Content Pros Podcast

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Genefa Murphy, the CMO of cloud contact center, Five9. During the episode, we discuss her path to CMO, creative marketing that challenges societal norms, and the customer experience overall.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play!Key takeaways from this episode:It’s all about the customer experience. At the end of the day, the technology and products a company provides to their customers are important, but the most crucial element of forming lasting relationships is creating an exceptional journey from beginning to end. Genefa recognized this early on in her career, which led her to develop skills that would help to engage with customers on a deeper level.Thought leadership is key. Genefa noted that it’s not enough for companies to set goals around creating demand—customers are looking for opinions, advice and best practices, so positioning the company alongside a provocative point

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Jamie Gilpin, CMO at Sprout Social, a company that helps brands unlock the power of social media. During the episode, we discuss the value of social media, Jamie’s career trajectory so far, and how to connect with buyers in a meaningful way.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play!Key takeaways from this episode:Seek data-driven solutions. During our conversation, Jamie emphasized the value and importance of being a data-driven company first, while striking the right balance between creative, right-brain thinking and a more analytical mindset. She noted that Sprout Social has used data to inform their decisions from the beginning, leveraging key metrics to help boost their overall growth strategy. Focus on storytelling. Along with using data to their advantage, Sprout Social relies heavily on great storytelling to further their brand mission and connect with customers. Jamie noted th

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Chris Koehler, the CMO of Box, a cloud content management company that helps companies securely connect their people, information and applications. During the episode, we discuss how Box has evolved over the years, Chris’s career trajectory so far, and how to scale the customer relationship by taking a holistic marketing approach.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play!Key takeaways from this episode:Don’t be afraid to raise your hand. During our chat, Chris explained how he ended up in his current role as CMO at Box simply by recognizing the opportunity and advocating for himself. Given his past experiences and the expertise he had acquired during his career, he was confident he’d be the perfect fit for the role, and he didn’t hesitate to speak up and put himself forward to the leadership team as the ideal candidate.Alignment is key. Chris mentioned that in his role as CMO, he take

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Noreen Allen, CMO at Bandwidth, a global cloud platform for cloud-ready voice, messaging, and emergency services. During the episode, we discuss how Noreen guided the company through an IPO and the role of a CMO throughout that process, as well as how she’s reshaped the marketing organization to address specific buyer segments.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play!Key takeaways from this episode:Identify the differentiating factor. Noreen says that when looking for a new team to join, she made sure to prioritize companies with products that would stand out in a crowded market. When she found Bandwidth, she immediately recognized the potential behind the product, which she knew would be attractive to investors.Lay the groundwork upfront. Without buy-in from the market, Noreen and the team at Bandwidth knew they wouldn’t get very far, which is why a big component of their strategy i

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Jake Athey, VP of Marketing at Widen, a cloud-native provider of digital asset management (DAM) and product information management (PIM) software. During the episode, we discuss Acquia’s recent acquisition of Widen, taking a balanced approach to marketing, and Jake’s 17-year journey with the 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:Never underestimate the power of adaptability. Over the course of his 17-year stint at Widen, and especially over the course of the past 18 months, Jake has learned a thing or two about adapting to change. He believes staying adaptable to change is one of the most essential skills anyone can develop as they move forward and transform along their career path.Alignment is key. According to Jake, part of Widen’s strategy for strengthening customer retention includes ensuring there’s clear alignment between the promises

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Scott Holden, CMO at ThoughtSpot, a tech company that produces business intelligence analytics search software. Previously, Scott served as VP of Marketing at Salesforce. During the episode, we discuss Scott’s disruptive approach to marketing, modern day analytics, and what made him the CMO he is today.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play!Key takeaways from this episode:Great marketers are also great storytellers. As Scott noted, feeling genuinely passionate about the story you’re telling helps others get invested in the vision, too. During his seven-year stint at Salesforce, one of the key lessons he learned was that a great story has the power to inspire the market and the entire internal organization.Dashboards are dead. When it comes to analytics, Scott takes the bold stance that static dashboards have become a relic of the past. Instead, he believes that analytics should be

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Chandar Pattabhiram, CMO at Coupa, a global technology platform for business spend management. In the past, Chandar also held CMO roles at Marketo and Badgeville. During the episode, we discuss his career path so far, how to turn an educational brand into a global phenomenon and the key characteristics of a great CMO. Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play!Key takeaways from this episode:When in doubt, remember: E=mc2. When searching for a new company to join, Chandar took notes from Einstein and came up with a simple pneumonic formula: the “M” in the equation refers to monetary, the first “C” stands for competitive advantage, and the second “C” stands for culture as he was looking for a company that was dedicated to supporting rather than managing its employees.Seek harmony. Chandar mentioned that the role of a CMO is to create harmony across the organization by supporting team me

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Cristy Garcia, the Vice President of Marketing at Impact, a partnership management platform. Specializing in content creating, lead generation programs and team building, Cristy is a B2B marketer who is equally hungry, humble and smart. During the episode, we discuss the qualities Cristy looks for when hiring new marketers, tips for marketing teams to create sales pipeline, and the role of content and events in customer engagement.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play!Key takeaways from this episode:The best marketers are both hungry and humble. Cristy noted that when hiring new talent for the team, she looks for these two qualities because they signal a desire to be the best they can be while remaining kind and willing to learn new things.All teams are ultimately responsible for creating sales pipeline. Cristy mentioned that when it comes to sales, she considers all teams includi

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Bill Kramer, VP of Marketing at Karat, a company that conducts live technical interviews for leading tech talent acquisition programs. We discuss his career trajectory so far, content creation and how to market to people who don’t want to be marketed to.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play!Key takeaways from this episode:When attempting to reach a target audience that’s resistant to most marketing efforts like engineers, a different approach may be necessary. From the beginning, Bill recognized that engineering leaders and software engineers despise marketing, which is why the team at Karat uses quality content and thought leadership to entice prospects while leaving the decisions in their hands.Go where the buyers are. When developing creative content and out-of-the-box solutions to reach people who are marketing-averse, Bill emphasized the importance of staying on top of trends

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Carol Carpenter, CMO of VMware, a cloud computing and virtualization technology company. Carol shares some of the lessons she’s learned during her roles at several different startups, including stints as CEO of ElasticBox and as GM at Trend Micro. During the episode, we discuss strategy, customer segmentation and the learning experiences that have helped her build confidence along the way.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play!Key takeaways from this episode:Sometimes, a new role can mean a major shift in perspective. For Carol, shifting gears from Global VP of Marketing to General Manager at Trend Micro was a massive wake-up call and as she describes it, like “business school on steroids.” In her new role, Carol was responsible for multiple, cross-functional teams, profits and loss, revenue and customer acquisition.Ask, and you shall receive. After working under several different

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Archana Agrawal, CMO at Airtable, a San Francisco-based cloud service. With a background in data science and analytics, Archana applies her experience to her new role to leverage data and gain a deeper understanding of the marketing team’s needs. During the episode, we discuss tips for how marketing teams can stay nimble, agile and organized for success.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play!Key takeaways from this episode:Play to your strengths. Archana mentioned that one lesson she took away from the transition from her role at IBM to the Ladders was to recognize where your strengths and weaknesses lie, and double down on your strong points to leverage them as much as possible. Ultimately, this will help you build resilience so you can overcome your weaknesses.Focus on operational excellence. Bringing together people, processes, systems and tactics into one place has been a gamec

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Leela Srinivasan, CMO of Momentive, the company previously known as SurveyMonkey. We discuss the reasoning behind the company’s rebrand and how the process unfolded from ideation to execution. Leela shares the wisdom she’s gained through roles at Lever, Bravado and Stage 2 Capital, and as a board member at Upwork. She also offers her tips for building relationships, understanding the sales pipeline and collaborating effectively across teams.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play! Key takeaways from this episode:Growth is always tapping talented people on the shoulder. Employers need to stay cognizant of this fact and provide their employees with continuous growth opportunities every step of the way. Otherwise, they may begin to stagnate in their career and as a result, seek other opportunities.Wearing multiple hats throughout your career gives you the opportunity to empathize with

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Joe Chernov, CMO at Pendo, a company that’s on a mission to elevate the world’s experience with software. We discuss his career path so far, and how it’s evolved over the years from leading with content to leading with product. Now, he’s focused on finding a way to bring the two areas together seamlessly.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play! Key takeaways from this episode:According to Joe, there are essentially two ways to build a brand in B2B: the path of the dragonslayer or the patron saint. In the former, you’re fighting against something and existing in opposition to it, like ads, for example. With the patron saint approach, you’re standing to give rise to a new role or to strengthen a new role within a company, which is where Pendo has always operated in terms of product.Joe mentioned he once read a study that tracked every visitor to a grocery store in an attempt to find a

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Tarah Neujahr Bryan, CMO at Health Catalyst, a leading provider of data and analytics to healthcare organizations. Tarah shares her perspective on humility, learning from mistakes and her approach on everything from content strategy to hiring.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play! Key takeaways from this episode:When hiring new marketers, engage in a free-flowing conversation rather than a traditional interview. This way, you can get a better sense of who the candidate is as a person, where their true passion lies, and whether they’ll be the right fit for your team.Don’t underestimate the power of marketing from an internal perspective. Tarah believes a great mentorship network within a company can go a long way in terms of maintaining resiliency and consistency among the team.Content creators and digital marketers need to come together to create the most effective strategy. Catal

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Dan Lowden, CMO at HUMAN, a cybersecurity company formerly known as White Ops. Dan is a passionate marketer and storyteller, and he’s held several positions throughout his career including CMO, founder and even head chef. During the episode, we discuss the path to becoming a CMO, meeting customers in a human way, brand storytelling and much 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:Passion rules at the end of the day. When it comes to hiring processes, building a brand narrative and carrying forward your company’s key messaging, the passion behind it all is the secret ingredient for success. If you can’t have passion, then intrigue that has the potential to turn into passion is the next runner up.Case studies are more crucial now than ever before. With the rise of digital and virtual video conferencing due to the pandemic, impactful case studies de

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Leslie Alore, Global Vice President of Growth Marketing at Ivanti. In her role, Leslie focuses on growth and offering a fresh perspective to the executive table. Not only is Leslie an experienced marketing expert, but she also understands the nuances of the business world and the importance of strategic decision making tools. Previously known as Landesk, Ivanti is an IT software company offering enterprise service, management solutions, security solutions and unified endpoint management. Ivanti has seen tremendous growth in recent years, acquiring at least one new company each quarter. Leslie works synergistically with the leadership team to evaluate every facet of the business as a whole, and ultimately ensure the marketing strategy is aligned with the company’s overall strategic priorities.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play! Key takeaways from this episode:While the remote wo

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Kirsten Newbold-Knipp, Chief Marketing Officer at FullStory, a digital experience intelligence (DXI) platform that helps companies drive digital growth based on user experience data. Kirsten is also an investor and advisor, and during the episode she reveals her secrets for juggling multiple roles and maintaining balance throughout it all. We also discuss the importance of striking a balance between making full use of customer data while maintaining trust in the relationship.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 flexible organization structure is crucial for marketing teams. In order for companies to retain valued employees, it’s important to recognize their personal career aspirations and provide them with opportunities to expand their skill set and learn new things. Losing a marketer to another company can create a gap in the structure, and fil

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Melissa Sargeant, Chief Marketing Officer at Litmus, a company that empowers brands to build, test and analyze email marketing campaigns. We discuss Melissa’s career path through corporate communications, public affairs and tech, and the experiences that have shaped her into the CMO she is today. As a founding member of CMO Huddles, Melissa shares some of the topics and issues the group discusses each month. The current state of email marketing and where it’s headed in the future is also a topic of discussion, and Melissa offers her perspective on the benefits of the channel from a brand perspective.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play! Key takeaways from this episode:The path to becoming a CMO isn’t necessarily straightforward. By continually following her passions and interests throughout her career, Melissa carved out a niche for herself in the tech world and first landed the

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Katherine Calvert, CMO at Khoros. Katherine began her career in communications and by her admission “didn’t even know what marketing was” but was always interested in tech and the idea of helping connect businesses to their customers. Her background has led her to take a conscious holistic approach to marketing: she understands the value of comms but also knows that data is hard to argue with when you’re trying to prove ROI. This holistic view of marketing and ability to adapt was integral to her success as CMO as her team merged and rebranded two $100M companies to form Khoros.Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play! Key takeaways from this episode:Data is the one thing in marketing you can truly measure and it’s important that as leaders we understand the advantage of this to earn a seat at the table.Rebranding is difficult, expensive and messy, especially when you are merging two

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Monica Ho, CMO at SOCi Inc. Monica has a wealth of experience scaling companies and when she moved to SOCi, she was looking to get back to building again. She wanted to be an integral part of their growth as they started fundraising for their Series B; now they have just closed their Series D and are close to 200 hundred employees. Today we discuss Monica’s approach to her career and finding new opportunities. We also dig into how to leverage data on social for consumer insights to better connect with your target audiences. Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play! Key takeaways from this episode:Monica’s mantra is “F*** average, be legendary”. She says that in your career, you have to always push yourself forward even if you feel like you don’t have it in you. At every stage in a company’s growth cycle, different marketing skills and strategies are required. To be a successful marke