vendors partner with you.

Stay Updated on Industry Regulations: Keeping abreast of changes in industry-specific laws and regulations, such as data privacy, is crucial. Not doing so can severely affect your organization's legal standing and reputation.

Adopt a Flexible Marketing Strategy: Targeting should not be overly rigid. Understand the broad demographic and psychographic spectrums of your audience and employ flexible, consumer-friendly outreach methods like hybrid programs.

Regularly Analyze Site Search Data: Pay attention to the queries entered into your internal site search. This can highlight content gaps and guide you on what additional information to include on your site.

Promote Peer Reviews and Testing: Before committing to new marketing tools or technologies, leverage peer reviews and ask for test trials. This can prevent costly mistakes and ensure you are using the best tools for your needs.

Quote of the Show:

• “It doesn't take a village. You don't need a huge team. What you do need are talented people that can do more than one thing and most importantly are committed to the quality work.” - Kathleen Stockham

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleen-stockham-02895773/ 

• Website: http://south.edu/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7334aa0c-702a-47aa-8c55-760fa2cf4dda/the-revenue-driven-cmo 

• Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-revenue-driven-cmo/id1444680950   

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1OCuYchAG8TlGv82YARRhy?si=60a093a194c64c17 

• iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-revenue-driven-cmo-99614345/ 

• Listen Notes: https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-revenue-dri