In this episode of "Women in B2B Marketing," host Jane Serra interviews Margot Kashuba Lee, CMO at Belkins. Margot shares her unique career path from finance to marketing, driven by her passion for social media and community building. She discusses the importance of her finance background in shaping data-driven marketing strategies and bridging the gap between finance and marketing. Margot also highlights her approach to building high-performing teams, emphasizing soft skills and team chemistry.

Margot and Jane talk through:

• Margot's transition from finance to marketing and her discovery of marketing strategies.
• The impact of her finance background on her role as a CMO and her approach to numbers and data-driven marketing.
• Building the right team and team structure to achieve company goals.
• Revenue-driving and demand strategies, including an omnichannel approach, account-based marketing, and thought leadership content.
• Challenges in measuring ABM campaigns and the tools used for tracking and analytics.
• Tracking the impact of omnichannel approach on cold email response rates and the importance of historical data for comparison.
• The changing landscape of cold email outreach and the need for personalized, validated databases and deliverability tools.

Key Links:

Guest: Margaret (Margot) Kashuba Lee - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leemargarita/

Host: Jane Serra - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/

In this episode of "Women in B2B Marketing," host Jane Serra engages with Maggie Blume, a Deliverability Consultant at The Luster Group, to delve into the intricacies of email deliverability in the B2B sector. Maggie shares her journey from an introverted accountant to a successful sales professional, emphasizing the power of active listening and asking insightful questions. The discussion covers essential deliverability strategies, such as avoiding spam words, warming up new domains, and the importance of segmentation. Maggie also highlights the value of collaboration between sales and marketing and encourages women to embrace opportunities and build personal brands.

Maggie and Jane discuss:

• Maggie's introverted nature and how it has become a strength in her sales career.
• The value of active listening and asking good questions in sales conversations.
• The importance of focusing on the prospect's needs rather than pushing a personal agenda.
• Understanding the significance of email deliverability for sales and marketing, and its impact on open rates.
• Key steps to improve deliverability, including consulting with software providers and IT teams.
• The impact of subscriber engagement on deliverability and the importance of managing subscriber lists effectively.
• The process of warming up a new domain to make it appear more human and improve email deliverability.
• Collaboration between sales and marketing, and how support content can lead to more leads.

Key Links:

Guest: Maggie Blume - https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggieblume/

Host: Jane Serra - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/

In this episode of "Women in B2B Marketing," host Jane Serra interviews Catherine Solazzo, CMO at Syntax. Catherine shares her career journey, starting as an intern at IBM and evolving into leadership roles. She discusses the challenges and strategies involved in leading marketing transformation, emphasizing the importance of trust, data-driven decision-making, and agile methodologies. Catherine also highlights her expanded responsibilities, including inside sales and sales operations, and reflects on her aspirations beyond the CMO role.

Jane and Catherine discuss:

• Differences between public company and private equity ownership in terms of flexibility, focus, and historical processes
• Challenges and strategies in setting a marketing foundation, establishing expectations, and gaining buy-in for transformation
• Importance of trust and collaboration in leadership - and why she never misses a deadline
• Shifting from reliance on sentiment to data
• Use of agile frameworks and methodologies in marketing transformation
• Integration of technology and tools for an efficient and collaborative work environment
• The reasoning behind Catherine's expanded CMO role to include inside sales and sales ops functions
• Catherine's participation in the Marketing Academy fellowship program and the valuable experiences and learnings gained from it
• Contemplation of transitioning into a CEO role after CMO
• The importance of self-analysis and finding one's identity and purpose

Key Links:

Guest: Catherine Solazzo - https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-solazzo/

Host: Jane Serra - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/

The Marketing Academy - https://themarketingacademy.org/us/the-fellowship/

In this episode of "Women in B2B Marketing," host Jane Serra interviews Alessandra Colaci, an AI consultant and founder of Humans Plus AI. Alessandra shares her journey from B2C to B2B marketing and her transition into AI. They discuss the practical applications of AI tools like ChatGPT, emphasizing the importance of providing context and experimenting with different approaches. Alessandra offers insights on managing AI initiatives, handling sensitive data, and integrating AI strategically into marketing efforts. She also highlights the need for continuous learning, ethical considerations, and embracing mistakes as part of the growth process in AI and marketing.

Alessandra walks us through:

• Starting with AI tools like ChatGPT and providing context for AI
• Guardrails for using AI, privacy, and handling sensitive data
• Her clients' approach to AI initiatives and guidance on leveraging AI efficiently
• Potential of AI in marketing and its impact on business relationships
• Leveraging AI for data analysis in marketing, including product marketing
• Practical advice on managing logistics for AI analysis and providing context for accurate analysis
• Use of AI tools like Midjourney, Magnifique, and Perplexity for image creation and data analysis
• Ethical considerations and biases in AI, diversity and inclusion in training data
• Continuous learning, experimentation, and embracing mistakes for growth and success in AI and marketing landscape

Key Links:

Guest: Alessandra Colaci - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessandraco/

Host: Jane Serra - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/

Humans + AI: https://humansplus.ai/

In this episode of "Women in B2B Marketing," host Jane Serra welcomes Allyson Havener, SVP of Marketing and Community at TrustRadius. Allyson shares insights from the B2B Buying Disconnect report by TrustRadius and Pavilion. She emphasizes the value of leveraging customer reviews, original content, and proprietary research to build brand trust and influence buyer decisions. Allyson also highlights the growing role of millennials and Gen Z in the B2B buying process and the significance of balancing positive and negative feedback.

Allyson and Jane discuss:

• Leveraging customer reviews and original content in B2B marketing
• Significance of easy access to product information for buyers
• Growing influence of millennials and Gen Z in the B2B buying process
• The growth of buying committees in the enterprise and the shrinking buying groups in the mid-market and SMB segments
• The top three factors that make buyers more likely to purchase
• Building brand trust through review strategies
• Leveraging proprietary research for marketing strategy and to build brand authority
• TrustRadius' goal of driving consumption of the report to change industry perceptions
• Embracing mistakes and learning from them for personal and professional growth

Key Links:

Guest: Allyson Havener - https://www.linkedin.com/in/allyson-havener/

Host: Jane Serra - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/

2024 B2B Buying Disconnect Report: The Year of the Brand Crisis

In this episode of "Women in B2B Marketing," host Jane Serra welcomes Brianna Doe, Founder & CEO at Verbatim. Brianna delves into how she built her "portfolio career," revealing her creative passions and her role as a guiding light on LinkedIn, where she created a job board to help others. The conversation touches on her organizational strategies, the nuances of B2B influencer marketing, and the importance of clear communication with influencers to ensure campaign success.

Brianna walks through:

• balancing multiple roles and the importance of a well-structured schedule
• the concept of a portfolio career and how to pursue multiple passions professionally
• stigma and nuances of job hopping in the corporate world
• strategies for staying organized and managing various projects and time effectively
• leveraging SOPs - standard operating procedure docs - to scale
• challenges and opportunities in B2B influencer marketing
• establishing clear goals and metrics with influcner partnerships and collaborations
• setting boundaries and seeking mentorship in the early stages of a marketing career

Key Links:

Guest: Brianna Doe - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianna-doe/

Host: Jane Serra - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/

Verbatim - https://www.weareverbatim.com/

Brianna's Site - https://www.briannadoe.com/

Stop the Scroll - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stop-the-scroll-w-brianna-doe/id1732308502

In this episode of "Women in B2B Marketing," host Jane Serra sits down with Tara Robertson, Head of Demand Gen at Chili Piper, for a rich discussion on the intersection of brand and demand generation. Tara shares her marketing journey, emphasizing the importance of brand strength, sales alignment, and the power of collaboration for successful marketing initiatives.

They explore the value of honest feedback, the role of influencers in content creation, and the challenges of traditional email nurturing. Tara also highlights Chili Piper's selective hiring process, the benefits of a global remote team, and their unique "ABM lite" strategy.

Tara and Jane discuss:

• The importance of brand in demand generation
• Alignment and collaboration between marketing and sales teams
• Collecting and encouraging honest feedback - even anecdotal
• Documenting feedback, especially for events and sponsorships
• The shift in influencer collaboration from distribution to early involvement in content creation, with an example of successful collaboration
• Limitations of traditional email nurturing and the move towards retargeting on LinkedIn as a non-traditional approach'
• The need for diverse event locations
• Hiring and building a strong team at Chili Piper
• Remote work setup and its impact on team collaboration
• Integration of account-based marketing (ABM) and demand generation
• Evolution of the B2B marketing landscape
• Advice for young marketers to start sharing their thoughts and ideas

Key Links:

Guest: Tara Robertson - https://www.linkedin.com/in/taraarobertson/

Host: Jane Serra - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/

In this episode of "Women in B2B Marketing," host Jane Serra is joined by Melissa Moody and Nycole Walsh to dissect their "Balancing the Boardroom" research report. They delve into gender equity in leadership, the impact of societal norms on women's career choices, and the balancing act of family and work life. The conversation reveals generational shifts in leadership aspirations and the hurdles women face in seeking speaking opportunities.

Emphasizing the need for systemic change and allyship, the speakers share personal stories and stress the importance of language in shaping gender roles. They conclude with empowering advice for women to trust their inner voice and challenge stereotypes, urging listeners to spread the word and continue the dialogue for a more inclusive professional landscape.

Nycole and Melissa help us unpack:

• The importance of addressing disparities in leadership representation for women
• Generational differences in attitudes towards leadership roles
• The impact of childhood messaging on women's confidence and career choices
• Challenges women face in balancing family and professional responsibilities
• Gender gaps in applying for speaking opportunities and societal conditioning
• The importance of raising awareness and promoting events to prioritize diversity and inclusion
• Being mindful of language and stereotypes when it comes to parenting and gender roles
• Embracing the "second voice" for personal growth and decision-making
• Encouraging women to challenge gender stereotypes and pursue their goals with confidence

Key Links:

Guests:

Nycole Walsh - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nycole-walsh/

Melissa Moody - https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissammoody/

Host: Jane Serra - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/

Balancing the Boardroom - https://www.wednesdaywomen.org/post/balancing-the-boardroom-2024