Top 3 for Tech Marketers

In this conversation, Jason and Renee discuss his top 3 benefits of digital marketing for the channel. Their conversation includes the need to rethink channel marketing due to Covid-19, and the inherent value a paid advertising brings to VARS, distributors, and OEMs alike.

Sangram Vajre literally wrote the book (two of them) on account-based marketing (ABM): Account-Based Marketing for Dummies and ABM Is B2B: Why B2B Marketing and Sales Is Broken and How to Fix It. He also founded the #FlipMyFunnel movement, hosts the daily #FlipMyFunnel podcast, and is the co-founder of Terminus, a leader in account-based marketing. In founding Terminus, Sangram established account-based marketing as a category then proceeded to grow the firm to 200 people in less than five years, earning a spot on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 list. ABM’s popularity is growing steadily because it works. Sangram was the obvious choice when we needed someone to join the podcast and examine why ABM works and what sets it apart from traditional marketing approaches. In this conversation Sangram shares his Top 3 Things the C-Suite Should Know About ABM. They discuss how ABM unites sales and marketing teams by shifting focus toward engagement, how it humanizes interactions by developing hyper-targeted, personalized marketing efforts, and why organizations need to change their approach to up-serving and customer retention as a key revenue driver.

Ron Weber is an Internet Marketing veteran with more than 20 years of digital marketing experience. He’s an expert in Content Marketing, SEO, Paid Search, Display Email, and Conversion Rate Optimization, but has proficiency in just about everything digital that can drive measurable results to a business. His current roles are Agile Digital Lab Owner and Global SEM Strategist for Teradata in San Diego, California. Renee Yeager welcomed Ron to talk about the Top 3 Things to Know About SEO. Their conversation focused on three often overlooked opportunities for search engine optimization—content, design, and social media—and how marketers can get their content to the top of SERPs.

Ron Weber is an Internet Marketing veteran with more than 20 years of digital marketing experience. He’s an expert in Content Marketing, SEO, Paid Search, Display Email, and Conversion Rate Optimization, but has proficiency in just about everything digital that can drive measurable results to a business. His current roles are Agile Digital Lab Owner and Global SEM Strategist for Teradata in San Diego, California. Renee Yeager welcomed Ron to talk about the Top 3 Things to Know About SEO. Their conversation focused on three often overlooked opportunities for search engine optimization—content, design, and social media—and how marketers can get their content to the top of SERPs.

Steve Benson is the Founder & CEO of Badger Maps, a company that provides field salespeople with a mobile, map-based solution, enabling users to sell more in their territory. Steve joins Renee Yeager to share his Top 3 Steps to Improve the Marketing and Sales Funnel. During their conversation, Steve explains how executives can better increase awareness to drive more leads into the the top of the Marketing funnel. He also breaks down how to improve your demoing and overcoming objections in the middle of the funnel. Lastly, Renee and Steve discuss why it’s a huge mistake to neglect “after the close” activities, and shares specifics on tactics to make the customer more successful with your product so that they become true advocates of your product.

Lee Odden is the CEO and co-founder of TopRank Marketing and a globally recognized expert on digital marketing. His role at Top Rank involves developing new marketing offerings, consulting on strategy and advancing thought leadership on content marketing, influencer marketing, social media marketing, SEO, and a holistic view of customer-centric digital marketing. Renee Yeager was thrilled to welcome Lee to share his Top 3 Things CMOs Need to Know About Successful Influencer Marketing. They discuss how partnerships should begin with specific topic and goals in mind, as well as how to pick the right engagement model. Lee also breaks down ways to measure for effectiveness, including inputs, outputs and outcomes.

Michael Davis is the VP of Client Success at LeadMD. Michael collaborates with executives and decision makers to pinpoint business challenges within sales, marketing and system architecture to identify key opportunities for revenue growth. He also designs and prioritizes tailored strategies to accelerate business impact for high growth, mid-market, and enterprise companies in B2B and B2C environments. Renee welcomed Michael to the podcast to share his Top 3 Ways to Measure the Revenue Impact of Marketing. They discussed the importance to defining the customer lifecycle and aligning KPIs and compensation structure. They also discuss the stratospheric rise in martech, and why companies should keep their tech stack as lean as possible, buying technology last (if at all).

Matt Amundson is the VP of Marketing and Sales Development at EverString. He joins Renee Yeager to share his Top 3 Ways Account Selection Can Help Streamline Your Revenue Team.   In this episode, Renee and Matt cover tactical and actionable advice for marketing, sales development and sales teams to hit the ground running with as things move down the funnel. Specifically, they break down ways Marketing can use data to align on target accounts with sales and use intent and buying signals to run targeted ad campaigns. Matt shares how Sales Development can use lead  scores to spend more time personalizing messaging to target accounts, as well as use similar companies to reference why prospects are a good fit for a product or service. And finally they cover how Sales can use data to find businesses similar to deals that have already closed.  

Jamie Glass is the CMO and Founder of Artful Thinkers. As an experienced senior sales and marketing c-level executive, Jamie has successfully led global marketing services, operations and sales divisions for industry-leading organizations. Today she is a recognized growth advisor, strategy consultant and sales and marketing expert, and has worked with 60+ CEOs across technology, nance, consumer products, retail, learning, business services, media, healthcare industries and more.  Jamie joins Renee Yeager to share her Top 3 Strategies for Getting a Seat at the Table. Their discussion covers how CEOs and other members of the C-suite think about marketing, the importance of marketing as a growth engine, and how marketing leaders can effectively present a C-suite strategy. Renee and Jamie also discuss eliminating sales and marketing silos and using accountability, measurement and processes to show how marketing achieves results. 

Tyler Lessard is the Chief Marketing Officer at Vidyard, where he’s responsible for driving Vidyard's global marketing and partnership strategies, as well as establishing thought leadership in the areas of video and content marketing, data-driven marketing, sales and marketing alignment and customer experience.  Tyler joins Renee Yeager to share his Top 3 Ways to Use Video to Fuel Your B2B Marketing Strategy. During their discussion, Tyler breaks down how to build awareness and interest using top of the funnel videos, how to fuel demand gen efforts in the middle of the funnel to quality and progress opportunities, and how to unleash the power of video to empower your sales team. Renee and Tyler also discuss how to incorporate video as a way to build more person connections and stand out from the competition.

Tyler Lessard is the Chief Marketing Officer at Vidyard, where he’s responsible for driving Vidyard's global marketing and partnership strategies, as well as establishing thought leadership in the areas of video and content marketing, data-driven marketing, sales and marketing alignment, and customer experience. Tyler joins Renee Yeager to share his Top 3 Ways to Use Video to Fuel Your B2B Marketing Strategy. During their discussion, Tyler breaks down how to build awareness and interest using top of the funnel videos, how to fuel demand gen efforts in the middle of the funnel to quality and progress opportunities, and how to unleash the power of video to empower your sales team. Renee and Tyler also discuss how to incorporate video as a way to build more personal connections and stand out from the competition.

Jamie Glass is the CMO and Founder of Artful Thinkers. As an experienced senior sales and marketing c-level executive, Jamie has successfully led global marketing services, operations and sales divisions for industry-leading organizations. Today she is a recognized growth advisor, strategy consultant and sales and marketing expert, and has worked with 60+ CEOs across technology, nance, consumer products, retail, learning, business services, media, healthcare industries and more. Jamie joins Renee Yeager to share her Top 3 Strategies for Getting a Seat at the Table. Their discussion covers how CEOs and other members of the C-suite think about marketing, the importance of marketing as a growth engine, and how marketing leaders can effectively present a C-suite strategy. Renee and Jamie also discuss eliminating sales and marketing silos and using accountability, measurement and processes to show how marketing achieves results.

Matt Amundson is the VP of Marketing and Sales Development at EverString. He joins Renee Yeager to share his Top 3 Ways Account Selection Can Help Streamline Your Revenue Team. In this episode, Renee and Matt cover tactical and actionable advice for marketing, sales development and sales teams to hit the ground running with as things move down the funnel. Specifically, they break down ways Marketing can use data to align on target accounts with sales and use intent and buying signals to run targeted ad campaigns. Matt shares how Sales Development can use lead scores to spend more time personalizing messaging to target accounts, as well as use similar companies to reference why prospects are a good fit for a product or service. And finally they cover how Sales can use data to find businesses similar to deals that have already closed.

Shawn McKee is the head of marketing at WebPT, where his responsibilities include positioning WebPT as an innovator and thought leader in the healthcare technology industry as well as driving company growth through demand generation, member marketing and advocacy initiatives. Shawn joins host Renee to share his Top 3 Critical Pillars to Drive Demand for Your Product, including creating awareness with top of funnel content, building trust to drive engagement, and knowing your numbers to track metrics. “I think it's about building your story and the narrative at the top of the funnel that focuses on the needs of your prospects,” Shawn said. “It’s about what they want, what they need and how you're solving those problems for them.”

Shawn McKee is the head of marketing at WebPT, where his responsibilities include positioning WebPT as an innovator and thought leader in the healthcare technology industry as well as driving company growth through demand generation, member marketing and advocacy initiatives.   Shawn joins host Renee to share his Top 3 Critical Pillars to Drive Demand for Your Product, including creating awareness with top of funnel content, building trust to drive engagement, and knowing your numbers to track metrics.  “I think it's about building your story and the narrative at the top of the funnel that focuses on the needs of your prospects,” Shawn said. “It’s about what they want, what they need and how you're solving those problems for them.”

Andy Sayare is head of FlexPod Solutions Marketing at NetApp, a global enterprise storage software, systems, and services provider.  At NetApp, Andy delivers messaging, positioning, customer-facing assets and sales tools, as well as provides strategy for go-to-market activities for FlexPod, a joint converged infrastructure solution from Cisco and NetApp.    Andy joins host Renee Yeager to share his Top 3 Steps for Building Brand Awareness for Successful Tech Products, including building a website, creating content and driving traffic. With the tech product landscape a jampacked and noisy place, many buyers of tech products are learning on their own without sales people being engaged.   “As marketers, we need to help our prospects become customers and give them the information they are looking for without getting in their way,” Andy said. “One challenge is to curate and distill down what's important to your target audience.” 

Brian Hession, President and Founder of Oceanos, joins host Renee Yeager to share his Top 3 Steps to Optimizing Your ABM Contact Data, including identifying target accounts, preparing contact records and strategizing. Brian is a thought leader and innovator helping companies improve their demand generation and drive revenue. Since 2002, Oceanos has been helping companies design data management strategies that deliver smarter data, better marketing automation performance, and more revenue. Brian and Renee discuss data scoring, data cleansing and contact acquisition strategies. They also explore account identification and how data is the fuel behind successful ABM programs.

Brian Hession, President and Founder of Oceanos, joins host Renee Yeager to share his Top 3 Steps to Optimizing Your ABM Contact Data, including identifying target accounts, preparing contact records and strategizing. Brian is a thought leader and innovator helping companies improve their demand generation and drive revenue. Since 2002, Oceanos has been helping companies design data management strategies that deliver smarter data, better marketing automation performance, and more revenue. Brian and Renee discuss data scoring, data cleansing and contact acquisition strategies. They also explore account identification and how data is the fuel behind successful ABM programs.

Charlie Liang is the Director of Marketing and the first marketing hire at Engagio, where the company’s focus is Account Based Everything. Charlie is passionate about everything marketing, including innovation, engagement, technology and data. Charlie joins host Renee Yeager to share his Top 3 Hacks for Scrappy B2B Marketers, including how to do more with less, build for growth and allocate resources wisely. “Your tools are your second most important asset besides your people,” Charlie says. “Your initial set of tools can make or break your organization, so it’s important to do your due diligence when evaluating platforms. Dig into customer use cases and ask the hard questions.”

Until recently, Jim Cook was the Senior VP of Digital Strategy at Mission Data where he led digital product strategy and digital business transformation initiatives for some of the largest brands in the United States. In this episode, Jim joins host Renee Yeager to share his Top 3 Emerging Technologies for Marketers, including artificial intelligence, augmented reality and Internet of Things. They also dive into several artificial intelligence and voice technologies featured at this year’s CES show.  “From a marketer’s perspective, these technologies are going to impact their attention on the customer experience, how products are being consumed, how they’re being used and how they continue to market those products and expand them,” Jim said. This episode is a must listen for B2B marketing teams.

Charlie Liang is the Director of Marketing and the first marketing hire at Engagio, where the company’s focus is Account Based Everything. Charlie is passionate about everything marketing, including innovation, engagement, technology and data. Charlie joins host Renee Yeager to share his Top 3 Hacks for Scrappy B2B Marketers, including how to do more with less, build for growth and allocate resources wisely. “Your tools are your second most important asset besides your people,” Charlie says. “Your initial set of tools can make or break your organization, so it’s important to do your due diligence when evaluating platforms. Dig into customer use cases and ask the hard questions.”

Julie Jones is the VP of Supplier and Solutions Marketing at Avnet where she is responsible for defining and executing supplier and solutions focused marketing strategies that accelerate growth, expand market share and deliver measurable return on investments for Avnet’s suppliers and customers. Julie joins host Renee Yeager to share her Top 3 Steps for Building Alignment with Sales & Marketing Teams. The disconnect between sales and marketing is a very common problem not exclusive to the tech industry. Oftentimes, the two teams set goals the other is not aware of or agrees with. These pitfalls can negatively impact productivity, team morale and a company’s bottom line. In this podcast, Renee interviews Julie to find out how listeners can start defining goals that are mutually beneficial between both teams, implementing recurring communication cadence and committing to improvements. Plus, Julie shares insights from her more than 18 years of global business management experience including strategic marketing, strategic planning, product management and sales in the technology industry.

Amy Protexter, VP of Marketing at Insight, joins host Renee Yeager to share her Top 3 Things to Keep in Mind to Achieve a Successful Marketing Transformation, including having bold vision, having hard conversations and hiring good people (and getting out of their way). Amy is in the midst of her fifth global rebrand, so she knows a thing or two about transformation. She shares valuable insights on encouraging inspiration and helping team members find meaning in their work, and discusses fostering a unified vision amidst change to help make transitions smoother. Additionally, Amy notes that transformation can lead to tough yet valuable talks. “Some of the hardest things that I’ve ever had to hear in my career from previous bosses or mentors have been the things that have propelled by individual growth the most,” she says. Renee and Amy discuss the importance of setting expectations and trusting the good people you’ve hired so you can step aside and let them test and learn from their own failures and success.

Robin Holden-Wolf, Head of Global Alliance Marketing at NetApp, joins host Renee Yeager to share her Top 3 Strategies to Create the Ultimate Partner Marketing Experience, including lessons in developing a best-of-breed marketing plan, going global and enablement. Robin comes from an impressive background working with top technology brands including NetApp, Dell, Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, Intel and AMD. She shares what her experience taught her about relationship building and how leaders can create experiences for partners that will make them more powerful allies in the mission to achieve shared goals. “You don’t want to build something just to lead a horse to water,” Robin says. “Instead, get your partners to help you build it!” Robin also illuminates the importance of enablement as a tool to foster consistency and eliminate confusion for marketing and sales teams.

Lori Gabrielli, Sr. Director, Enterprise Segment & Global Accounts Field Marketing at VMware, joins host Renee Yeager to share her Top 3 Strategies for Leading a Team of Marketeers, including investing in employees, promoting growth and creating loyalty. Lori shares insights from her wealth of experience in marketing research, analysis and leading large organizations to shed light on how to cultivate strong, reliable teams. She discusses how to motivate different generations of employees and why investing in your team members is really about listening to them and recognizing their successes. She also dives into building loyalty and culture and how each contributes to a more productive workforce. In addition, Renee and Lori explore the future of marketing and where marketeers should be focusing their attention to ensure success as the industry progresses in the coming years.

Joy is all around us. But what’s its business value? Host Renee Yeager invited the man who wrote the book on it, Richard Sheridan, CEO of Menlo Innovations and author of Joy, Inc., to the podcast to share his Top 3 Strategies to Bring Joy to Your Customers, including transparency, culture and designs that delight users. In this podcast Richard touches on the importance of service and delight in the workplace and offers a few tactical examples for cultivating more joy for better results in business. He dives into the importance of engaging authentically with your customers, thinking of clients as an extension of your team, how company culture impacts the customer experience, and more.

Until recently, Jim Cook was the Senior VP of Digital Strategy at Mission Data where he led digital product strategy and digital business transformation initiatives for some of the largest brands in the United States. In this episode, Jim joins host Renee Yeager to share his Top 3 Emerging Technologies for Marketers, including artificial intelligence, augmented reality and Internet of Things. They also dive into several artificial intelligence and voice technologies featured at this year’s CES show. “From a marketer's perspective, these technologies are going to impact their attention on the customer experience, how products are being consumed, how they're being used and how they continue to market those products and expand them,” Jim said.

Julie Jones is the VP of Supplier Marketing at Tech Data where she is responsible for defining and executing supplier and solutions focused marketing strategies that accelerate growth, expand market share and deliver measurable return on investments for Avnet’s suppliers and customers.Julie joins host Renee Yeager to share her “Top 3 Steps for Building Alignment with Sales & Marketing Teams.” The disconnect between sales and marketing is a very common problem not exclusive to the tech industry. Oftentimes, the two teams set goals the other is not aware of or does not agree with. These pitfalls can negatively impact productivity, team morale and a company’s bottom line. In this podcast, Renee interviews Julie to find out how listeners can start defining goals that are mutually beneficial to both teams, implementing recurring communication cadence and committing to improvements. Plus, Julie shares insights from her more than 18 years of global business management experience including strategic marketing, strategic planning, product management and sales in the technology industry.

Lori Gabrielli, Sr. Director, Enterprise Segment & Global Accounts Field Marketing at VMware, joins host Renee Yeager to share her “Top 3 Strategies for Leading a Team of Marketers,” including investing in employees, promoting growth and creating loyalty. Lori shares insights from her wealth of experience in marketing research, analysis, and leading large organizations to shed light on how to cultivate strong, reliable teams. She discusses how to motivate different generations of employees and why investing in your team members is really about listening to them and recognizing their successes. She also dives into building loyalty and culture and how each contributes to a more productive workforce. In addition, Renee and Lori explore the future of marketing and where technology marketers should be focusing their attention to ensure success as the industry progresses in the coming years.

Joy is all around us. But what’s its business value? Host Renee Yeager invited the man who wrote the book on joy, Richard Sheridan, CEO of Menlo Innovations and author of Joy, Inc., to the podcast to share his “Top 3 Strategies to Bring Joy to Your Customers.”In this podcast Richard touches on the importance of creating a culture of joy within your organization and how that can translate to a differentiated experience with your brand. He dives into the importance of authentic engagement with your customers, thinking of clients as an extension of your team, how company culture impacts the brand experience, and more. This podcast is for listeners in any field who want tangible examples to enable a healthier, happier atmosphere at work—leading to the sustainable business results required for growth.

Robin Holden-Wolf, Head of Global Alliance Marketing at NetApp, joins host Renee Yeager to share her “Top 3 Strategies to Create the Ultimate Partner Marketing Experience,” including lessons in developing a best-of-breed marketing plan, going global and enablement.Robin has worked with top technology brands including NetApp, Dell, Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, Intel and AMD. She shares what she has learned about relationship building in the channel, and how leaders can create experiences for partners that will make them more powerful allies in the mission to achieve shared goals. “You don’t want to build something just to lead a horse to water,” Robin says. “Instead, get your partners to help you build it!” Robin also illuminates the importance of enablement as a tool to foster consistency and eliminate confusion for marketing and sales teams.

Amy Protexter, VP of Marketing at Insight, joins host Renee Yeager to share her “Top 3 Things to Keep in Mind to Achieve a Successful Marketing Transformation,” including having bold vision, having hard conversations, and hiring good people (and getting out of their way).Amy is in the midst of her fifth global rebrand, so she knows a thing or two about transformation. She shares valuable insights on encouraging inspiration and helping team members find meaning in their work, and discusses fostering a unified vision amidst change to help make transitions smoother. Additionally, Amy notes that transformation can lead to tough yet valuable conversations. “Some of the hardest things that I’ve ever had to hear in my career from previous bosses or mentors have been the things that have propelled by individual growth the most,” she says. Renee and Amy discuss the importance of setting expectations and trusting the good people you’ve hired so you can step aside and let them test and learn from their own failures and successes.