Executive Conversations

“What I learned is that the farther up the chain I went, the more difficult it was to get things done for an end result. I was so used to being at the end result. I didn’t get to see all of the pieces that go into play in the beginning, which of course starts with marketing budget.”- Mick Essex

Welcome to the very first episode of Executive Conversations, where we explore how GTM leaders navigate executive discussions, market internally to gain support, and secure buy-in for long-term GTM strategies. In this episode of Executive Conversations, Maeva speaks with Mick Essex, Head of Growth & Partnerships at POWR.

Mick shares his journey from journalism to sales and marketing, highlighting the importance of detailed planning and setting realistic, yet ambitious OKRs. He discusses the challenges of securing marketing budgets, achieving buy-in from leadership, and strategically planning marketing efforts. Mick discusses the need to align marketing goals with the total addressable market. Mick also talks about the importance of planning campaigns and having contingencies in place, as well as the unique challenges of working in a highly regulated industry. He also offers ideas for creating effective marketing strategies with limited budgets.

In this episode, we talk about:

Takeaways:

Chapters:

[00:07] - Introduction

[00:55] - Mick’s journey from journalism to marketing

[03:46] - The challenges of getting budget approval

[05:11] - Getting buy-in marketing campaigns

[08:06] - Aligning marketing goals with the Total Addressable Market (TAM)

[09:46] - Strategic planning and creating contingencies for campaigns

[12:06] - Unique SaaS marketing challenges and strategies

[14:12] - How to be effective with limited marketing budgets and resources

[17:07] - Learning lessons from previous roles and applying them to current strategies

[18:40] - Challenges within the healthcare industry

[21:08] - The importance of proving your value early

[24:21] - Setting and achieving your OKRs

[26:23] - Closing remarks

Mick Essex is the Head of Growth & Partnerships at POWR where he has been for the past 2 years. POWR works with small businesses and solopreneurs across the world providing them with no-code marketing and sales website tools to help grow their business online. Connect with Mick Essex on LinkedIn.

Need help navigating executive conversations and securing your marketing budget? Book a call with Flying Cat Marketing today and let us help you achieve your goals. Book a Call

Welcome to another episode of The SEO Growth Podcast! This time, we talk with Alex Ross, a Content Marketing Head, about the tenets for the success of a company newsletter.

Today we chat with Alex Ross about getting your newsletter to feel like a magazine off a shelf. Alex chats to us about her time at Clearbit and how she contributed to the wide success of their monthly newsletter. Alex provides us with practical tips for creating a newsletter that resonates with your audience like lacing in pop culture references, having catchy subject lines, and keeping it light and fun.

Alex also shares her process for producing newsletters, like ensuring there is an editor that goes through everything with a fine-toothed comb and injects the company’s tone of voice into the piece. She also discusses the importance of receiving and incorporating reader feedback. She shares the importance of switching up topics and seeing what becomes most popular with your readers.

Tune in to find out how to write the perfect company newsletter!

In this episode, we talk about:

Timestamps:

[00:08] Introduction

[01:10] Alex’s time at Clearbit

[02:08] The wide success of Clearbit’s newsletter

[05:44] The process for writing a great newsletter

[08:19] Coming up with ideas for writing

[12:00] How to engage with your subscribers

[13:08] Understanding what resonates with your audience

[19:50] Improving your B2B newsletter game

[23:09] Wrap Up

About Alex Ross

Alex Ross has been in content marketing since blogs were ranking with just a couple hundred words. Working with several B2B startups throughout her career, Alex is no stranger to building content systems from the ground up. Alex is a Senior Content Marketing Manager for B2B companies. 

When she’s not creating content, you can find the San Diego native exploring her city through tacos, craft beer, and Padres baseball.

Connect with Alex Ross on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-suarez-ross/ 

Join the Flying Cats

Still feeling your stomach drop whenever you have to report organic growth to leadership? Things are about to change 👊

Follow Flying Cat Marketing for more SEO strategy and content advice from the agency that helped Hotjar, Mixmax, and ActiveCampaign drive more revenue from organic traffic in a sustainable and predictable way.

Website: https://www.flyingcatmarketing.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flying-cat-marketing

"Everyone internally talks about what we do differently, and that translates to how they communicate their values externally. Anytime there's disarray inside the house, you can always feel it outside the house."

Welcome to another episode of The SEO Growth Podcast! This time, we discuss with Aaron Janmohamed, VP of Marketing at BoostUp AI, about the transformative potential of a strategic narrative.

In this episode, we chat with Aaron Janmohamed about the development of a strategic narrative and its impact on marketing strategy and organizational success. Aaron shares insights into the process of reviewing and revamping BoostUp AI's strategic narrative, emphasizing the importance of aligning messaging with the target audience's needs and creating internal alignment.

He highlights the significance of customer interviews in shaping the narrative and discusses the role of the CEO in driving its adoption across the company. The episode provides valuable lessons for marketers and business leaders seeking to enhance their strategic narrative and effectively communicate their value proposition.

Tune in to gain insights into aligning messaging with audience needs, fostering internal alignment, and effectively communicating value propositions.

In this episode, we talk about:

-strategic narrative

-marketing strategy

-organizational success

Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Discussing Strategy Development and Proper Marketing with BoostUp AI's Marketing Manager, Aaron Janmohamed

[00:00:53] BoostUp AI's a strategic narrative review

[00:03:02] Aligning marketing through a strategic narrative

[00:06:56] Creating a strategic narrative from ICP conversations

[00:10:46] Making adjustments to the engineering roadmap through customer feedback

[00:12:33] Revamping business narrative and strategy

[00:17:17] Mastering strategic narrative development

[00:22:29] Building a marketing narrative

[00:24:45] Strategic narrative review: Principles and guidelines

[00:27:29] Wrap Up

About Aaron Janmohamed

Aaron is a seasoned marketing leader who left behind a successful career in enterprise sales to become a driving force in the tech startup world. With expertise in building high-performing teams, crafting strategic narratives, and creating desirable brands, Aaron excels in helping Series B and C startups reach new heights. His extensive experience in digital demand, product marketing, content strategy, brand development, and more, combined with his 10+ years in sales, making him a versatile and impactful marketer. Beyond his professional pursuits, Aaron is also a skilled writer, podcaster, and avid skier.

Connect with Aaron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronjanmohamed/

Join the Flying Cats

Still feeling your stomach drop whenever you have to report organic growth to leadership? Things are about to change 👊

Follow Flying Cat Marketing for more SEO strategy and content advice from the agency that helped Hotjar, Mixmax, and ActiveCampaign drive more revenue from organic traffic sustainably and predictably.

Website: https://www.flyingcatmarketing.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flying-cat-marketing

“You need to know all extraneous variables affecting your audience’s pain point and use the LEMA framework to build content around that.”

Lily introduces us to the LEMA Framework, which stands for Logic, Explicitness, Memorability, and Actionability. She explains that remarkable content needs to engage readers, be clear and explicit, leave a lasting impression, and provide actionable steps for the audience.

Throughout the episode, Lily provides insights on how to apply the LEMA Framework to content creation. She highlights the importance of defining the search intent and target audience, crafting headings and subheadings that address the readers' knowledge level, and creating a thesis with novel ideas. Lily also emphasizes the significance of providing clear actions, breaking down complex information into digestible pieces, and using visuals to enhance understanding.

Tune in to discover how to use the LEMA Framework to create content that captures your audience's attention and delivers value!


In this episode, we talk about:
Content strategy
Lema framework
target audience


Timestamps:

[00:05] Introduction
[01:20] Exploring the LEMA Framework: Logic, Explicitness, Memorability, and Actionability
[06:37] Coined concepts, novelty, and relatability
[09:45] Analyzing a blog post breakdown and defining search intent
[15:00] Understanding the audience's needs and goals
[17:17] Creating an outline tailored to audience interests
[19:34] Crafting clear and specific H2s
[24:50] Applying the LEMA Framework and tailoring content to different audiences
[27:20] Wrap Up

About Lily Ugbaja

Lily Ugbaja is a Content Marketing Consultant who's helped brands like WordPress, Hubspot, and Zapier win more of their best buyers with content. She runs 3 blogs of her own and previously worked as a Content Marketing Manager at Animalz helping brands like SimpleLegal grow traffic by over 500%.

Connect with Lily Ugbaja on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lilyugbaja/  

Join the Flying Cats
Still feeling your stomach drop whenever you have to report organic growth to leadership? Things are about to change 👊

Follow Flying Cat Marketing for more SEO strategy and content advice from the agency that helped Hotjar, Mixmax, and ActiveCampaign drive more revenue from organic traffic in a sustainable and predictable way.

Website: https://www.flyingcatmarketing.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flying-cat-marketing

“Google is attached to fresh content that includes all the latest nuances in information. We focused on our keywords, and made sure that all the reoptimised pieces were up to date with the latest information, as well as the best graphics, latest use cases, SMEs and quotes.”

Welcome to another episode of The SEO Growth Podcast! This time, we chat with Justyna Dzikowska, Head of Marketing at Brand 24, about effective SEO strategies, targeted keywords, and understanding the customer journey for successful digital marketing.

In this episode, we dive into the world of SEO with Justyna as she shares valuable insights and strategies for creating an effective SEO strategy. Emphasizing simplicity and a narrow focus, Justyna provides practical tips to optimize your website and content, improve rankings, and drive organic traffic. Discover the role of understanding the customer journey, the limitations and benefits of AI-generated content, and gain actionable SEO recommendations for tailored strategies based on your business context.

Learn how to optimize your online presence, enhance user experience, and achieve sustainable growth. With a focus on simplicity, tailored approaches, and understanding the customer journey, you'll be equipped to drive organic traffic, improve rankings, and create valuable content. Don't miss out on these practical tips for optimizing your SEO strategy and staying ahead in the digital landscape.

Tune in to find out expert insights, practical tips, and actionable advice that will empower you to optimize your SEO efforts and achieve remarkable growth in the digital landscape!

In this episode, we talk about:

• SEO Strategy
• Targeted Keywords
• Customer Journey

Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction

[00:57] Importance of tailoring SEO strategy to the customer journey and products

[02:42] SEO opportunities and growth in keyword ranking

[04:52] Focusing on what converts and optimizing existing content

[09:20] Monitoring performance, updating older articles, and tracking metrics

[13:37] Benefits and limitations of AI-generated content in SEO

[19:18] Balancing AI and human input in content creation

[24:43] SEO tips for creating an effective strategy

[25:44] Wrap-up

About Justyna Dzikowska

Justyna Dzikowska is an accomplished marketing professional with nearly a decade of experience in the field. With a talent for transforming sales pitches into compelling stories and tech products into effective solutions, Justyna has honed her expertise in various marketing tools, strategies, and approaches. Recognizing the power of content, Justyna firmly believes in the mantra "Content is King," constantly adapting to its ever-evolving nature within the rapidly changing IT industry. Her deep understanding of the industry's dynamics and integration with areas like data, social media, and video has enabled her to achieve remarkable results, focusing not only on views but also on ROI.

Connect with Justyna Dzikowska on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justyna-dzikowska-content-marketing-digital-pr/ 

Join the Flying Cats

Still feeling your stomach drop whenever you have to report organic growth to leadership? Things are about to change 👊

Website: https://www.flyingcatmarketing.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flying-cat-marketing

“It comes down to understanding all the metrics used in your business, not in the SaaS industry as a whole. You do need to understand what’s important and relevant to your business. And most importantly, think like a business owner.”

Welcome to another episode of the SaaS Leader Interview Series! This time, we chat with Carter Severns, VP of Marketing at Place, about how to get a seat at the table and what you need to know to go from Marketing Manager to VP of Marketing.

Carter shares insights on thinking like a business owner and gaining financial clarity as a marketer. Carter emphasizes the importance of understanding unit economics, key metrics, and financial terminology to contribute strategically. He encourages marketers to ask the right questions about burn rate, cash runway, average sales cycle, CAC to LTV, and renewal rates to gain transparency into the business. By aligning marketing efforts with revenue goals, marketers can have a seat at the table and drive business growth.

Throughout the conversation, Carter highlights the value of continuous learning and acquiring diverse skills, especially in a startup environment. He recommends building relationships with senior leaders who can provide exposure to broader business discussions. Carter also suggests resources such as Ray Rike's insights on RevOps, Brandon's CEO at Place, and "The Little Black Book of SaaS" for enhancing financial understanding. 

Tune in as we explore the importance of financial clarity for marketers and their impact on business success!

In this episode, we talk about:

• Financial education
• Marketing promotion
• Business education 

Timestamps:

[00:01] Introduction

[01:14] Carter's background and diverse marketing experience

[03:14] Benefits of working in a startup environment

[04:27] Thinking like a business owner

[06:47] Getting involved in broader business conversations as a marketing manager

[09:27] Gaining financial clarity and asking the right questions

[13:01] Tying marketing efforts to revenue goals for a seat at the table

[15:06] The level of financial literacy required for marketers

[17:00] Dealing with a leadership team lacking financial maturity

[18:59] Expanding beyond

About Carter Severns

Carter is a husband, dad, and marketer based out of Dallas, TX. For the past decade, he has been running growth and marketing for B2B, SaaS, and growth-stage companies. 

Throughout his career, he has built a reputation for executing go-to-market strategy, starting marketing from scratch, and being a revenue-focused leader for high-growth companies.

Connect with Carter Severns on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carter-severns/ 

Check out Place’s Little Black Book of SaaS.

Join the Flying Cats

Still feeling your stomach drop whenever you have to report organic growth to leadership? Things are about to change.

Website: https://www.flyingcatmarketing.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flying-cat-marketing

"Using the Realm of Relevancy framework in your marketing efforts can make your content an unlimited resource for you to constantly pull from."

Welcome to another episode of The SEO Growth Podcast! This time, we chat with Liam Bartholomew, Vice President of Marketing at Cognism, about creating a framework for the longevity of your content after launching a successful marketing campaign.

Liam shares an exciting concept called the Realm of Relevancy! It's a handy tool used to create a unique point of view for your company. The assessment starts with a big-picture idea that both your consumers and your company can relate to. From there, it branches off into different points of view, each with its own set of mapped-out content.

This approach creates easy-to-use content, essentially making it an unlimited resource for you and your team. Liam shares how the team at Cognism categorizes the content into specific types: top-down, middle-out, or bottom-up. By doing this, they can tailor their messaging to fit the specific type of content, addressing all the needs and viewpoints of their target market.

Don't miss out on discovering how you can use the Realm of Relevancy to create evergreen content that resonates with your audience!

In this episode, we talk about:

• Content structure
• Realm of Relevancy
• Points of view

Timestamps:

[00:00-01:53] Introduction

[01:55] What is the easy mode content structure?

[03:00-05:10] Fueling your media machine.

[05:10-07:49] Designing a Realm of Relevancy framework. 

[07:49] Defining your company’s point of view with your team.

[10:00-11:55] The Realm of Relevancy made simple.

[13:45] Categorize your content.

[14:15-17:07] What to do after you’ve launched a successful campaign.

[17:15] Frame your messaging.

[19:30] How Cognism implemented this framework.

[20:25] Track the right metrics.

[22:45] Wrap-up.

About Liam Bartholomew

Liam is a B2B SaaS marketing leader who is passionate about demand generation. He is shaking up B2B marketing to move it away from traditional lead generation, demonstrating how we can all do more fun, advanced, and buyer-centric marketing. Connect with Liam Bartholomew on LinkedIn. 

Join the Flying Cats

Still feeling your stomach drop whenever you have to report organic growth to leadership? Things are about to change 👊

Follow Flying Cat Marketing for more SEO strategy and content advice from the agency that helped Hotjar, Mixmax, and ActiveCampaign drive more revenue from organic traffic in a sustainable and predictable way.

Website: https://www.flyingcatmarketing.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flying-cat-marketing

“We use artificial intelligence to connect more people, and that's kind of the way I think of content. So often for organizations, they're just deeply focused on the message that we're all trying to get out to meet deliverables. Human-centric content keeps those people at the forefront the whole time.”

Welcome to another episode of The SEO Growth Podcast! This time, we talk to Adam Sockel, Content Marketing Lead at Orum, about using AI to inform human-centric content.

Adam emphasizes the importance of creating human-centric content that focuses on solving the pain points of the audience while keeping them engaged. He stresses the importance of prioritizing mental health in content creation, which can lead to happier and more productive employees. Psychological safety is also an integral part of workplace research, and although AI has limitations, it can be used to enhance how we approach this. 

Sockel uses ChatGPT to generate ideas and gather data for his content creation process while simultaneously saving time and resources for marketers. Finally, Sockel discusses his upcoming novel, The Ballad of Bonaventure Palmier, a magical realism story set in a circus that follows an old man looking back on his life.

If you’re ready to hear how you can leverage AI whilst still remaining focused on human-centric content, tune in now!

In this episode, we talk about:

• Human-centric content
• AI
• Mental Health

Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Introduction

[00:00:57] The art of crafting human-centric content 

[00:07:06] Prioritizing mental health in your content creation journey 

[00:11:12] Unpacking mental health in various job functions

[00:15:35] Exploring psychological safety through AI research

[00:19:03] Leveraging AI as a creative launchpad for your content

[00:25:40] Creating compelling content for Marketing

[00:26:31] Adam shares his latest novel

[00:26:57] Wrap up

About Adam Sockel

Adam Sockel is a Lead Content Marketer for Orum, an AI-powered live conversation platform that helps salespeople make more human connections with prospects. Adam has been in SAAS marketing for 15+ years and has also been a podcast host for a decade, interviewing authors weekly on his own podcast, Passions & Prologues. 

Connect with Adam Sockel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-sockel-195ab073/ 

Previous guests include: Andrew Davis @Paddle, Casey Hill @Bonjoro, Camille Trent @PeerSignal, Erin Balsa @Haus of Bold, Emilia Korczynska @Userpilot, Brooklin Nash @Beam, Nick Warren @Alyce, Steffen Hedebrandt @Dreamdata, Vuk Vukosavljevic @lemlist, Farzad Rashidi @Respona, Andrea Skarica @Mixmax, Ashley Levesque @Banzai

Listen to our most popular episodes: 

• A Content System Beats Content Ideas, with Brad Smith @Wordable
• How to create a company culture that puts you ahead of the pack, with Adam Harris @Cloudbeds 
• How Typeform's Branding Experiments Guided its Content and Product Strategy, with Alex Antolino @Typeform 
  
  

Join the Flying Cats

Still feeling your stomach drop whenever you report organic growth to leadership? Things are about to change 👊

“Product-led content is any type of content that strategically weaves a product or a service into the story, and uses it to illustrate a point, solve a problem, or help the audience accomplish a goal.”

Welcome to another episode of The SEO Growth Podcast! This time, we speak to Dr. Fiorenza Dossetto, Brand and Editorial Lead at ActiveCampaign Postmark, about the importance of creating product-led content that successfully showcases your product without sounding too “salesy”.

Dr. Fio shares the importance of weaving a narrative around your product in a way that feels relevant and valuable to your audience, as this ultimately leads to more sign-ups and higher rates of customer satisfaction. She talks about how to create low-effort, high-impact content that aligns with your product, resonates with your audience, and helps them engage with your brand.

Dr. Fio also shares her experience getting external SMEs for email marketing campaigns, and how service agencies can use case studies to create their own product-led content. Tune in to learn more about how to use product-led content to create a powerful story for your brand!

In this episode, we talk about:

• Product-led content
• Storytelling in content marketing
• SEO distribution

Timestamps:

00:01: Introduction

[00:01:10] Understanding product-led content 

[00:03:37] Benefits of product-led content

[00:06:23] Tips for creating product-led content

[00:08:44] Mentioning products in shareable content: A controversial take from an SEO expert 

[00:10:22] Repurposing content

[00:12:00] Creating content that’s relatable

[00:14:08] Common mistakes to avoid

[00:16:12] Getting external SMEs 

[00:17:28] Creating product-led content: Tips for service agencies

[00:19:24] Lessons learned from implementing product-led content at Postmark

[00:21:03] How it impacts your marketing strategy

About Dr Fiorenza Dossetto

Fio (fee-oh) is normally quiet but can talk non-stop about product-led content, strategic thinking, and why em dashes are the best punctuation mark of all time. 

She works 4 days a week as the Brand & Editorial Lead at Postmark. She often uses her Fridays to write ContentFolks, a content marketing newsletter that is a blend of sticky notes, big content ideas, and small practical examples.

Connect with Dr Fiorenza Dossetto on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fiorenzadossetto/ 

Listen to our most popular episodes: 

• A Content System Beats Content Ideas, with Brad Smith @Wordable
• How to create a company culture that puts you ahead of the pack, with Adam Harris @Cloudbeds 
• How Typeform's Branding Experiments Guided its Content and Product Strategy, with Alex Antolino @Typeform 
  
  
  
  

Join the Flying Cats

Still feeling your stomach drop whenever you have to report organic growth to leadership? Things are about to change 👊

Follow Flying Cat Marketing for more SEO strategy and content advice from the agency that helped Hotjar, Mixmax, and ActiveCampaign drive more revenue from organic traffic in a sustainable and predictable way.

"We've started a Global Payroll-themed talk show, which is a video-first podcast. We invite guests on the show, we interview them about topics that are relevant to global payroll leaders—as a way to build a relationship with them and to learn about our market through them, basically."

Welcome to another episode of The SEO Growth Podcast! This time, we spoke to Sam Morris, Head of Marketing at Payzaar, about his experience using video content to generate leads for a niche market. 

Sam shares his experience in marketing to the global payroll function, a niche market within payroll HR managers, and how their career trajectory impacts their pain points. He discusses the importance of understanding where your niche market lives online and how video content can help bridge the communication gap.

This episode also explores the potential impact of technology on the future of work and how to prepare for it. Tune in to find out how you can target a niche audience, even while under-utilizing LinkedIn!

In this episode, we talk about:

• Global payroll marketing
• Demand generation
• Building relationships with content
• Targeting niche audiences

Timestamps:

[00:00:01] Introduction

[00:02:04] Understanding the career trajectory of a payroll professional

[00:03:04] Selling to a niche market: Lessons from a global payroll company

[00:08:59] How a company is using video content to reach their ICPs

[00:11:25] Prioritizing accounts for guest selection

[00:12:44] Using podcasts to create content and learn about your market

[00:14:33] Building relationships and generating leads through podcasting

[00:16:53] Learning about your market through video content and lead gen

[00:20:53] Emerging technology and the future of work

About Sam Morris

Sam Morris is a SaaS marketing leader and lead generation expert. With experience in video content, digital events, and podcasts, he helps Payzaar learn about its market through engaging content that challenges him to get creative. 

Connect with Sam Morris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smorrisrosenstein/ 

Listen to our most popular episodes: 

• A Content System Beats Content Ideas, with Brad Smith @Wordable
• How to create a company culture that puts you ahead of the pack, with Adam Harris @Cloudbeds 
• How Typeform's Branding Experiments Guided its Content and Product Strategy, with Alex Antolino @Typeform 

Join the Flying Cats

Still feeling your stomach drop whenever you have to report organic growth to leadership? Things are about to change 👊

Follow Flying Cat Marketing for more SEO strategy and content advice from the agency that helped Hotjar, Mixmax, and ActiveCampaign drive more revenue from organic traffic sustainably and predictably.

Website: https://www.flyingcatmarketing.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flying-cat-marketing