Five Tips To Help You Build CMO-CIO Alignment

Marketing today is increasingly digital, data-driven and measurable.

Does that mean marketers will soon need advanced degrees in fields like IT and/or mathematics in order to succeed?

Not quite.

But, it does mean marketers need to recognize the technological transformation that's underway, and they'll have to adapt accordingly. While today's CMOs may not necessarily need sophisticated training in computer science or statistics, they DO need this: close collaboration with the IT teams at their companies.

Years ago, technology ran the business. Now, technology is the business. IT has converged with virtually every company department, including marketing, and it's now critical for CMOs to gain IT support not only for functional integration, but also for the latest digital marketing capabilities and customer intelligence implementations.

So, how can you begin building that essential collaboration? And, once you're sitting down with the CIO, how can you move the conversation to a more strategic level?

Here are a few suggestions to help you get started:

Recognize the scope of the problem. The walls that have separated IT and marketing won't come down overnight, and the vast majority of companies have only begun to tackle the issue. Recent CMO Council research found that less than 10 percent of marketing and IT executives (8 percent and 6 percent, respectively) say their companies have fully integrated their online and offline analytic capabilities. Even more telling, only 14 percent of marketers and 10 percent of IT executives say analytics are well-integrated into their online channels!

Find common ground. Technology plays a pivotal role in today's marketing initiatives, and clearly, both CMO and CIO must have a voice in how data is aggregated and used, where it should be integrated, etc.  IT now shapes the customer experience and drives marketing efficiency and effectiveness. But, marketers need IT input before adopting new technologies. Remember, you can both talk the same language –the language of driving business growth.

Face governance concerns head-on. Marketing departments are stepping up their technology requests. However, any wish-list must be carefully evaluated with regard to the needs of the business, as a whole (strategy, budget, security, etc.). Work to define a process so that IT understands marketing's requirements and is enabled to respond proactively.

Prioritize projects. Marketing and IT tend to work on different timetables. Respect these differences and at the same time, eliminate confusion by planning strategies and prioritizing projects together.

Plan for an on-going conversation. Right now, the digital divide is wide, and to bridge that gap, marketing and IT need an entirely new level of understanding and synchronization. Expect the process to take some time. Think of transformation and innovation as journeys, not sprints.

I have heard CMO-CIO alignment called the next frontier of success for marketers. Indeed, I can't imagine staying relevant without it. But like any new frontier, the landscape is full of enormous challenges. It's important to maintain focus and start meeting those challenges one-by-one. After all, when the CMO and the CIO share a vision of success, there are vast opportunities, as well.

Thanks to Lisa Arthur - The Marketing Revolution / Blogs Forbes