Author: Melissa Caffrey

“After employees, customers are the target of 2023.”  

With unrelenting pressure on B2B marketers to build pipeline, Drew Neisser’s above advice may sound unhelpful. But the reality is that you can’t have more pipeline without a strong brand embraced by employees and customers alike, especially when the CFO becomes the CFNO. 

Tune into the 330th episode of Renegade Marketers Unite, where Drew shares strategic wisdom when it comes to 2023 growth. Our special host this episode is Joe Cohen, Chief Marketing and Communication Officer at AXIS, who led the conversation for the benefit of his marketing team and generously shared it with us to air for all.   

What You’ll Learn  

• How to mine customer relationships in 2023 
• Why brand purpose is so important 
• Why employees should be your #1 target in a recession 

To the extent that you can create a self-guided buying experience, the happier your customers and potential customers will be. That’s one of the big ideas that drive Product-Led Growth (PLG for short), the topic we cover in this episode featuring CMOs Michael Callahan of Acronis and Allyson Havener of TrustRadius.  

Michael and Allyson’s insights into marketing’s role in driving PLG are a must-listen for marketers no matter who you work for and how you go to market. Tune in to learn how to optimize your PLG efforts to nurture prospects, drive adoption and upsell, and bring your B2B organization to new heights! 

What You’ll Learn  

• How to get product led growth right 
• How to nurture PLG prospects and drive upsell/adoption  
• Why self-serve products still need marketing 

On your mark… Get set… Acquire a company! 

An acquisition announcement garners a lot of excitement, but the real challenge rests in everything a company does afterwards to ensure that brand equity isn’t lost and that customers aren’t confused. Want an acquisition playbook? Here’s the kicker, no two acquisitions are the same. 

Luckily for our listeners, we have three fantastic CMOs with multiple acquisitions under their belts, here to share their strategies and best practices when it comes to effectively pivoting post-acquisition. With wisdom from Julie Feller of U.S. Legal Systems, Isabelle Papoulias of Mediafly, and Kristen Russel of symplr, this episode is not to be missed—tune in!  

What You’ll Learn  

• Why no two acquisitions are the same 
• How to effectively integrate brands post-acquisition 
• How to measure the success of an acquisition 

B2B Marketers… This is the episode to bring to your C-Suite.

It’s no secret that marketing budgets are often the first to be cut when things get tight, but Forrester analysts Barbie Mattie and Nick Buck are here with the cold hard data about why marketing spend correlates directly to business growth.

Tune in for a fascinating conversation about the implications of Forrester’s benchmarks, with guidance on budget allocation, marketing orchestration, why brand is important, and more.

This recording comes from a CMO Huddles Bonus Huddle—a private Q&A with our community of B2B CMOs where they can ask the questions that guide the conversation. If you want to get involved, you can apply at cmohuddles.com.

Speaking of CMO Huddles… CMO Huddles is now a community partner with Forrester’s B2B Summit, coming to Austin, Texas from June 5th to 7th. Huddlers will get access to preferred pricing + other exclusive benefits — if you’re a B2B CMO looking to connect with fellow CMOs and Forrester’s top-notch analysts in a very special way, join us ASAP.

What You’ll Learn  

• Forrester recommendations for budget allocation
• Why brand reputation matters
• How to get the most out of your budget in 2023

Should B2B brands commit to ESG initiatives?   

This question is one that’s debated in both public forums and behind closed C-Suite boards, and it’s one that we tackle in this episode featuring Joe Cohen, the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at AXIS. Tune in as we discuss the why AXIS has leaned into commitment to ESG, how to do it right, and what amazing things might happen if you do.  

What You’ll Learn in This Episode 

• How AXIS has committed to ESG  
• Why B2B brands shouldn’t be afraid to take a stand  
• When and why a brand should take a stand 

B2B marketers know that brand sells, but how does a CMO sell brand? 

In this episode, three CMOs share the secrets to setting up your B2B brand strategy for success. Tune in to learn how to sell brand to the board, the C-Suite, and through data—to get the internal buy-in necessary if you want your branding efforts to succeed and propel business growth. This interview’s expert insights come from:

• Pamela Herrmann (previously at OnSolve, now at SVP Marketing at Ethisphere) 
• Jamie Gier (previously CMO of Dreambox Learning, Ceros) 
• Johnny Smith, Jr. (previously at Encompass Health, now VP Comms at Roche Diagnostics) 

What You’ll Learn 

• How to sell brand to the board  
• How to sell brand to the C-Suite 
• How to measure and track brand (without breaking budget)