How do CMOs (Chief Marketing Officers) use
The data in this report is valuable on a number of levels: Businesses or individuals looking to get their content in front of these influential users can gain insight into the best ways to reach them, as well as which types of content CMOs are most likely to share. Finding out which topics are popular among these influential marketers can also give businesses insight into which topics are trending – and therefore are most likely to gain traction.
CMOs analyzed included those of big brands like Kate Spade, Mashable, T-Mobile and Salesforce, as well as smaller brands (1034 CMOs in all). The report includes data about:
- Hashtags most commonly used
- Apps and platforms used to share on Twitter
- Social networks that drive sharing to Twitter
- Types and sources of content CMOs most commonly share
- Publishers, brands and people most commonly mentioned and retweeted
What do CMOs talk about on Twitter?
For businesses interested in finding out which hashtags are most commonly used among CMOs, this report provides a wealth of information. Some of the most popular hashtags used included:
- #marketing
- #socialmedia
- #contentmarketing
- #leadership
- #BigData
- #CMO
- #Digital
In terms of trending topics (not necessarily used in hashtags, but rather in the body of tweets), some of the most popular included:
- marketing
- content
- customer
- new
Perhaps one of the most interesting findings was the list of the most popular stories shared by CMOs on Twitter. The report states: “If you had any doubt that CMOs have a competitive streak, the most popular stories shared by marketing leaders will put that to rest – 3 of the top 5 stories in Q4 2014 were lists ranking CMOs!” In other words, if you want to reach CMOs, write stories about CMOs.
In terms of apps and platforms CMOs are most likely to tweet from, the top contenders were:
- The Twitter web client (75%)
- Twitter for iPhone (70%)
- Twitter for websites (65%)
- iOS (32%)
- Twitter for iPad (24%)
-
LinkedIn (22%)
Compared to the same quarter in 2012, the most significant change was in terms of LinkedIn sharing to Twitter – at 22%, up from 11% in 2012. Twitter native apps have continued to grow in usage over the same period in 2012, while posting from Tumblr, Pinterest and Spotify are still virtually non-existent among CMOs (no big change from 2012).
In terms of which social networks drove sharing on Twitter, not surprisingly Twitter came in #1 at 100% (meaning 100% of CMOs shared content on Twitter that originated on Twitter). Other popular networks included:
- YouTube (48%)
- Instagram (35%)
- LinkedIn (30%)
- Facebook (15%)
- Slideshare (11%)
In other words, if you’re looking to have your content seen and shared by CMOs, sharing it on Twitter should definitely be high on your priority list.
What types of content do CMOs share on Twitter?
Do CMOs mostly share content from mainstream sites or from industry sties? Turns out mainstream media sources came in at the top. The most common mainstream sources were:
- Forbes
- The New York Times (paid)
- Fast Company
- The Wall Street Journal
- Inc.om
- Huffington Post
In terms of industry sources, the most common were:
- Business Insider
- TechCrunch
- Mashable
- AdWeek
- Advertising Age
- Venture Beat
There are clearly certain publishers that CMOs are most often reading, sharing and being influenced by. These publishers have found a way to be highly relevant and engaging to this group of influencers – which is no easy task: “As social media continues to reshape how information is consumed and shared, creating high-quality content on a regular basis is no longer enough to succeed as a publisher. Successful publishers must also develop high-quality social audiences, and get their content in front of those audiences on a regular basis. (After all, you have to tweet to get retweeted!) “
The most retweeted publishers included:
- @FastCompany
- @mashable
- @HarvardBiz
- @TechCrunch
- @Forbes
- @Inc
The most retweeted individuals included:
- @ValaAfshar
- @KentHuffman
- @pmarca
- @darrenrovell
- @levie
- @GlenGilmore
It’s also interesting to see which brands and publishers are most often mentioned by CMOs. These are brands that “are frequently mentioned [and] have captured mindshare with the marketing executives that they’re looking to engage”. These brands are:
- @Forbes
- @WSJ (Wall Street Journal)
- @YouTube
- @TechCrunch
- @FastCompany
People most frequently mentioned included:
- @MarketingProfs
- @KentHuffman
- @pmarca
- @ValaAfshar
- @garyvee
- @bethcomstock
Final Thoughts
Knowing how some of the most influential users are using Twitter gives us important insights into how to reach them most effectively. It can also help indicate which topics, publications and users we should be following in order to stay on top of current trends in marketing.
How will you use the information in this report? Did any of the findings surprise you? Share below!
