“[For] some clients who have not necessarily reinvented themselves yet–the experiences that we’ve experienced in the past need a facelift…” Ashley Cline is a Digital Marketing Consultant and Freelancing Expert. As the VP & Co-Founder at Ice Cream Social, Ashley has over 17 years of experience specializing in marketing strategy, execution, and collaborative efforts. She is a proponent of the importance of word-of-mouth marketing in today's digital age. Across her tenure in the field, Ashley has held nearly every role in the digital marketing space, giving her unmatched expertise in customer acquisition and email, search, and content marketing. Questions and topics we covered include: How Ashley’s love for video games got her into the world of digital marketing. Some of the career paths available for digital marketers today (intrapreneur, entrepreneur, and solopreneur). What are most event marketers doing wrong in their marketing strategies? The best ad placements to consider in 2023. Why all event marketers should be learning how to use SMS messaging tactics. How to use your CRM platform to optimize your messaging and effectiveness across channels when promoting events. Is it possible to fast-track the growth of a startup? The secret to creating an “always full” sales pipeline (channel sales and partnerships). And more! Skip the intro: 00:04:41 You can say hello to Ashley here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashcline/ Visit her website - Ashleyncline.com If you want to connect with me on LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/kennysoto Thinking about updating your Martech stack this year? Check out ActiveCampaign! I’ve also used them in the past and they have an amazing platform for anyone who needs to level up their email & SMS automations - https://www.activecampaign.com

“…This just provides more flexibility for really top-notch marketers to live the life that they want.” Arlyn Davich is an entrepreneurial executive with a proven track record of building and scaling consumer-tech businesses as a startup Founder/CEO (PayPerks...Allswell...ShopShops) and Fortune 50 Intrapreneur at companies like Walmart. She specializes in direct-to-consumer strategy, brand building, demand generation and digital acceleration. She's currently building her latest venture, Little Fish: a company that deploys top-tier executive talent, on a fractional and interim basis, to grow early stage e-commerce businesses. Skip the intro: 00:03:59:58 Questions and topics we covered include: What is a Fractional CMO? The types of businesses that benefit the most from working with a Fractional CMO. Why is there more demand for Fractional CMOs, what has changed in the market? What is Little Fish’s role in the Fractional CMO landscape? What type of companies does Little Fish work with? How to build a marketing team from scratch. How to manage up to the CEO, as a marketing leader. What it takes to become a CMO (before transitioning to a fractional role)? What are the advantages and disadvantages when it comes to becoming a Fractional CMO? How should Fractional CMOs evaluate opportunities with new clients? And more! Say hello to Arlyn via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arlyndavich/ You can connect with me here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennysoto/

“Assuming timing exists, you [have to have] people, process, and technology…” Zac Litwack is a partner at Savage Ventures, a venture operator with HQ in Nashville, TN which has created $450M in enterprise value so far. He recently led marketing for Savage portfolio company OutKick, which scaled to 7 figures per month in revenue and sold to FOX less than 1 year after its launch. He is currently Chief Marketing Officer / Partner of American Songwriter, Savage Sports, Rare, and 247Health whose properties reach 100+ million people per month, and is an owner plus leads growth hacking and high tempo testing across Savage’s portfolio companies, including MyDrHank, a 7 figure D2C online pharmacy and telemedicine brand focused on the senior male market, and Savage Media, a full-service creative service and video production firm. Savage Ventures has created $450M in enterprise value and is on a path to $1,000,000,000. Questions and topics we covered include: The advantages venture operators have over traditional VC firms. The importance of people, process, and technology for a startup’s success. Do VCs look at a startup’s marketing strategy before making an investment? How much weight do they give to marketing when committing to an investment? How to build a marketing team from scratch. What does it take to scale a company from $0 to $100m? The most unaddressed marketing challenge all early-stage startups are facing. When is it appropriate to launch an affiliate marketing program? How to know if you have product market fit. How Zac’s businesses are preparing for new shifts in digital privacy regulations (he’s collecting first-party data!). How to find the right startups to work with as a marketer. And more! Say hi to Zac on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/zaclitwack/

“Relationships are what turn into opportunities.” Rachel B. Lee is a fearless marketing #ladyboss and the wife of Joshua B. Lee. Together they have formed a powerful business relationship that connects with audiences across the world. Rachel leads the marketing and branding strategy for Standout Authority and its clients and can help you find your voice and create influence like you’ve never imagined. She’s passionate about helping students navigate their careers, so In her spare time, she’s a Texas MBA and MS Marketing Industry Consultant helping our future leaders navigate their personal brands and build careers that they love. Questions and topics we covered include: What advantages can marketers get if they obtain an MBA? Rachel’s journey from corporate employee to starting a company with her husband. How marketers can stand out if they work within a large team. What does it take for a personal brand to stand out in 2023? How should people approach marketing strategy when it comes to building a personal brand? How to create a clear picture of your personal brand. And more! You can say hi to Rachel via LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/therachelblee 

“I really only have about two tips: one is read more than your peers. The other one is do side projects.” Justin Watkins is the Founder and CEO of Native Digital, a brand and marketing firm acquiring customers where they live: online. In 2020, AdWeek ranked Native Digital as the 4th fastest growing agency in the Midwest. Questions and topics we covered include: How Justin bridges the skills gap between performance and brand marketing for himself and with his team. The old habits organizations have when it comes to “legacy marketing” that still hasn’t died off. Why you shouldn’t focus on the competition (focus on your clients instead). Why misalignment in messaging is the most common problem Justin’s clients are facing this year. How to qualify potential marketing clients? The traditional marketing channels that still excite Justin and that he’s using for his clients (with an example of how Casper is using traditional media). Should side hustles be encouraged? And more! Say to hello to Justin via LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinwatkins/

“Nobody is going to manage your career for you.” Jan Deahl is a marketing leader with over 20 years of investment industry experience who has ran international and global institutional marketing efforts at some of the world’s top asset management firms including AllianceBernstein, Janus Capital Group, American Century Investments, and the CFA Institute. He has worked globally, including being based in New York and Hong Kong. Jan graduated from Binghamton University with a BA in English Literature. He is currently the Head of Marketing for a Global Investment Bank. Questions: What are some differences and challenges between working at large global investment organizations vs smaller FinTech firms? When planning out a marketing strategy, what does Jan focus on first? What are some of the specific marketing challenges within the financial services industry? Why did Jan specialize in this specific industry? How to define sales enablement and why do marketers need to incorporate this into their B2B marketing campaigns? Is customer segmentation a one-off exercise? How often should marketers review documentation around customer segmentation? What qualities and skills does Jan look for when hiring? How should managers approach helping their teammates grow in their careers? What benefits come from traveling the world, that translates into career growth? And more! You can say hi to Jan via LinkedIn, here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-deahl-00b70b2/ 

“The first question is, ‘How hard is it to extract value from our product?’” Justin Parnell is the VP of Marketing at BrightIdea. Justin is a data-driven marketing leader who oversees a full range of initiatives including influencing business strategy, developing lifecycle marketing plans, and the project management of BrightIdea’s marketing initiatives. Justin is also experienced in launching and scaling new offerings and providing the vision of BrightIdea’s new product go-to-market strategy. Questions and topics we covered include : How having experience working in sales aided Justin in becoming a better marketer. Can you define Product Lead Growth? Which department owns PLG? Is it marketing? Product? Sales? A combination? What are some PLG Go-To-Market tactics and what brands are the best-in-class examples to follow? When shouldn’t a business try to use PLG as a Go-To-Market strategy? How has the buyer’s journey evolved? The right way to tackle upward mobility within a marketing team. The qualities in new candidates that Justin is looking for when scaling his marketing team. And more! Say hello to Justin on LinkedIn here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-parnell

“It can help to work for a mission-driven organization, but you’re going to maximize that opportunity if you have some perspective on what your personal values are...” Always one to believe in bringing her whole self to work, Julia knows that the marketer who is deliberate in the purpose of their work will have the greatest impact. Early in her career, personal circumstances helped Julia define her own purpose. She has learned how to drive more impactful outcomes by being on purpose throughout her career in healthcare. Julia believes marketers who find their own purpose can enjoy professional success and personal satisfaction because of the way they do their work. She is currently a marketing leader at Genentech and formerly a Marketing Director at Pfizer. Questions and topics we covered: The unique marketing challenges within the pharmaceutical and medical industries. Why you should study other industries when trying to get new marketing ideas. What does “being on purpose” mean? Can marketers realize their purpose no matter which industry or company they work in? Is becoming a CMO the only path a marketer can take? What skills and professional qualities does a marketer need to gain in order to deserve a leadership role? What’s the value of being intentional in your marketing? Should marketing leaders focus on the competition? Why does authentic engagement matter in marketing? And more! Say hi to Julia via LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliajgriffiths/

“Click rates don’t always correlate to revenue.” Joe works as the Director of Retention at The Beard Club. In his spare time, he's been growing his audience of 30K+ followers on Twitter and LinkedIn by sharing daily marketing tips and content geared toward DTC marketers. He has generated over $50mm in revenue with email marketing throughout his career and recently finished teaching his first Email Marketing 101 course on Maven. Other brands he’s helped in the world of marketing include Hopsy, FanDuel, and PetHonesty. Questions and topics we covered include: What are the unique challenges that come from trying to grow a subscription business? Why is email marketing a tactic that will never go out of style? Are open rates dead? What do teams do wrong when launching their email marketing campaigns? How can you create cross-channel campaigns that include emails? Do the same tactics that work in SMS marketing work with email? What to look for when hiring the ideal email marketing specialist. Joe’s favorite marketing tools. And more! Links to learn more from Joe: Joe’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/joe_portsmouth Joe’s Maven course, “Email Marketing 101” - https://maven.com/joe-portsmouth/email-marketing-101 The ultimate email marketing swipe file - https://joe.beehiiv.com/p/ultimate-email-marketing-swipe-file My favorite LinkedIn posts from Joe: 12 Proven Customer Retention Principles 3 must-haves to grow your company's email list in 2023 The Crawl-Walk-Run approach to customer retention

“Your job as a manager is to only care about three things: the financial goals of your direct reports, their professional goals, and finally their personal goals.” Patrick Ward is the VP of Marketing for Rootstrap, a custom software development consultancy that digitally transforms companies like MasterClass & Google, along with A-List Celebrities like Tony Robbins & Snoop Dogg. He’s also the Founder of NanoGlobals, an expert-led platform that helps mid-size tech companies tap into global markets through remote hiring, offshoring, and international market expansion (this is his side hustle). A writer by trade, Patrick's international brand & B2B marketing expertise has been featured in The New York Times, Ad Age, Fast Company, Morning Brew, Hacker Noon, HuffPost & Business Insider. Questions and topics we talked about include: What does a marketer need to learn before getting hired as a marketing leader? (Hint: Internal marketing) What does it mean to be the leader of a marketing team? What should you do during a 1-on-1 with your manager? How are side hustles a company’s key to successful marketing? How Patrick convinces his team to buy into the idea of the “B2B influencer.” And what is an infernal influencer? What is the “Marketing Transformation Mindset”? And more! Relevant links: Patrick’s Company Site: https://www.rootstrap.com/ Patrick’s Side Hustle: https://www.nanoglobals.com/ Patrick’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickjamesward/