Building With Buyers: Startup Marketing and Growth Fueled By Customers

*listeners: please fill out this short 3-min. survey to help me level up the show: https://forms.gle/iporNXSgtfuoHSPJA I asked Christopher Lochhead (3X Silicon Valley public company CMO) to come back and talk with me on the show about the things we did not get to cover last time, so here's round 2! Christopher makes content (podcasts, books, newsletters) for entrepreneurs and marketers with a different mind. He's got a newsletter called "Category Pirates" and podcasts (Follow Your Different, Lochhead On Marketing) and books (Play Bigger, Niche Down). Last time he was on the show was last summer! Episode 44. We talked about “Why 98% Of Startups (And Marketers) Waste Their Time”, how companies that lead with category design are valued at 5x more, what makes a legendary entrepreneur, and how to explain category design to a 7-year old. This is still one of my most popular episodes. In THIS episode we hit on: Given all that's happening in the world, is this still an amazing time to be an entrepreneur;  Some startup marketing leaders that have done it are saying you shouldn't create a category! Why are they saying this, what's your take; What's the best way to scale your business fast (HINT: category design, understand the power of WOM and super consumer and having a strong POV); How does one actually go about creating legendary content; What's the difference between obvious vs. non-obvious content; Why solopreneurs (versus corporate) are actually really good at putting out great content; How to generate non-obvious ideas. You can reach Christopher on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/christopherlochhead/ Check out the website: www.categorypirates.com/ 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! People call me (Anna) the Marie Kondo of startup marketing because I help VC backed early stage startups clean up their marketing mess to uncover more joy (and revenue). For those startups that have already built their marketing foundation and have been testing different marketing plays but just aren't satisfied with the traction they're seeing, I created the Marketing Audit + Roadmap offering. At the end of your audit, you’ll get a custom Roadmap with improvement opportunities for the next 3-6 months. So that you can finally put the missing pieces in place to start seeing more traction and stop spending time and money on the wrong things. You can learn more about it by visiting my website: www.furmanovmarketing.com/pricing Don't forget to follow me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov

*listeners: please fill out this short 3-min. survey to help me level up the show: https://forms.gle/iporNXSgtfuoHSPJA I had Terri Avnaim, CMO at Boulevard, on the show and we talked about how her experience as Chief Customer Officer (CCO) has impacted the way she runs marketing, her 2022 marketing plans plus biggest learnings in B2B marketing tech from 25+ years experience. Prior to Boulevard, Terri was Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Sauce Labs ($151M funded SaaS).  Boulevard was founded in 2016, has ~309 people, and is based out of CA. They've raised Series B ($38M total). Boulevard is a platform that’s helping to streamline the operations of appointment-based self-care businesses (e.g. salons, spas, barbershops). From a customer: “Boulevard is the Apple of salon software.” Here's what we hit on: Terri's background as Chief Customer Officer and how that impacts her approach to marketing; 2022 marketing plan during the downturn (HINT: we tripled our marketing team in 6 months); What marketing channels are you leaning into; What marketing content are you leaning into; Top marketing challenges (HINT: this is a very emotionally charged industry); Biggest learning from 25+ years in B2B marketing tech; What has changed with marketing and what do marketing leaders need to do to adapt to this change (HINT: the best marketing is invisible, but make sure your effort doesn't disappear); Some goals you want to accomplish (personal, professional) in 2022; Terri asked me a question to round out the conversation. You can reach Terri on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/terriavnaim Find out more about Boulevard: www.joinblvd.com 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! People call me (Anna) the Marie Kondo of startup marketing because I help VC backed early stage startups clean up their marketing mess to uncover more joy (and revenue). For those startups that have already built their marketing foundation and have been testing different marketing plays but just aren't satisfied with the traction they're seeing, I created the Marketing Audit + Roadmap offering. At the end of your audit, you’ll get a custom Roadmap with improvement opportunities for the next 3-6 months. So that you can finally put the missing pieces in place to start seeing more traction and stop spending time and money on the wrong things. You can learn more about it by visiting my website: www.furmanovmarketing.com/pricing You can find me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov

*listeners: please fill out this short 3-min. survey to help me level up the show: https://forms.gle/iporNXSgtfuoHSPJA In this episode I’m getting interviewed by Spyros Tsoukalas (Head of BD at GrowthMentor) and we talk through how to navigate through marketing chaos by prioritizing marketing efforts for early stage startups. I've been a mentor on GrowthMentor for 8 months and have really enjoyed having 1:1 conversations with founders and marketers that have very specific marketing and growth questions related to what they're building and I can spend 30 minutes just helping them out. It's a wonderful community and I highly recommend it whether you're a founder/marketer looking for help or a mentor looking to help. Main topics we cover: The problem with startups' approach to marketing efforts; What to do instead, how to prioritize your marketing; What types of things should be done first, second, etc; How marketing buzzwords confuse founders and marketers and how to think about it instead. The original podcast show notes appear here: www.growthmentor.com/podcasts/prioritizing-marketing-efforts/ GrowthMentor's website: www.growthmentor.com/ My profile on GrowthMentor: app.growthmentor.com/mentors/anna-furmanov 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! People call me (Anna) the Marie Kondo of startup marketing because I help VC backed early stage startups clean up their marketing mess to uncover more joy (and revenue). For those startups that have already built their marketing foundation and have been testing different marketing plays but just aren't satisfied with the traction they're seeing, I created the Marketing Audit + Roadmap offering. At the end of your audit, you’ll get a custom Roadmap with improvement opportunities for the next 3-6 months. So that you can finally put the missing pieces in place to start seeing more traction and stop spending time and money on the wrong things. You can learn more about it by visiting my website: www.furmanovmarketing.com/pricing You can also connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov

*listeners: please fill out this short 3-min. survey to help me level up the show: https://forms.gle/iporNXSgtfuoHSPJA A bit of a different flavor for this episode! I had my friend Lina Erez on the show, she works with brands and people that are pushing for positive change, to design their story and spark action. Lina's got a whole slew of clients including Adler Planetarium, BallotReady and Birthright Israel. Here's what we hit on: When you say “pushing for positive change” what does that actually mean (aren't we all pushing for positive change); How do you help brands design their story for action, what’s your process; What do many companies get wrong when it comes to brand design (HINT: a lot of times they're looking for BIG and BOLD but that's actually not what you want to do, you want to think about your BIG idea); What has been your favorite project; Goals for this year. You can reach Lina on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/linaerez/ Check out her website: www.talinadesign.com 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! People call me (Anna) the Marie Kondo of startup marketing because I help VC backed early stage startups clean up their marketing mess to uncover more joy (and revenue). For those startups that have already built their marketing foundation and have been testing different marketing plays but just aren't satisfied with the traction they're seeing, I created the Marketing Audit + Roadmap offering. At the end of your audit, you’ll get a custom Roadmap with improvement opportunities for the next 3-6 months. So that you can finally put the missing pieces in place to start seeing more traction and stop spending time and money on the wrong things. You can learn more about it by visiting my website: www.furmanovmarketing.com/pricing You can also connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov Thanks for listening and don't forget to leave a review!

*listeners: please fill out this short 3-min. survey to help me level up the show: https://forms.gle/iporNXSgtfuoHSPJA I'm such a big fan of April Dunford. I've read her book "Obviously Awesome - How to Stand Out in Noisy Crowded Markets" and consider her the startup positioning pro. April Dunford is founder and CEO of Ambient Strategy, a consulting firm that specializes in positioning for tech companies. April has worked with 200+ companies across the globe. For early stage startups her focus is on GTM strategy, she also works with large companies on new product intros and market positioning. Prior, April held executive roles in a series of successful startups as CEO, COO, VP Marketing and VP Marketing and Sales. Here's what we hit on: Where most companies go wrong with their positioning; April's approach to positioning for early stage startups (HINT: ask customers to "take me back before you bought our stuff, what was the trigger"); There's a handful of things that are important early stage when you only have your first few customers; After you get your first customers that love you and learn more about why, then start working on your GTM strategy; What are your top challenges, what are you trying to figure out these days. You can reach April on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/aprildunford/ Check out her website: www.aprildunford.com/ 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! People call me (Anna) the Marie Kondo of startup marketing because I help VC backed early stage startups clean up their marketing mess to uncover more joy (and revenue). For those startups that have already built their marketing foundation and have been testing different marketing plays but just aren't satisfied with the traction they're seeing, I created the Marketing Audit + Roadmap offering. At the end of your audit, you’ll get a custom Roadmap with improvement opportunities for the next 3-6 months. So that you can finally put the missing pieces in place to start seeing more traction and stop spending time and money on the wrong things. You can learn more about it by visiting my website: www.furmanovmarketing.com/pricing You can also connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov

I invited Lee Anne Grant, Chief Growth Officer at babylist, onto the show and we unpacked some very cool stuff happening at their startup. Prior to babylist, Lee Anne held sales roles at Google, AOL, POPSUGAR and Brandless. Babylist was founded in 2011, has 212 people, and is based out of CA (also remote). They've raised Series C ($40.7M total). Babylist is the leading vertical marketplace and commerce destination for baby, driving purchase decisions for more than 8 million people each year! Babylist is way more than a baby registry and we talk about those different revenue streams. Here's what we hit on: You’ve been in sales for much of your career and now you’re CGO. What does that mean, what are you in charge of, and how does that impact how you lead; Babylist is a commerce company that has a media business - tell me more about how this works and how that affects your marketing decisions (HINT: having 3 revenue streams is incredibly intellectually interesting); Tell me more about your growth strategy during this downturn, where are you putting your dollars, what marketing channels are you leaning into; Their Halsey influencer story and how that has impacted their growth; What kinds of marketing content are you leaning into; What are the last 1-2 really good, creative marketing ideas you’ve come up with (HINT: in-person plays plus the metaverse); What are your top marketing challenges; Some goals you want to accomplish (personal, professional) in 2022; Lee Anne asked me a question to round out the conversation. You can reach Lee Anne on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/leeannegrant/ Find out more about babylist: www.babylist.com 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! People call me (Anna) the Marie Kondo of startup marketing because I help VC backed early stage startups clean up their marketing mess to uncover more joy (and revenue). For those startups that have already built their marketing foundation and have been testing different marketing plays but just aren't satisfied with the traction they're seeing, I created the Marketing Audit + Roadmap offering. At the end of your audit, you’ll get a custom Roadmap with improvement opportunities for the next 3-6 months. So that you can finally put the missing pieces in place to start seeing more traction and stop spending time and money on the wrong things. You can learn more about it by visiting my website: www.furmanovmarketing.com/pricing You can find me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov

Have you ever met a workplace futurist before? Well, let me tell ya, they're pretty awesome and very helpful in exploring what's to come in the future of (all) work plus specific to marketers. Marti Konstant is a workplace futurist and best-selling author of “Activate Your Agile Career: How Responding to Change will Inspire Your Life's Work.” She's also the owner of Konstant Change. Prior, Marti held marketing and demand gen roles at Samsung and Open Kernel Labs (acquired by General Dynamics). Try typing in "career agility" into Google and her article still comes up #1 in the results. Here's what we hit on: What in the world is a workplace futurist;  What has made you successful in this field; Marti explains her DNA framework for how to bring your future into your present (HINT: Disrupt the model, Notice the signals, Act); How do you stay ahead; What does the Marketer of the future look like, what will they need to do and know (HINT: the expiration date for your set of skills is 4 years or less); How do we continue to stay relevant in the field of marketing as we get older; Why today’s workforce is no longer a "workforce," it’s really a “work net” (different people that are augmenting your team); What does the Metaverse have to do with all of this; What are your top challenges, what are you trying to figure out these days. You can reach Marti on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/martikonstant/ Check out her website: www.martikonstant.com/ 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! People call me (Anna) the Marie Kondo of startup marketing because I help VC backed early stage startups clean up their marketing mess to uncover more joy (and revenue). For those startups that have already built their marketing foundation and have been testing different marketing plays but just aren't satisfied with the traction they're seeing, I created the Marketing Audit + Roadmap offering. At the end of your audit, you’ll get a custom Roadmap with improvement opportunities for the next 3-6 months. So that you can finally put the missing pieces in place to start seeing more traction and stop spending time and money on the wrong things. You can learn more about it by visiting my website: www.furmanovmarketing.com/pricing You can find me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov

A request I've gotten from listeners is to bring on a VC firm to talk through “the view from the VC side” so here we go (again)! I invited Andrew Bluestein, Managing Partner at Bluestein Ventures, to join me on the show and talk about the future of food, how the pandemic has affected food startups, what they're looking for before they decide to invest in a startup, and so much more. I know Andrew from our days at Kellogg! And we recently saw each other at Kellogg's 10-year reunion. More about Bluestein Ventures: investing in the future of food founded in 2014 based out of Chicago early stage investments typically Seed and Series A portfolio companies include Crafty, FoxTrot and Factor_ (acquired) Here's what we hit on: Why the focus on the future of food, what's so cool about food; How the pandemic has impacted the food industry; What VCs want to see before they decide to invest in an early stage startup (HINT: an innovative GTM strategy); What marketing and growth opportunities can B2B learn from B2C; What do you look at to confirm if there's product/market fit (HINT: things are still happening despite all the shortcomings); What are those unique ways that startups can reach customers (HINT: post COVID, we need to go offline again); On building brands and acquiring customers, what seems to work really well; Which 1-2 portfolio companies are you personally really excited about and why. You can reach Andrew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewbluestein/ Check out Bluestein Ventures: https://www.bluesteinventures.com/ For more content like this, subscribe to Modern Startup Marketing on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen. You can find Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov or visit this website: www.furmanovmarketing.com Thanks for listening!

Thanks for your patience, I usually post these episodes on Mondays MUCH earlier but we just got back from a road trip and I rushed over to the computer almost as soon as we got back :) WOW! 100 episodes, I can't even believe it. Thank you to all my listeners, my fans, my guests, for being a part of something that I wanted to build so I could share what top startups and leaders are doing, what’s working, what’s not, just being very transparent. Truly a labor of love.  Don't forget to leave a review if you've been joining me! In this 100th episode I’m getting interviewed (again) by Kap Chatfield (CEO at Rveal Media and host of B2B Podcasting) and we talk through modern approaches to digital content strategy for startups. Main topics we cover: Why your B2B startup needs a digital content strategy; What goes into your digital content strategy; Digital marketing needs to work for you so that you don’t need to hire more salespeople to do that work for you; Gartner’s Future of Sales research shows that by 2025, 80% of B2B sales interactions with buyers will occur in digital. This is because 33% of all buyers desire a seller-FREE sales experience – a preference that climbs to 44% for millennials - what that means for you going forward; How to assess the value of your content strategy (HINT: not through vanity metrics); What it takes to create great content; Your content strategy includes both content creation and distribution; Your customer's sales experience is not a linear journey and what that means for you. Here's the article I wrote mentioned in this episode: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/modern-digital-content-strategy-startups-playbook-anna-furmanov/ You can find Kap on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kapchatfield/ Rveal's website: https://site.rveal.media/ For more content, subscribe to Modern Startup Marketing on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen. You can find Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov or visit this website: www.furmanovmarketing.com Thanks for listening, and don't forget to leave a review!

To all my US listeners, Happy 4th of July 🎉🎉 I first heard Jay Acunzo speak on Mark Schaefer’s podcast Marketing Companion and have been following him ever since. Jay says "Don't market more. Matter more." I agree so so so much with that statement. Jay is a content entrepreneur, host of the podcast Unthinkable, writes the weekly newsletter Playing Favorites, author of the book Break the Wheel, and develops podcasts and docuseries for B2B brands. In his prior lives, Jay worked in marketing and media roles at Google, HubSpot, ESPN, and the VC firm NextView. Ann Handley (CCO at MarketingProfs and bestselling author of Everybody Writes) says about Jay: “You can go ahead and create more content. Or you can create something special that stirs hearts and engages minds. If you are the kind of person who wants your work to really matter, listen to Jay. He’ll be your perfect guide.” Here's what we hit on: Resonance is today’s top marketing skill - tell me why this is so important today; The art of storytelling - how to write stories that people connect with emotionally, and can you share your specific process; How do you measure what resonates; Great marketing is not about who arrives...it's about who stays; How to tie storytelling concepts to the startup world, how can marketers level up (HINT: marketers create a lot of stuff but it’s not gripping); How Lessonly and Kyle Lacy developed an original POV; Why being their favorite makes you completely change-proof; How do we tie storytelling back to ROI and revenue, how do we know we're really good at it; Intuition should lead and data should course correct; What are your top challenges, what are you trying to figure out; Goals (personal/professional) for 2022. You can reach Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo/ Check out his website: https://jayacunzo.com/ For more content, subscribe to Modern Startup Marketing on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen. You can find Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov or visit this website: www.furmanovmarketing.com Thanks for listening, and don't forget to leave a review!