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What is a Virtual CMO?

If you are a small business owner, you have likely heard about competitors or other businesses talking about a vCMO. While it may seem like a trendy buzz word, a Virtual CMO can provide valuable support to your own business – no matter what size it may be. During my workshops, I often refer to myself as a vCMO and I’m met with puzzled looks until I explain the various services I provide to business owners just like them. Then, the light clicks on and they can see how they can benefit from having the right marketing partner in their corner.

After thinking long and hard about the best way to explain what a Virtual CMO is, I decided it would be best to give you a detailed explanation that you could browse through at your own leisure. After years of experience helping small business owners recover from less than optimal web developers that seemingly disappeared, I knew there had to be a better way to help them achieve their marketing goals. In fact, that’s when I decided to become a vCMO.

Matthew Maennche Virtual CMO

Before setting out on this venture, I worked with my clients to determine their exact wants and needs to develop not only trust in marketing again but a path to help them reach their unique goals. Throughout my workshops, I’ve often talked with business owners about the struggles they have had and realized most of the issues small business owners face could easily be remedied with the right guidance in place. In essence, I would provide them with the resources and experience I had to ensure they were on the right track.

In most cases, business owners that I talked to were afraid to waste their budget on marketing plans without guaranteed results or they just plain didn’t know where to start. This insight allowed me to understand what business owners struggle with most when developing or implementing their own marketing plans and help find the best solutions that work for their needs. Because I was able to offer an outside perspective, they were given that last piece of the puzzle that they tried so hard to wrap their brain around.

While it may sound simple, developing the right marketing strategy for a business is a very involved process and what works for a competitor may not work for you. While some clients may need me to help find their unique niche and the best ways to target it, others may just need help to recover their reputation from poor marketing services they have received in the past. No matter what your business’ needs may be, a vCMO is one of the best resources available to help you find the right solution – even if you’ve already tried everything.

With a vCMO, businesses of all sizes have untapped marketing experience at a fraction of the cost it would require hiring full-time staff. Not only will you get a partner that believes in your business and can help identify and capitalize on your strengths, but you also get a turnkey marketing partner that won’t require you to constantly micromanage or lead them. Whether you are a start-up or a multi-national business that doesn’t know where to turn next, a Virtual CMO can help make the process easy.

In the modern age, marketing is a mixture of art, science and a little bit of luck. When done right, the results you achieve will net you far more than the price you paid to get started. For this reason, a vCMO has to understand current marketing trends and the best ways to use them to deliver real value for their clients. Some of the ways I can help include:

  • Ad Management – Whether you are looking to expand your reach in search engines or want to out-compete a competitor on social media, knowing how to use digital ads to your advantage is critical for success. If you are looking for instant website traffic, I can help with ad management.
  • WordPress Maintenance – As one of the most widely used CRMs on the web, WordPress now powers over a third of the internet. Unfortunately, one update can take your website offline until a backup is restored or the problem is pinpointed. I can help keep your WordPress site up to date to ensure it remains relevant and secure.
  • Content Writing – Words matter a lot more than you may expect. While anyone can write a blog or website content, they may not know how to craft it specifically for both readers and optimal SEO. If you need help finding the right mix, content writing services may be right for you.
  • Graphic Design– Ready to rebrand your business or create a killer business card that won’t be forgotten? With graphic design services, you can create a new brand image that is sure to get attention. No matter what your graphic design needs may be, a vCMO is a partner you can trust.
  • Email Marketing – Even though you may not realize it, email marketing is more important now than it has ever been. In fact, this seemingly antiquated technology provides the highest ROI of any digital marketing strategy available. However, knowing how to spur readers into action is critical for success.
  • Web Design – Your website is your most valuable asset online. If you have an outdated website or are just getting started, creating the right web design can seem like a challenge. Instead of opting for drag-and-drop website builders that don’t provide value, I can help design the perfect website for your business.
  • Maps Listings – Local citations are important for any small business and ensuring your business is represented online is critical for reputation management. If you aren’t taking advantage of local citations, you may be missing a critical piece of the marketing puzzle. As a Google partner, I can help ensure your maps listings are primed for success.

While just a small sample of the services a vCMO can provide, this should give you an idea of the extensive benefits that come with partnering with one. Even if the help you need isn’t listed above, I encourage you to reach out and let me know how I can help your business succeed. One meeting and you are guaranteed to understand what makes my services different from every other marketer you have ever met.

As a vCMO, and by working with several companies on a part-time basis, I am able to provide you years of experience and education for hundreds of dollars a month as opposed to the hundreds of thousands of dollars a year a full-time candidate would require. Are you ready to take the next step? Schedule a meeting with me to see how your business could benefit from my knowledge and expertise. I look forward to learning more about your business and its journey in your free initial consultation.

Boxyard

Matthew Maennche

Chief Strategist

With over two decades of in-the-trenches marketing experience, Matthew Maennche’s views on developing and supporting a successful business are fundamentally different from the norm. As a developer and strategist, Maennche has helped thousands of businesses of all sizes, both domestic and international, take their organizations to the next level.

Matthew also spends time giving back to the local business community as a volunteer, mentor, and leader for the local chapter of SCORE.