How do you vet a marketing professional in an ethical way. There’s a challenge in the hiring market today, for folks who want to hire qualified folks and understand their qualifications, without asking for free work. It often comes down to conversations with the marketer to understand their skillset and where your need overlap. For an early stage startup it can often be disappointing to hire a marketer with a specific skillset, when you aren’t sure are on what kind of skillset you need. Early stage startups, might want to consider a full-stack marketer.A good way to find marketers it so listen to them on podcasts, and hear what they think about complex marketing problems and interested issues they’ve overcome. Or opt for a short-term project where you can see the marketers skill set, and understand their strengths and work ethic. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.marketingretro.com

Josh is on his marketing tour-networking with a lot of marketers as he looks to fill a potential role on his team.Most startups will need a fCMO to be a person who can devise a strategy while also executing their ideas. What are some things a qualified fCMO must have:* Can navigate multiple marketing channels.* Understands analytics and can tie marketing channels to revenue.* Knows how to internally sell initiatives.* Can implement new campaigns and monitor success. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.marketingretro.com

Josh and Adrienne talk about what the current economy looks like and how it can impact marketers, especially those in B2B SaaS. As a caveat, Josh and Adrienne are not market experts and are not giving any advice. We’re two people being impacted and want to share our perspectives.Some thoughts on how to operate in weird times:* Rent space where you can. As a business owner operating at odd times, hire long-term contractors before hiring full-time in-house. * Don’t keep up with the Jones’* Follow your own customers and their demands.Key Takeaway:Get your house in order. Know your metrics, numbers, and customers. p.s. We recorded this episode last week, before the SVB collapse. That would have changed a lot of what we said, but we wanted to share the episode and our thoughts on this current market because the final takeaway is still important. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.marketingretro.com

Right offer, right price... We’ve been thinking a lot about value exchange in different circumstances. So often, marketers ask their customers or audience members to pay a price, but don’t consider if the content is worth it. Josh and Adrienne talk about value exchanges in marketing and how to really make it worth it, no matter the price. Places where a commitment is requiredExamples* Demo request* Gated content* PurchaseMotivation- the audience may want what you have, but they aren’t sure if it’ll be worth the price they pay* What's on the other side of the offer?It’s not the gate that people hate, it’s the crappy content on the other side. If the marketer provides something amazing, then an email address feels like a no-brainer.Friction* Examples* Email address* Other fields* Trade-off* Lose volume some people* Qualifier for right peopleExamples We’ve Seen WorkGated Content* Downloadable content* Quiz* Email Drip coursesConsultants ( Fixed Cost Analysis - Low Commit) Example* https://www.linkedin.com/in/heyrobk/* https://hdwy.notion.site/hdwy/Get-feedback-on-your-homepage-from-Product-Marketing-experts-ba81f2d246ca4b2aa43d07ef9c40e01f* https://twitter.com/jdnoc* Grow your business with SEO - Rank To Sell This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.marketingretro.com

Adrienne and Josh chat about how marketing teams can use frameworks to produce quality assets that help achieve internal goals. What is a framework?A system that clarifies thinking and provides parameters for thinking.Some Favorite Frameworks:* Hubspot’s Flywheel* Jobs-to-be-done* Skyscraper TechniqueSome downfalls of frameworks:* the context to be the right fit for the framework.* Be ok to bend the rules of the framework.* Sometimes the outputs aren’t determined * When it’s heavily restrictive, you may have a template, not a frameworkIdentify the problem, then chose a framework to help you achieve your outcomes. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.marketingretro.com

The 42/Agency Process was a different approach to putting together a “thought-piece” in their newsletter. Josh and Adrienne take a look at how the team takes what feels like a casual conversation and turned it into high-value content.Ways 42/Agency Created a Thought-Leadership Piece:* Approached the interview as a conversation and somewhat open-ended.* Listen to the conversation and let it direct the narrative of the content rather than looking for points to back up an already-established narrative.* The in-depth nuanced style content takes longer, but will be much more valued in the world of AI written content. * Can a brand have the long term viewpoint on content creation?* Find some great journalists to help with content. Great examples of companies creating content in a different way:* Sparktoro * Databox This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.marketingretro.com

Josh and Adrienne talk about the nuance of content repurposing. There are social norms and rules that people have created for themselves about what is acceptable about content repurposing and what is not acceptable. The Two Ways People View Social Media* Want to create community and see social media as a conversation.* See social media as a billboard that doesn’t require interaction and engagement.What works to build your social following:* Have a good hook* Create quality* Share on the right platformsAt the end of the day, we acknowledge that creating content is hard. And it’s always best to use that content in as many ways as you possible can. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.marketingretro.com

Josh and Adrienne ask what it takes when bringing on new team members and how people work best.The first thing to consider is, “do I need this person to do things exactly the way I do them?” Or “Do I need this person to execute exactly the way I do, and replace me when needed?” * When hiring someone new understand how they work best.* Set clear expectations on how you work best. * What’s your best method for communication?* What’s your M.O.?* Is there such thing as a culture fit. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.marketingretro.com

Adrienne and Josh talk about their favorite ecommerce and CPG brands. And dive into how great brands create an experience that creates a feeling of how the consumer wants to feel. * Customer experience is one of the great differentiators for brands. * Influencers can create trust for brands if the brand hasn’t built trust on its own. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.marketingretro.com

How do align marketing assets when resources are low? Taking advantage of all of your resources will be a valuable skill as B2B SaaS marketers navigate through the current economy. * You likely have more assets within your organization than you’re aware of.* Aligning marketing assets with current needs and resonance within the organization* Share assets across the organizationCategories of Assets Josh mentionsTalent / People Skills* Founders / Team members* Examples .. Tactical skills * Thought Leadership Content Marketing* SEO* Copywriting for Landing Pages* Technical writing* Demand Generation* B2B Social Media* Product Design UI/UX* Product Management* Customer Advocacy* Customer Systems + Integration Workflows (CRMs, CMS, Zapier)* Email Newsletter/Publication Communication Writing to Customers & Prospects* Customer Interviews* Product Launches* Video Content Creation* People Management* Project Management* Partnership Management* Creating frameworks for explaining conceptsDistribution - Access to people* Email lists* Customers* Newsletter subscribers* Communities?* SEO Traffic* Social Media Following* Networks (people) * Partnerships/Friends....* Side of a truck* Side of building Content* Quizzes* PDFs* Calculators* "Universities / learning centers"* Hubspot AcademyAccess to Insights* Sales team (recordings) a la gong?* CRM data* Product usage data* Aggregate customer data This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.marketingretro.com

Josh shares one of his favorite marketing strategies: finding underutilized real estate in Referral Rock’s marketing.What does underutilized real estate mean? It’s when marketing is found in unexpected but intentional places.Obvious Marketing Places:* Home Page* Landing Pages* Social Media* NewsletterUnderutilized Marketing Places:* Customer Onboarding* Email footers* After form pages- demo request, white paper, lead magnet, etc* “powered by” brand* Zoom links and backgrounds* Social Media bios This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.marketingretro.com

Josh tells us why he took a homepage conversion course. He tells us about his buying process, how this impulse buy was perfect timing and how he was nurtured through the buying process.Josh’s takeaways from the live course:* How your team should be set up and structured* Breakout rooms with a similar focus* Hero section should answer- what is the product? who is for? why is better?* Have a clear CTA* Ignore established companies’ homepages* Examples of following the CTA. Walk through the customer experience on your own.* Ugly footers are ok.* Josh took the course as a calendar block to make corrections to his own site This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.marketingretro.com

Adrienne shares her thoughts about launching in general. * Always work from the end to the beginning.* What’s the main goal?* Who are we talking to?* Where do those people hang out?* What’s a good timeline for launch that doesn’t exhaust your audience, and builds excitement?* Josh challenges the idea of a launch of an evergreen podcast.* Isn’t people’s attention sparse? If you’ve got their attention during the “launch” shouldn’t you just share the podcast?* Momemtun is important.* Ideas to boost engagement, but not tease This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.marketingretro.com

Josh and Adrienne share what’s on their Christmas wish list this year! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.marketingretro.com

A company’s newsletter strategy is one of the most obvious pieces of marketing to your audience. What is Josh’s approach at Referral Rock?* different teams own different announcements within the company* try to stay top of mind with low cadence and not product-specific emails* Josh tells the story of “Word of Mouth”* How does Josh create predictability and consistency with a newsletter?Adrienne’s Newsletter Thoughts* Curated newsletters make it easier to create consistency* Newsletters should not be a low funnel and try to sell* Does your newsletter topic have enough breadth to be a consistent newsletter?* What’s a good newsletter cadence? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.marketingretro.com

In this episode, Josh and Adrienne talk about Adrienne’s most recent messaging shift, and what new offerings she has coming. * Adrienne shares how she started doing marketing research and Best Buyer Persona. * The big mistake she made by naming it “Best Buyer Persona”* The advice to marinate in the problem* How to shift messaging and let go of your “brand” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.marketingretro.com

Josh and Adrienne are both parents of young children and discuss their challenges, concerns, and approaches to allowing their kids online. We’re curious, are we too conservative? Or is our approach just right? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.marketingretro.com

In this episode, Josh and Adrienne share their origin story in more detail and how to create a systemized approach to following up. We found that often, following up is made to be much more complicated and intrusive than it actually is. We’re curious, what kind of following-up system works for you? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.marketingretro.com

How Brand Makes Our Buying Decisions for us.* Josh and Adrienne talk about brand as an ecosystem. * Brand can make your product decisions for you.What makes something a “brand”* Can you be a brand early on?* Do we consider ourselves a brandIs Brand created internally by the company or externally from the consumers?When do you know you’re a brand?Does Brand relate to BTC or can B2B SaaS have a brand?What’s the difference between a brand and a business? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.marketingretro.com

Pre-Market vs Post-Market Fit Approach to Content Marketing2:13- The founder must make content marketing a priority.4:15- Sales vs brand and content5:30- What is product market fit?6:24- Thought-leadership content (ugh..cringe)11:30- Referral Rock’s strategy in the early days13:30- Should a founder practice their business messaging on their personal brand?18:45- Turning a founder anecdote into a post19:45: The founder will never regret building a personal brand This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.marketingretro.com