Breaking Down Barriers - The Exciting Evolution of Marketing Without Silos

About the Guest

Maurina Venturelli was born and raised in small-town Anaconda, Montana. Shortly after graduating college, she found herself in the Bay Area. Her marketing career started in social media, creating content for HopeLab, a non-profit dedicated to social innovation at the intersection of tech and youth mental health. From there she went on to product marketing at WhitHat Security and later found her way in Demand Generation.

Connect with Maurina Venturelli

Key Takeaways

The power of a great message and its impact on attracting an audience.
Bridging the gap between B2B and B2C marketing for more effective strategies.
Emphasizing aesthetics, visuals, and relatability in marketing efforts.
The significance of personalized approaches and relationship-building in account-based marketing.
The role of offers and experiences in engaging the audience and creating memorable experiences.
Challenges and benefits of aligning product marketing and demand generation teams.
The importance of trust, resolve, and shared outcomes in marketing collaborations.
Cultivating writing talent within existing teams through inspiration from magazines and other creative sources.
Exploring the psychology of marketing and the need for understanding and empathy in messaging and communication.
Recognizing the value of diverse perspectives, including those of executive coaches, educators, and children, for fresh insights and inspiration.

Quote

“Change is hard, but we need to embrace the idea of diversifying the way we go to market.” – Maurina Venturelli

Highlights from the Episode

Can you tell us more about the specialist versus generalist approach in marketing?

Maurina believes that marketing should not be limited by labels and boxes. She thinks that marketing encompasses various skills such as storytelling, psychology, persuasion, technical knowledge, and processes. She suggests that having individuals who possess a wide range of capabilities can make marketing more effective.

How can businesses adopt that methodology and create a cohesive marketing strategy?

Maurina suggests that businesses can start by changing their interviewing process to focus on finding candidates with diverse capabilities and competencies. Rather than solely looking at the number of years in specific marketing disciplines, the interview should delve deeper into the individual’s ability to tell compelling stories, their understanding of persuasion, and their creative thinking. By identifying candidates who possess a wide range of skills, businesses can build a marketing team that can collaborate effectively and contribute to a cohesive marketing strategy.

Does the rise of AI make it even more important to find certain skills in marketing?

Maurina acknowledges the usefulness of AI as a drafting tool in content creation. However, she emphasizes that AI-generated content lacks the personal touch and innate human qualities that are essential for effective storytelling. She believes that finding individuals with strong writing skills, creativity, and the ability to infuse content with human elements such as empathy and joy becomes even more critical in the age of AI. While AI can assist in generating initial drafts, the human touch is necessary to refine and enhance the content.

How can businesses align budget allocations with top-level priorities and goals?

Maurina suggests that businesses should start by understanding what they have to offer and why it is valuable to customers. By focusing on the top-level priorities and goals of the company and developing a tailored experience for customers, businesses can ensure that budget allocations are aligned with their objectives.

How important is a brand to demand generation and what is the interaction between the two?

Maurina believes that brand and demand generation are intertwined. Every aspect of demand generation contributes to building and reinforcing the brand. Whether it’s through targeted advertisements, engaging content, or persuasive communication, all these activities create brand awareness and shape the perception of the company. Maurina emphasizes the need for a human element in brand communication, aligning the brand voice with persuasive tactics that resonate with the target audience. While demand generation is an essential part of brand-building, she notes that not all brand activities fall strictly under demand generation.

Is there a specific career path that businesses should consider when hiring exceptional marketers?

Maurina recommends considering journalists and creative writers when hiring marketers. These individuals often possess strong storytelling abilities, an investigative mindset, and the ability to craft compelling narratives. She suggests that businesses should not limit themselves to traditional product marketing roles but instead look for candidates with a background in journalism or creative writing. Maurina acknowledges that society often undervalues writing as a career path, but she believes that promoting it as a valuable skill for marketing success can help bridge the skill gap in the industry.

How would you cultivate writing talent within an organization?

Maurina suggests subscribing to magazines such as Wired, Rolling Stone, and Fast Company, as they tell great stories and provide inspiration for writing. By reading these magazines, individuals can adapt the concepts, vivid imagery, and storytelling techniques for their business writing. Maurina personally finds magazines to be a valuable source of creative stimulation.

Are there exercises or certain things that can be done to pull out writing talent from existing teams?

Maurina highlights the importance of magazines as a tool for cultivating writing talent. Reading a variety of magazines, not just industry-specific ones like Forbes, can help stimulate creative thinking and inspire individuals to adapt different tones and structures for their business writing. By exposing team members to diverse writing styles, they can explore new ways to express themselves and enhance their writing skills.

How important do you think offers and experiences are compared to traditional content in marketing?

Maurina believes that offers and experiences are highly important in marketing. She points out that humans consume various experiences for entertainment and learning purposes, such as TikTok videos, Buzzfeed quizzes, and interactive content. Maurina mentions the value of surveys and providing comparisons to engage audiences and make learning enjoyable. She suggests taking inspiration from B2C publishers like Buzzfeed to create similar engaging experiences in a B2B context.

How should we reevaluate and potentially eliminate the barrier between B2B and B2C marketing?

Maurina suggests reevaluating the separation between B2B and B2C marketing. She emphasizes the importance of aesthetics, visuals, and relatability in marketing. Maurina acknowledges that B2B organizations often change their strategies frequently, which can create challenges. She proposes spending more time upfront to develop a consistent brand persona and marketing approach, and then executing it for a longer period (around six to eight months) to allow it to gain traction and deliver results. Maurina believes that marketers should focus on influencing people rather than being constrained by transactional goals like form fills.

Can you talk about your experience transitioning from a demand-gen, lead-based organization to a more targeted account-based approach?

Maurina shares her experience at Sumo during a transition from demand generation and lead-based marketing to an account-based approach. She explains that the shift was driven by her desire to explore account-based marketing and build strong relationships with potential customers. Maurina mentions implementing a strategy where a team of Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) focused on specific accounts for a few months, primarily working on building relationships through marketing activities like webinars and lunch and learns. By focusing on building relationships upfront, they aimed to shorten the sales cycle and achieve better results.

How should we think about shared outcomes and versions of success in marketing?

Maurina emphasizes the importance of shared outcomes and aligning marketing and sales goals. She discusses the challenge of setting expectations and the need for trust when implementing new approaches. Maurina shares her belief that success should be determined by shared outcomes rather than solely focusing on hitting marketing qualified leads (MQLs). By aligning marketing and sales goals and focusing on shared versions of success, organizations can foster collaboration and drive better results.

What do you mean when you say “Nobody shows up without a great message”?

Maurina explains that having a compelling and persuasive message is crucial for attracting and engaging an audience. She argues that without a strong message, people will not be motivated to click on or consume content. Maurina emphasizes the importance of crafting a message that resonates with the target audience and conveys value, as it plays a significant role in capturing attention and driving engagement.

Is there a book, blog, newsletter, website, or video that you would recommend to our listeners?

Book