Huddlers in the News

Christopher Willis, CMO of Acrolinx, shared how he manages his expanded role in his article on Ad Age. 

When Christopher Willis started as chief marketing officer at Acrolinx in 2017, his mandate was to help the Berlin-based content software company grow beyond its European footprint. Five and a half years later, Acrolinx has a strong customer base in the US—thanks in part to Willis adding the role of chief pipeline officer in 2020. 

Willis said he “lives two quarters ahead” of sales, putting special emphasis on sales velocity—a “piece of fancy math” that helps predict revenue. He meets with the sales team regularly to ferret out what deals are stuck in the pipeline and gives his marketing team latitude to experiment while holding them accountable to one overall metric.

Read the full Q&A on Ad Age: Why Sales Velocity is Chief Pipeline Officer's Most Important Metric

Listen to the Episode: All Roads Lead to Measurement: How to Future-Proof B2B Marketing

What’s a surefire way for B2B brands to grow customer champions, drive cross-sell and upsell, and spread brand love? A robust event marketing strategy will do the trick. Especially in a world where budgets are being cut and CMOs are being asked to do more with less, a well-run event (virtual, hybrid, or in-person) can get you the most bang for your buck. 

Tune in for an insight-packed episode—we explore everything from event planning and promotion to being a stellar host to post-event follow-up with a customer obsessed CMO panel: Shirley Macbeth of Forrester, Olga Noha of SplitMetrics, and Marca Armstrong of Passport.

Speaking of customer events, CMO Huddles is a proud community partner with Forrester’s 2023 B2B Summit, in-person in Austin, Texas from June 4-7th, with expert keynotes, specially curated breakouts, a live band (Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats!), and a whole lot more. Huddlers will get a special discounted rate, with access to exclusive networking opportunities, VIP status, and more. 

What You’ll Learn  

• How to market B2B customer events 
• The important role CMOs play at events 
• How partnerships can enhance events 

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ 

How can B2B CMOs optimize their digital marketing efforts? 

Tune into this insight-packed episode with CMOs Ellina Shinnick of HUB International, Mika Yamamoto of F5, and Norman Guadagno of Mimecast as they share their approaches to digital spend—what’s worked, what hasn’t, and where they’re focusing when it comes to building brand awareness online. Don’t miss it!

What You’ll Learn  

• How B2B brands are approaching digital spend 
• Why attribution is so difficult and what to do about it 
• Why B2B brands need to invest in awareness

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ 

CMO turnover is rampant. 

That’s why CMO Huddles is dedicated to helping B2B CMOs with career development, hence this episode with executive coach Pat Romboletti, Founder & Author of Bulletproof Your Career.

Whether you are looking for your next role, eyeing a different industry, hoping to get on a board, or want to be a thought leader, this is the episode for you. Tune in as Pat shares her expertise on how CMOs can build their personal brands and network better, with comprehensive tips on using LinkedIn, putting deposits in the goodwill bank, and developing a career blueprint.

This episode was originally recorded as a CMO Huddles Bonus Huddle, a live Q&A where Huddles members can listen, ask questions, and get access to helpful resources. If you’re a B2B CMO and interested in getting involved, apply here.

What You’ll Learn  

• How to establish yourself as a thought leader
• How to effectively build your network
• Tips to find your next CMO role

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ 

“After employees, customers are the target of 2023.”  

With unrelenting pressure on B2B marketers to build pipeline, Drew Neisser’s above advice may sound unhelpful. But the reality is that you can’t have more pipeline without a strong brand embraced by employees and customers alike, especially when the CFO becomes the CFNO. 

Tune into the 330th episode of Renegade Marketers Unite, where Drew shares strategic wisdom when it comes to 2023 growth. Our special host this episode is Joe Cohen, Chief Marketing and Communication Officer at AXIS, who led the conversation for the benefit of his marketing team and generously shared it with us to air for all. 

What You’ll Learn  

• How to mine customer relationships in 2023 
• Why brand purpose is so important 
• Why employees should be your #1 target in a recession 

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ 

To the extent that you can create a self-guided buying experience, the happier your customers and potential customers will be. That’s one of the big ideas that drive Product-Led Growth (PLG for short), the topic we cover in this episode featuring CMOs Michael Callahan of Acronis and Allyson Havener of TrustRadius.   

Michael and Allyson’s insights into marketing’s role in driving PLG are a must-listen for marketers no matter who you work for and how you go to market. Tune in to learn how to optimize your PLG efforts to nurture prospects, drive adoption and upsell, and bring your B2B organization to new heights! 

What You’ll Learn  

• How to get product led growth right 
• How to nurture PLG prospects and drive upsell/adoption  
• Why self-serve products still need marketing 

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ 

An acquisition announcement garners a lot of excitement, but the real challenge rests in everything a company does afterwards to ensure that brand equity isn’t lost and that customers aren’t confused. Want an acquisition playbook? Here’s the kicker, no two acquisitions are the same. 

Luckily for our listeners, we have three fantastic CMOs with multiple acquisitions under their belts, here to share their strategies and best practices when it comes to effectively pivoting post-acquisition. With wisdom from Julie Feller of U.S. Legal Support, Isabelle Papoulias of Mediafly, and Kristen Russel of symplr, this episode is not to be missed—tune in! 

What You’ll Learn  

• Why no two acquisitions are the same 
• How to effectively integrate brands post-acquisition 
• How to measure the success of an acquisition 

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ 

Tune in for a fascinating conversation about the implications of Forrester’s benchmarks, with guidance on budget allocation, marketing orchestration, why brand is important, and more.

This recording comes from a CMO Huddles Bonus Huddle—a private Q&A with our community of B2B CMOs where they can ask the questions that guide the conversation. If you want to get involved, you can apply here. 

Speaking of CMO Huddles… CMO Huddles is now a community partner with Forrester’s B2B Summit, coming to Austin, Texas from June 5th to 7th. Huddlers will get access to preferred pricing + other exclusive benefits — if you’re a B2B CMO looking to connect with fellow CMOs and Forrester’s top-notch analysts in a very special way, join us ASAP. 

What You’ll Learn  

• Forrester recommendations for budget allocation 
• Why brand reputation matters 
• How to get the most out of your budget in 2023 

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegade.com/podcasts/ 

This question is one that’s debated in both public forums and behind closed C-Suite boards, and it’s one that we tackle in this episode featuring Joe Cohen, the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at AXIS. Tune in as we discuss the why AXIS has leaned into commitment to ESG, how to do it right, and what amazing things might happen if you do.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode 

• How AXIS has committed to ESG  
  
• Why B2B brands shouldn’t be afraid to take a stand  
  
• When and why a brand should take a stand