Michelle Low Michelle Low

The 4 stages of SME marketing maturity — where are you?

It's easy for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to feel overwhelmed by marketing, but the truth is, every business starts somewhere.

The journey I believe, can be broken down into four distinct stages of marketing maturity.

Understanding where you stand is the first step toward a more strategic, impactful future.

1. The Accidental Marketer

You're in this stage if your marketing is reactive, not proactive. You might post on social media when you have time, send an email to a client list you've collected, or rely solely on word-of-mouth. There’s no clear strategy, and success is often a result of luck rather than planning. The focus here is on simply getting something out the door.

2. The Experimenter

At this stage, you recognize the need for a more deliberate approach. You're experimenting with different tactics—maybe you've tried a paid ad campaign, started a blog, or are actively using a new social channel. You’re beginning to track results, but the efforts are still somewhat siloed and disconnected. The goal is to see what sticks.

3. The Strategist

You've matured into a strategist when your marketing efforts are no longer random. You have a clear, documented strategy that aligns with your business goals. You're consistently producing content, your campaigns are integrated, and you are using data to make informed decisions. The focus shifts from "what works?" to "how can we optimize this for better results?"

4. The Optimizer

This is the pinnacle of marketing maturity for an SME. Your marketing is a well-oiled machine. You have a strong understanding of your customer journey, you're A/B testing everything, and you're continuously refining your campaigns based on real-time data. Marketing isn’t just a department; it's a core growth driver for the entire business.

So, which stage best describes your business today?

#SME #MarketingStrategy #BusinessGrowth #DigitalMarketing #SMEGrowth #MarketingMaturity

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Michelle Low Michelle Low

The Fractional CMO is #trending

It's not just a trend—it's a strategic shift driven by the need for agility and expertise without the immense cost.

Here's why flexible senior marketing leadership is #trending:


1. Access to Top-Tier Expertise for a Fraction of the Cost:
Hiring a full-time CMO can be a significant financial commitment, with salaries often exceeding $250,000 annually. A Fractional CMO provides the same high-level, strategic guidance for a fraction of that cost, allowing businesses to maximize their budgets.

2. Drive Measurable Growth:
According to research from Harvard Business Review, companies that used Fractional CMOs saw an average revenue growth rate of 29%, significantly outpacing the 19% growth of those without specialized marketing leadership.

3. Agility and Fresh Perspective:
In a landscape that changes daily, a Fractional CMO brings a wealth of experience from working with diverse clients and industries. They provide a fresh, objective perspective that can help a business adapt quickly and stay ahead of the curve.

This model is a game-changer for businesses that need to scale efficiently, fill a leadership gap, or simply get their marketing efforts aligned with revenue goals.

#FractionalCMO #Leadership #MarketingStrategy

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Michelle Low Michelle Low

Unpopular Opinion: Is AI taking over our marketer’s role?

While the headlines shout about job replacement, the reality is far more nuanced.
AI is not a threat—it's an evolution.

The real value of marketers will be in the uniquely human skills that AI can't replicate:
💡 Emotional Intelligence: Mentoring and motivating teams.
💡 Creative Strategy: Navigating complex problems and market shifts.
💡 Human-Centric Leadership: Building trust, culture, and connection.

Fractional CMOs can help you lead, strategize, and bring critical thinking and thought leadership to support you in growing your business.

#AI #FutureOfWork #FractionalCMO #Leadership #DigitalTransformation

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Michelle Low Michelle Low

The Evolution of a Marketer’s Role: From Generalist to AI-Powered Strategist

For years, the marketer’s role was a balancing act—juggling creative ideation, data analysis, campaign management, and project coordination.

Now, with the rise of AI, that role is evolving.

AI isn't here to replace the marketer; it's here to empower them. It's shifting the focus from manual execution to strategic oversight, and I am beyond excited for the now and the future.

The Past: The Jack-of-All-Trades Marketer

In the past, marketers spent significant time on repetitive, data-heavy tasks:

  • Building reports and spreadsheets.

  • Manually segmenting customer lists.

  • A/B testing every element of an email.

  • Writing countless versions of ad copy from scratch.

The Present: The AI-Powered Strategist

Today, AI automates these tasks, freeing up marketers to focus on what truly matters:

  • Creative Oversight: Directing the brand narrative and ensuring AI-generated content maintains the right tone and quality.

  • Strategic Vision: Interpreting AI insights to develop high-level strategies and identify new market opportunities.

  • Customer Empathy: Focusing on building authentic customer relationships and understanding human behavior beyond what the data says.

  • Innovation: Exploring new technologies and channels to stay ahead of the curve.

The marketer of the future will be a strategist, a creative director, and a human connection expert. AI will be their most powerful tool, not their replacement.

And for those concerned, don’t be. Consider how you reinvent your role to be the next AI-powered strategist.

#AI #Marketing #FutureOfMarketing #DigitalMarketing #MarTech #MarketingStrategy

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