Content Pros Podcast

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Carin Van Vuuren, CMO at Greenhouse Software, a high-growth organization operating in the recruitment space. Carin describes how when she first joined the team at Greenhouse, she was challenged with going upmarket, entering into an entirely different segment. She explains why marketers need to take a different approach depending on if they’re targeting SMBs or enterprises, and she shares the simple segmentation strategy that works for her team.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts!Key takeaways from this episode:C-level executives should prioritize hiring. Carin believes that hiring is the most important job for every business leader, so strong partnerships between a recruiter and a c-level executive is crucial. She recommends that CEOs and CMOs stay involved in the hiring process from beginning to end because building the right team is so essential. For any rebrand, team buy-in is

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Ran Avrahamy, CMO at AppsFlyer. Our discussion reminded me that as long as you're consistently learning and challenging yourself, then being comfortable in your role isn’t always such a bad thing. One of the main themes from this episode is the need to reinvent yourself and your strategy as a marketer, and specifically, how marketers can do this with events in a post-COVID world. Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts!Key takeaways from this episode:Strike a balance between growth and comfort. Ran points out that the term “comfort zone” tends to come along with some negative connotations, but it’s not necessarily a terrible thing to be comfortable in your role. It’s best to find the balance between feeling comfortable and consistently learning new things so you can continue progressing throughout your career.Reinvent yourself at least once a year. As we head into 2023, there’s no be

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Megan McDonagh, CMO at Amperity, a customer data platform (CDP). Having spent more than 20 years at Intel Corporation, Megan had some wise words to share about the different opportunities she’s encountered throughout her career that have led her to her role as CMO today. Megan also unpacks the need for marketers to unify and understand our buyers and their diverse channel interactions to deliver a more personalized experience.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts!Key takeaways from this episode:Consider your impact. When Megan was looking to make the jump into her next CMO role, she prioritized choosing a company solving big problems on a big scale. It was important to take a glimpse into the future to understand the company’s growth trajectory and just how she could make a powerful impact as CMO.Unify customer data. At Amperity, Megan works with lots of B2C companies that tend to be ow

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Kevin Marasco, CMO of Tebra, a company specializing in healthcare marketing. One of the running themes of this episode is fun—why marketing should be fun and why so many brands tend to forget this. Kevin has years of experience working for several amazing brands, so he has plenty of marketing wisdom to share throughout the episode.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts!Key takeaways from this episode:The ceiling is getting higher. In recent years, the tech landscape has grown so much that the expectations for companies in the healthcare space have skyrocketed. This has opened up a whole new world of possibilities, which is why Kevin is constantly looking towards the company’s vision or north star to stay focused.Step outside your comfort zone. If he could give his younger self one piece of advice, Kevin says it would be to learn as much as possible in as many different areas of the marke

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Amanda Bird Malko, CMO at G2, a software marketplace that reaches more than 60 million software buyers each year. Amanda discusses the importance of bringing teams and various stakeholders together to work towards one shared vision. She offers tangible and tactical tips for breaking down the silos among various teams like marketing, engineering and product so everyone can work together more symbiotically. Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts!Key takeaways from this episode:Marketing is a blend of sales and creativity. Amanda mentioned that she was initially drawn to the marketing world because it lies at the intersection of creative selling and achieving tangible business results. In particular, she’s passionate about the art of creative persuasion combined with generating revenue in a way that provides maximum value to the customer.Building a brand that benefits all stakeholders

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Lisa Campbell, CMO at OneTrust. Lisa shares her perspective on making the jump from Autodesk, a massive company where she was also CMO, to a smaller-scale operation, including tips for managing your own expectations. She also reveals her perspective on content, data, building customer trust, and much more. Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts!Key takeaways from this episode:Get in the right mindset. Lisa notes that when making the move to a smaller one, it’s important to be prepared to do more with less. Larger companies tend to have more infrastructure and resources in place, so preparing your mindset to make the best use of what’s available in a smaller company is key. Lisa shares a few ways you can do this by preparing your mindset in advance.Balance paved roads with dirt roads. Lisa provides a great analogy about learning to strike a balance between paved and dirt roads, knowi

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Quinn O'Brien, the CMO at Carnegie Learning, an ed-tech leader that is shaping the future of learning through AI. Letting us in on his unique career background so far, Quinn shares the story of his humble beginnings working as a receptionist at a marketing agency, and how that role piqued his interest in the brand side. He also shares stories from his past role at Lenovo, where he spent a large part of his career, and what he learned from launching his own company. Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play!Key takeaways from this episode:Follow your passion. It sounds cliché (and maybe it is) but that doesn’t mean it’s untrue: following your passion will take you far in your career and in life. In Quinn’s case, this meant looking for opportunities in the world of education, where he felt he could truly make a difference.Understand each market segment’s pain points—inside and out.

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Jennifer Griffin Smith, CMO of Brightcove. Jennifer is in her sixth CMO role so far, so she has plenty of words of wisdom to share about what it takes to be a great marketing leader. She also shares her perspective on the realities of virtual engagement today, including advice for adapting to this digital-first landscape and ever-shrinking attention spans.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts! Key takeaways from this episode:Jennifer truly takes a holistic approach to internal collaboration. Work closely with engineering and product leads within your organization to develop a solid understanding of what the market needs, what the customers want, and how the team can develop a value proposition that sets you apart from the competition.The traditional buyer's journey has evolved dramatically in recent years. Now, the funnel has flipped, which means marketers are tasked with

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Udi Ledergor, CMO at Gong. Udi gets vulnerable about the challenges he's faced helping to scale the organization to over $7 billion in value and over 1,200 employees—60 of whom are marketers—as marketer number one. He discusses some of the obstacles and realities of each growth stage, including self-doubt, marketing in a downturn, and more.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts!Key takeaways from this episode:Get inside your buyer’s head. As someone who has been a marketing leader at five different companies throughout his career, Udi has learned that he always does his best work when he can truly get into the shoes of the company’s buyer persona. From that perspective, he says, it’s much easier to understand what the buyer’s day looks like, why they might care about the product, and how the company can add value to their life.Know when to delegate. As a leader, Udi is wise eno

In this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Venkat Nagaswamy, EVP and CMO at telecommunications company Mitel. As someone who's held roles as a CEO, an analyst, a sales executive, and currently as a CMO throughout his 30-year career, Venkat has plenty of perspective, experience and wisdom to impart. Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts!Key takeaways from this episode:Focus your efforts. According to Venkat’s philosophy, one of the greatest risks most companies face is trying to compete with too many different players at once. In his role at Mitel, Venkat has made it his mission to focus their marketing efforts in just one market (in their case, the U.S.) in order to optimize outcomes and avoid spreading themselves too thin.Tell customer stories. Another big focus of Venkat’s when it comes to his role as CMO includes identifying and sharing Mitel’s most inspiring customer stories. By weaving great storytelling into the major

In this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Randi Barshack, CMO of RollWorks, a division of NextRoll, an account-based marketing platform for B2B marketing and sales, and one of Uberflip’s partners. Randi runs a team that is all about meeting the buyers where they are, prioritizing authenticity, and understanding what you need to continue progressing along your own career trajectory. Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts!Key takeaways from this episode:Optimize for personal happiness. When it comes to choosing your next gig as a marketing professional, it’s important to take a strategic approach that considers the role from a variety of diverse perspectives. For Randi, prioritizing her own personal happiness is a must when making career moves, because it can be next to impossible to predict what the market will do next or how the financial situation will look in a few years’ time.Believe in your product. For any ma

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Nicole Milstead, CMO at FinancialForce—a company that’s a true force in the world of B2B marketing. During our conversation, Nicole explains why she prefers to make her decisions both with a purposeful yet open intent, tending to stick to a carefully designed plan while remaining flexible and adaptable to change. She also explains her unique approach to understanding data across the entire buyer journey, and how to create content that resonates with consumers.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts!Key takeaways from this episode:A varied background will take you far. Throughout her career, Nicole has carved her own unique path, veering away from the traditional stepping stones along the way to the coveted CMO role. By using all of her varied experiences—from social work to sales—as learning opportunities on the way to her next role, Nicole has been able to offer a nuanced persp

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Deena Bahri, the CMO of StockX, an online destination where you can buy and sell trendy sneakers, streetwear, trading cards, collectibles, designer handbags and other luxury items. We chat about the concept of disruption including why content plays such a key role in the process, how to build a culture around your brand and the importance of being intentional every step of the way.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts!Key takeaways from this episode:Listen and learn. For any leaders who hope to cause disruption in their industry, it’s essential that they keep their finger on the pulse of what’s happening around them. As a CMO, Deena believes that one of the qualities that serves her best is having a willingness to learn, and a keen awareness of upcoming trends before they hit the mainstream market.Balance emotion with data. Marketing as a discipline requires us to keep both th

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Janet Matsuda, CMO of Sysdig. We discuss the benefits of adopting a messaging-first mindset for product marketers, why cross-collaboration is essential, and how to develop a messaging framework that will spread throughout your organization. Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts!Key takeaways from this episode:Start a dialogue. Janet believes that as marketing teams develop key messaging documents, they need to be talking to customers, salespeople, and engineers to ensure they fully understand the product and its impact. If you’re looking for information that will help you develop the perfect messaging framework, it only makes sense to go straight to the source—the people who were part of the creation process. Go back to basics. When building out a messaging framework, Janet suggests that product marketers drill down on the company’s overall vision, mission and the pa

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Shawn Ahmed, the CMO of CloudBees, a platform which provides the leading DevOps solutions for large and compliance-first organizations. We discuss how Shawn has helped to scale the company from 18 to 60 employees, the concept of using a “pod” when organizing your go-to market strategy, and the need for segmentation at different parts of the sales funnel.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts!Key takeaways from this episode:Take risks. Shawn mentioned that throughout his career, he’s learned the most by taking big risks, such as moving from a CEO role to come on as CloudBees CMO. He believes that to really understand a business, you need to experience all elements of it rather than pigeonholing yourself to one area or specialty.Focus on segmentation. As a marketer, Shawn understands the value of really knowing your audience and what motivates them. This is why he places a strong

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Jon Miller, CMO of Demandbase. Jon has had an incredible career so far, having held some impressive roles including as the Co-Founder and CMO of Marketo, which was later acquired by Adobe. During our discussion, Jon shares his perspective on account-based marketing, including why it’s not just about finding the right accounts and sending them the right message, but understanding exactly where they are in their journey.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts! Key takeaways from this episode:Every customer journey is completely unique. Jon made some interesting points about the customer journey, including the idea that so much of it is invisible when it comes to traditional tracking methods. This is why it’s important to meet every customer exactly where they are in their journey and tailor each step of the process to their specific position along the path.Know your ABX. According

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Fred Studer, CMO at TIBCO. As a four-time CMO who has been at the helm of marketing teams at companies like Microsoft and Oracle, Fred had plenty of fascinating experiences to share during this episode. We chatted about everything from mindset to storytelling, including key strategies for elevating your brand and customer voice.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts! Key takeaways from this episode:Focus on demand gen. As Fred mentioned, every CMO has at least one area of their role that they tend to favor—in his case, that’s branding. However, he believes all CMOs should build demand generation skills into their repertoire because you’ll rarely come across a sales team that’s asking for fewer leads.Use large companies as a training ground. Fred mentioned that his roles at tech giants like Microsoft and Oracle served as massive opportunities for growth, development and educatio

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview John Zissimos, the CMO at Okta, an identity management service that connects any person with any application on any device. Having held previous roles at Salesforce and Google, John shares his experience of finding the right marketing role, how to be a great people leader and how your customer’s stories can strategically position your brand.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts!Key takeaways from this episode:Know your weaknesses to be a great people leader. As CMO, John has expertise in the marketing side of the role but there are new responsibilities that he identified as knowledge gaps like overseeing PR and Communications. By identifying his weaknesses and hiring the right people to help him, he knows when to step back and when he can step in to help his team. By capitalizing on his strengths and not micromanaging his team, John is becoming a better leader of people, not j

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Armen Najarian, CMO and Chief Identity Officer at Outseer, a shared, global network of fraud and transaction data. As a spin-off company of RSA, a major network security company, Outseer has presented Armen with a unique opportunity to rebrand a company with already well-established roots. During our conversation, we discuss Armen’s extensive career background, leadership advice, strategies for taking a business to the next level and more.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play!Key takeaways from this episode:A great leadership team is like a symphony. As CMO, Armen believes that everyone on the team has their own unique melody to play, and even a slight shift within one person’s role can shift the dynamic dramatically. This is why gaining a clearer understanding of everyone’s specific role within the team can help everyone create better music together. Everyone is a consumer.

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Allison Lowrie, CMO at Vacasa, an international vacation rental management company based in Portland, Oregon. Having also previously held roles at Angi, HomeAdvisor and Cars.com, Allison shares her perspective on navigating marketing leadership, building a solid team and the challenges of two-sided marketplaces.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play! Key takeaways from this episode:Make it personal. In the home and car industry, every purchase is an inherently emotional one, so marketers are tasked with tapping into that emotional element to connect with buyers. This lesson can be applied to marketing in any industry because at the end of the day, every purchase involves an emotional element that can be leveraged to make a positive impact.Get in the right mindset. Another of Allison’s tips involves diving deep into the mindset of the marketplace you’re tapping into. She and the tea