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How to be a One-Person B2B SaaS Marketing Department
68 Plays3 years ago
Marketing is hard.
It's even more challenging when you're the lone marketer.
You need to strategize, coordinate, tactically execute, and organize.
In other words, you have to be a multi-task player.
On the Marketing Spark podcast, Nancy Kwan talks about life as a solo marketer.
One of her biggest pieces of advice: "Don't become a yes person. Be comfortable saying no."
Nancy says that solo marketers need to be strategic and ask tough questions before committing to anything.
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Transcript
Introduction to Marketing Spark
00:00:07
Speaker
I'm Mark Evans, and welcome to Marketing Spark, the podcast that delivers insight from marketers and entrepreneurs in the trenches in 25 minutes or less. In the B2B SaaS marketing world, there's a lot of talk about slick strategic plans and an army of marketers to turn plans into action. But many companies have small marketing teams. In fact, some companies have one-person marketing teams featuring people who need to do it all.
00:00:35
Speaker
What's life for these marketers? How do they do their jobs when they're flying solo?
Challenges of Solo Marketing in B2B SaaS
00:00:40
Speaker
To discover the secrets to success, I'm talking with Nancy Kwan, Director, Digital Marketing at Bubblebox. Welcome to Marketing Spark. Thanks, Spark, for having me. Let's start by having you tell me about your job. I'm interested in understanding firsthand what it's like to be the marketing department.
00:01:02
Speaker
Yes, absolutely. Like you said, I'm the director of digital marketing at Bubble Box, a little bit of a background. We're a Salesforce consulting partner, helping organizations integrate and continuously optimize their Salesforce instance. So this includes anything from like, marketing cloud, Tableau, DataRama, sales and service, just to name a few. But to your point of that question of like, what does a one person marketing team do? What what are they responsible for?
00:01:26
Speaker
And I would say more often than not, it could easily be deemed as you might feel overwhelmed. You might feel it at being a bit daunting at times, especially if you're not prepped to position yourself for success. But the daunting and overwhelming feeling could be very large, especially if you're new to the organization or if that role is also new to the organization.
00:01:49
Speaker
what you'll probably experience is everybody is going to be coming to you at that company with all their ideas, the latest trends that they're reading on and what's happening. They're probably putting in the requests mainly because maybe they didn't have a person there before.
Strategic Approaches for Solo Marketers
00:02:05
Speaker
So they're all coming with their backlogs of great ideas and things that they want to see on social or in marketing collateral on the website. And of course,
00:02:15
Speaker
One thing that sometimes get often forgotten is we are, I'm always faced with that, like, okay, how do we optimize the user experience? How do we optimize customer experience? So that is probably what will happen if you're joining an organization and there is either a small team or just a one person team, what somebody might, like myself has experienced in the past.
00:02:38
Speaker
So I've been in the situation where I have come in as the marketing person on a consulting basis. And you're right. The sales guy has something that to be done. The CEO has their priorities. The head of sales has their priorities. How do you coordinate all those different asks to make sure that you're not running in different directions, that people don't know what page you're on, what your priorities are? How do you get that initial buy-in and structure so that you're doing the right things at the right time for the right people?
00:03:08
Speaker
I would say my biggest advice, take a step back and slow down.
00:03:14
Speaker
Just constantly remind yourself those two pieces of advice. But to start, we have to be strategic. So that would be my number one recommendation. Be strategic. And don't just because of the excitement of all the different business units that there is somebody in that role now, don't just jump into execution. Because that will only set you up for potential failure and also divert you from what your end goal is that you're trying to achieve.
00:03:42
Speaker
So one of the things I always say is take the time to really truly understand the business strategy and ensure that you as the marketer have alignment and that you truly understand that you're spending the time to ask a lot of questions. And more specifically, I find if you're, especially if you're new to an organization, spend the time to ask the tough questions that probably a lot of people aren't asking anymore.
Market Research and Automation
00:04:10
Speaker
And when I say ask a tough question, it's not a hard question, it's the question of why. Why are we doing this? What are we working towards? And truly spend the time to understand what is that goal or you often hear a marketer say like, what's that North Star that we're trying to work towards? And what are we trying to achieve?
00:04:32
Speaker
And at the end of the day, I always say, don't hold back. I think both of us say this quite a bit, Mark. If you're thinking it, somebody else in the room in the company is probably also thinking about it too, but the question hasn't been publicly stated. And more times than none, everybody's running a mile a minute. So they haven't had that opportunity to take the pause like you do when you first join to spend the time to ask the questions and educate.
00:04:58
Speaker
Yeah, and I think and to that point about the obvious question as a marketer, you know, when I say take a step back, I would say take a step back and look at the market research because, you know, understand your audience, because maybe maybe there was another previous individual in that role before years before. And normally what what naturally happens is that people give you all the old decks, the all the old strategies, all the old presentation, they go,
00:05:23
Speaker
Here you go, right? You're off to a great start. But time has passed. The environment has changed. And I always say, start again. Take a look at the market research or the current state. What does it look like? Who's your audience? And really just stay focused because you're a one-person department, so you can't dabble in every single area. So then look at your competitors and start formulating and putting together a draft. What does your marketing strategy look like?
00:05:53
Speaker
but not only just the strategy, what are the measurables that are going to align to the business strategies to get you
00:06:01
Speaker
to succeed. And then if I had a second piece of advice as a marketer in a one department, really focus at looking for opportunities to automate the mundane tasks in your marketing department.
Proving ROI and Building a Team
00:06:17
Speaker
Huge opportunity because once you free up those administration tasks or look at creating email marketing that you can set up journeys or automations, great way for you to get
00:06:29
Speaker
a journey going so that frees up your time to focus on other areas as well.
00:06:36
Speaker
You've got the North Star determined or you focus on the North Star. You've got your strategy in place. You've talked to the key stakeholders. You know what the priorities are. So you're all excited to get started, but you're only one person. So the question is how do you actually get marketing done? How much do you take upon doing yourself because you've got to be, you know, Jack of all trades, you know, a five tool player.
00:06:59
Speaker
And how much do you allocate to freelancers and contractors and consultants, third parties who can help you with tactical execution? Yeah, I'll be very honest about that one. Sometimes I've had to just roll up my sleeves and I really had to get in there to start doing the building. Some people may see that being as painful, but especially when, you know, it's a new, maybe it's a new department for that organization.
00:07:27
Speaker
you actually have to start building up the case to get budget. I've started an organization where there were no marketing budget. So how could I even begin to look for contractors if I don't even have the budget to fund it? So normally what I like to do
00:07:46
Speaker
is roll up my sleeve, focus on that one or two areas that I know my audience is in, and really start doing testing and making sure that any testing or any channels or tactics I'm working in on my campaigns, that I'm actually predicting what my forecasts are, and also making sure that I'm tracking my results. Because at the end of the day, any efforts that I bring in, I want to be able to prove what my return on my investments are.
00:08:13
Speaker
Because once I start proving that any work that I'm doing is now netting a return, I could take that data and the results to start building out and formulating, oh, we need to essentially start to be able to scale. I now have the data to prove
00:08:32
Speaker
if we begin to blow it up a little bit more or do more with a budget, if we had budget, I will be able to scale and be able to have growth revenue because I'm bringing in additional contractors or consultants to help me be able to execute at a faster pace.
Partnerships and Core Values
00:08:52
Speaker
I think that makes complete sense, but one of the challenges for a lot of marketers who are marketing leaders, they see themselves as strategic leaders, as people who will guide the organization through. So they've likely done a lot of the grunt work. They've been in the trenches. They've they've doing a lot of tactical execution. And the danger for our marketing leader is that they want to do that anymore, is that they want to be the strategic leader from above who tells the minions what to do. And I think you're you make a good point is sometimes you have to do both. Sometimes you have to do strategy and you have to actually get get the work
00:09:21
Speaker
I think it's a hard pill for a lot of senior marketers to accept. I guess one of the questions I would have is once you've actually proven your case and you start to hire people, it's all about how do you manage people who aren't inside the organization, who aren't as vested as you are, who aren't drinking the Kool-Aid, how do you make sure that they're focused on your work as opposed to other clients as well? Yeah, that's a really good question.
00:09:48
Speaker
I think it actually, not even I think, I know it has to start from the foundation. And what I mean by that is what are your core values? What is your core value to you as the leader? And what's the core value to your organization?
00:10:04
Speaker
And I'll use bubble boxes as an example. We have six core values that we stand by. And I would say these core values, they're in our DNA. It's in us. And it's all focused around, one of them is about being one team. We're strongly, we work and we are stronger together. We're all about being passionate about what we do. We always go above and
Structured Meetings for Success
00:10:28
Speaker
beyond and making sure that we're able to execute on our initiatives and our projects.
00:10:33
Speaker
You know, the third one that we have is we have, we are humble and confident individuals and we're all about making sure that we have the gratitude through the right attitude.
00:10:42
Speaker
And then the fourth one that we have is we own it. We always have this mentality of we got it. So if we're going to commit to something, we always see it through. It's all about also our energies. So we love being positive. We always have this drive and never giving up. And then the last one is all about doing the right thing. So making sure that you're delivering on our promise. So of course, when I'm working with
00:11:05
Speaker
freelancers or consulting partners to help me on my initiatives, I'm looking and having a conversation to go, does this partner or client, do their core values align up with mine and Bubblebox? Because if there is that synergy and the drive to deliver on those values, we know that there's going to be a successful relationship.
00:11:29
Speaker
What kind of support do you get from your management team when you're a one person marketing team in terms of not only strategic direction, but tactical support? So one of the things that I have found in my experience is that the CEO will say, yes, I'm all about marketing. I want to make marketing happen. And when you look to them to collaborate and engage and give you feedback and ideas,
00:11:50
Speaker
They say to you i'm too busy for that i'm too busy driving product and sales and so you're left your own devices what do you need to do to make sure that you get by and they're as vested in marketing as you are.
00:12:03
Speaker
That's a really good question. With Bubblebox, the management team is truly unique. We actually, as a team, we dedicate a specific time during the week. And our model is you cannot decline it. You have to make every effort to show up to this weekly meeting. And this is where we are giving our status updates of how we're trending towards our KPIs and measurables. But it also gives us the opportunity for us to identify issues.
00:12:32
Speaker
and have a conversation around what is that issue where's the root problem coming from and be open to having a conversation so we purposely set time aside every week to be able to touch on this and this is where as a marketer i raise my hand to go
00:12:49
Speaker
Maybe I've come across this roadblock in some of my processes and I seek support. So I go, this is my issue. This is what I'm coming across, open to ideas and solutions. And at the end of the day, we also make sure that we're all focused on the right priorities. So I need to ensure that when I come to the table and have a conversation,
00:13:10
Speaker
My point is all about my issue right now will have a risk or impact for us to get to our overall business outcomes. And I find that when you position the priority to the goal that you're all working towards, everybody is willing. And this is what I love about my leadership team that I get to work with at
Prioritization and Avoiding Distractions
00:13:30
Speaker
Bubble Box. We all come together to ideate and go, how do we make sure that we help my team member get to success, which at the same time comes to the success of the business as well?
00:13:41
Speaker
That sounds like a really good approach that in fact that you look at marketing as a partnership as opposed to you're the marketing department, you make it happen. One of the things that I'm interested in is for people who are running solo, what's your advice in terms of how to structure operations? And I think that's a funny term because when you're the only person, you're the operation, right?
00:13:58
Speaker
So what are the pillars for success and as important, what are the mistakes that they need to avoid if they're going to run efficiently, if they're not going to be working, you know, 724 and turn their hair out at the end of the day? My biggest recommendation advice, don't become the yes person.
00:14:19
Speaker
get comfortable saying no, right? And you have to get comfortable on asking anybody who's throwing a request at you, you know, why, right? Is it because it's strategic and it's going to help to help you grow and get to where your goals are? Or is it because it's that
00:14:38
Speaker
you know, what's that saying? The shiny object syndrome or the FOMO, right? The fear of missing
LinkedIn Strategies for Networking
00:14:44
Speaker
out. Is that why people are coming in to put in their request? So at the end of the day, it's getting comfortable to say no, always asking the question to why? Why is it being required? How is it getting us to the key goal? And at the same time, my biggest thing which my biggest lesson to learning lesson learned through the years was don't be a yes person.
00:15:03
Speaker
It's hard to say no, to be honest with you, because we are preconditioned. I think maybe, I don't know whether marketers are preconditioned specifically, but we're preconditioned to say, yes, yes, I can get that done. Yes, that project is not a problem. Yes, I can create that content. And it gets us in trouble sometimes because we overextend ourselves and we do things that aren't a priority or aren't directly related to the North Star.
00:15:26
Speaker
Yeah, and it actually prevents you from getting there quicker, right? So it just becomes that roadblock when we get into the habit of saying yes.
00:15:35
Speaker
The other thing I want to ask you is what's your own strategy when it comes to marketing? You've established a very solid presence on LinkedIn. You do some great videos like me. You've really sort of embraced LinkedIn as the place where you go for networking and to establish your personal brand and to drive leads for bubble box. Talk a little bit about your approach to your own marketing, including LinkedIn. What are you doing and how do you do it?
00:16:00
Speaker
I use LinkedIn, I think there's many of us during the pandemic where we turned to LinkedIn as a way to connect and build relationships. I think that was tremendously being missed by a lot of people during the pandemic. But I found LinkedIn was a great place just to share ideas. And my whole thought around LinkedIn is it's all about sharing experiences and sharing knowledge.
00:16:25
Speaker
you know, we're all experts and if we're not competing with each other, then what is there to hide, right? And a lot of it I found with LinkedIn is all about driving meaningful conversation. So just because I may have experienced an outcome doing whatever marketing strategy or customer experience strategy, I'm always curious to also
00:16:46
Speaker
You know, share what I experienced, but I also want to see and hear what did other people experience because it could vary. It could be it could vary from country to country. It could vary by industry. And a lot of it I found was it drove really engaging conversation with people that I didn't have access to. Like you and I, Mark, we had never met before LinkedIn.
00:17:06
Speaker
And now I'm very comfortable just tapping you. And actually now I'll do a little plug for you, like the two marketers in a Mallory on Wednesdays on Clubhouse.
Exploring Clubhouse for Thought Leadership
00:17:17
Speaker
Great opportunity for me just to come and go, hey, I've come across this challenge. This is how I think I should approach it. What about you guys based off of your experience? How would you navigate it? And I just find that that opens up the lens of opportunity and a new way of thinking that traditionally wasn't taken advantage of.
00:17:36
Speaker
We're both based in Toronto that we've never met each other. Although I think we have a relationship now, which is pretty amazing given the fact that so much happens virtually slash digitally and that my network globally has expanded in the nature of the relationships are.
00:17:51
Speaker
are dynamic and interesting and engaging and really is really wonderful and segueing into club house that did want to ask you about that but i'm curious about your take on and specifically i'm hearing a lot of conversations from my clients about using club house as a thought leadership vehicle a lot of them are excited about potential not exactly sure how to leverage it but they believe that they can.
00:18:15
Speaker
There's a place for them to talk about what's important to them and to connect with like-minded people and create a community. Have you got any thoughts about that take on Clubhouse and is it something that Bubble Box is considering?
00:18:29
Speaker
Yeah, it's definitely on my radar. I find that it's just a great area of what Clubhouse offers that LinkedIn currently doesn't is the human interaction. For me to be able to hear your voice versus Zoom, where there's a lot, I would say probably the last 12 months, a lot of individuals have come across Zoom fatigue, right? And now where we don't want to see each other's faces, we don't want to jump on Zoom, we don't want to turn on the camp.
00:18:55
Speaker
But I found Clubhouse, what I've appreciated is that different individuals are joining on the topics that matter to them. And if you can't find a room on the topic that matters to you, you could try to create the opportunity to find people to come to you and have a conversation.
00:19:11
Speaker
But at the same time, I'm now hearing a person's voice. I'm just through conversation network. I'm establishing the trust. And then after that, I've gone off and gone back into LinkedIn or other platforms and continued the conversation, which I wouldn't have gotten if I didn't get that slight human interaction. And it's just the voice. You could hear the excitement. You could hear the inflictions in the topics that really matter, which sometimes you don't get when it's just a post-text.
Engagement and Connection on LinkedIn
00:19:39
Speaker
like a text post on LinkedIn or or an image post, you don't see that. So the excitement, it doesn't for me, it just cultivates an energy that I need to thrive off of. And maybe that's a good marketing thing. But I just I just love it where I'm going, oh, like when I hear your voice on Clubhouse, I'm like, he is excited or I feel his pain because he's struggling with it. And then I start thinking, right, there was one time I think we we came across a scenario where there was a challenge that brought was brought up.
00:20:08
Speaker
And I reached back out to you to go, what's your problem? Because I feel where you're coming from. And I would never want to experience that myself. So let's just brainstorm and ideate. That would never happen on the LinkedIn platform on its own at that speed, I would say as well.
00:20:24
Speaker
That's what I find interesting though about the marriage between LinkedIn and Clubhouse. And it's not official yet because Clubhouse doesn't link to LinkedIn yet. But people will have conversations on Clubhouse. They'll check out their profile while they're having the conversations. They'll go back to LinkedIn and connect with them on LinkedIn and then drive another conversation, like a private conversation there. And I think it's pretty amazing the way that the two platforms are meshed together. I don't think there's a M&A marriage. I don't think that's gonna happen.
00:20:52
Speaker
I don't even think LinkedIn is going to launch their own audio version of Clubhouse, but I do think the synergies between Clubhouse and LinkedIn are really amazing for anybody who wants to take advantage of those platforms, which is why we have to be on both platforms to some degree. Where can people learn about you and Bubblebox? Yeah, so I could be found on LinkedIn if you just look up my name, Nancy Kwan.
00:21:16
Speaker
and type in bubble box you'll probably be able to find me very quickly so feel free don't don't hesitate don't be shy just feel free reach out and connect with me and if you want to learn more about bubble box we do have a LinkedIn page as well so just type in bubble box and you'll see the Salesforce consulting partner page highly encourage you guys to follow us again this is where we're trying to bring together
00:21:37
Speaker
a group of marketers to drive in and engage in conversation. We also have a website, so if you just type in bubblebox.cloud, you'll be able to learn more about our expertise there.
Episode Closure and Call to Action
00:21:49
Speaker
Thanks, Nancy, and thanks for listening to another episode of Marketing Spark. If you enjoyed the conversation, leave a review and subscribe by iTunes, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. For show notes of today's conversation and information about Nancy, visit marketingspark.co. If you'd like to learn more about how I help B2B SaaS companies as a fractional CMO, strategic advisor and coach, send an email to mark at marketingspark.co. I'll talk to you next time.