Jess Cook, Head of Marketing at Vector, brings her experience in building innovative content strategies to the forefront. She shares the journey of transitioning from Head of Content to leading a marketing team, emphasizing the need for strategic hiring and budgeting. Jess reveals how to create a bold brand personality in B2B marketing and the storytelling techniques she used to pitch her first budget. Listeners will gain insights into crafting effective content strategies and leveraging AI for early wins.
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Jess Cook's Career Journey
Jess Cook transitioned from B2C copywriter to B2B content marketer and now Head of Marketing at Vector.
She leveraged storytelling skills honed at brands like McDonald's and Kellogg to build impactful SaaS content.
insights INSIGHT
Content as Marketing Foundation
Content marketing is fundamental to overall marketing strategy; heads of content often become effective marketing leaders.
Recognizing personal limits, Jess hired a product marketer to complement her content focus and cover foundational go-to-market messaging.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Pitch Budgets with Storytelling
Build marketing budgets by starting with goals, then storytelling to pitch rather than raw spreadsheets.
Seek advice from experienced peers to validate and refine your budgeting approach.
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#266 Marketing Leadership | In this episode, Matt is joined by Jess Cook, Head of Marketing at Vector, a platform pioneering the contact-based marketing category. Jess has spent her career building standout content strategies at B2B brands like LASSO and Fastly, and she recently made the jump from Head of Content to first-time Head of Marketing.
Jess and Matt cover:
How content marketers can transition into marketing leadership and what gaps to prepare for
The strategy behind building a brand that stands out in B2B (and why Vector leans into being “a little unhinged”)
How Jess built her first marketing budget from scratch and sold it in using storytelling, not spreadsheets
You’ll walk away with tactical insights on running a modern B2B marketing org, from content and brand to budgeting and team structure.
Timestamps
(01:00) - – Jess’s B2C roots at McDonald’s and Kellogg
(04:21) - – Jumping into B2B and growing through content
(06:06) - – Why she moved from Head of Content to Head of Marketing
(08:41) - – Hiring product marketing first (and why it matters)
(12:51) - – How Vector built a bold B2B brand with personality
(16:51) - – What Jess looked for in her first marketing hire
(20:11) - – Building and pitching her first full marketing budget
(25:36) - – Creating a 30/60/90 plan that actually drives buy-in
(27:06) - – Category content, SEO, and early wins with AI
(31:29) - – The podcast pivot: ditching “Funnel Cake” for something better
(35:09) - – How she knew Vector was the right fit
(38:49) - – Going all-in on YouTube and video-first strategy
(42:59) - – Short-form content, brand building, and trust
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