My Video Interview With The CMO Circle Founders & Secrets To Their Success
Over on Marketing Unfiltered I am running a dedicated interview series with an hypothesis I have on why Marketing Communities across Discord, Slack, iMessage and WhatsApp have become so important, so this is the first video interview with Nicola and James from The CMO circle.
Here are the top 10 insights you can take away from this conversation
Leadership Support Network: Professional communities like The CMO Circle are breaking the isolation traditionally experienced by marketing leaders, providing crucial peer-to-peer support and learning.
Multi-Channel Engagement Strategy: Successful communities combine communication channels (WhatsApp), content (newsletters), and connection opportunities (both virtual and in-person events) to create a comprehensive ecosystem.
Talent Pipeline Development: Communities are (potentially) evolving into hiring networks where members recommend and recruit fellow members for consultancy, fractional, and full-time positions.
Deliberate Community Design: Focusing on specific connective goals and maintaining high-quality conversations creates more value than pursuing rapid growth or large membership numbers - this is also true for most brands and products
Peer-Based Learning Model: Community learning is becoming a preferred professional development approach in 2025, offering real-time, practical insights from peers facing similar challenges versus traditional ways of spending your L&D budgets at big conferences, network events and online courses
Two-Way Value Exchange: The most successful community participation follows the principle articulated by CMO Circle's Nicola: "If you're going to join a community, it's about give to get."
Moderation Balance: Effective community leadership requires knowing when to guide conversations and when to let them develop organically, allowing for self-regulation.
Active Inclusion Practices: Proactively engaging with quieter members ensures diverse participation and prevents communities from being dominated by the most vocal participants
Also critically - checking in on colleagues helps to understand if they are ok, and if busy at work or there are key life events
Revenue Model Considerations: While monetization and sponsorship are important for sustainability, community leaders must balance financial goals with maintaining community integrity - this also is a lesson for most businesses and mastermind groups
Expert-Led Content Distribution: High-quality, expert-driven content (like the referenced AI webinar) provides substantial value and serves as a cornerstone for community growth and engagement.
Connect With The Group
The CMO Circle Website - https://www.thecmocircle.com/and if you are a senior Marketing Leader you can request to join - https://www.thecmocircle.com/#contactus
And the leaders - Nicola Anderson (LinkedIn) and James Hamlin (LinkedIn)
Learn from my keynote talk on the next wave of community, powering the next wave of powerful business
The Highlight Reel
