The CMO’s Silver Linings Playbook

2020 has not been easy for anyone. In this episode, Drew reflects on the personal and professional challenges faced by marketing leaders, and how they’ve overcome adversity to build better, more empathetic B2B organizations that are dedicated to making the world a better place.

As the great Ben Franklin once said, “Out of adversity comes opportunity.” From how #WFH has changed the way we work to what CMOs plan on doing differently in 2021, this special Thanksgiving episode is filled with silver linings and insights from a wide range of inspiring B2B CMOs.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

  • Silver Linings from the challenges of 2020
  • How CMOs can reinvent the way we do business
  • Tips for marketing leaders in 2021

For full show notes and transcript: https://bit.ly/2UY61QG

Litmus Testing Your Email Marketing Strategy

This September, Litmus released the results of its latest state of email survey: 77% of marketers say email is one of their most effective channels, and 78% suggest that it’s been vital to their overall success. This should come as no surprise, especially given that Litmus surveys have also found email has a staggeringly high return on investment: $42 ROI for every $1 spent.

The survey came out with the launch of Litmus’ first-ever Litmus Live Everywhere, a free, virtual event to replace their in-person one (which typically costs ~$1500, by the way), as well as a new product and certification program. Needless to say, Litmus has been busy.

In this episode, CMO Melissa Sargeant joins Drew to discuss all things email marketing, like how Litmus markets to marketers, common mistakes, and why batch and blast is dead. This episode is jam-packed with insights from the CMO of one of the leading email marketing tools of today. Don’t miss it!

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

  • How email marketing can inform your marketing mix
  • How Litmus markets to marketers
  • Common email marketing mistakes

For full show notes and transcript: https://bit.ly/3ffL7G1

How CMOs Can Hire Smarter in 2021

Any B2B or B2C organization is only as good as its team, so it may be surprising to hear that the hiring process hasn’t really changed for the last decade. In fact, 9 out of 10 CMOs say they aren’t doing anything different when it comes to building their marketing squads.

It’s high time for that to change; it’s time to bring all of the tools available in MarTech over to the people side of the house. In this episode, Aptology CMO Caroline Tien-Spalding joins us to talk all things employee hiring. Tune in to hear why understanding behavior at work is essential, how Caroline built a CRO advisory board to help drive content, and how hiring right can boost revenue across the board. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

  • Why B2B and B2C brands need to update their hiring processes
  • How Aptology matches employees to companies
  • How CMOs can hire better

For full show notes and transcript: https://bit.ly/32Bo0AQ

Marketing a Complete B2B Transformation

Shifting an entire B2B organization from a traditional to a cloud-based selling motion is no walk in the park. Throw in a global pandemic and a sweeping digital transformation, and you’ve got yourself a real marketing challenge. CMO James Whitemore and his team at NetApp were up to the task, ripping up their marketing playbook and transforming business from the inside out.

James tells all in this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite, sharing how the company has shifted to a real-time marketing approach that enables sales teams to close quickly, as well as how it revamped its messaging with humor and grit to engage and entertain a new audience of potential users. With NetApp’s 180% plus YoY growth in cloud services, 5-day sales cycles, and messaging campaigns that have significantly increased click-through-rates, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

  • NetApp’s transformation from traditional to cloud-based services
  • How to enable sales during today’s digital transformation
  • How NetApp’s messaging combines grit and humor

For full show notes and transcript: https://bit.ly/389z5wu

Making B2B Marketing More Social

As a multi-disciplined, multi-functional channel, social deserves a seat at every B2B brand’s strategic table. A robust social strategy does more than just drive brand awareness, it also can also generate leads, attract talent, and build a strong employee culture with far-reaching effects. Don’t take just our word for it though—this week’s guest is Jamie Gilpin, the CMO of Sprout Social, a leading social media management platform, and she’s here to discuss all things social.

From why the C-Suite needs to be on social to why you need more than just a “Twintern” to manage your social channels, this episode is chock full of insights about common B2B social media mistakes and specific B2B social media success. Jamie not only shares how social plays an important role in Sprout Social’s marketing mix, she also addresses how social listening has informed successful marketing motions and driven revenue. Check it out!

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

  • Why B2B brands need to take social seriously
  • How Sprout Social drives revenue from social channels
  • Common social media mistakes for B2B marketers

For full show notes and transcript: https://bit.ly/34H5V5P

B2B Partnerships That Matter

Renegade Thinkers Unite has moved to renegade.com! As a subscriber, you should have received an email with the subject line ‘Activate your Email Subscription to Renegade Thinkers Unite’. It may be buried in your inbox, or even the spam folder, but if you click the link in that email, you’ll continue getting notifications when each week’s new episode is published.

Like many B2B companies, K2 Software has really zeroed in on what makes its low-code process automation platform mission-critical for its customers. Unlike many B2B companies, K2 had already started shifting its strategy and messaging in 2019, months before the far-reaching effects of COVID were on anybody’s radar. In the scramble to prove that its product or service is essential during a downturn, K2 was ahead of the game.

In this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite, K2 CMO Carlos Carvajal shares how the company’s recent brand transformation and various internal and customer partnerships have helped them navigate the challenges of 2020 and transform automation for the better. Be sure to tune in to hear about the success of K2’s virtual event, the launch of a new sub-brand, how K2 celebrates customer success, and more.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

  • Why K2 transformed into a mission-critical brand (pre-COVID)
  • How K2’s marketing strategy is generating revenue
  • Why B2B customer partnerships and product partnerships matter

For full show notes and transcript: https://bit.ly/3jq1mRb