Shrinking budgets and accountability were two common themes in 2013 for many marketers. Marketers are under more pressure than ever to ensure their budgets are being spent in the most optimal manner, and that they can explain precisely what value these marketing activities brought to the organization. Justifying marketing spend is a daily activity for many CMOs. In a recent study of CMOs, shrinking budgets were cited as one of the biggest challenges.*

Recently, I was talking with Jeff Davidoff, CMO of ONE.org, about social marketing. Jeff is a marketing guru of mine and has created some of the best social marketing programs ever invented (check out Agit8 to see his work). Jeff is a frequent guest of my graduate social marketing classes at Northwestern University and I talk with him to keep current on the newest trends in social marketing.

From time to time you will help your company find a new agency resource. While the reasons for needing a new agency could be very different, the process is usually the same. It’s one of elimination. You and your team identify a larger group of agencies. And with time, winnow the list down to one firm that best fits your needs.

One of the most influential professors I had in graduate school had a great saying: “The best marketers are the best guessers.” It definitely seems like there is a lot of merit in this statement. After all, in marketing we often have to work with imperfect information. More than not, we’re faced with combining available information with experience, best practices and judgment.

If you watch reality TV, you’ll notice there’s a proven formula that some of the biggest series love to use. They start with a group of unique individuals, show them working through remarkable conditions and throw in a few dramatic twists.

This is part 2 of the article on critical questions that CMOs should ask in their first 90 days. Here are the remaining questions to ask as you begin to evaluate the current marketing communications activities. These questions can help you formulate the strengths and weaknesses of the current activities as well as inspire ideas and direction for marketing plans going forward.

How will 2014 compare to 2013 from a marketing trends perspective? Will the top tactics marketers used in 2013 differ in 2014? Will budgets stay the same, or will they increase or decrease? Will marketer’s biggest challenges stay the same? Here are 9 trends from 2013 and thoughts on how these trends might evolve or stay the same.

You’ve accepted position as head of marketing. You had a vision and background that aligned with where the organization is heading. You already are planning to assess your internal resources, meet with critical stakeholders and go through the initial 90 days drill.

Part 1 of this article explored what Key Performance Indicators, or KPIs, are and how they help marketers measure the success of their programs and prove how they contribute to the success of organizations. In Part 2, we will drill down into the process of creating KPIs based on the marketing program’s objectives and how to effectively use them to achieve those objectives.

It seems that for as long as marketing has existed, there have been those who have questioned whether its contribution is worth the expense. And there is perhaps nothing more frustrating for marketers than having to continually prove their value to an organization. Fortunately, today’s marketers have tools that enable them to do just that.