Renegade Thinkers Unite: Marketing Tips From Cmos And Expert Marketers

CMOs have a lot on their minds lately, so let’s get into the mind of one, shall we? Or, even better, let’s get into the mind of host Drew Neisser, as he hosts a conversation with himself (is this what it feels like to be in his head?!) on all the things CMOs are thinking about right now and how they’re solving them. Sourced from the conversations happening at CMO Huddles, Drew (and Drew) cover everything from employee retention to proving brand value to managing a messy inbox, providing useful takeaways you can implement today. After this episode, even the busiest CMO will know how to reclaim 10+ hours of their time per week (Seriously!) and work more effectively than ever. Want to learn more about our CMO Huddles community? This just skims the surface of what top B2B CMOs of today are solving together...come join us! For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

Developers don’t want to be marketed to, you say? Kerry Ok, SVP of Marketing for Auth0 is here to prove you wrong. From day one, Auth0’s marketing mandate wasn’t about building pipeline or demand gen, it was about building trust and relationships with a vibrant community that loves learning, discussion, and things that make their lives easier. Talk about renegade marketing—this episode is all about shirking traditional B2B marketing tactics in exchange for far more powerful and engaging ones (that just so happen to yield an 80% YoY increase in unaided awareness). From building a strong customer community to gamifying internal comms to getting silly with Loggie the anti-mascot, tune in for a fascinating episode about what courageous marketing really looks like. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

CMOs and marketing metric fiends–this is the episode for you. Forrester VP and Principal Analyst Ross Graber joins us on this “Bonus Huddle” episode to enlighten us on which metrics should be on every CMO dashboard–and which should be left off. He shares formulas for calculating important metrics like marketing revenue lift, how to turn seemingly flimsy marketing concepts like “value add” into a solid metric, and how CMOs can set proper expectations for their CEOs. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

SaaS is a 145 billion dollar industry that touches almost every aspect of our work lives. Even this podcast is brought to you by SaaS—a collection of 7+ tools to record, publish, and house countless marketing insights. You’d be hard-pressed to find a successful software product right now that isn’t either fully SaaS or migrating to it. There are 35,000 SaaS products from over 15,000 companies competing in over 740 vertical markets, which means there’s a noteworthy number of CMOs out there navigating a competitive market with massive growth potential. To help us understand what makes SaaS marketing such a distinct challenge are CMOs Grant Johnson of Emburse, Ali McCarthy of Skience, and former CMO of Bynder, Andrew Hally (he’s now CMO at Markforged). Tune in to hear how these CMOs have navigated the choppy waters of marketing SaaS and how they are using their past experiences to inform future decisions. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, v

As the world of influencer marketing has evolved, so has Traackr, an influencer marketing platform that’s been around since before Instagram and TikTok. In the early days, the brand was all about answering: What is influencer marketing and why should you care? Now, they’re hyper-focused on enabling word-of-mouth marketing at scale for their customers. How? Via interactive, data-driven content. In this episode, Traackr CMO Evy Lyons shares how the marketing team transformed their State of Influence report into an interactive app, creating an experience that prospects and customers couldn’t ignore. She describes the development as a “hack”—a hack that has become a vertical marketing tool with a 40%-win rate, that is. No wonder, too, as one survey found that CMOs who invest in interactive content are 72% more likely to meet or exceed their sales and marketing targets. Tune into this episode to learn more about what it takes to develop a B2B marketing strategy that proves business value, enables sales, and engage

For many B2B companies, the sales process is broken yet the solution is remarkably simple. It’s time to treat buyers as collaboration partners instead of targets. Time to approach selling as something you do with a prospect rather than to them. Time to make selling more human and more effective in a world where more qualified leads is not resulting in higher win rates. Simple, right? But not easy. As laid out in Sales expert Andy Paul’s new book Sell Without Selling Out, it takes true courage to transform the current playbook, but those bold enough to take the leap will see shorter decision cycles and higher win rates, any B2B organization’s dream. In this episode, Andy shares how marketers are uniquely poised to enable sales teams through insights into buyer behavior—introducing a new way of selling that ditches “salesy” to make way for connection, curiosity, understanding, and generosity. Don’t miss it! For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddle

Are startup CMOs gluttons for punishment? The CMO role is tough enough these days, but strap on high expectations, limited resources, and the pressure of a low life expectancy for startups, and you’ve got yourself a real challenge.   For CMOs Allyson Havener of TrustRadius and Ajay Khanna of Explorium, startup is a way of life. They don’t see their roles as punishment; instead, they see an exciting opportunity to build something great in a fast-paced environment, with a close-knit team of others who are like family. Tune in to this fascinating episode to hear how both CMOs navigate their roles, standing up the marketing function while building a team and a brand with an eye towards long-term success.  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

If you've ever wondered how much a CMO can do in a year to change the trajectory of a company, this is the episode for you. Enter Kady Srinivasan, who has kicked things up a notch at Klaviyo, a marketing automation platform dedicated to helping its customers discover a new, more effective way to grow their business.  Grow their business how, exactly? By flipping the funnel on its head, focusing on the bottom first, which has resulted in something like 65x higher ROI for Klaviyo customers. In this episode, Kady shares how the brand developed this new positioning, using it as a centerpiece to unite employees, customers, and prospects alike. Tune in to learn how they made their refreshed brand come to life in a myriad of ways, as well as how Klaviyo measures marketing, and more. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

For a locked room labeled “Marketing Spend,” the CFO holds the keys. And they aren’t going to be quick to hand them over, either. This all-important alliance depends on the CMO’s fluency in CFO-speak, AKA how $1 into marketing will equal more $$$ out. Luckily, it’s not too hard a language to pick up.  In this episode, we’re airing three Q&As with three CFOs who laid out their formulas for a great CMO/CFO alliance during a recent CMO Huddles Super Huddle (a bi-annual mega-huddle exclusively for our community of B2B CMOs). Tune in for some wonderful insights from Chris Andersen of Acquia, Nicole Anasenes of Ansys, and John Evarts (now President and COO) of Mediafly—insights that CMOs just might want to share with a CFO who’s on the fence about the power of marketing.  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

What’s a B2B brand without employees? In a word, nothing. They are the lifeblood of any company—the ones who execute brilliant strategy, the ones who take care of your customers, the ones who represent your brand to the world. That’s what makes a renewed focus on employee experience (EX for short) so important, especially when The Great Resignation is a very real challenge today. In this episode, CMOs David Kirven of Reltio, Caroline Tien-Spalding of Aptology, and Michael Collins of CFA Institute share how their organizations are approaching employee retention, as well as how they are optimizing the recruiting process to bring on great employees faster. The show also covers the role brand plays in EX, what we can learn from people data, and the unique role C-Suite leaders play in recruiting and retention. Tune in! For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

We’re switching things up for episode 280 of Renegade Marketers Unite. Instead of asking the questions, Drew will be answering them. Our special, stand-in host for this episode is Katrina Klier, CMO of PROS, who led the conversation for the benefit of her marketing team while taking a deep dive into Drew’s new book, Renegade Marketing: 12 Steps to Building Unbeatable B2B Brands.  This discussion covers everything from how to rethink marketing metrics, to how to justify B2B brand spend, to the book’s Clear Away the Clutter pledge. Drew also discusses B2B marketing trends in 2022 and more ideas gleaned from CMO Huddles, an elite community that unites and empowers a cross-section of B2B marketing executives to share, care, and dare each other to greatness. Check it out! For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

When Dan Gingiss and his family went out to a nice steakhouse for his son’s 15th birthday, little did he know that he’d walk away with a perfect metaphor for how to deliver an extraordinary customer experience. Remarkable CX is as simple as replacing a birthday candle with a sparkler—the small, seemingly simple changes to the way you celebrate and serve your customers can go a long, long way.   This episode comes from a CMO Huddles Bonus Huddle (re: a private Q&A) with Dan, an international keynote speaker affectionately known as The Experience Maker with a wealth of insights and stories about the power of phenomenal CX. Tune in to learn all about how B2B brands can up their CX game, how marketers play a key role in building better customer experiences, and more! For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

VMware is going from big to bigger. To start, VMware has added 8,000 new hires in the last year, standing now at 37,000 employees strong. Not only that, but the mega-B2B brand has also expanded its offerings, spelling out a robust suite of services to encompass on-prem and cloud solutions.   Such massive change requires a massive shift in mindset. In this episode, CMO Carol Carpenter shares how VMware’s value proposition transformed, how they introduced the new brand to employees and customers, and how everything VMware’s marketing team does is driven by one big question: “Does this give us 10x impact?" Tune in for yet another great interview on Renegade Marketers Unite, a top-rated podcast for renegade CMOs and other B2B marketers.   For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

A CMO doesn’t join a B2B organization to keep things the way they are, they join to lead that company into the next phase of growth. That’s the mindset that CMOs Noreen Allen (who recently stepped down after 10 years at Bandwidth) and Kevin Spurway of Similarweb have brought to their roles over the years, evidenced by the integral roles they’ve played in bringing companies public. In this episode, Noreen and Kevin share what it takes to prepare for an IPO and what it feels like to ring that bell in Times Square after months of hard work. This discussion is not just for those CMOs getting ready for an IPO, either. It’s a call to action for marketing leaders to embrace the IPO mindset: where strong positioning, a cranking predictable revenue engine, and a healthy set of attribution metrics can fuel next-level growth.  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

The CEO relationship is one of if not the most important alliance in a CMO’s world. It’s not going to be easy to do your job if your CEO doesn’t have your back. It’s an especially tough job if one’s CEO doesn’t believe in (or understand) the power of marketing, but it doesn’t mean that they can’t learn. In this episode, we’re airing three Q&As with three CEOs who know that marketing can transform B2B organizations into powerhouses: David Friend of Wasabi, Rana el Kaliouby of Affectiva (now Smart Eye), and Larry English of Centric Consulting. The panel convened during a Super Huddle (a bi-annual mega-huddle exclusively for our CMO Huddles community), and all three CEOs shared their perspectives on marketing and their relationships with their own CMOs. Tune in for some wonderful insights, including tips for what makes a great brand, why diversity matters, and what trends we can expect in an increasingly digital world. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ To learn more ab

Can your content cut through? Through the 27 touchpoints in a B2B buyer’s journey. Through the flurry of emails hitting everyone’s inbox every day. Through the clutter of millions of blogs, social posts, and videos online. It’s a heavy task for any company to run a truly remarkable content program, but when done right, it can boost your brand to new heights. In this episode, CMOs Jamie Gier of Ceros, Suzanne Reed of LBMC, and Heidi Bullock of Tealium gather together to discuss all things content marketing. Tune in to learn how to create a content engine that will not only engage prospects in increasingly complicated sales cycles but will excite existing customers, garner partnerships, and draw in top talent. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

75F is not here to market via Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD). That’s why the smart building automation brand has banished the words "climate change crisis," and "global warming." Not because they are not dedicated to making the world a better, more sustainable place, no—that’s integral to 75F’s mission. In this exciting episode, 75F’s VP of Global Marketing David Koerner joins the show to share how 75F is marketing sustainability in a whole new way while going up against some heavy, well-known competition in their space. Having helped close the largest Series-A funding round in Minnesota history, David is a master marketer. Tune in to hear all about how the B2B brand has rolled out a truly renegade marketing strategy—cutting through the clutter to do what they do best in a big way. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

Decisions, decisions. We encounter them every day. Like whether to snooze your alarm one more time. What way to make your eggs in the morning. Whether or not your B2B brand strategy is in need of a revamp. Yes, some decisions are much more difficult than others, and in this episode, we’ll be discussing how to make great ones with CMOs Jennifer Davis of LEARFIELD and Jon Miller of Demandbase, as well as special guest Professor Kimberly Whitler of UVA’s Darden School of Business. Tune in while we cover how to conquer decision making (Hint from Jennifer: Decisions are a starting line, not a finishing line). From brand positioning to ABX to taking a stand, this is a great episode for marketers looking to grow more confident in decisions big and small. Check it out!    For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

The road to true Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is not a destination, it’s a journey. It’s one that many B2B marketers have embarked on in the last year, and for the CMOs of CMO Huddles, it’s a priority. To help CMOs navigate that journey, we hosted a Bonus Huddle (re: a private panel and Q&A) on the topic with DEI experts Cassandra Blackburn of Sprout Social, Cory Haynes of Salesforce (at Talkdesk at the time of the huddle), and Elisa Vincent of Skillsoft. The conversation was incredibly illuminating and insightful, so illuminating and insightful that we just had to turn it into an episode of Renegade Marketers Unite. Learn how 3 B2B organizations are making DEI real, where and how to recruit diverse talent, and how marketing leaders are advancing such initiatives with true allyship. Don’t miss it! For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

Webinar-itis. Virtual event absentia. Zoom gloom. Just a few of the pesky, present-day afflictions that pervade in an era of such rapid digital acceleration, where work-from-home is the norm and the return to physical events is still up in the air. As a result, B2B audiences are more discerning than ever. It’s up to the savvy CMO to remedy this “digital fatigue” with high-quality experiences, and in this episode, CMOs Shirley Macbeth of Forrester, Paul Stoddart of Epicor, and Amanda Carty of Diligent share how they’re making it work. Tune in for a deep dive into driving digital engagement, with great tips on how to up your event game, coach virtual keynoters, mobilize employees across the organization, and more. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/