Georgiana is a strategic advisor, author and speaker who's passionate about turning customer value into revenue-generating outcomes. Marketing online since 2000, she began her track record as a marketing executive and product growth advisor in 2010 working with high-growth, B2B SaaS like Unbounce, Sprout Social, Bitly, Appcues, SparkToro, Invoice Simple and more. Questions and topics we covered in this interview include: The origins of Forget The Funnel (and why funnels are bad for business) What Customer-Led Growth is and why it comes before all other growth models (like product-led, sales-led, marketing-led, or community-led) How do marketers begin to learn from their customers?  What’s the best way to collect product feedback? What’s the best way to implement that feedback? + How does marketing champion and facilitate this process with other departments? You’re a prolific advisor to several big name startups, what does it take to become one? Georgiana’s advice on how to become a startup advisor And more! Important Links You can say hello to Georgiana on LinkedIn here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgianalaudi/ You can find me on LinkedIn here- https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennysoto  Get her book on Customer-Led Growth™ here - https://www.forgetthefunnel.com/customer-led-growth/book Check out her podcast with cofounder Claire Suellentrop here - https://pod.link/1713510690 Past guests of The People of Digital Marketing include April Dunford, Amanda Goetz, Melissa Rosenthal, Bill Macaitis, Miruna Dragomir, Andrew Capland, Erik Newton, Andy Crestodina, Sarah Bedrick, Michael Wieder, Dan McGaw, Kathleen Booth, Foti Panagiotakopoulos, Tommy Walker, Lea Pica, Maya Grossman, Sara Pion, Margaret Kelsey, and more. Music for this podcast comes from www.davidcuttermusic.com 

Kate Guerrero helps early stage startups solve positioning and messaging challenges, and translates strategy to a crystal clear homepage. She's a 2x small business owner, a 2x mom, and the author of an award-winning manuscript. Questions and topics we covered in this interview include: Fletch’s philosophy around product marketing How product positioning lays the groundwork for all other forms of marketing collateral a business will need to make and deploy How to sell the work of product positioning internally How the size of a business’s product portfolio affects positioning exercises and GTM strategy The core differences between brand marketing and product marketing The actual step-by-step process Fletch takes to update a B2B SaaS company’s homepage and product positioning   How to identify what differentiates a product from the rest of the market Why it’s okay to actually talk about the competition in your positioning  And more! Important Links Learn more about Fletch PMM’s positioning and product marketing services here - https://www.fletchpmm.com You can say hello to Kate on LinkedIn here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-guerrero-🖋%EF%B8%8F-42b56348/ You can find me on LinkedIn here- https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennysoto  Past guests of The People of Digital Marketing include April Dunford, Amanda Goetz, Melissa Rosenthal, Bill Macaitis, Miruna Dragomir, Andrew Capland, Erik Newton, Andy Crestodina, Sarah Bedrick, Michael Wieder, Dan McGaw, Kathleen Booth, Foti Panagiotakopoulos, Tommy Walker, Lea Pica, Maya Grossman, Sara Pion, Margaret Kelsey, and more. Music for this podcast comes from www.davidcuttermusic.com 

Shelagh Dolan is the Content Marketing Manager at Quora, where she has led the content strategy for Quora for Business, the platform’s advertising division, since June 2022. With over a decade of experience, Shelagh has a proven track record of crafting content strategies that align with sales goals and drive growth for global B2B brands. Before joining Quora, she held key roles as the Director of Content Marketing at eMarketer and Senior Content Marketing Manager at Business Insider. Topics and questions we covered in this episode include: The key skills every entry-level content marketer should focus on developing in 2025 The things that HAVEN’T changed in marketing (and probably won’t) Shelagh’s process for launching new product features How to prove that content is bringing in revenue and ROI? Shelagh’s advice for finding (and getting) great marketing jobs The challenges people don’t talk about when it comes to managing a team And more! Important Links You can say hello to Shelagh on LinkedIn here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelaghdolan/ You can find me on LinkedIn here- https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennysoto  Past guests of The People of Digital Marketing include April Dunford, Amanda Goetz, Melissa Rosenthal, Bill Macaitis, Miruna Dragomir, Andrew Capland, Erik Newton, Andy Crestodina, Sarah Bedrick, Michael Wieder, Dan McGaw, Kathleen Booth, Foti Panagiotakopoulos, Tommy Walker, Lea Pica, Maya Grossman, Sara Pion, Margaret Kelsey, and more. Music for this podcast comes from www.davidcuttermusic.com 

Nikki Lindgren, founder and managing partner of Pennock, is a leader in scaling DTC businesses through paid ads with a focus on helping female-led beauty brands. With expertise in digital media management exceeding $100 million, Nikki and her team leverage strategic advantages for impressive MER and ROAS. Questions and topics we covered in this episode include: Nikki shares her story of how she founded Pennock When and how marketers should deploy ads to grow eCommerce businesses The nuances that come when doing any type of performance marketing campaigns for beauty products What constitutes a strong ad strategy in today’s market? The metrics that truly matter when it comes to doing media buying well The “learning phase” is defined (in as simple a way as possible) How to measure ad fatigue/campaign decay How much should brands spend on ads, where should that money go, and what should be the expected returns? What are your predictions for the future of DTC and performance marketing? And more! You can connect with Nikki on LinkedIn here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkilindgren/ You can connect with me on LinkedIn here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennysoto/ Past guests of The People of Digital Marketing include April Dunford, Amanda Goetz, Melissa Rosenthal, Bill Macaitis, Miruna Dragomir, Andrew Capland, Erik Newton, Andy Crestodina, Sarah Bedrick, Michael Wieder, Dan McGaw, Kathleen Booth, Foti Panagiotakopoulos, Tommy Walker, Lea Pica, Maya Grossman, Sara Pion, Margaret Kelsey, and more. Music for this podcast comes from www.davidcuttermusic.com

Kristin Fracchia is a growth and marketing exec who has helped scale companies from early stage to public, including Chegg and Magoosh. She is an unabashed generalist and lifelong learner, who has flexed between roles leading marketing, growth, sales, product, finance, business development, and business operations. Her current passions are helping companies leverage AI to their advantage and mentoring early career leaders. Prior to working in tech, she obtained a PhD and dabbled in academia, earning an excellence in teaching award from the University of California.    Questions and topics we discussed in this interview include: How Kristin is learning about new tools like Clay.com to stay adaptable as a marketer in this budding field of GenAI How should marketers think about getting their brands more visibility on gen AI tools and chat-based search tools like ChatGPT? What’s the business impact that obtaining AI visibility would have on business growth? What is generative engine optimization (GEO)? And how is this field emerging and evolving? What tools can marketers use today to determine how their marketing is being impacted by genAI? What should marketers tell their leadership teams about how genAI search may impact their marketing strategies and how we should all start adapting And more! You can connect with Kristin on LinkedIn here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinfracchia/ You can find me on LinkedIn here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennysoto/ Past guests of The People of Digital Marketing include April Dunford, Amanda Goetz, Melissa Rosenthal, Bill Macaitis, Miruna Dragomir, Andrew Capland, Erik Newton, Andy Crestodina, Sarah Bedrick, Michael Wieder, Dan McGaw, Kathleen Booth, Foti Panagiotakopoulos, Tommy Walker, Lea Pica, Maya Grossman, Sara Pion, Margaret Kelsey, and more. Music for this podcast comes from www.davidcuttermusic.com 

Shelia Rondeau is a driven and experienced executive with expert proficiency in providing unsurpassed leadership and revenue growth in dynamic, fast-paced, competitive business environments. She’s fully capable of leading a full array of enterprise marketing responsibilities, as well as general business operations, building foundations that enable the companies she works with to scale for growth. She is currently a Fractional CMO and CEO for her company MOGXP. Questions and topics we discussed in this interview include: The story of how MOGXP began What it takes to obtain big-name clients like Toyota, Budweiser, Walmart, and more. The common marketing challenges big brands face when it comes to customer experiences Experiential marketing defined How college ambassador programs are a great example of experiential marketing programs (done the right way) The current state of experiential marketing and its effectiveness as a marketing channel And more! You can connect with Sheila through LinkedIn here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheilarondeau/ You can find me on LinkedIn here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennysoto/ Past guests of The People of Digital Marketing include April Dunford, Amanda Goetz, Melissa Rosenthal, Bill Macaitis, Miruna Dragomir, Andrew Capland, Erik Newton, Andy Crestodina, Sarah Bedrick, Michael Wieder, Dan McGaw, Kathleen Booth, Foti Panagiotakopoulos, Tommy Walker, Lea Pica, Maya Grossman, Sara Pion, Margaret Kelsey, and more. Music for this podcast comes from www.davidcuttermusic.com 

Pat LaCroix is the EVP of marketing and commercial strategy at Seekr, a leading artificial intelligence company specializing in transparent content evaluation. For over 20 years, Pat has worked inside major consumer brands and advertising agencies. Prior to Seekr, he held a variety of global marketing leadership roles at Bose, where he was responsible for brand marketing, media, digital, social and partnerships with relevant brands such as NFL, Amazon, Disney, and Spotify to name just to name a few. During this time, he was recognized in the “Sports Business Journal” with the “40 under 40” award. Questions and topics we discussed in this interview include: He explained how past roles prepared him for his leadership at Seekr Pat provided an inside look at Seekr’s mission and explained his responsibilities within the company He addressed the challenges he faces in his role Pat shared insights on Seekr’s biggest marketing challenge for 2024 Pat introduces us to the PIE framework (performance, image, and exposure) that all marketers need to know if they want to get promoted And more! You can connect with Pat on LinkedIn here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pat-lacroix-1883506/ You can find me on LinkedIn here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennysoto/ Near the end of the episode, Patrick also mentions the PIE framework (performance, image, and exposure) that he used to get promotions throughout his career. If you want a deeper dive specifically into this subject, check out this article I wrote about it on Medium - https://medium.com/@KennySoto/why-doing-a-good-job-isnt-enough-here-s-a-slice-of-p-i-e-for-my-marketing-homies-dce789fc2cf6 Past guests of The People of Digital Marketing include April Dunford, Amanda Goetz, Melissa Rosenthal, Bill Macaitis, Miruna Dragomir, Andrew Capland, Erik Newton, Andy Crestodina, Sarah Bedrick, Michael Wieder, Dan McGaw, Kathleen Booth, Foti Panagiotakopoulos, Tommy Walker, Lea Pica, Maya Grossman, Sara Pion, Margaret Kelsey, and more. Music for this podcast comes from www.davidcuttermusic.com 

Andrew began his career by spending seven years in newspaper journalism. He then logged five years in higher-education marketing, co-managing a college website with a focus on video storytelling and fine-tuning email messaging to 18-year-olds. For the past 7 years, he’s worked in B2B software, in marketing operations and then product marketing, with a focus on quantitative and qualitative customer research. He’s started one customer advisory board and scaled two others, both in person and virtual, and strongly believes there’s significant value in both approaches, for both customers and companies. Questions and topics we discussed in this interview include: What are the basics of customer research that marketers need to understand as they grow in their careers? When proposing the idea of a Customer Advisory Board (CAB), is it mainly to inform product marketing initiatives? Are there other areas of marketing and business overall that can benefit from the investment in a CAB? How should marketers identify and select the right members and determine the correct size for a Customer Advisory Board? What strategies can marketers use to keep CAB members engaged and active? How should the feedback process with CAB members be structured to ensure it's productive and actionable? What are some other common challenges businesses face when managing CABs, and how should marketers address them? How can marketers measure the success and impact of a Customer Advisory Board on product marketing initiatives? How do the role and operation of a CAB differ in startups versus established SaaS companies? Is there a specific stage in a business’s life cycle where a CAB is more beneficial? How is the role of CABs expected to evolve in the next 5 to 10 years? And more! You can say hi to Andrew on LinkedIn here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewgpetersen/ You can find me on LinkedIn here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennysoto/ Past guests of The People of Digital Marketing include April Dunford, Amanda Goetz, Melissa Rosenthal, Bill Macaitis, Miruna Dragomir, Andrew Capland, Erik Newton, Andy Crestodina, Sarah Bedrick, Michael Wieder, Dan McGaw, Kathleen Booth, Foti Panagiotakopoulos, Tommy Walker, Lea Pica, Maya Grossman, Sara Pion, Margaret Kelsey, and more. Music for this podcast comes from www.davidcuttermusic.com 

Marina is a Content Marketing Specialist & Founder of the B2B Content Marketing agency Retold. With an extensive background in marketing, including content, social media, branding, and more, Marina opted for the agency approach after working in marketing leadership roles with companies in a number of different verticals. Today, she is passionate about bringing the power of storytelling and innovation into the world of content marketing to help companies solidify strategies that get results. Questions and topics we discussed in this interview include: The hardest part about being a marketing manager that people don’t talk about enough Does written content still have a place in a marketing strategy (within video-first world)? What do people get wrong about thought leadership? How can marketers make it an effective part of a strategy? How to get your CEO featured in the media Skills Marina thinks marketers should focus on learning this year if they want to get better at B2B marketing What’s been Marina’s approach to collaborating with other content creators? And more! You can connect with Marina on LinkedIn here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-krivonossova/ You can find me on LinkedIn here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennysoto/ Past guests of The People of Digital Marketing include April Dunford, Amanda Goetz, Melissa Rosenthal, Bill Macaitis, Miruna Dragomir, Andrew Capland, Erik Newton, Andy Crestodina, Sarah Bedrick, Michael Wieder, Dan McGaw, Kathleen Booth, Foti Panagiotakopoulos, Tommy Walker, Lea Pica, Maya Grossman, Sara Pion, Margaret Kelsey, and more. Music for this podcast comes from www.davidcuttermusic.com 

Aren Johnstone is the President and Owner of Franchise Ramp, a leading marketing agency in the franchising industry that partners with the world's top fitness and wellness franchise brands. During his senior year of high school at the age of 18, Aren bypassed multiple full-ride college scholarships to purchase his first company, an ecommerce business. By 19, he ventured into marketing and software consulting, hiring his first employee. By the age of 20, his team had grown to five, and he co-founded an agency specializing in media buying for top ecommerce brands, overseeing more than $100M in ad spend. In 2019, Aren joined Franchise Ramp to introduce cutting-edge marketing strategies from the Ecommerce world to the franchise industry. Since then, Franchise Ramp has served thousands of franchise locations and has been recognized on the Inc 5000 list for two consecutive years, achieving a notable #49 ranking in 2022. He is passionate about entrepreneurship and committed to developing products and businesses that address real-world challenges.  Aren’s story of how he got started in business during his high school years by selling t-shirts and apparel in Tulsa and then by purchasing an online figure-staking store at 18 years old Aren’s journey into Facebook advertising back in 2015 The specific challenges that come from marketing franchise businesses The basics of “hyper-local” ad targeting Ecomm vs franchising: the main differences in paid media strategies The essential skills needed to be a great media buyer The nuances behind high-performing performance creative (*now that’s a mouthful hehe) Changes in performance marketing that brands need to be aware of And more! Here’s the episode I mentioned about MasterMind groups, featuring Liz Scully - https://www.kennysoto.com/podcast/interview-liz-scully-could-a-mastermind-group-elevate-your-marketing-ep-14/ You can connect with Aren via email here - aren@franchiseramp.com You can say hi on LinkedIn here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/aren-johnstone/ You can find me on LinkedIn here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennysoto/ Past guests of The People of Digital Marketing include April Dunford, Amanda Goetz, Melissa Rosenthal, Bill Macaitis, Miruna Dragomir, Andrew Capland, Erik Newton, Andy Crestodina, Sarah Bedrick, Michael Wieder, Dan McGaw, Kathleen Booth, Foti Panagiotakopoulos, Tommy Walker, Lea Pica, Maya Grossman, Sara Pion, Margaret Kelsey, and more. Music for this podcast comes from www.davidcuttermusic.com