What questions should you ask when considering or starting a new marketing job?
If you go to http://bit.ly/serialqs, you’ll find the answer in the form of more than 100 questions.
It’s a publicly available slide deck, with scores of questions broken out by category. What should you ask about budgets? Current and future customers? Competitors? Channels like email and social?
They’re all questions I’ve asked, or forgot to ask, or heard someone else ask and wished I thought of it sooner.
In other words, they are all very, very real.
I start out sharing a number of highlights that can yield some of the most critical info when answered properly:1) What kinds of marketing are working best for you right now? What’s not working?
2) Are you looking to focus more on top-of-funnel or down-funnel activity?
3) How will you know what success looks like for the new hire coming in? After the first 90 days, how will you know they’ve been successful? What about after the first year?
4) What does the current marketing team look like? Are there any additional hires you have planned? Are there key external resources (freelancers, agencies)?
5) How does the Marketing team currently interface with Sales?
Going beyond there, here are some other favorites from throughout the deck:
6) Why was the company founded?
7) What’s the story behind the company name?
I love some of those ‘story’ questions. They often prove revealing, and not many people ask them, so you stand out when you do.
8) How often do you get reports about marketing activity, and how often do you want them?
9) Do you have personas of your target customers? If not, have you ever created these?
10) What are your geographic targets, and do you plan to change them such as via expansion? Do you need someone with expertise in the new markets if so?
11) Are there any kinds of marketing you used to do that worked but that you’re not doing now?
Some CEOs and founders love that question. It’s like when you ask someone about their favorite restaurant they haven’t been to in a while, and they can’t wait to go back.
12) Do you have a certain expectation for how marketing will contribute to sales goals?
13) How does your average order value (AOV) compare to what it was a year or two ago?
Normally, I’d just say a year, but a year ago might not be the best comparison when asking this in 2021.
14) Is there any seasonality to your business and/or your marketing activity?
15) Do you currently do anything to support diversity and inclusion events such as Pride Month, Black History Month, Women’s History Month / International Women’s Day, or other such occasions?
16) Which media outlets are most important for your customers?
17) Are there any awards you want to win?
18) Do you have your own community? Are there others where you participate?
19) Have you worked with influencers? How do you measure success when doing so?
20) Do you have perceived competitors which your prospects or customers think compete with you even when they don’t?
Perception is reality.
Questions are answers.
Sharing is caring. Send the deck to someone who could use it, or just share this LinkedIn post about it.
Thank you.
David
PS: In NYC next week? Join us at First Wednesday June 2 in Madison Square Park. RSVP on Upstream. Yes, we’ll really be together in person again.
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- Announcing $3.25M Fundraise and Upstream for Web by Upstream team
- “The Facts of Life” Were All About … Us! by Ed Martin
- A customer-centric approach to marketing in a privacy-first world by Marc Brodherson et al.
- Jared Belsky, CEO of 360i, departs Dentsu agency by Judann Pollack
- 7 Ways the Google Page Experience Update Will Affect Marketing by Sue Cahaly
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HOW TO SHARE
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EVENTS
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Please submit any events you’re hosting to our calendar at https://serialmarketers.net/
Upcoming Serial Marketers events:
Note: As of June, we will combine Salons and Upstream mixers Wednesdays at 5 pm ET. First Wednesdays of the month are in person and the rest are virtual salon + networking hybrid.
- 5/27 (Thursday, 12 pm ET): Last regular Upstream SpeedUp — meet 4 people in a half-hour.
- Pause for Memorial Day. From here, time is always Wednesday 5 pm and all RSVP links are on Upstream.
- 6/2: First Wednesday — in-person social chat in NYC
- 6/9: Second Chance Hiring with Eric Wellinghoff, VP Marketing, Nehemiah Manufacturing Project
- 6/16: Salon (guest speaker TBA)
- 6/23: Marketing Pride with Sabrina Caluori, Martin Obiozor, and Mat Zucker
- 6/30: PR Strategies with Steve Markman of Markman Speaker Management and Sandy Sloane of Solutions by Sloane
- 7/7: First Wednesday – in-person social chat in NYC
- 7/14: Chris Fronda, founder, Logictry
CULTURAL DIVERSITY FOR DIALOGUE & DEVELOPMENT
“RURAL GAP” EQUALITHON
May 21 – May 30
“For the World Day for Cultural Diversity, Essteem is preparing a Rural Gap Equalithon for rural areas inclusion. Why?
“Some of the most transversal social issues for western countries lie in an educational, cultural, access, and equity divide between rural areas and cities. Let’s try and do something.”
https://www.equalithon.io/
ELEVATE: BRAND SAFETY 2021
May 26
“Join Adweek’s inaugural Elevate: Brand Safety event as we explore why brand safety in 2021 requires a nuanced approach, how to create engaging experiences while remaining both vigilant and agile to address the changing digital landscape.”
https://event.adweek.com/
CONVERSATIONS FOR CHANGE: FIRESIDE CHAT WITH LISA BOWMAN
June 1, 11 am
“Lisa Bowman is a champion of workplace equity and is on a journey to use what she does as a marketing leader, and champion of women in the workplace, to make a difference combatting harassment and retaliation.”
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
FIRST WEDNESDAY
June 2, 6pm
First Wednesday keeps going strong. We have dozens of people RSVPing for this fun NYC tradition led by Zack Rosenberg.
https://link.upstreamapp.com/
SOCIAL FRESH
June 16-18
“Welcome to the 27th Social Fresh Conference. Join a crew of fellow digital leaders. We create quality, actionable sessions that will keep you focused and feuled up on today’s best-in-class social media.
Create better content (faster!), increase organic engagement, grow your audience, and improve your content process.
Social Fresh is where you’ll learn these lessons and more. We’ve packed 20+ industry experts and brand leaders into 3 days of no-fluff, educational sessions.”
https://socialfresh.samcart.
HOW TO CREATE A KICK-A$$ CASE STUDY
June 22, 12:30 pm
Via Nancy Ruzow in the community
“Maybe you’ve heard the term, “case study” before and you know they can help with your business, but you’re not so sure how to create one and what to do with it. If that sounds like you, don’t despair. This workshop will dispel any rumors of what a case study isn’t, and walk you through what a case study IS.”
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
SEO SUMMER CAMP
June 24 – September 1
Via Nancy Ruzow in the community:
“Code: RCFF – 20% off! Ruzow Graphics gives all commission earned to our scholarship fund. A 100-day virtual, asynchronous experience for small business owners to improve their digital marketing. You can learn SEO + content marketing skills, find practical tactics to become less dependent on social media, and meet other campers with similar goals and interests.”
https://ruzowgraphics–
FIRST WEDNESDAY
July 7, 5 pm
First Wednesday keeps going strong. We have dozens of people RSVPing for this fun NYC tradition led by Zack Rosenberg.
https://upstreamapp.com/home/
DIGIDAY PUBLISHER GOLF OUTING
July 15
Digiday’s first-ever publisher golf outing will bring together publishing executives for a unique day of golf and mingling. Hosted at the beautiful Galloping Hill Golf Course, you’ll have the chance to connect with peers over a casual round of golf and networking functions.
https://digiday.com/digiday-
SALES AND SCALE LIVE
July 15-18
Via Mike Volkin in the community
“This event has been created for one thing only: to help you scale your business now. That’s why I’m bringing in some of the top business people from around the world. People who have taken companies from $1 million dollar valuations to $500 million dollar valuations and taken companies public.”
https://www.salesandscale-
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JOBS
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Keep checking out the #jobs channel in Serial Marketers for more. Here are some great opportunities shared there or sent to me directly.
TERRA.DO
Growth Lead
Via Nishant Mani in the community:
“Terra.do is an climate education and career transition platform with the mission to get 100M people working on climate this decade. We’re looking for a great growth lead to join us. We’re a small, seed-funded, remote-only, slightly crazy place (detailed below).”
https://www.terra.do/jobs/
DATA.ORG
Digital Content Lead
Via Perry Hewitt in the community
“Reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer, you will be a key member of a high-performing team accountable for the success of our digital platform. You will be responsible for developing and stewarding a content strategy for the platform, and bring creative ideas for envisioning, creating, and managing the development of content. This is a purpose-led organization: you’ll be focused on content that defines and illustrates the role of harnessing data science to improve people’s lives all over the world.”
https://www.data.org/digital-
ODEKO
Director of Marketing
Remote
Via Yuval Yarden in the community
“We’re looking for a creative, analytical marketing leader to drive paid marketing into the next phase of scale. The ideal candidate is a highly creative strategist and an execution powerhouse, experienced in leveraging digital as well as traditional channels to generate, build, and nurture B2B and B2C pipelines.”
https://boards.greenhouse.io/
THE AZEK COMPANY
CMO
Open to remote
Experienced leader with proven mentorship and leadership acumen in the marketing space, the future Chief Marketing Officer has:
* 20+ years of experience leading (and building) marketing organizations, overseeing budget and performance for omni-channel marketing initiatives
* Deep B2C expertise (B2B experience is also preferred). Ideally has been trained in a best-in-class environment and has been tested in applying their toolkit in an innovative operation
* Consumer-focused, digitally-native marketer with a strong track record of developing and elevating winning/desirable brands
* Ability to motivate their team to achieve/exceed goals and facilitate paths for advancement and growth
* Trust, professionalism, collaboration and a bias for action
https://app.huntclub.com/jobs/
WAGMO
Social & Community Manager
Remote
Via Yuval Yarden in the community
“The Social and Community Manager will strategically own the development, execution, and measurement of engaging multi-platform community initiatives for Wagmo. Working hand-in-hand with internal cross-functional teams and agency partners to deliver best-in-class content and community strategies at scale.”
https://jobs.lever.co/Wagmo/
EQUILIBRIA
Chief Marketing Officer
Chicago, IL
“Equilibria (“EQ”) is a premium, high-growth, direct-to-consumer CBD platform for women.
An experienced, GM-level leader with proven mentorship and leadership acumen, the future Chief Marketing Officer has:
* 20+ years of experience leading marketing organizations, overseeing budget and performance for omni-channel marketing efforts
* Repeat experience with DTC brands and particularly in facilitating rapid growth from 2-digit millions in revenue to 3-digit millions
* Experience in a health/wellness/beauty “system” product; subscription marketing expertise required”
https://app.huntclub.com/jobs/
More via Hunt Club
* G2: Head of Revenue Marketing (Chicago or remote)
* Linktree: Head of Social Media (Los Angeles, CA)
* Ecosystems Services: Enterprise SaaS Sales Executive (Remote US)
WITHIN
Content Writer
NYC or remote
You are a content writer or website manager looking to expand your skills. You enjoy brainstorming ideas, creating complementary content across multiple channels, and developing sales and marketing materials. WITHIN is looking for a Content Writer to help increase WITHIN’s visibility in the marketplace. This is just the starting point in a rapidly expanding company and role.
https://apply.workable.com/
SIMON DATA
B2B Content Marketing Manager
New York / Remote
“With the recent growth of our marketing team and company expansion plans, content is essential to growing our customer base and establishing our place as a leader in the CDP space. We need someone who not only is passionate about writing, but can see the big picture and the role content plays in our marketing strategy.”
https://www.simondata.com/
DUTCHIE
Brand Marketing Manager
Remote
“We’re looking for a Brand Marketing Manager to join the dutchie Marketing Team, reporting to the Head of Marketing. As an early member of our fast-growing team, you will play a meaningful role in building a purpose-driven brand with the ambition to make a significant positive impact on the world. You are a digital native, a trend-spotter, and have a passion for creative, inspiring brand work.”
https://dutchie.com/careers?
NEUSTAR
Demand Generation & Analytics Manager
New York
Via Dori Fern in the community
“We are looking for a passionate, results-driven Demand Generation & Analytics Manager to join our Integrated Marketing team and support our highly successful marketing solutions business unit and its flagship brand, Neustar Fabrick™.”
https://neustar.wd5.
Other job resources:
- Advisable: Get instant access to top marketing freelancers
- AMA Job Board: Listings from the American Marketing Association (maybe you can also ask them anything)
- Beeler.Tech: Job listings for ad operations, programmatic account management, sales operations, and more.
- Built in NYC: Jobs at a range of levels and functions, as long as you’re okay working in this quaint, backwater hamlet.
- CareerList: Here’s a form for companies hiring and a form for job seekers; here’s the public list with tabs for both
- Content Writing Jobs: Content marketers, enjoy
- Creative Women of Color: List yourself in the database and find talent, via Women Who Create
- Demand Curve: Growth and marketing jobs
- ExecThread: Senior roles spanning a range of verticals and cities; membership is free but fully vetted (this uses my referral ID to get you in faster)
- Gently Ventures: Helps scale businesses by finding the right talent
- GLG: Get paid to share your topical expertise; it can lead to some interesting conversations at a potentially decent hourly rate
- Growth Collective: Apply to join this network of notable freelance marketers
- Grace Blue Transitions: A portal for hirers and seekers with resources from this exec recruiting firm
- The Hired Guns: An array of jobs in marketing and related fields at brands, agencies, and media companies
- Hue: Amplifying voices of people in color working in marketing
- Hunterz: A way for connectors to get paid to introduce startups to large enterprises
- Lead5: A paid service for executive roles, plus intel on changes with companies and PE investments; you can try a risk-free weeklong trial to see if it’s any good for your needs
- Lunch Club: Match 1:1 around predetermined goals with accomplished professionals (free)
- NYC Ad Jobs & Networking: A popular Facebook group
- One Club for Creativity: COVID-19 jobs Board
- #OpenToWork: There’s a channel in Serial Marketers where you can share what you’re looking for
- Pangea: Where you can hire college freelancers (and college students can get gigs)
- Pocit: A platform connecting people of color with jobs in the tech industry
- Questions to Ask for a Marketing Role: What questions should you ask when starting a new marketing role or job?
- Remotists: Remote startup jobs, chronicled weekly
- Sales Hustle Stack: Find platform-based gigs and other creative ways to earn some extra cash
- Startup.Jobs: There’s a section for marketing jobs
- Teal Job Tracker: A free Chrome extension to manage and enhance your job search
- TechNY Daily: While more technical, there are also some sales and marketing jobs at NY startups.
- VC Job Boards: Aleph, Eniac Ventures, Pear, Sequoia, Union Square Ventures
- VentureLoop: Free startup job listings; their paid option is $15/month and might surface more leads (but it might not).
- Venwise: Submit your job interests here and get in front of their roster of hiring leads; select “Serial Marketers” under “How did you find us”
- Wanted: Wanted helps top talent in tech and marketing find a job at your desired pay.
Do you run or enjoy other job listing sites? Let me know, and I’ll share them.
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OFFERS
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Below are offers extended to the Serial Marketers community. To share your own or access the Premium member discounts, review membership options here.
Markman Speaker Management: Get 15% off the half-day customized virtual training session “Get Speaking Engagements” for individuals or corporate staff through Sept. 30, 2021. Contact Steve Markman to redeem.
Thece: Get 10% off their Getting Started Kit — just let them know Serial Marketers sent you.
FocusedFounder
Get 5% back on any bookings of the Focus, Growth, and ReFocus plan. To receive your rebate, please contact me after you book the course.
My Software Tutor
Get a 15% discount on live online classes that teach practical, functional, business-centric Microsoft Office software skills (Excel today, PowerPoint coming soon). Use code SERIAL15 to redeem. Premium members get a 25% discount.
ReverseAds
Get 10% discounts on campaigns. ReverseAds reverses the search ad process, outperforming Google at a fraction of the cost. To redeem, contact Thom Feltz by email.
Northarc Media
Marc Lefton is offering brands a free one-hour consultation on your media mix to show how you can integrate programmatic. For agencies, you can get a free one-hour consultation on how to add programmatic to your service offerings. To redeem, contact Marc by email.
Secret
Sign up and use the promo code SERIALMARKETERS to get 20% off on any membership plan. Membership enables you to access all deals with unlimited usage. One deal should more than pay for itself.
Marpipe
Create an account and start a 7-day free trial for $125 in ad spend credit toward your first experiment with this multivariate testing platform. Redeem here. (Premium members get $175 in credit with a custom code)
Copysmith
Following a 7-day trial of this AI-powered marketing tool to generate ads, product descriptions, and more, use code SERIALMARKETERS for 35% off any plan for 3 months (premium subscribers get 50% off for 4 months).
Dokkio
Get lifetime access to this file management tech with three seats, all free. (Premium members get five seats; see the Slack channel for details and a custom link.)
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