Old Marketer Berkowitz had troubles of his own
He had a kid with thoughts of cats that would not leave her alone
He had to give the first pair of adopted cats away
But he found another pair who came from far, far away
The cats came back. You thought that they were goners?
This Sunday, I adopted a pair of kitten brothers from Oklahoma.
I didn’t know they were from Oklahoma until I adopted them. While I’ve been to Oklahoma and thus have heard of it, I hadn’t heard of South Salem, NY, 30 miles from where I grew up in Mamaroneck, all within the same county of Westchester. South Salem is the home of Rock n’ Rescue, a non-profit agency devoted to rescuing and re-homing pets in need.
I should have realized that Rock n’ Rescue was located just six miles from 1407 Graymalkin Lane, which in the X-Men comics is in Salem Center but on Google Maps is in North Salem. This is the home of the X-Mansion.
My pets don’t have any superpowers that I’m aware of beyond having mind control over my seven-year-old daughter. That is more impressive than freezing people, levitating them, or firing electromagnetic playing cards at them (sure, Gambit’s due for his own movie any day now).
Most fascinating to me was the decision-making process that got us here. Below is the epic 10-step process that got us to today breaking it all down, with way too many takeaways for what this means for marketers. Buckle up.
- Realize that there is a goal that is remotely plausible. It didn’t need to be probable. The more that my daughter encountered friends with pets, books about pets, and pop culture examples involving minors taking care of pets, the more it seemed like there is a scenario where any kid might get a pet. What’s critical is that if the consumer doesn’t realize something is possible, it can’t happen.
Few people seemed to know non-fungible tokens (NFTs) were possible to own until last year, and then within months, Saturday Night Live aired a music video about them. (We’re also hosting an event about them today.) I’d argue that most people who were inclined to support marriage equality laws, or who weren’t fundamentally against them, didn’t advocate for them until marriage equality seemed like it was legally achievable here. Education and inspiration are critical to show that a possibility exists.
- Start lobbying for any potentially favorable scenario. In this case, the objective was to get a pet, not a certain kind of pet. In Manhattan, a pet horse was not plausible. My daughter knew of some sub-optimal experiences I had with members of the rodent family in my youth, so she assumed those weren’t a possibility either (she was partially right). Cats or dogs seemed equally appealing, so her lobbying was scattershot. My daughter taped a sign to her bed that read, “I either want a cat or a dog.”
It’s like when someone wants a trip – regardless of where. Or are you someone like me who has researched Mirror, Peloton, and other contenders like FightCamp while your goal is to ultimately decide on one of them? (I’ll admit that I really want FightCamp. Have you tried it? Let me know.)
- Narrow the focus. Scattershot lobbying doesn’t help too much. There’s not as clear an ask. My daughter had a pivotal conversation with her babysitter where my daughter wound up convinced (at least half-correctly) that she was a cat person. My daughter amended the sign on her bed with additional text: “I want a cat a lot more.” The sign remains affixed there.
Now the goal was clear. What wasn’t clear was how to best achieve it. Ever been there? Me too.
- Pick your target. This was an easy choice. Only one of her parents had a bullseye on their back and the word “sucker” spray-painted all over them.
It’s not always this easy. For instance, if your objective is to secure voting rights for all Americans, do you prioritize state legislatures, the Supreme Court, or giving Senator Joe Manchin a life-sized, $50 billion NFT version of Senator Joe Manchin?
- Seal the deal. If only giving a $50 billion NFT to Senator Joe Manchin in exchange for weakening the filibuster and securing voter rights was as achievable as getting a kid a pair of bonded brother kittens, America’s security of its democratic institutions would look much different.
Also, America’s apartment might smell like cats.
- Reevaluate the purchase. Sometimes, you don’t get what you want. Maybe Jeff Bezos won’t like his $500 million planet-sized yacht. Or in our case, maybe the first cats I got that seemed to need a bit of adjustment actually were terrible around children and liked to scratch any human that came near them.
The test here was to overcome the sunk cost fallacy. Even though there was such a high emotional cost with moderate financial investment, the smarter move was to cut bait a few weeks into this relationship rather than have these cats stuck in the wrong home for them for the next 10 to 20 years. They found another loving home, and we were left without any additional mammals living here.
- Ideate around EVERY possible option. One aspect of marketing that I love is that you wind up being an expert about tequila one day, sneakers another, and enterprise resource management software the next. You have every opportunity to be the most or least interesting person at a cocktail party (and we can go to cocktail parties again!).
Researching pets, we cast a wide net. There was the week when my daughter was obsessed with turtles – until she wasn’t. She was a dog person for about two months after walking her grandmother’s dog in Dallas a few times. We looked into parakeets and parrots. We at least considered the idea of rodents. While ferrets are not legal in New York City, there was a day when the two of us wound up being among the foremost experts on fennec fox adoption – which apparently one can do, but in most situations shouldn’t.
Ever work at one of those companies where there’s the person who likes to say, “There are no bad ideas in brainstorms”? That person is (usually) the worst. But it’s fun to have a few stretches where there are no bad ideas – just unexpected possibilities.
- Narrow the focus. Sooner or later, one must acknowledge that there aren’t just bad ideas but ideas one regrets spending more than five seconds consideriing them (see: fennec foxes living in a cozy two-bedroom Manhattan apartment with no direct outdoor access). In our case, my daughter returned to her feline instincts. A cat person was reborn.
This also takes some maturity to accept that you were right the first time. It’s like when you’re dating and discover you have a type, and then you decide you’ll go wild and try to meet a person or two who is absolutely not your type. Sometimes, you have to accept you have that type, and that’s what works for you.
Similarly, sometimes, you have to accept that no matter how much you want to Dispo your Clubhouse NFT TikTok Spaces, search and social ads are what make you money. That’s okay bro, or sis, or non-binary fictitious sibling.
- Seal the deal. My daughter set a wide radius on Petfinder to find the new cats. She’s a little different from me. The first time around, I got a recommendation from a friend for a shelter a short walk from my home. This time, we wound up driving hours to get kittens that meow with a twang from the southern Great Plains (I almost wrote “Great Palins,” which is as geographically inaccurate as it is oxymoronic).
You need to follow through. Execution is everything. Get it done. Or as the sweatshirt I got from Family Discount once read in oversized blue lettering plastered across the chest, “Surf, Surf, Never Surrender.” I have no clue what that means, but the sweatshirt must have been on clearance, and it seems like a great title for a future newsletter. Really though, mom, what were you thinking?
- Hope it sticks. This column is running 1,400 words already. I’m not sure I have the energy to write a sequel. Those darn cats just couldn’t stay away.
David
P.S.: Today’s Serial Marketers Salon will be about using non-fungible tokens for marketing. Curious about NFTs, but not sure where to start? Join our guest speakers, Shelly Palmer, crypto pundit and advisor to business leaders, and Todd Cooper, CEO of the NFT management platform NuArca, to find out how you could make it work for your brand. Thanks David Cutler for organizing this one!
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- Channel Saturation: How to Keep From Getting Soaked on CPA by WITHIN Staff
- Understanding Allyship by Necko Fanning
- Kelp Burger Unveiled By Brand Championing Sustainable Seaweed by Emily Baker
- My Graduation Story – A Decade in the Making by Michael Paulyn
- Ending The “Friends & Family” Fundraising B.S. For Black Foundersby James Oliver
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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:
Starting this week, Salons are back to their full 1-hour format. All events are on Wednesdays at 5 pm ET. First Wednesdays of the month are in person. Starting from 7/28, last Wednesdays will be Upstream SpeedUps.
- 6/16: NFTs for Marketing. Beyond Collectible Craziness with Shelly Palmer and Todd Cooper [ZOOM]
- 6/23: Marketing Pride with Sabrina Caluori, Martin Obiozor, and Mat Zucker [ZOOM]
- 6/30: Marketing and PR Strategy: The How and Why of Landing Unpaid Speaking Opportunities with Steve Markman [ZOOM]
- 7/7: First Wednesday – in-person social chat in NYC
- 7/14: Salon with Chris Fronda, founder, Logictry [ZOOM]
- 7/21: Top DIY PR Tips to Get Noticed with Sandy Sloane [ZOOM]
- 7/28: UPSTREAM MIXER
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.
MGS SCALE
June 17, 9 am
“MGS SCALE is an intimate one-day, developer, publisher, and marketer-focused conference where you can connect with and learn from mobile app and online marketing professionals. Get insights on how to scale your business – from the customer journey to building your teams and pivoting from a smaller to bigger business. Our lineup consists of industry leaders who are experts in efficiency, scaling, revenue increase, and more.”
https://www.
SCALE SUMMIT
June 21-25
“Join 50 of the world’s best digital marketers for a five-day virtual summit as they reveal their biggest secrets to scaling their game-changing businesses—and learn exactly how you can do it, too.”
https://scaleforimpact.co/
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/
EXPERT STRATEGIES FOR HIRING IN THIS MARKET
June 23, 12 pm
Via Vishal Sapra in the community
“If you’re interested in the labor market and trying to understand how we have historically high unemployment AND a massive labor shortage at the same time, this will be a great webinar with my CEO and Apollo’s Chief Economist.Join Irina
https://cb.zoom.us/webinar/
EMERGING CO-CREATION
June 24, 1 pm
Via Virginie Glaenzer in the community
“Discover the new framework Emerging Co-Creation to lead yourself and others in a totally new approach. A workshop designed for and by facilitators and change agents.
Limited space for maximum practice and interactions with other participants. When we expand our ability to collaborate and lead others through emerging co-creation, we tap into our curiosity, learning the art of improvisation.”
https://www.acornoak-studio.
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.
SEVERALNINES
Director of Marketing
Remote
Via Dwight Griesman in the community
“The Director of Marketing at Severalnines will be expected to craft and execute strategies that drive traffic of high-quality leads to our website to contribute to the growth of our community user and customer base. The Director will also develop the strategy to craft content that both acquires, converts, and educates our current and potential customers before, during, and after the sales process.”
https://severalnines.com/
THE ALGORITHMIC JUSTICE LEAGUE
Communications Contractor
Remote US
“AJL seeks strategic communications support including planning, advisory, data platform improvements, and execution capacity. In particular we need support to maximize impact during an upcoming multi-million dollar ad campaign that rolls out in August- September 2021. This role is an initial 3 month contract, with possibility of renewal through December of 2021.”
https://www.linkedin.com/
CODECADEMY
Head of Content Marketing
NYC or remote
Via Dori Fern in the community
“As head of Content Marketing at Codecademy you will play a vital role in helping us build Codecademy’s reputation as the most trusted brand and effective platform for learners from all backgrounds to master technical skills anywhere in the world, through content that educates and inspires.”
https://www.codecademy.com/
MIRRIAD
Client Solutions Manager
Via Shawn Kallet in the community
“We are looking for a highly skilled and driven individual to build and manage relationships with clients – both supply (content creators and studios, for example) and demand (brands and media agencies amongst others). The Manager, Client Solutions will tailor campaigns for Mirriad’s clients in the US market, partnering with Content Creators, Sports Leagues, , Advertisers and Agencies to develop in-video advertising solutions that drive new revenue.”
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/
POWER DIGITAL MARKETING
Various agency roles
Via Rachel Hirshl in the community
A ton of jobs and new hires needed for my agency Power Digital Marketing. 5 year winner of INC best places to work! Amazing shop, clients & leadership. If you are in paid social, paid media, Amazon or content dev, check us out and DM me your resume!
www.powerdigitalmarketing.com
TEMBO HEALTH
Marketing Director / Manager
Remote
Via Alyssa Petersel in the community
“We are seeking a Director of Marketing to help revolutionize how health care is delivered to millions of seniors across America. As the lead of our marketing efforts, you will work with the CEO to develop and execute go-to-market strategies, partner with the sales team to target C-Suite executives, and collaborate with Customer Success to brand the experience of clinicians, patients and family members.”
https://tembo.freshteam.com/
AD-LIB.IO
Director, Global Marketing
Boston
Via David Cooperstein in the community
“As our Director of Global Marketing, your core responsibility will be to make sure the world understands our story and why our platform should be part of their marketing portfolio. The sharper our message, the more memorable it will be, and the faster our marketing flywheel will rotate.”
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/
G/O MEDIA
Audience Development Associate
NYC
Via Don Steele in the community:
“G/O Media is looking for an Audience Development Associate to join the Audience Development team in our New York office. The position, reporting to the Head of Audience Development, will work with multiple stakeholders across the company with the goal of driving growth and engagement for G/O Media brands. “
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/
AMRESORTS
Digital Web Optimization Manager
Newtown Square, PA
Via Miguel Oliveira in the community:
“I’m looking for a Product Manager to join my team and be responsible for owning and optimizing our websites. Great travel perks and good company to be part of (AMResorts, part of Apple Leisure Group – we manage luxury all inclusive resorts including Secrets, Dreams, Zoetry, Breathless and others). Ideally East Coast-based but flexible depending on skills match.”
https://recruiting2.ultipro.
RETAIL VOODOO
Brand Account Strategist
Seattle, WA
Via Diana Fryc in the community:
“As an Account Strategist at Retail Voodoo you will lead teams day-to-day in identifying opportunities, structuring approaches and inspiring new thinking. We expect you to combine elements of right- and left-brain thinking in order to approach challenges both critically and creatively while communicating persuasively and demonstrating an uncompromising work ethic.”
https://retailvoodoo.bamboohr.
METHOD MEDIA INTELLIGENCE
Human Resources Manager
Remote
Via Marc Goldberg in the community:
“Method Media Intelligence (MMI) is expanding and we’re looking to bring an experienced Human Resources Manager (HRM) onto the team. This is an exciting opportunity to take on a critical role as MMI’s first HRM. You’ll be helping our company strategically gain a competitive advantage by supporting our high performing, people-oriented workplace while seeking out top talent as we continue to expand.”
https://www.methodmi.com/
UNITED STATES TENNIS ASSOCIATION
Director, Social Media Content Strategy & Analytics
NY or Orlando FL
Via Doron Wesly:
“A once-in-a-life-time opportunity for a strategic creative professional who loves sports… The USTA is seeking the ultimate social media guru who can lead one of the largest global sports event… the USOPEN! AND growing community tennis.”
https://careers-usta.icims.
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/
SERVICECHANNEL
Senior Director of Product Marketing
San Francisco, CA
“A tactile marketer with experience creating product marketing content and tools including website pages, use-cases, product sheets, etc., the future Senior Director of Product Marketing has:
* 6-10 years of experience in a product marketing function in the B2B Enterprise SaaS industry
* Hyper-growth startup background with experience in GTM strategy and leading / hiring successful product marketing teams
* Proven success building the content marketing strategy to build the lead funnel
* Experience working with sales enablement to ensure internal and external stakeholder success
https://app.huntclub.com/jobs/
More via Hunt Club
* The Azek Company: CMO (Open to remote)
* Codeverse: VP Marketing (Los Angeles, CA)
* Stealth Mode Marketing Agency: Head of Brand Strategy/Founding Partner (United States)
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.)
