Lindsey Scheftic’s Post

A post from Maria Pergolino crossed my path recently. It's from 2019 and is especially relevant today. Here is what stands out to me: "...the secret of great business-to-business (B2B) tech marketers is their ability to break down the barriers between brand, demand and product." I'll use myself as an example. I am a full stack marketer and have been for more than a decade. My breadth is in marketing. My depth is in brand. I am also a Product Owner. What does this mean for a SaaS, startup or tech org? I build your brand. I set the marketing strategies. I build the execution team(s). I architect the Martech stack. I bridge the gaps between marketing, product, and other teams to ensure we're all working toward the same goals. I build with a focus to drive revenue and bring a vision to life. I have spent time in each function and I connect the dots across the org for sustainable growth. Understanding my functional capabilities are necessary. But knowing that I see the whole vision, and can bring the pieces together is more important than hiring for one part of the whole. Highlighting the ability to bring a vision to life is what will lead to long term wins. Link in comments. #cmo #leadership #marketingeffectiveness #businessgrowth #ceo #executiveleadership #b2b #b2bmarketing

Why are companies turning to #FractionalCMOs? 🤔 According to EMARKETER, Fractional CMOs are becoming increasingly popular for businesses looking to boost their marketing efforts without the expense of a full-time executive. Here's why: • Deeper integration: Fractional CMOs tend to have a much deeper level of integration within a company compared to hiring marketing agencies. • Cost-effective expertise: They offer high-level marketing expertise at a fraction of the cost of a full-time CMO, making them attractive for startups and small to medium-sized businesses. • Efficiency: Fractional CMOs don't have to spend time at the proverbial water cooler, at company birthday parties, or other common activities that employees engage in. All of their time with the client is optimized to make the biggest impact. • Flexibility: Companies can tap into specialized skills for specific projects or periods of growth without long-term commitments. • Fresh perspective: Fractional CMOs bring diverse experience from multiple industries, offering new insights and strategies. • Bridging gaps: They can fill temporary leadership voids or help companies transition between full-time CMOs. TLDR version: fractional CMOs provide a nimble solution for companies seeking top-tier marketing leadership without the overhead of a full-time executive. Check out the article: https://lnkd.in/gFRDj_Te #FractionalCMO #fCMO #FractionalExecutives #MarketingStrategy #BusinessGrowth

Why a 'Fractional CMO' works even if you already have a CMO... 😳 (This might upset the #LinkedIn police) There are more opinions about #Marketing than any other area of business... Why? → EVERYONE is exposed to advertising. → Everyone has an opinion on what it means. → Everyone thinks it's easy. We've all heard about having too many cooks in the kitchen. A key benefit of a fractional appointment is Impartiality. Much of my engagement as a 'Fractional CMO' is to bring clarity to the business. • Clear goals & KPI's. • Clearly defined (and communicated) strategy • A centralised dashboard with key metrics. It can be hard for an existing CMO to enforce these without internal resistance. But as an outsider... I have no desire to be right. Only to find what's true. If you've considered the impact a Fractional CMO could have on your business, drop me a DM. My key focuses: Diagnosis. 🩺 → What are the actual challenges you are facing, not just the consequences. Results. 🚀 → I'll either save you money or make you money (and it WILL be measurable). Strategy. 🧭 → Tired of throwing things against the wall? Shortcut years of trial and error. Data. 📈 → Sh*t in, sh*t out. Data needs to be clean, accessible and used for decisions. Break a revenue plateau. 🔨 → Stuck trying to scale? Can't increase ad spend without losing efficiency? Strategic leadership. 👥 → Get everything (team, systems, strategy) all rowing in the same direction. ------ I help #solopreneurs & DTC Founders, Create Strategies + Build Systems + Make Sales If this resonates, repost ♻️ to help someone else 🙌🏾 Follow me Casey Parram 🛎️ for more like this.

Tech leaders face challenges and opportunities... ...but are they truly prepared for the future? As a Chief Marketing Officer, I understand the challenges and opportunities that tech leaders face today, particularly in the SaaS and Fintech industries. A strategic vision, operational excellence, effective marketing, and customer engagement are crucial to address these challenges. Here are my key perspectives on how to approach these challenges: 1. Deepen customer insights through continuously refining Ideal Customer Profiles based on real-time market feedback, and use data analytics to understand evolving needs and align product development with demand. 2. Enhance go-to-market strategy by adapting the value proposition, tailoring messaging for different segments, and leveraging digital channels for maximum reach. 3. Strengthen sales and marketing alignment through cross-functional meetings, shared KPIs, and a unified customer journey. 4. Invest in thought leadership by establishing your brand as a thought leader through whitepapers, industry conversations, and key events to build trust and attract customers and investors. 5. Leverage data-driven decision-making for product development and marketing strategies, enabling agility and staying ahead of the competition. 6. Focus on customer experience and retention by enhancing customer experience and implementing robust retention strategies for stable revenue and growth. 7. Innovate in marketing channels by exploring emerging channels and technologies, like AI-driven personalized marketing, for a competitive edge. 8. Collaborate with finance for growth by partnering closely with the CFO to align marketing strategies with financial goals, ensuring sound investments and ROI-driven decisions. In conclusion, marketing drives business growth when approached strategically. It requires market insights, alignment, innovative tactics, and cross-functional collaboration. Let's continue discussing this further... #marketingstrategy #customerengagement #thoughtleadership #datadriven #collaboration

Feeling the shift in the CMO landscape lately? It’s a tough scene out there, especially in tech Profitability - the new name of the game, isn't it? Those shiny unicorn startup dreams? They're definitely more grounded now, which is not a bad thing if you ask me Whether you're full-time, fractional, or thinking to start your own company, as a CMO you're here to build a long lasting brand that shows quick wins and long term impact With many responsibilities to juggle in the air, here's a game plan to help you stay focused: ✏ People: Focus on your team. This goes beyond just who you work with directly; think about everyone from development to customer support. You want people who are not only hardworking but also totally aligned and can function well together. Building or joining a culture with clear goals, solid collaboration, and a strong understanding of everyone's responsibilities is key ✏ Marketing: How effectively are you able to get your message out? Do you own the GTM strategy? Are you open to experimentation? Can your team reflect on what’s worked in the past and what hasn’t? Is your marketing tightly aligned with both your product and sales/client teams? And will it resonate with your audience over time? ✏ Product: This is your north star. You need to truly believe in your product and be eager to push it to success. Is there a clear plan for continuous improvement based on real customer feedback? Does your product genuinely improve clients' lives and function as seamlessly as promised? Aligning these 3 areas can position you well in this market. You've got this! #CMO #SaaS #cofounder

CMO is the one who… ¯\(ツ)/¯ CMO is the most precarious job in the Exec Team of a tech startup. Let's see... CEO - the buck stops here. The leader, the vision, the plan. CFO - the one who knows where the money is - numeric performance CRO - the one who sells - revenue CTO - the one who builds - shipping and reliability CPO - the one who makes users happy - adoption CMO - the one who… <uncomfortable silence> The brand is the most obvious candidate. But it sounds self-serving and doesn’t really fit. Let's be honest, CMOs may get in trouble if they fail to meet pipeline numbers. However, it's unlikely due to not meeting any dubious KPIs that can be linked to the brand. No one really knows how to measure marketing impact - after +25 years of digital marketing and the promise of attribution, we keep debating and arguing, but that “Holy Grail” continues to be out of reach. I wonder if this justifies why the CMO job is so difficult and so short-lived. Now, you tell me: CMO - the one who… How would you complete the sentence? #marketing #tech #cmo

Companies, listen up! When it comes to marketing personnel, it's important to understand that: - We're not just creatives, we're strategic thinkers. - We're not just tacticians, we're data-driven decision makers. - We're not just brand ambassadors, we're customer champions. We need autonomy to innovate, resources to experiment, and support to take calculated risks. Invest in the growth of marketers, trust their expertise, and let them drive business results. #MarketingTeams #GrowthMindset #BusinessResults #WhoAreMarketers

The role of the CMO is evolving as we know it. Tech, AI, and other integrated media are booming, making CMOs more vital than ever and the CEO-CMO partnership increasingly impactful in driving substantial growth. As a CMO myself, I understand the untapped potential in this dynamic alliance. A few challenges are evident, including unclear CMO roles, underestimating modern marketing, and misaligned metrics. As this McKinsey & Company article asserts, these challenges can be addresses through a few key avenues: 1. Defining a C-level growth role with marketing at its core. 2. Collaborating closely with CMOs to harness modern marketing. 3. Establishing a measurement framework, aligning marketing with overall growth objectives. By fostering a robust CEO-CMO partnership, businesses can position marketing as a driving force for growth and give it its well-deserved moment in the sun. Time to embrace this synergy! #CMO #Marketing #CSuiteAlignment #Partnership

A few weeks ago, Jordan Chenevier-Truchet asked the best CMOs in the ecosystem (Contentsquare, Alan, Aircall...) for their business book recos and here are the 24 they gave him: MARKETING - The next CMO: https://amzn.to/3UuIpDj - No forms, no spam, no cold calls: https://amzn.to/4bwu9zW - The Fractional CMO Method: https://amzn.to/3Sz0opt - Crossing the Chasm: https://amzn.to/42GqLOX - Niche Down: https://amzn.to/3OyE66g - Tribes: https://amzn.to/48bDutW MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP - The method for recruiting the best: https://amzn.to/3SwOE6R - The Great CEO Within: https://amzn.to/3STbTJW - Radical Candor: https://amzn.to/3SRYhyh - The Effective Executive: https://amzn.to/3SRGMhB - 5 Dysfunction of a team: https://amzn.to/3STbw20 PRODUCT MARKETING & MANAGEMENT - Obviously Awesome : https://amzn.to/3SC86z8 - The Mom Test: https://amzn.to/3OHO5WL - The Design of Everyday Things: https://amzn.to/3ujhwHX - Positioning: The battle for your minds : https://amzn.to/3HV2LOI CONTENT - Epic Content Marketing: https://amzn.to/49r57jU - Make Noise : https://amzn.to/48ZO7Bv BUSINESS - The Messy Middle : https://amzn.to/42GjFKs - Start to Scale : https://amzn.to/3STedk7 - Who: The A Method For Hiring : https://amzn.to/3SSOh86 - The Win Without Pitching : https://amzn.to/489pDog - Building for Everyone : https://amzn.to/3SqZJGs - Play Bigger: https://amzn.to/48hkpqh - Blueprints for a Sales SaaS Organization: https://amzn.to/48aUFvJ ⬇️

In an age where 'agility' and 'adaptability' are more than just buzzwords, why do we still see a glaring gap in understanding what drives genuine growth within tech companies? Recent conversations with several exiting top-tier tech marketers have shed light on a worrisome trend—many are leaving their positions to explore opportunities that offer more autonomy and respect for their expertise. From pivoting into product management to embarking on entrepreneurial ventures, these professionals are not stepping back from challenges; they're moving towards roles where they feel their contributions can make a real difference. The crux of the issue lies in the underappreciation and misunderstanding of the marketing function at the executive level. With CMO tenures reportedly becoming shorter, it's apparent that the stress and unrealistic expectations placed upon these roles outweigh the perceived benefits. Marketing is not just about immediate gains; it's a long-term play that involves building brand equity and nurturing customer communities. Yet, this strategic perspective seems lost on many boards and CEOs, leading to a vicious cycle of short tenures and unfulfilled potential. For companies looking to truly leverage the power of marketing, it’s time to re-evaluate how we view and support these crucial roles. Instead of constantly searching for new talent, why not focus on empowering the marketers you already have? Creating an environment where they feel valued and listened to could well be your company’s first step towards unlocking sustained growth. Let's not forget—innovation doesn't just happen; it's cultivated by people who believe in what they do and are given the space to do it well.