Building With Buyers: Startup Marketing and Growth Fueled By Customers

This episode is sponsored by Riverside, your all-in-one podcast and video platform. Go to https://creators.riverside.fm/Anna and use the code MSM23 for 15% off. This episode is also sponsored by PDCflow, payment management made easy. Visit pdcflow.com/flow-billing to learn more. It's Season 4 of the Modern Startup Marketing podcast and this episode is me continuing to share MaaS (Marketing as a System) which is the systematic approach to marketing that I built over 3+ years of working with early stage startups. In this episode I cover Step 2: Marketing Foundation Deck including What it is, Why it works, Who should own this work, and How to do it right. I'll be mixing in some more MaaS-focused episodes over the course of the season. For more content, subscribe to Modern Startup Marketing on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show! I would love that so much. And whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you: 1. fractional head of marketing for early stage startups >> www.furmanovmarketing.com 2. sign up to get my monthly startup marketing newsletter where I’m sharing playbooks and insights and cracking some jokes 3. Sponsor my Top 5% podcast and get startup founders, marketers and VCs hearing about your brand >> https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/anna-furmanov You can also find me hanging out on LinkedIn, definitely say hello >> www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov

This episode is sponsored by Riverside, your all-in-one podcast and video platform. Go to https://creators.riverside.fm/Anna and use the code MSM23 for 15% off. This episode is also sponsored by PDCflow, payment management made easy. Visit pdcflow.com/flow-billing to learn more. I'm welcoming my first guest for Season 4 of the show, Hayes Davis (Co-Founder and CEO at Gradient Works). I had Jenn Davis (Co-Founder and CMO at Gradient Works) on the show (Ep. 137 - “Pitfalls to Avoid When Designing Your Startups New Category) so check that out if you haven't yet. About Gradient Works: Founded: 2020 Team: 16 people Funding: Seed ($4.25M) Description: Right rep, right account, right time. Dynamic sales book management software to help sales manage their territories. In this episode: Why do so many people love Gradient Works; Why do marketing at all; AMA - Hayes gets to ask me his burning question; We talk about Market Map which is something new the Gradient Works team has built to help sales. You can find Hayes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayesdavis  Learn more about Gradient Works: https://www.gradient.works  For more content, subscribe to Modern Startup Marketing on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show! I would love that so much. And whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you: 1. fractional head of marketing for early stage startups >> www.furmanovmarketing.com 2. sign up to get my monthly startup marketing newsletter where I’m sharing playbooks and insights and cracking some jokes 3. Sponsor my Top 5% podcast and get startup founders, marketers and VCs hearing about your brand >> https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/anna-furmanov You can also find me hanging out on LinkedIn, definitely say hello and tell me about which episodes you've listened to >> www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov

This episode is sponsored by Riverside, your all-in-one podcast and video platform. Go to https://creators.riverside.fm/Anna and use the code MSM23 for 15% off. This episode is also sponsored by PDCflow, payment management made easy. Visit pdcflow.com/flow-billing to learn more. It's Season 4 of the Modern Startup Marketing podcast and this episode is me kicking off MaaS (Marketing as a System) which is the systematic approach to marketing that I built over 3+ years of working with early stage startups. In this episode I cover Step 1: Voice of Customer Research including What it is, Why it works, Who should lead it, and How to do it right. You can get the link to the playbook I mention in the episode here and I'll be mixing in some more MaaS-focused episodes over the course of the season. Next time I do, I’ll talk about MaaS Step 2: Marketing Foundation Deck which includes the persona(s), messaging, positioning, competitive landscape, and more. For more content, subscribe to Modern Startup Marketing on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show! I would love that so much. And whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you: 1. fractional head of marketing for early stage startups >> www.furmanovmarketing.com 2. sign up to get my monthly startup marketing newsletter where I’m sharing playbooks and insights and cracking some jokes 3. Sponsor my Top 5% podcast and get startup founders, marketers and VCs hearing about your brand >> https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/anna-furmanov You can also find me hanging out on LinkedIn, definitely say hello >> www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov

This episode is sponsored by Riverside, your all-in-one podcast and video platform. Go to https://creators.riverside.fm/Anna and use the code MSM23 for 15% off. This episode is also sponsored by PDCflow, payment management made easy. Visit pdcflow.com/flow-billing to learn more. Happy Labor Day to my listeners in the US!! Hope you're enjoying the time off. Great day to sneak in a little Modern Startup Marketing :) Welcome to Season 4 of the Modern Startup Marketing podcast. I’m so happy you decided to join me and hear more about where this season is going. This episode is just me. I do a quick look-back on prior seasons and ask some really important questions to kick things off for Season 4. Let's go! For more content, subscribe to Modern Startup Marketing on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review. I would love that so much. And whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you: 1. fractional head of marketing for early stage startups >> www.furmanovmarketing.com 2. sign up to get my monthly startup marketing newsletter where I’m sharing playbooks and insights and cracking some jokes >> https://share.hsforms.com/1cP1V40x7RGes5gHk1XNgNw47lba 3. Sponsor my Top 5% podcast and get startup founders, marketers and VCs hearing about your brand >> https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/anna-furmanov You can also find me hanging out on LinkedIn, definitely say hello >> www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov

Ok, I know I said the last episode was the LAST one, but I just wanted to slide this BONUS one in here if ya don't mind. I asked Christina Pawlikowski (CEO and Co-Founder at Causal) to join me on the show so we could talk about what they're building, the value they've gotten from working with me as their fractional head of marketing, and why they decided to hire marketing before sales. About Causal: Founded in 2021 Funding: Seed Description: Causal is product optimization in a box for data obsessed teams. You can find Christina on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/cpawlikowski/ Check out Causal: https://causallabs.io/  I’m officially wrapping up this season but will be back for more in the future, don't forget to leave a review if you've been enjoying the show! You can sign up to get my monthly startup marketing newsletter where I’m sharing playbooks and insights and cracking some jokes >> https://share.hsforms.com/1cP1V40x7RGes5gHk1XNgNw47lba You can also find me hanging on LinkedIn, tell me what you're up to this summer >> www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov

Hey MSM listeners! Anna here, the host of the show. I hope you enjoyed Season 3 of Modern Startup Marketing and all the incredible guests and conversations I had. I'm officially wrapped with this season but will be back for more in the future. In the meantime, make sure you follow me @AnnaFurmanov on LinkedIn and you can sign up to get my monthly startup marketing newsletter where I’m sharing playbooks and insights and cracking some jokes.

Usually I'm asking my guests all the questions, but sometimes they have a question for me. So I created an episode that’s just guests asking me their burning question and then I answer their question. Some really great, thought-provoking questions in here. People do not hold back. Here's the full list of people that had questions for me (in order) along with the episode number in case you want to jump back and listen to the full episode: Chris Walker (Refine Labs, Ep. 154) Lee Anne Grant (babylist, Ep. 103) MJ Smith (CoLab, Ep. 144) Terri Avnaim (Boulevard, Ep. 107) Dave Gerhardt (Exit Five, Ep. 133) Frankie Scerbo (Elude, Ep. 109) Sarah Breathnach (Hunters, Ep. 120) Drew Brucker (LASSO, Ep. 157) Jenn Deering Davis (Gradient Works, Ep. 137) Josh Ades (DwellWell, Ep. 121) Latane Conant (6sense, Ep. 128) Emily Dale (Alto, Ep. 122) Annette Cardwell (Lattice, Ep. 124) Anthony Kennada (AudiencePlus, Ep. 118) Katie Perry (Public, Ep. 135) Natalie Marcotullio (Navattic, Ep. 139) Jay Acunzo (Creator Kitchen, Ep. 151) For more content, subscribe to Modern Startup Marketing on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review! And whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you: 1. Startup marketing strategy, execution and advising (25+ happy clients and mentees) >> www.furmanovmarketing.com 2. Sign up to get my monthly startup marketing newsletter where I’m sharing playbooks and insights and cracking some jokes that will make you smile guaranteed >> https://share.hsforms.com/1cP1V40x7RGes5gHk1XNgNw47lba 3. Sponsor my Top 5% podcast and get startup founders, marketers and VCs hearing about your brand >> https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/anna-furmanov You can also find me hanging out on LinkedIn >> www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov

Sprinkling in another customer conversation (love doing these) I asked Tyler Wells (CTO and Co-Founder at Propel) to join me on the show so we could talk about what they're building, what stage they're at, the value they've gotten from working with me as their fractional head of marketing, and how they're ramping their marketing efforts. Tyler is also the host of the podcast "Data Chaos!" so check that out. About Propel: Founded in 2021 Funding: Seed ($4.6M) Description: 99% of product dev teams waste their time and money when they plan, build and support customer dashboards. Propel helps you ship your customer-facing analytics without hiring more people. Beyond dashboards, they're an API platform to build data applications. We discuss: Why'd the team decide to work with me, what were they looking for help with; What are some of the marketing plays you're running now and how's it going; Why'd you decide to start the podcast; How are you thinking about category design for Propel. You can find Tyler on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tylerswells  Check out Propel: www.propeldata.com This episode is sponsored by 43North, a seed-stage startup accelerator that's on the hunt for its next cohort. This year, 43North will make five $1 million dollar investments, each at 5% equity. Visit 43North.org to learn more. Applications close on June 23rd, so get on it! For more content, subscribe to Modern Startup Marketing on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review! And whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you: 1. Startup marketing strategy, execution and advising (25+ happy clients and mentees) >> www.furmanovmarketing.com 2. Sign up to get my monthly startup marketing newsletter where I’m sharing playbooks and insights and cracking some jokes that will make you smile guaranteed >> https://share.hsforms.com/1cP1V40x7RGes5gHk1XNgNw47lba 3. Sponsor my Top 5% podcast and get startup founders, marketers and VCs hearing about your brand >> https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/anna-furmanov You can also find me hanging out on LinkedIn >> www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov

Drew Brucker, VP of Growth at LASSO, talks about creative marketing plays, unpacking the equation Marketing = Creative + Revenue, and LASSO's top creative marketing ideas using AI, podcast, and video. They also discuss co-creating content with customers and the importance of incorporating creativity in marketing strategies. Additionally, they share their passion for painting and finding creative outlets through sip and paint sessions.

Udi Ledergor is Chief Evangelist at Gong. He went from marketer #1 to Gong's Chief Marketing Officer and has been there for over 6 years. Udi led the creation of the Revenue Intelligence category, and led the company from zero to hundreds of millions in revenue. He's a 5X marketing leader in B2B startups AND he's also really good at playing the piano. About Gong: Founded in 2015, based out of SF, 1300+ people Funding: $583M total  Hit unicorn status August 2020 Description: The revenue intelligence platform. Gong unlocks reality to help people and companies reach their full potential. In this episode we talk about: What does "creative" mean to you; When have you personally been the most creative (HINT: finding creative ways to solve challenges); How did you run marketing and create content in the very early days at Gong; How do you know that your content is actually good; Are you thinking about content monetization; How do you balance creativity with results; Things you focused on as Marketer #1; On hiring great people to compensate for your weaknesses; When, why, and how did you decide to define your new category Revenue Intelligence; How long does it take to build a new category. You can find Udi on LinkedIn >> www.linkedin.com/in/udiledergor Check out Gong >> www.gong.io This episode is sponsored by 43North, a seed-stage startup accelerator that's on the hunt for its next cohort. This year, 43North will make five $1 million dollar investments, each at 5% equity. Visit 43North.org to learn more. Applications close on June 23rd, so get on it! For more content, subscribe to Modern Startup Marketing on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review! And whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you: 1. Startup marketing strategy, execution and advising (25+ happy clients and mentees) >> www.furmanovmarketing.com 2. Sign up to get my monthly newsletter where I’m sharing playbooks and insights and cracking some jokes that will make you smile guaranteed >> https://share.hsforms.com/1cP1V40x7RGes5gHk1XNgNw47lba 3. Sponsor my Top 5% podcast and get startup founders, marketers and VCs hearing about your brand >> https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/anna-furmanov You can also find me hanging out on LinkedIn >> www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov