Building With Buyers: Startup Marketing and Growth Fueled By Customers

Aaron Pollack, CMO at Nanit, joined me on the Modern Startup Marketing podcast. Prior to joining Nanit in 2017, Aaron held various marketing roles at global brands such as Canary, BlackBerry, GreatCall and SiriusXM. Nanit was founded in 2016, has ~65 people, and is based out of NYC. They JUST finished raising Series C! ($75M total) Nanit has created an HD baby monitor that lets you track your baby’s sleep, breathing motion, and growth. So you get the sleep analysis, personalized tips, and immediate alerts, and of course the 1080p overhead view of your baby. And there’s even a digital baby album that's tracking milestones that you can share with your family. An entire baby monitoring solution. P.S. Aaron doesn't have any kids, and that may be the secret to being so successful with his marketing and growth efforts - not falling back on assumptions and continuously learning more from Nanit's buyers. Here's what we hit on: Aaron's "lean and mean" marketing team of 7 people and what they're responsible for; Nanit as both a product + SaaS company and how they think about pricing; Using stage + lifestyle as part of their targeting efforts; How they're using Pinterest successfully (vs. just the typical Facebook and Insta); Working with partners like The Bump that have highly targeted marketing capabilities; Using Criteo for retargeting; Some challenges within the category (customer journey is 4-5 months!) which makes marketing/educating difficult; How Nanit's personalized sleep coaching for parents increases WOM; How parents and the category has changed over the last 5 years so that more people want this (pricier) baby monitoring solution; How Aaron helped take the company from Series B to Series C; Some of Aaron's top marketing ideas; Why the pandemic fundamentally changed the type of plan consumers buy (more than 25% of users are not parents!); How Aaron and team keep their marketing fresh (HINT: there's a Super Parents group); People make recommendations based on what works for them - most of the time it doesn't work for Nanit; What's wrong with being obsessed with "going viral" (HINT: going viral should never be the goal but can be a nice result); Aaron's "favorite failure"; Aaron's secret special ingredient for his winning chili recipe. You can find Aaron on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/aaronpollack Find out more about Nanit: www.nanit.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!

Mark Kilens, VP of Content and Community at Drift, joined me on the Modern Startup Marketing podcast. Drift was founded in 2015, has ~400 people, and is based out of Boston, MA. They've raised Series C ($107M total). Drift helps companies (specifically, marketing and sales) engage in real-time, personalized conversations so they can build trust and accelerate revenue. Drift combines chat, email, video, and automation to remove the friction from business buying and make it more enjoyable and human. They came up with the categories “conversational marketing” and “revenue acceleration” and just announced a year of record-breaking growth. Here's what we hit on: 3 different eras and the evolution of brand, demand gen, and now a revenue focus across marketing and sales; What are the pain points that sales/marketing teams have where Drift comes in; Sales/marketing team alignment vs. actioning; How the marketing team is structured inside Drift - the hub of the customer experience AND employee experience; What makes Drift unique (from other martech SaaS companies); What marketing channels are working really well for Drift (e.g. LinkedIn, virtual events); How to think about SEO in an effective way - narrow targeting and entertaining media formats; LinkedIn marketing means using the power of real people within your business; Drift on gating content (HINT: they don't); Just because someone reads your content does not mean they're qualified - what else matters; Drift's marketing challenges (e.g. expansion, focus, etc.); You can't just buy martech and expect revenue to follow - need the strategy; Some of Mark's best marketing ideas (micro-content, reposition your content to different audiences); The vast majority of websites suck because they serve the marketer vs. customer; How Mark stays creative. You can find Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markkilens/ Find out more about Drift: www.drift.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!

Jonathan Metrick, Chief Growth Officer (CGO) at Portage Ventures and Fractional CGO at Wealthsimple, joined me on the Modern Startup Marketing podcast. Lots of gold nuggets shared in this episode because Jonathan brings the insights from both a VC firm and startup perspective on growth. Portage Ventures is an early stage fintech investor, formed in 2016 and with a presence in Toronto, Montreal, New York, Europe and Southeast Asia. Wealthsimple is one of their portfolio companies. Wealthsimple was founded in 2014, has ~500 people, and is based out of Toronto, CA. Wealthsimple is "investing on autopilot." They build you a personal, low-cost portfolio and put your money to work like the world’s smartest investors. Wealthsimple manages $8.4 billion and has more than 1.5 million users. We hit on a lot of important topics, including: Jonathan's marketing experience across brands (including P&G, Live Nation, Policygenius) and what he most enjoys about marketing and growth; How emerging fintech companies should approach marketing, education and connecting with their users; The need for brand + growth teams to be better integrated in order to differentiate and leave competitors in the dust; New and emerging channels (like TikTok and Clubhouse) can help you get in front of your target buyers, cheaply; How influencer marketing helps new brands explain themselves and build trust; The importance of being clear about who you are and what you do so that your target audience connects with you; Startup brands that are willing to test in new and emerging channels have a leg up over established brands; Education and value creation as the main challenges to tackle within fintech; How will consumer behavior evolve in another year or two, and making sure your marketing and growth efforts align; Startup fundraising and advice from Jonathan (HINT: people really matters, here); Jonathan's marketing and growth efforts for Portage Ventures. You can find Jonathan on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanmetrick Find out more about Portage Ventures: p3vc.com  Find out more about Wealthsimple: www.wealthsimple.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!

Michelle Heath, Founder and CEO at Growth Street, joined me on the Modern Startup Marketing podcast. Mixing it up! I usually have venture-backed startup founders and marketing leaders come on as guests. This time I brought on a fellow marketing superstar to share her experience and wisdom.  Michelle and I are clearly spirit animals, once you listen to this episode you'll understand why. Michelle started Growth Street in 2013, based out of Boston, MA. When businesses need to achieve the next level of growth, Growth Street is the growth strategy consulting firm that creates the tailwind for success. Moving quickly is a big-time competitive advantage. They don’t like wasting time or money. No politics, BS or over-processed approaches. And their motto: giddy up! We hit on a lot of brand, marketing and growth concepts, including: Growth Street's very own growth story; Brand strategy vs. branding vs. marketing, the key differences and why does it even matter, especially for startups; Michelle's new book about the power of brand as business value and how brand is often misunderstood; The holy grail of brand is consistency; How to prove that your brand strategy is working (HINT: what do you want brand to do for your business?); 3 big mistakes that Michelle sees companies make repeatedly; How to get the marketing flywheel going (HINT: start with the customer mindset); Do you actually need an industry-specific consultant (with experience in your industry) to help with your marketing and growth. You can find Michelle on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/michelleheath Find out more about Growth Street: www.getgrowthstreet.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!

Sometimes I like to sprinkle in some raw and unfiltered thoughts.  In this episode I cover: The purpose of content; Before you come up with a content strategy, you need to figure out what your target buyer cares about, their challenges, goals, where they spend their time, etc; What is a content engine and how to think about creating content for the full funnel; Daily/weekly marketing ops activities to feed your content engine; How to think about sales materials as part of your content strategy; How to measure your content efforts; How to measure your podcast efforts. 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!

Rob Singer, the CMO at Remitly, a fintech trailblazer in international money transfers, shares his insights on scaling marketing in a 900+ person startup. He discusses the importance of building a strong team culture and the intricacies of adapting marketing strategies across geographies. Rob emphasizes data's complexity and the challenges of interpreting incomplete stories. Additionally, he reveals his daily spreadsheet ritual to track key metrics, and he highlights the shift from static marketing to a more engaging, customer-centric approach.

Dan Frohnen, CMO at Sendoso, joined me on the Modern Startup Marketing podcast. Sendoso was founded in 2016, they've raised Series B ($54M total), and have ~370 people. Sendoso provides new ways to engage with customers throughout the buyer journey, including with personalized gifts, branded swag, eGifts, Cameos, virtual experiences & more. This directly impacts pipeline and revenue. Here’s what we covered: How to approach gifting prospects effectively (to help with relationship-building, reminders, and just as a nice surprise); What marketing was up to 1.5 years ago when Dan joined a team of 4 people; Why Brand and Demand is synonymous; What the marketing team looks like today (7 distinct groups); How to think about the marketing team vs. SDRs for pipeline coverage; How Sendoso uses an account-based approach involving SDRs, Marketing, and AEs; The customer journey is not linear, but your messaging and value props must be consistent at all touch points; Education creates urgency with prospects; How different companies like Sendoso and Gong are killin' it with engagement/gifting plays; Sendoso's philosophy around marketing - don't focus on the channel, focus on the engagement; Which marketing channels are working really well for Sendoso; How Sendoso uses pillar content and thought leadership which amplifies their organic SEO; How Sendoso leverages their exec team for PR and thought leadership; Dan's approach with his team, to help them feel comfortable with being uncomfortable; Marketing's approach throughout COVID - educate, educate, educate; Creating brand "micro-moments"; Dan's experience at Skedulo (Series A) and hitting revenue milestones to help bring in $28M (Series B); Failures that have helped shaped how Dan leads as CMO. You can find Dan on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/danielfrohnen Find out more about Sendoso: www.sendoso.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!

Sometimes I like to sprinkle in some raw and unfiltered thoughts.  In this episode I cover: Startups don't have a lot of people, time or money. So how should you think about prioritizing your marketing efforts? I break it down into three parts; 1. Foundation - clean up your house; 2. Owned Channels - create beautiful spaces within your house; 3. Awareness - let people know you have this clean, amazing house; Quick note about the 1-page marketing plan, not being overly complex so that it's useful for you and team; Quick note about the Bullseye Framework from the book Traction for testing marketing channels. 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!

Paige LaNasa, Head of Marketing at Forager, joined me on the Modern Startup Marketing podcast. Forager was founded in 2018, they've raised Series A ($10M), and they're 75 people strong. Here’s what we covered: Logistics is the backbone of global e-commerce. Millions of dollars of goods move between the US, Mexico and Canada (cross-border). Despite that, it still happens to be a logistical nightmare to move commerce across these countries; What Paige worked on with Forager's marketing efforts in the early days to stand out; The "Make Good Stuff" philosophy around content creation for your target audience; Low hanging marketing fruit, including email marketing and blogging 2-3 times per month, to drive engagement and traffic to the site; You don't need to spend a lot of money on good marketing - it starts with a compelling story and being consistent; The small and nimble marketing team that Paige oversees; Floating resources and how to leverage for the marketing team; How they're using paid search (Google Ads) successfully with a very niche target audience; Diving in a bit deeper on the (painful) experience of shipping goods from the US to Canada or Mexico (or vice versa); The challenge with finding your niche target audience, and potential ways to solve this (HINT: foster a space for them); How COVID has impacted Forager, and how they're thinking about virtual events; Paige's background in marketing and how that has prepared her to head up marketing and build a team at Forager; Your first marketing hire should be a builder vs. steering big ships; Paige has over 400 books (!) and you'll never guess on what topics; The over-reliance on China as a hub of exports, and how companies will need to be more strategic on where they source their goods. More on this here. You can find Paige on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/paige-lanasa Find out more about Forager: www.foragerscs.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!

Nemanja Zivkovic, CEO at Funky Marketing, joined me on the Modern Startup Marketing podcast. Mixing it up! This episode is a little different. I usually have venture-backed startup founders and marketing leaders come on as guests. This time I brought on a fellow marketing business owner to share his experience and wisdom. Nemanja started Funky Marketing in Jan. 2020, with a total of 6 employees at the time of the conversation. Funky Marketing is based out of Novi Sad, Serbia. They're helping B2B tech companies generate revenue growth, primarily through inbound and content strategies and scale. We covered a lot of juicy stuff, including: The term “agency” vs. “team” to describe the business; Nemanja’s role as CEO at Funky Marketing; Who they look for in their ideal client (3 buckets); The types of packages that Funky Marketing offers to customers; Nemanja’s past experience in B2C and now focusing on B2B (because there’s so much to shake up); Where most clients get marketing and growth wrong (the big challenges that he’s seeing repeatedly); Why to go after SQLs (not MQLs) and how to succeed by building a content machine; The problem with creating a content machine that’s optimized for SEO, and why using social media to have direct conversations with prospects can be more meaningful; Marketing is not sales, so the timeline is not the same; How to shorten the time to close (HINT: use ads); Creating sales and marketing alignment (up to revenue); Starting a marketing company in Serbia - opportunities and challenges; Creating an event for marketers to do everything besides marketing; Tips from Nemanja - read comics to get better at marketing, get used to putting yourself into uncomfortable situations, and more. You can find Nemanja on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/zivkovicnemanja Find out more about Funky Marketing: www.funkymarketing.net 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!