The Marketing Front Lines

How to Scale Marketing So Fast That Sales Begs You to Stop

In this episode of The Marketing Front Lines, we speak with Levi Lindsay, VP of Marketing at Hona. Hona is revolutionizing legal client communication by creating "the pizza tracker for legal cases" - a platform that allows personal injury clients to track their case progress through an intuitive app interface. Operating in a market where lawyers handle contingency and flat-rate cases, Hona eliminates the redundant phone calls asking "where are we at on my case?" by providing automated case updates and educational content at each phase. Levi's unconventional journey from windshield repair to B2B marketing has shaped his approach to bringing D2C creativity and energy to the traditionally conservative legal tech space.
Topics Discussed:
Creating category demand when search volume doesn't exist for your product
Scaling marketing so effectively that sales can't keep up with inbound leads
Bringing D2C creative energy and tactics to conservative B2B industries
Using AI for competitive analysis and objection mining from sales call transcripts
Building viral moments within niche professional communities
Testing and killing marketing channels quickly based on data, not advice
Lessons For B2B Marketers:
Focus on Demand Generation Before Demand Capture: Instead of just scooping up existing demand, invest heavily in warming "hard nos" into "maybes" and "maybes" into "yeses." This approach prevents hitting growth walls when the pool of ready buyers gets exhausted. Create awareness through content and paid campaigns to ensure your funnel never runs dry.
Treat B2B Marketing Like D2C When Appropriate: Don't accept that B2B has to be boring. Create viral moments within your ICP community through bold conference activations, creative swag, and brand experiences that make people stop and stare. A fishbowl head with live fish at a legal conference gets more attention than any traditional booth setup.
Leverage Meta for Professional Audiences Who Live There: While LinkedIn seems like the obvious choice for B2B, research where your ICP actually spends time. Personal injury lawyers and their staff live on Facebook and Instagram because that's where they acquire their clients, making Meta surprisingly effective for reaching legal professionals.
Use AI for Competitive Intelligence Mining: Feed all your sales call transcripts into ChatGPT to identify patterns in objections, feature requests, and buyer concerns. This transforms hours of manual analysis into actionable insights about your ICP's real pain points and decision-making criteria.
Test Everything, Trust Data Over Expert Advice: Even respected industry experts can be wrong about what works for your specific situation. A VP's advice against paid ads could cost you hundreds of thousands in monthly revenue. Run small tests quickly, kill what doesn't work fast, and scale what performs regardless of conventional wisdom.
Create Conference Moments That Demand Attention: In conservative industries, nobody pushes creative boundaries, which creates massive opportunities. Build neon booths, create interactive installations, and design experiences that make your brand impossible to ignore. Ask for forgiveness rather than permission when pushing creative limits.
Solve for Category Creation Through Problem-First Messaging: When search volume doesn't exist for your solution, lead with the problem presentation rather than solution explanation. Show the pain point first, let prospects self-identify, then introduce your solution as the obvious answer to their recognized problem.
 
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Sponsors:
Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership.
www.FrontLines.io
The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. 
www.GlobalTalent.co
 

From Journalist to Marketing Leader

In this episode of The Marketing Front Lines, we speak with Kevin Allen, Head of Marketing at ValidMind. Kevin's journey from Chicago Sun-Times journalist to startup marketing leader offers unique insights into building content-driven marketing programs at scale. At IBM, he transformed a $600,000 content budget into a zero-cost internal creator program by mobilizing technical employees as brand evangelists. Now at ValidMind, an AI governance platform for financial institutions, Kevin applies these same principles to establish thought leadership in the rapidly evolving model risk management space.
Topics Discussed:
Building Internal Content Machines at Enterprise Scale Kevin led IBM's transformation from external content spend to internal creator mobilization, managing the rebrand of a 20-year-old Developer Works platform while maintaining SEO equity and customer access to legacy content.
Scaling Technical Eminence Programs How IBM created systematic programs to boost individual visibility and credibility, turning technical employees into brand evangelists through performance review integration and content quality dashboards.
Transitioning Brand Publishing to Startups Kevin's approach to applying enterprise-level content strategies at ValidMind, focusing on thought leadership in AI governance and model risk management for financial institutions.
Journalist-to-Marketer Career Transition The tactical advantages of journalistic training in marketing roles, including research methodologies, interviewing techniques, and content creation processes that transfer across industries.
Improvisation as Professional Development How improv comedy principles, particularly "yes, and" thinking, enhance creative collaboration and ideation in marketing teams and campaign development.
 
Lessons For B2B Tech Marketers:
Transform Budget Constraints into Scaling Opportunities When Kevin's IBM content budget was eliminated, he didn't reduce output—he restructured the entire program around internal creators. By integrating content creation into employee performance reviews and tying it to technical eminence goals, he maintained quality and volume while building a sustainable, scalable system. This approach works particularly well in technical organizations where employees have deep expertise but need support with content creation and promotion.
Create Content Quality Infrastructure Before Scaling IBM's success came from building sophisticated measurement systems before expanding their internal creator program. They developed content performance dashboards, author effectiveness metrics, and content lifecycle management processes. This infrastructure allowed them to identify top performers, optimize content quality, and systematically refresh or deprecate outdated material—preventing the common problem of scaling content quantity at the expense of quality.
Use Ghostwriting as Executive Relationship Building Kevin's journalism background enabled him to conduct structured interviews with technical executives and transform their expertise into consumable content. This ghostwriting approach served dual purposes: creating high-quality thought leadership content while building trust and respect with senior stakeholders who became program champions. For marketers without journalism backgrounds, developing strong interviewing and synthesis skills can unlock similar opportunities.
Apply Journalist Research Methodologies to New Industries Kevin's framework for entering new markets mirrors journalistic beat reporting: identify key players, understand trends and opportunities, analyze competitive approaches, and build knowledge systematically. This structured approach accelerates market understanding and credibility building, particularly valuable for marketers transitioning between industries or companies entering new market segments.
Integrate Creative Collaboration Principles into Campaign Development The "yes, and" improv principle Kevin teaches creates more dynamic brainstorming sessions and campaign ideation. Unlike traditional feedback loops that can stall creative momentum, this approach builds ideas collaboratively while maintaining forward progress. The contrast Kevin demonstrates between "yes, and" versus "no, but" sessions shows measurable differences in creative output and team engagement.
Position Thought Leadership as Customer Education Strategy At ValidMind, Kevin frames content marketing as customer education rather than product promotion, particularly effective in rapidly evolving technical spaces like AI governance. By establishing the company as the smartest voice in model risk management, they create strategic advantage through education rather than direct selling—especially powerful when regulations and best practices are still emerging.
 
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Sponsors:
Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership.
www.FrontLines.io
The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. 
www.GlobalTalent.co
 

How B2B Buyers Actually Think (Hint: Just Like Consumers)

 
In this episode of The Marketing Front Lines, we speak with Alex McEachern, Head of Marketing at Intelligems. Alex brings a decade of B2B marketing experience in the e-commerce space, having witnessed the evolution from early content marketing tactics to today's sophisticated, personality-driven strategies. Through his journey from accidentally landing in marketing to leading content strategy at a fast-growing e-commerce testing platform, Alex shares tactical insights on modern content creation, the death of traditional lead magnets, and why B2B buyers behave exactly like consumers.
Topics Discussed:
The evolution and failure of traditional lead magnets in modern B2B marketing
Building founder-led content strategies without gating valuable information
Leveraging social algorithms while avoiding platform penalties for external links
Creating zero-click content that builds brand awareness without direct CTAs
Developing unique podcast angles that emotionally engage prospects
The psychology of B2B buyers and why they mirror consumer purchasing behavior
Narrative positioning strategies that avoid problem-focused messaging
Lessons For B2B Tech Marketers:
Abandon Gated Content Strategies Completely: Traditional lead magnets with gated content are not just ineffective—they're counterproductive. Alex advocates for making all expertise publicly available rather than trading contact information for content. The new "lead magnet" equivalent is high-value experiences like exclusive events or conferences that justify the contact information exchange.
Master Platform-Native Content Distribution: Social algorithms actively suppress posts with external links. Instead of driving traffic off-platform, create zero-click content that delivers full value within the social platform itself. Let prospects search for your brand when they're ready rather than forcing immediate action. This approach generates significantly higher reach and creates a content ecosystem that builds brand awareness.
Use Multi-Voice Content Remix Strategies: Rather than relying solely on founder-led content, establish 3-4 key voices across the organization (founders, head of marketing, head of go-to-market). Create one piece of core content, then remix it across these different voices with unique perspectives. This multiplies content output while maintaining consistent messaging and creates multiple touchpoints for prospects.
Build Tangential Content That Creates Emotional Engagement: The most effective B2B content sits adjacent to your product rather than directly describing it. Alex's previous "Customer Hat" podcast never mentioned their retention software but explored how brand owners actually shop, revealing the disconnect between their advertising strategies and personal buying behavior. This tangential approach draws new audiences who wouldn't engage with product-focused content.
Treat B2B Buyers as Multi-Dimensional Humans: B2B buyers use the same emotional decision-making processes as consumers. They buy on emotion, find solutions through research, then rationalize with logic. Create content that acknowledges buyers as complete people—not just professional personas—by mixing business insights with personal interests and humanizing moments.
Position Solutions as Barrier Removal, Not Problem Identification: Avoid the common B2B trap of leading with problems, which immediately raises buyer defenses. Instead, position your solution as removing barriers that prevent buyers from achieving their goals. Frame the narrative around enabling capabilities rather than fixing deficiencies. This creates a collaborative rather than accusatory dynamic.
 
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Sponsors:
Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership.
www.FrontLines.io
The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. 
www.GlobalTalent.co
 

How iVerify's First Marketing Hire Built a Research-Driven Engine

In this episode of The Marketing Front Lines, we speak with Lisa O'Reilly, Vice President of Marketing at iVerify. iVerify is pioneering mobile endpoint detection security, providing advanced protection against real threats that face all mobile devices, including both iOS and Android. As the first full-time marketing hire at the company, Lisa has built a marketing program from the ground up in one of the most crowded and competitive markets in tech. Through research-driven content marketing, strategic event approaches, and disciplined brand positioning, she's developed playbooks for standing out in the cybersecurity space while building authentic authority and trust within the mobile security community.
Topics Discussed:
Building marketing programs as the first marketing hire at a cybersecurity startup
Leveraging founder-led research and thought leadership for authentic brand building
Evolving event strategies from large-scale booth presence to curated, high-value meetings
Using AI tools to enhance marketing effectiveness and social media engagement
Developing disciplined content strategies that build category authority
Transitioning from product-focused to human-centered cybersecurity marketing
Lessons For B2B Tech Marketers:
Start With Deep ICP Analysis and Continuously Refine It: O'Reilly emphasizes that understanding your ideal customer profile isn't a one-time exercise. She rebuilt her buyer's journey and ABM program after her first year and continues to revise lead scoring models. This ongoing refinement ensures marketing efforts stay focused on prospects that actually convert, rather than chasing vanity metrics in an increasingly noisy market.
Leverage Authentic Research as Your Differentiation Engine: Rather than competing on messaging alone, iVerify built their marketing around proprietary research and threat discovery. Their "Data in the Middle" report became a conversation starter at RSA, opening doors that traditional marketing tactics couldn't. The key is ensuring research is genuinely valuable to the community, not just thinly veiled product promotion.
Abandon Large-Scale Events for Curated Relationship Building: O'Reilly shifted from expensive booth strategies at major conferences like RSA and Black Hat to hosting smaller, targeted meetings away from the event floor noise. This approach delivered better ROI through meaningful conversations and pipeline development, while avoiding the commoditized messaging that plagues large security conferences.
Use AI as a Creative Partner, Not a Replacement: O'Reilly discovered that AI-assisted social media content consistently outperformed her organic posts in terms of engagement. Rather than using AI for complete content creation, she leverages it to expand her initial ideas from three concepts to six or seven, then selects the best options. This approach maintains authenticity while enhancing creative output.
Build Authority Through Disciplined Topic Focus: In cybersecurity's crowded landscape, O'Reilly maintains strict discipline about which conversations to join. Rather than chasing every trending topic, iVerify focuses on mobile security expertise and consistently says no to adjacent opportunities. This focused approach builds genuine category authority over time.
Transition From Product-Centric to Human-Centric Narratives: O'Reilly's career evolution from commodity tech marketing to cybersecurity reflects a broader shift toward storytelling that emphasizes human impact. She can now tell stories about protecting infants in ICU units from threat actors, transforming cold product features into compelling narratives about saving lives and protecting organizations.
 
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Sponsors:
Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership.
www.FrontLines.io
The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. 
www.GlobalTalent.co
 

AI Will Cut Marketing Teams to 2 People - Here's the Playbook

In this episode of The Marketing Front Lines, we speak with Philipp de la Haye, Senior Vice President of Marketing at FrontNow. FrontNow is transforming omnichannel retail by using GenAI to replicate the in-store shopping experience online, helping retailers who are strong offline but struggle to compete with Amazon and other marketplaces online. After joining FrontNow eight months ago, Philipp completely transformed their marketing approach from generic brand building to a highly tactical, event-driven strategy that has delivered 170% of their lead generation targets. His unconventional "Navy SEAL approach" to events and focus on building trust over selling has created a scalable playbook for B2B tech companies targeting enterprise clients.
Topics Discussed:
Transitioning from brand building to tactical lead generation in B2B SaaS
The "Navy SEAL approach" to event marketing that delivers 87 MQLs from 205 attendees
Why traditional lead gen tactics (webinars, whitepapers, gated content) are failing
Building trust-first marketing strategies for complex B2B sales cycles
Reducing touchpoints to maintain quality control over customer experience
How AI is fundamentally changing marketing operations and team structure
The acceleration of AI technology and its impact on business model sustainability
Lessons For B2B Tech Marketers:
Execute the "Navy SEAL Approach" to Event Marketing: Instead of expensive trade show booths requiring multiple team members, book 1-1.5 hour speaker slots for masterclasses. Bring existing customers or partners on stage to discuss their challenges and solutions, creating authentic case studies. This approach requires minimal resources (1-2 people, half-day commitment) while generating high-quality attendee lists for follow-up. Philipp generated 87 MQLs (company-level, not individual contacts) from 205 event attendees using this method.
Prioritize Trust Building Over Direct Selling: In B2B tech, prospects are always at risk since they can't validate your solution works until 6-12 months into implementation. Instead of pushing product demos and sales calls immediately, focus first on proving your products work through customer testimonials and case studies. This approach acknowledges that B2B marketing is fundamentally about building trust, not just generating leads.
Strategically Reduce Touchpoints for Quality Control: Rather than trying to optimize every possible customer touchpoint, deliberately reduce the number of touchpoints to only those you can control and manage at high quality. Think of marketing like cooking - you could use every spice in your pantry, but the best dishes use only the spices that complement the specific taste preferences of who you're serving.
Abandon Traditional Lead Gen Tactics That Don't Deliver Value: Webinars, whitepapers, and gated content have become commoditized and provide minimal value to sophisticated B2B buyers. These tactics often create negative experiences (immediate sales calls after webinar signup) that damage trust. Focus on delivering genuine value through educational content and real customer stories instead of promotional materials.
Plan for AI-Driven Team Structure Changes: AI is fundamentally changing marketing operations. Philipp originally planned for a 5-8 person marketing team within 24 months but now expects maximum 2 people for the same growth targets. Skills-based specialists can be hired as freelancers for 3-6 month projects, with AI handling ongoing execution. Marketing leaders should spend 20% of their time learning new AI technologies and applications.
Question Every Plan and Assumption Continuously: Every forecast, plan, and idea becomes outdated the moment it's finalized. Successful B2B marketers must be brave enough to abandon their own plans when data shows different results. This requires honest self-assessment and willingness to admit incorrect assumptions rather than sticking to predetermined strategies that aren't working.
 
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Sponsors:
Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership.
www.FrontLines.io
The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. 
www.GlobalTalent.co
 

Should You Really Become a Fractional CMO? (Ft. Carolyn Crandall)

In this episode of The Marketing Front Lines, we speak with Carolyn Crandall, a seasoned marketing executive who has spent four decades in B2B tech marketing, from the early days of Cisco and Juniper to her most recent role at Attivo Networks (acquired by SentinelOne for over $600M). After transitioning from full-time executive roles to fractional CMO work, Carolyn shares the tactical realities of building a fractional practice, the red flags to watch for when evaluating clients, and the specific strategies that work when you have limited time to deliver maximum impact.
Topics Discussed:
Transitioning from full-time CMO to fractional consultant
Identifying red flags in potential fractional partnerships
Building efficient tech stacks for early-stage companies
Moving "left of MQL" with AI-powered engagement
Managing multiple fractional clients simultaneously
Pricing strategies and contract structures for fractional work
Lessons For B2B Marketing Leaders:
Structure Fractional Contracts for Success: Carolyn recommends four-month minimum contracts for fractional CMO work. This provides enough time to understand the business, build programs, execute, and measure results without being locked into problematic relationships. Shorter engagements don't allow for meaningful impact, while longer initial commitments can trap you with difficult clients.
Move Left of MQL with AI-Powered Outreach: Rather than waiting for qualified leads, use AI and automation to engage prospects immediately when they hit your website. Set up separate domains for aggressive outreach using tools like Lemlist or Clay to protect your primary domain reputation, while keeping HubSpot clean for engaged prospects.
Avoid Expensive ABM Platforms Until You Have Operators: Tools like 6sense and Demandbase are powerful but require dedicated operators to extract value. Early-stage companies often waste money on these platforms when simpler tools like Apollo, LinkedIn automation, and targeted databases can achieve similar results at a fraction of the cost.
Train AI Tools as Your Marketing Assistant: Develop a working relationship with ChatGPT or Claude by creating custom projects and training them on your voice and style. Use AI not just for content creation but as an editor, strategist, and quality checker. Test your AI-generated content through AI detection tools to ensure it doesn't sound robotic.
Evaluate Cultural Fit During the Sales Process: Red flags include CEOs who expect unrealistic results, want to work exclusively through you rather than embedding you with the team, or give you KPIs without providing resources for execution. Ask specific questions about meeting expectations, collaboration style, and performance metrics upfront.
Build Your Fractional Network Before You Need It: Success as a fractional CMO often comes through referrals from VCs, former colleagues, and vendor partners. Start building these relationships while you're still in full-time roles. Have a clear answer for why you're choosing fractional work beyond "I'm looking for full-time work in the interim."
Invest in Foundational Tech Stack Elements: Don't cut corners on essential infrastructure like marketing automation setup, website development, and initial content creation. Poor implementation of tools like HubSpot or Salesforce creates long-term problems that are expensive to fix later. Budget appropriately for professional setup and configuration.
Maintain Industry Focus for Operational Efficiency: Specializing in similar industries (like cybersecurity) allows you to reuse playbooks, understand buyer personas deeply, and leverage existing industry relationships. Taking on clients across vastly different industries requires significant additional learning time and reduces your efficiency.
 
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Sponsors:
Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership.
www.FrontLines.io
The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. 
www.GlobalTalent.co
 

From Engineer to CMO — Lessons From Jayashree Rajan’s Journey

In this episode of The Marketing Front Lines, we speak with Jayashree Rajan, CMO of Nexla. With an engineering background that evolved into marketing leadership, Jayashree shares how she transformed Nexla's marketing approach from founder-led sales to a sophisticated, data-driven operation. She discusses the radical transformation of her marketing program over just eight months - implementing digital expansion strategies across multiple platforms, developing targeted vertical approaches focused on use cases, and establishing full-funnel nurturing systems. As a passionate advocate for data-driven marketing decisions, Jayashree provides candid insights on which tactics she kept, which she eliminated, and how AI is revolutionizing her team's productivity.
Topics Discussed:
Transforming from untargeted to targeted marketing approaches
Data-driven evaluation of marketing channels and programs
Re-engineering outbound motions for higher efficiency
Making tough decisions about events, influencer marketing, and content creation
Balancing immediate pipeline generation with long-term brand building
Using AI to dramatically increase marketing team productivity
Evolving marketing team structures in the age of AI
 
Lessons For B2B Tech Marketers:
Implement Targeted Marketing Motions: Nexla shifted from untargeted calling to a focused approach identifying specific use cases, verticals, and personas before outreach. This targeting principle extends across all channels - events, influencers, and content - improving efficiency and ROI.
Make Data-Driven Decisions About Marketing Programs: Before continuing with any marketing program, rigorously evaluate performance data. Jayashree discontinued community events, long-form content creation, and most influencer relationships after data showed they weren't driving pipeline despite generating engagement.
Execute Multi-Touch Outbound Campaigns: Rather than unlimited cold calling, Nexla now uses time-boxed, multi-channel outreach with coordinated touches across phone, email, and LinkedIn. This focused approach conserves resources while increasing effectiveness.
Balance Immediate Pipeline with Long-Term Brand Building: While prioritizing immediate pipeline generation, Jayashree still invests in targeted events and carefully selected influencer relationships that align with their market and geography, maintaining brand awareness that will drive future opportunities.
Integrate AI Throughout Your Marketing Stack: Jayashree urges marketers to become "AI marketers" by integrating AI into daily workflows. Her team uses AI for content creation, headline testing, idea generation, and conversation analysis. She views AI as a "reliable team member" that enables a small team to accomplish significantly more work with higher quality.
Challenge Attribution Myths: Rather than focusing on first-touch or last-touch attribution models, concentrate on whether marketing efforts ultimately convert to meetings, pipeline, and opportunities. Measuring marketing solely by MQLs and leads without connecting to pipeline outcomes is misleading.
Adapt to Marketing Team Evolution: The future of B2B marketing will involve smaller, more versatile teams of "AI marketers" rather than specialists. Jayashree runs a highly effective marketing operation with just four core marketers by leveraging AI and modern martech solutions to increase efficiency.
 
 
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Sponsors:
Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership.
www.FrontLines.io
The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. 
www.GlobalTalent.co
 

Beyond the Booth: How Simbe Turned Events into Pipeline Machines

In this episode of The Marketing Front Lines, SVP of Market Caitlin Allen and Growth Marketing Manager Lexie Sirak from Simbe Robotics reveal how they've built a powerhouse event marketing strategy that drove 70% of the company's net new pipeline in 2024 - more than all previous years combined. They share their three-tiered approach to market development through events, creative booth strategies (including turning half their booth into a podcast studio), and practical frameworks for maximizing ROI without massive budgets.
Topics Discussed:
Building a three-tiered event strategy mapped to market development stages
Using a "crawl, walk, run" approach for resource-efficient event participation
Creating differentiated experiences that transcend traditional booth presence
Maximizing ROI through strategic pre- and post-event activation
Implementing a 10x ROI measurement model for event investments
Generating 70% of net new pipeline from event-driven strategies
Executing effective event follow-up that converts prospects into customers
 
Lessons for B2B Event Marketers:
Think Beyond The Booth as "Anchor, Not Focal Point": While many companies over-invest in elaborate booths, Simbe treats their booth as an anchor point, not the centerpiece of their event strategy. They think creatively about how to show up larger than their physical footprint, strategically partnering with others to secure multiple placements, and focusing event resources on creating connections rather than just aesthetics.
Approach Events Through Three Strategic Lenses: Simbe filters all event decisions through three strategic priorities: establishing market leadership in core verticals (grocery/supermarket), expanding into adjacent segments (home improvement, farm supply), and elevating their existing customer relationships. This framework prevents reactive event participation and ensures all investments align with company objectives.
Leverage Creative Partnerships to Multiply Your Presence: At major industry events like NRF, Simbe secured presence in three different booths - only one being their own - by strategically partnering with complementary companies. This allowed them to appear on the main floor without paying the premium typically required, significantly amplifying their visibility while managing costs.
Create Event-Adjacent Experiences That Match Audience Mindset: Instead of forcing traditional sales conversations in environments where executives aren't in buying mode, Simbe creates adjacent experiences matched to attendee priorities. Examples include hosting a spa day for retail executive award winners and converting half their booth into a podcast studio featuring industry thought leaders - attracting exactly the right audience without interrupting their primary reason for attending.
Transform Events into Multi-Channel Campaigns: Simbe's most successful events are treated as omnichannel campaigns spanning weeks, not days. For their NRF announcement, they created an "echo chamber" effect through podcast placements, earned media, partner amplification, and targeted outreach before the event, followed by at-event amplification and structured follow-up campaigns. This integrated approach ensures maximum impact from each event investment.
Implement "Blitz" Philosophy for Maximum Visibility: For marquee industry events, Simbe deploys a comprehensive "blitz" strategy - combining strategic pre-event announcements, VIP preview events, omnichannel activation, and coordinated on-site presence. This approach creates an impression of omnipresence that helps them compete with much larger companies who have significantly larger budgets.
Certify Every Team Member as an Event Ambassador: Simbe requires every event attendee across departments to complete an "elevator pitch certification" before representing the company at events. This ensures everyone can effectively communicate the company's value proposition, maximizing every interaction opportunity regardless of the team member's primary role.
 
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Sponsors:
Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership.
www.FrontLines.io
The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. 
www.GlobalTalent.co
 

Donuts & Product Launches: Orum's Unconventional Event Strategy

In this episode of Marketing Front Lines, we speak with Bryan McCarty, Director of Product and Product Marketing at Orum. Bryan shares how his background in the punk rock scene shaped his DIY marketing ethos and unpacks Orum's innovative event strategy that's setting them apart in the FinTech space. A veteran of the FinTech world since 2011, Bryan discusses his philosophy that "your work's not done until you tell the world about it," and reveals the strategic playbook that's helped Orum stand out at major industry events through experiential marketing and perfect launch timing.
Topics Discussed:
Orchestrating product launches to strategically precede major industry events
Creating memorable experiential marketing moments that buck conventional event strategies
The blurred lines between product and product marketing responsibilities
Balancing technical documentation as part of the overall product experience
Rethinking thought leadership content in an AI-driven search landscape
Leveraging social media to build authentic product narratives
 
Lessons For B2B Tech Marketers:
Time Your Product Launches Strategically Before Major Events: Orum launches products 2-3 weeks before major FinTech conferences, creating awareness that pays off when prospects arrive at the event. By the time attendees show up, they've already seen Orum's product announcements in their feeds and arrive with context and curiosity. This approach "expedites the conversation" and sets them apart from competitors who launch during the event when everyone is fighting for attention.
Create Experiential Marketing That Offers Relief From Conference Chaos: Rather than another noisy booth, Orum takes over a donut shop near major FinTech events, transforming it into an Orum-branded space. The key difference: their sales team is explicitly instructed not to pitch inside the space. Instead, it serves as a respite from the conference, allowing meaningful connections while giving attendees "a moment to decompress." This approach has created such buzz that attendees now actively seek them out asking, "Are you doing the donuts again?"
Develop A Master Brand Framework That Keeps Everyone Aligned: Orum uses a comprehensive master brand framework that goes beyond typical messaging documents. Every employee has it as desktop wallpaper, ensuring alignment on messaging. More importantly, they use it as a product development filter - when building new features, they evaluate whether it ties back to their core pillars. This creates a powerful feedback loop where marketing and product development stay in lockstep.
Cross-Pollinate Between Technical And Marketing Teams: Product marketers should immerse themselves in engineering culture by attending standups and technical meetings. Bryan credits much of his career success to being "forced to learn things and ask questions" in technical environments, leading to more effective collaboration when building and launching products. This cross-functional knowledge pays "tenfold dividends" when collaborating on launches.
Rethink "Thought Leadership" Content Strategy In The AI Era: Traditional SEO and keyword-focused "industry knowledge" content is "going through the ringer" with the rise of AI search tools. Bryan notes that Orum has moved away from generic thought leadership content that wasn't providing value. As users shift from Google to AI assistants for information, B2B marketers need to reconsider how they approach content that's traditionally been designed to capture search traffic.
Build In Public With Authentic Product Updates: Bryan admires how companies like Pylon effectively show their product development journey through consistent social posts featuring GIFs and videos of platform updates. This approach makes followers feel like they're "in the room" as features are shipped, creating an authentic connection to the product development process. The slightly raw, unpolished nature of these updates adds to their authenticity and effectiveness.
 
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Sponsors:
Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership.
www.FrontLines.io
The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. 
www.GlobalTalent.co
 

Humanizing Healthcare Tech: Marketing Lessons from Amenities

In this episode of The Marketing Front Lines, we speak with Corey Washington, Senior Marketing Manager at Amenities Health. Amenities Health gives health systems a turnkey solution to compete with retail concierge care players like One Medical by offering premium concierge care memberships delivered entirely under the health system's brand. The company eliminates operational lift, resource strain, and capital investment while driving revenue, network utilization, and patient loyalty for health systems. Corey shares how their distinctive "campy" brand aesthetic sets them apart in the traditionally sterile healthcare tech space, his philosophy on human-centered marketing, and why marketers should view AI as a "brainstorm buddy" rather than a replacement.
Topics Discussed:
Creating distinctive, human-centered brand identities in healthcare tech
Using a "build your seat at the table" approach to career advancement
Developing marketing philosophies that emphasize human connection
Leveraging thought leadership and employee evangelism effectively
Finding the right balance between data-driven decisions and human experiences
Selecting high-ROI marketing channels for healthcare technology startups
Working with AI as a collaborative tool rather than a replacement for creativity
 
Lessons For B2B Tech Marketers:
Speak the Language of Your Audience: Ruthlessly eliminate jargon and tech-speak from your messaging. As Corey emphasizes, "Nothing is more irritating than when you're trying to get to know a brand and you're trying to translate hieroglyphics to understand what they do." Healthcare tech companies particularly benefit from translating complex solutions into clear, human terms.
Brand Differentiation Matters Even in Technical Markets: Amenities Health stands out with its warm, "campy" branding in a sea of sterile healthcare tech websites. Their A-frame cabin motif and outdoor theme create memorability that has customers at trade shows consistently praising their distinctive look. Even in B2B tech, distinctive visual identity creates significant competitive advantage.
Make AI Your "Brainstorm Buddy": Use AI to structure brain dumps, refine raw ideas, and perform initial research, but maintain human oversight for strategy, empathy, and authenticity. As Corey notes, "AI is there to take my brain dump and structure it in a way where I can take it and do something with it," not replace marketer judgment. Even with AI tools, content creation still requires significant human input (turning a 5-7 hour writing job into a 2-hour collaborative process).
Balance Data-Guided Decisions with Human Experience: While data should inform marketing decisions, never forget there's a human behind every keyboard and transaction. Prioritize customer experience even when data suggests otherwise—frustrated customers represent hidden costs not captured in conversion metrics.
Leverage Human Stories Over Corporate Messaging: Amenities Health is pivoting their strategy to highlight their leadership team's expertise and stories rather than focusing purely on product messaging. This "inside-out" approach leverages team members' credibility and passion while humanizing their brand. People follow people, not companies.
Make It Beautiful AND Believable: Quality visual design isn't optional—it's fundamental to communicating brand values. As Corey emphasizes, "I want to make sure our marketing is humanized...that it tells a wonderful visual story that draws people in, that they can relate to, that makes it feel as if we care about what we present." Strong design signals attention to quality across all aspects of your business.
Be a "Swiss Army Knife" Marketer: Develop versatility across multiple marketing disciplines rather than specializing too narrowly. Technical understanding, creative skills, and strategic thinking combine to make you more valuable. As Corey advises younger marketers, "Do not be a one-trick pony marketer...Being able to be comfortable with many different forms of marketing and if you don't know it, being comfortable to say, 'I'm going to learn it.'"
 
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