"If you want to portray your message exactly the way your brand would say it, then use your brand to say it. If you want to use an influencer to say it, then you need to let that person shine through. Otherwise, your content won't work," says Tanya Alain, VP of Marketing at UpfluenceIn this episode of The Content Cocktail Hour, Tanya Alain, VP of Marketing at Upfluence, shares the key strategies that make influencer marketing a brand game-changer. She breaks down the dos and don’ts of partnering with influencers, from finding voices that resonate with your brand’s audience to letting the influencer’s authenticity shine for stronger engagement. She also talks about how they do influencer marketing at Upfluence and how AI may change the way we do influencer marketing and content marketing in general.In this episode, you’ll learn:Effective strategies for making influencer marketing successfulHow influencer authenticity can help your brand succeedHow AI is reshaping content marketing and what that means for influencer marketingResources:Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-gandolf/ Check out The Juice HQ: https://www.thejuicehq.com/ Connect with Tanya on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanya-alain/Check out Upfluence: https://www.upfluence.com/Timestamps:(00:00) Intro(02:59) What is influencer marketing(05:31) Balancing brand voice and influencer authenticity(08:34) How to get started with influencer marketing(10:53) How Upfluence does influencer marketing(15:32) The future of influencer marketing with AI

“Now, where we feel pretty strongly and what we kind of benchmark this company against is we still believe humans need to do two core things. They need to be the creatives and the strategists,” says Elaine Zelby, CRO and co-founder at TofuIn this episode of The Content Cocktail Hour, Elaine Zelby, CRO and Co-founder of Tofu, shares her journey from biomechanical engineering to growth marketing and founding a top-of-funnel platform. She discusses why many B2B companies face challenges with tool overload and siloed workflows, as well as how AI and automation can rebundle and streamline marketing efforts for leaner, more efficient teams. Elaine also explores how content serves as the backbone of marketing strategy, emphasizing its role across every funnel stage.In this episode, you’ll learn:How Tofu is redefining top-of-funnel strategies with a unified platform approachWhy many companies struggle with too many tools and data silosPractical AI applications for automating and scaling marketing tasksResources:Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-gandolf/ Check out The Juice HQ: https://www.thejuicehq.com/ Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elainezelbyCheck out Tofu: https://www.tofuhq.com/Timestamps:(00:00) Intro(07:32) The role of content in marketing(09:37) AI's impact on creative work(10:29) Getting started with AI(12:34) Exploring AI opportunities in professional life(13:21) Practical applications of AI in marketing(14:25) Rebundling AI for marketing efficiency(14:59) Solving tool fatigue for growth teams(18:10) Innovative uses of AI in content marketing

"A fractional CMO can be incredibly effective and can get you where you want to go far faster than going through the entire process of hiring a VP who you might fire in nine months anyway," says Shannon Curran, CMO & Advisor at SSC ConsultingIn this episode of The Content Cocktail Hour, Shannon Curran, Fractional CMO & Advisor at SSC Consulting, shares what life as a fractional CMO looks like and how this growing trend is reshaping marketing for early-stage B2B companies. Shannon explains why more founders are turning to fractional CMOs to scale faster and make smarter marketing decisions. She also gets into strategies for founder storytelling and effective budgeting for your marketing campaigns.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why founders might want to hire fractional CMOs for more effective marketing strategiesKey marketing strategies for scaling early-stage companies  The role of founder storytelling in brand growthResources:Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-gandolf/ Check out The Juice HQ: https://www.thejuicehq.com/ Connect with Shannon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-sweeny-curran-55332942/Check out SSC Consulting: https://sscconsulting.io/Timestamps(00:00) Intro(03:42) Current budgeting and planning trends in marketing(10:12) Differentiating founder brand from company brand(15:23) Aligning content strategies with your brand(16:20) Corporate content strategy vs. Founder content strategy(18:18) Transitioning to Fractional CMO(21:12) Challenges of becoming a fractional CMO(24:23) Fractional CMO vs. VP of Marketing

"Usually it starts with a pilot campaign, and that means that you're not trying to validate that ABM works. What you're really trying to do is to create a repeatable model,” says Vincent DeCastro, President at ABM AgencyIn this episode of The Content Cocktail Hour, Vincent DeCastro, President of ABM Agency, explains the foundations of Account-Based Marketing (ABM) and why it’s a game changer for B2B marketers. He walks through the process of building focused target account lists and outlines the importance of aligning your ABM efforts with business objectives. Vincent also highlights the value of first-party intent data in understanding when an account is truly in-market, and shares advice on how to successfully align sales and marketing teams. Lastly, he offers a thoughtful perspective on why third-party intent data can be unreliable.In this episode, you’ll learn:The steps to building an effective ABM strategyWhy first-party intent data is key to ABM successHow to align sales and marketing around ABM goalsResources:Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-gandolf/ Check out The Juice HQ: https://www.thejuicehq.com/ Connect with Vincent on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincentdecastro/Check out ABM Agency:https://abmagency.com/Timestamps(00:00) Intro(03:19) The rise and misconceptions of ABM(06:53) Effective ABM strategies(09:30) Building a target account list for ABM(11:57) Reverse engineering in ABM(13:21) Who should own ABM?(15:02) In-house vs. outsourced ABM(15:31) ABM maturity model(18:24) The role of third-party intent data

"That's how everyone should approach working with AI SDRs. You have to experiment. There is no rule of thumb on how to build things when you're launching AI outreach," says Alina Karnaukh, Head of Marketing at AiSDRIn this episode of The Content Cocktail Hour, Alina Karnaukh, Head of Marketing at AiSDR, shares how AI SDR technology is transforming sales and marketing efforts. Alina talks about the rise of AI-powered sales agents, the balance between human SDRs and automation, and how AiSDR uses AI to scale outreach while keeping campaigns personal. She also highlights the importance of experimentation and how marketers can refine their strategies in a fast-paced industry.In this episode, you’ll learn:How AI SDRs can streamline sales outreach and save time on repetitive tasks The balance between human SDR personalization and AI automation Strategies for experimenting and scaling AI-powered marketing campaigns Resources:Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-gandolf/ Check out The Juice HQ: https://www.thejuicehq.com/ Connect with Alina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alinakarnaukh/Check out AiSDR: https://aisdr.com/Timestamps(00:00) Intro(02:43) Exploring the world of AI SDRs(05:11) Why AiSDR still values the work of human SDRs(10:50) How AiSDR creates their own marketing content(19:56) Tips to getting started with AI SDRs(21:05) Creating standout content by being vulnerable

“We believe that education is a tool for growth, whether that be personal growth, professional growth, growth of a business or growth of a person. And that's the umbrella that we sit under,” says Christie Horsman, VP of Marketing at ThinkificIn this episode of The Content Cocktail Hour, Christie Horsman, VP of Marketing at Thinkific, explains how customer education can play a key role in growing your funnel. She shares how Thinkific strategically uses long-form content and repurposes it to maximize its value. Christie also highlights Thinkific’s unique branding approach and emphasizes why focusing on quality over quantity in content creation is the smarter way to go.In this episode, you’ll learn:How customer education impacts every stage of the funnelStrategies to make your content do more with lessUsing courses as a content format for brandsResources:Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-gandolf/ Check out The Juice HQ: https://www.thejuicehq.com/ Connect with Christie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christie-e-horsman/Check out Thinkific: https://www.thinkific.com/Timestamps:(00:00) Christie and her work at Thinkific(04:28) How customer education affects your funnel(12:06) Creating content with many use cases(17:20) Thinkific's branding and sub-branding strategy(25:17) Your content needs to do the heavy lifting

“It was just a nightmare operationally to pack boxes and go to the post office. And so I dreamed of a better solution and here we are today. And we've had almost 300 million spent on our platform,” says Kris Rudeegraap, Co-CEO & Co-Founder at SendosoIn this episode of The Content Cocktail Hour, Kris Rudeegraap, Co-CEO & Co-Founder at Sendoso, discusses how gifting can be a game-changer in your outbound marketing strategy. He explores why outbound marketing remains relevant and how personalized gifting can strengthen customer engagement. Kris also explains how Sendoso helps both small and large businesses streamline their gifting efforts, while also addressing the impact of AI in improving marketing efficiency.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why gifting works as a key outbound strategy for marketersHow AI is transforming outbound marketing and the SDR roleWays to simplify gifting operations for companies of all sizesResources:Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-gandolf/ Check out The Juice HQ: https://www.thejuicehq.com/ Connect with Kris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rudeegraap/Check out Sendoso: https://www.sendoso.com/Timestamps:(00:00) Intro(01:43) Loving the pain point that you’re solving(07:41) Gifting and direct mail post-pandemic(11:35) How outbound continues to change with AI(15:38) Why gifting isn’t a silver bullet(18:25) The secret power of product marketing in B2B

"When the leaders are hands-on, the teams go faster, their companies grow faster, and they get the respect from their team," says Manoj Ramnani, Founder & CEO at SalesIntelIn this episode of The Content Cocktail Hour, Manoj Ramnani, Founder & CEO at SalesIntel, discusses the latest trends in go-to-market strategies and the impact of founder-led growth. He explains SalesIntel’s approach to budget allocation and highlights the importance of staying actively involved in both content and product development. Manoj also offers a clear perspective on the growing Martech landscape and how leaders can find the best strategies to make their companies grow.In this episode, you’ll learnHow staying involved as a founder, especially in content creation and product development, can lead to more effective go-to-market strategiesSalesIntel’s approach to allocating its go-to-market budgetWays to build a strong and robust pipelineResources:Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-gandolf/ Check out The Juice HQ: https://www.thejuicehq.com/ Connect with Manoj on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manojramnani/Check out SalesIntel: https://salesintel.io/Timestamps(00:00) Meet Manoj Ramnani, CEO of Sales Intel(05:06) SalesIntel’s strategy for allocating its go-to-market budget(08:50) The strength of founder-led growth(09:58) Why Manoj stays involved in SalesIntel’s code and engineering(12:12) Is the B2B and data market truly crowded?

"If AI is making your work more creative and more beautiful, get on board," says Jen Rapp, Chief Marketing Officer at SupersideIn this episode of The Content Cocktail Hour, Jen Rapp, Chief Marketing Officer at Superside, discusses the future of B2B marketing, emphasizing the importance of creativity and AI in creating more engaging content. Jen explains how businesses can shift away from traditional, cold approaches by learning from B2C and D2C brands, making their content more human and relatable. She also shares insights from her time at Patagonia and discusses the role of AI in improving operational efficiency.In this episode, you’ll learn:Integrating AI into your work and how it can boost operational efficiencyWhy you should start creating content like B2C and D2C brandsAI isn't a replacement for human creativity but a tool that enhances itResources:Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-gandolf/ Check out The Juice HQ: https://www.thejuicehq.com/ Connect with Jen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-rapp-3234aa10/Check out Superside:https://www.superside.com/Timestamps(00:00) Jen’s work at Patagonia and background(07:40) “Creative is the new targeting”(11:54) How AI boosts efficiency and creativity(17:08) Repurposing content using AI(25:08) What B2B can learn from B2C and D2C brands

"Now more than ever, personalizing content experiences, personalizing marketing, showing people that you know them, and making sure that the stuff that you put out couldn't have been put out by anyone else is critical," says Jeff Coyle, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at MarketMuseIn this episode of The Content Cocktail Hour, Jeff Coyle, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at MarketMuse, talks about how marketers can create standout content by combining AI-driven insights with human creativity. We also discuss why understanding your audience is more critical than ever in the age of AI and discuss how content quality is evolving with emerging technologies.In this episode, you’ll learnThe cost of building and commoditizing AIWhy personalizing your content and demonstrating a deep understanding about your audience can make all the difference in content creation and marketingInsights on MarTech and how this can influence content creation, quality, and strategies in the futureResources:Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-gandolf/ Check out The Juice HQ: https://www.thejuicehq.com/ Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffcoyle/Check out MarketMuse:https://www.marketmuse.com/Timestamps(00:00) Intro(09:04) Pros and cons of being an early AI adopter(16:50) The cost of building AI tech, Commoditizing AI(17:34) How content quality will evolve as we adopt new tech(23:07) Good or bad, all content matters(24:07) If you’re a good writer, you’re the most important person in the room(29:33) OpenAI’s path to a trillion-dollar future