There’s a moment in Jerry Seinfeld’s book Is This Anything?, which I just listened to on Audible (narrated by the author), that must be the least funny segment, but for me, it’s the most memorable.
In the book, he retells more than 400 of his jokes spanning five decades, and he introduces each decade with autobiographical memories about how he became a comedian and how he grew as a professional.
As he starts off the first decade of the new century (which I still hate calling “the aughts” or anything else), Seinfeld finds himself doing… nothing.
The “Seinfeld” finale aired on May 14, 1998. Do you remember where you were?
I hosted a party in my Binghamton University suite. There were Pez dispensers and black & white cookies. I don’t think you could get a good marble rye in New York’s Southern Tier back then. I wrote my final column of the year for Pipe Dream, the college newspaper, from the perspective of someone in 2023 reminiscing about the impact of the show.
But I digress. Back to Jerry.
Three months after the TV series ended, HBO aired Seinfeld’s stand-up special, “I’m Telling You for the Last Time.” He was retiring his material. He’d never share those bits again on stage.
Time passed, and Jerry became idle, at least with his stand-up career. Jerry grabbed dinner with his friend Chris – Rock, of course (though Chris Elliott would have sufficed). Chris (Rock) had just slayed the crowd with his latest show. Jerry missed stand-up. But he had no material.
There’s this moment where Jerry asks Chris what to do.
Chris says, “Well, at least you know there’s only one way to do it.”
In the book, Jerry muses, “I don’t use writers, so it’s back to tiny clubs with flimsy stuff, night after night, month after month, and it takes however long it takes.”
And then, here’s Jerry at his best:
“When you see a comedian with a ton of great stuff, what you’re really marveling at, or should be, is how could someone crawl on their belly that great a distance?”
He crawled on his belly.
You can picture him, can’t you?
Jerry’s a stand-up idol, a legend. But you can see him in the heat, parched, slithering down the road, wiggling along using his elbows, writhing in agony, trying to get the damn material to land.
There’s a more common metaphor that comes up when people talk about experience, usually in terms of pricing. When you’re dealing with a pro, you’re not paying for the hour or month or year it takes them to do the work. You’re paying them for the decades they spent mastering their craft so they could deliver those results in an hour or month or year.
But Jerry took it a step further.
It’s not just about the time you put in. This isn’t time served. There’s no bonus for how many hours you clocked in a Herman Miller chair.
No, what you’re charging for isn’t for time at all. Maybe you’re a prodigy and didn’t need as much time as others anyway. Or maybe you took your sweet time and spent more than you had to.
What you’re charging for is the distance. And it’s not just the distance you spent running like it’s some kind of marathon.
It’s for the distance you spent crawling.
This isn’t Chariots of Fire. This is the escape scene in Shawshank Redemption.
You can still smell that scene, can’t you? Do you gag a little just thinking about it?
I do.
Hard as it is to watch, I know you’ve done a version of it.
You got down on your belly, and you crawled.
That’s how you’re still here.
That’s what you’re worth.
That’s why you’ll succeed.
Keep crawling on your belly, however long it takes. As one legend said to another, “There’s only one way to do it.”
David
PS: Take a listen to the newest episode of the Marketing Haven Podcast, where Arthur Root and I discuss current marketing trends, SEO, developing communities, the future of NFTs, and much more (Apple Podcasts, Spotify).
PS2: We have scheduled several Serial Marketers
PS3: This may have been the best Advertising Week ever. I regret not spending even more time at the conference. I want to write more about this, but right now I’m so grateful to be reminded of how many good, generous people there are in our industry.
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- How This Marketing Company Is Powering Allbirds and Warby Parker by Anna Meyer
- Can You Escape the Relentless Strain of Mom Guilt on Your Life? by Leslie Forde
- Beverage Disruptor OLIPOP Taps into the Game Viewing Audience by Thece
- How Chicago Is Winning the Hunt For Top Talent by Pete Wilkins
- TIL there is a marketing company called “Serial Marketers”… by u/fibonascii
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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
- 10/27: Serial Marketers Salons, 6pm
- 11/3: First Wednesdays Meetup (in-person NYC), 5-7pm
- 11/17: Serial Marketers Salons, 6pm (sneak preview: it’ll feature guest speaker YieldStreet CMO Wittney Rachlin)
- 12/15: Serial Marketers Holiday Spectacular (virtual), 6pm
INDIVIDUALIZATION IS THE NEW PERSONALIZATION
October 21, 1pm
“In this webinar, the Zembula and Sageflo teams will walk you through how to create an individualized customer experience from beginning to end. They’ll also show you best practices for using personalization holistically in your marketing, customer care, and other touch points.”
https://us02web.zoom.us/
ANA MULTICULTURAL MARKETING & DIVERSITY CONFERENCE
October 24-26
San Diego, CA and virtual
Via Lizzie Serber in the community:
“I was wondering if anyone’s headed to San Diego for the ANA Multicultural Marketing & Diversity Conference? I’d love to meet up if so! I’m so excited to attend my first IRL conference in ages and I want to meet EVERYONE.”
https://www.ana.net/content/
LAST-MINUTE EMAIL MARKETING: BLACK FRIDAY
October 26, 10am
Via Virginia Zacharaki in the community
“Is Black Friday scaring you? Are you unsure about what to do to stand out in an inbox full of Black Friday offers? Learn how to power up your Black Friday sales and conversion through email marketing, even if your campaigns are set and ready.”
https://moosend.com/webinar-
NAVIGATING 2021 HOLIDAY CHALLENGES
October 27, 1pm
Via Nancy Ruzow in the community
“Join Trang Cao, VP of Performance Marketing at SKIMS, Monica Deretich, Lead Retail Advisor at Sailthru, and Laura Carrier, Retailer Advisor at Sailthru for actionable advice to boost your holiday efforts.”
https://event.webcasts.com/
METAPHOR WORKSHOP
October 27, 1pm
Via Kat Krieger in the community
“Give yourself an uplifting and clearer vision of your preferred future using Solution Focused techniques and guided relaxation. These techniques can be used to bring about the alignment of purpose in business teams and groups as well. Mike Parker brings 40 years of Liminal coaching expertise to businesses and private clients who thrive under his care, including following his advice to take a nap.“
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
EXECUTIVE SPOTLIGHT: CYCLE FOR SURVIVAL
October 29, 2pm
Via Eric Tash in the community
“Excited to bring on my next co-host, Dave Linn, Co- Founder, Cycle for Survival. Since 2007, Cycle, an annual cycling event, has raised over $285MM for rare cancer research and treatment in partnership with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Dave and I will be discussing some of the immediate impact Cycle has in the fight against rare cancer (quick fact: 50% of all cancers are considered rare, like certain sarcomas and pancreatic cancer, and don’t receive the necessary funding for research and treatments — that’s where Cycle comes in!)”
https://upstreamapp.com/home/
FIRST WEDNESDAYS MEETUP
November 3, 5-7pm
NYC
First Wednesday is back in person! Note that the venue may change as the weather gets colder.
https://www.meetup.com/Serial-
ASCENT SAAS: SPOTLIGHT ON STARTUPS
November 17
“Ascent’s Spotlight on Startups event will convene ~150 founders and C-level executives of seed round and Series A startups, as well as 100 investors. This event will also be invite-only with the content and agenda aligned to address the unique challenges faced by startups.”
https://www.ascentconf.com/
ASCENT SAAS: SPOTLIGHT ON MARKETING
January 19
“An all-virtual, intimate and exclusive gathering of the nation’s senior marketing leaders in SaaS. 150+ Senior CMOs & VPs of Marketing, 10 sessions, 3 industry keynotes, 3 interactive panels, endless networking…”
https://www.ascentconf.com/
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JOBS
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Keep checking out the #jobs channel in Serial Marketers for more. Better yet, subscribe to get updates from our job listing board. Here are some great opportunities shared in these places or sent to me directly.
WITHIN
Roles on the Creative team
NYC or remote
We’re looking for new team members who are strategic, creative thinkers with brand and agency experience in the digital marketing space; specifically with high-growth D2C companies. Does that sound like you?
https://www.linkedin.com/
RETHINK PRIORITIES
Communications Coordinator
Remote Americas, Africa, or Europe
Apply by Sunday, October 24
“As our Communications Coordinator, you will be leading Rethink Priorities’ strategic communications. The main way we as an organization have an impact is by improving the effectiveness of other individuals and organizations. Through your work, you will enhance the overall impact of the effective altruism movement by making our findings accessible to key decision-makers in the different cause areas we work in a very actionable way.”
https://rethinkpriorities.
BIG VISION
Senior Account Manager
Orlando, FL (Remote OK)
Via Sally Word in the community
“Account Managers are on the front lines of Big Vision’s client experience. As part of the Big Vision Operations Team, Account Managers work with Clients, Directors, Project Managers, and Big Vision’s Leadership to own the successful fulfillment of client engagements. The mission is to ensure Big Vision is giving our clients a smooth experience by being the central hub of all knowledge related to your assigned clients.”
https://bgvsn.bamboohr.com/
STRATA
Director of Communications (part-time)
NYC or remote
Via Mike Fishbein in the community
“The ideal Director of Communications is a strong networker who can hustle to land press coverage, effective at crafting messaging and communications strategies, social media savvy, and can find creative opportunities to get Strata in front of its target users.”
https://angel.co/company/
AUDIENCEX
Client Partner
Los Angeles, CA
“We’re seeking a seasoned and talented Client Partner to serve as a trusted advisor to our clients, providing exceptional client support with a focus on driving growth within existing accounts and making strategically sound recommendations that align with the client’s business objectives. Reporting into the Director of Client Services, the Client Partner will lead the day-to-day operational and communication needs for existing accounts across a wide array of different verticals, encompassing both performance and brand-building accounts.”
https://jobs.lever.co/
QUORUM
Demand Generation Associate
Washington, DC (hybrid)
Via Amanda Hudgins in the community
“The Demand Generation Associate will help generate demand for Quorum by creating account-targeted campaigns to fill our inbound and outbound funnels. You will create campaigns using our website, email marketing via Hubspot, ads across a variety of channels, and an account-based marketing platform.”
https://boards.greenhouse.io/
USHUR
Marketing Operations Manager
Remote US
#AI #nocode #customerengagement
“Ushur is looking for an experienced, data-driven Manager, Marketing Operations to manage all operational and automation initiatives on the Marketing & Sales team. The individual in this role will be reporting to the Senior Manager, Marketing Operations and Sales Development, to help lead the administration and management of all marketing tech stack integrations, lead routing, field mapping, and optimizations of functionalities.”
http://www.candidate.co/refer/
MONICAT
Marketing and Business Development Manager
Minneapolis–Saint Paul or remote
Via Jasmine RuKim in the community
“Our team is currently in search of a solid starting group for our women lead tech group. This month Monicat Data is preparing to launch https://Sunsett.io and were opening our team up to individuals interested in building a startup from the ground level. If these roles are of interest – connect with our team directly.”
https://www.monicatdata.com/
INDUSTRY DIVE
Various content marketing roles
NYC
Via Zohray Brennan in the community
“Industry Dive’s studioID is growing and we’d love to have passionate content marketers join us – my team is focused on tech and healthcare but we have hiring across the board.”
https://www.industrydive.com/
VENWISE
Brand Strategy Consultant
NYC hybrid
Via Yuval Yarden in the community
Venwise has re-built it’s core offering for its membership and is now looking to engage a brand consultant to conduct a brand audit and design a communication strategy for both our current and prospective members. The right person is a strategic thinker who will be working directly with our CEO and can manage a team of creatives.
https://few-vibraphone-bc8.
POPSQL
Head of Marketing
Remote US
#datavisualization
“We’re looking for our first marketing hire, a Head of Marketing that will create and lead this function. This is a high-impact leadership role where you will report directly to the CEO and own PopSQL’s holistic marketing initiatives and growth targets. A proven track record of marketing results within SaaS is highly desirable.”
www.candidate.co/refer/
Find more great roles via Candidate.co. Refer yourself or your friends, and get rewarded for supporting your network.
Also, check out the Serial Marketers job board.
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.
- Before: A talent matching platform with the mission to end bias in the hiring process.
- Braintrust: A new freelance platform where you are the owner and where freelance talent keeps 100% of the bill rate.
- 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
- DiscoverTheTalent: An initiative designed to build partnerships with businesses to advocate, train, and hire military spouses
- 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)
- Ex-Equinox Media Talent: A spreadsheet of available talent (permission given by those listed) who are recent ex-Equinox media folks.
- 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
- Serial Marketers Job Board: Post regular and featured listings and subscribe for updates.
- Startup.Jobs: There’s a section for marketing jobs
- Teal: One place to organize and manage 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.
GPO: Generate at least 20% more organic traffic. Doing a strong job in SEO but wonder if more traffic can be had? GPO will custom-build an AWS instance that will become a subdomain of your site, and generate at least 20% more traffic the first year. Contact Cory Cox in the community to redeem.
ContactSmarter: ContactSmarter is an AI tool that generates over 40% call booking rates without requiring human intervention. More details.
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
My Software Tutor is offering all Excel and PPT courses through December 2021 at 50% off listed price. Learn the practical skills you need to succeed. Use promo code: SERIAL50. This code can be shared with friends and family. Register today on the MST website.
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).
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