Office Hours: I’m the Head of Marketing at Hustle Fund. I’m Kera DeMars. AMA!Featured

Kera·Sep 30

Posted in:Venture Capital Marketing Office Hours Startups

Hi Elphas!

I’m Kera DeMars, Head of Marketing at Hustle Fund.

I’ve been an early employee at startups throughout my entire career. My background is full of examples of building programs from scratch, and then finding unique and scrappy ways of growing them. Whether I’m producing a conference, writing a newsletter, building an employee program, or juggling 15 (thousand) things at once, I find that one element is crucial in order to be successful: kick-ass messaging.

Before Hustle Fund, I was employee no. 1 at The Hustle. As an early employee, I wore just about every hat, and was deeply involved with all aspects of the business… from managing employee operations, to writing articles and ad copy, to producing hundreds of events – including a 2,500-person conference called Hustle Con.

I left The Hustle after 4 years and joined Hustle Fund (different company, similar name) as THEIR first employee. Yes, there’s a theme there. Over the last 5 years, I’ve created portfolio education programs, conceptualized and produced dozens of in-person and virtual events, created / launched / written 3 newsletters with tens of thousands of subscribers, and crafted countless sponsor activations.

During my downtime, I love to spend time with my family (husband, 3-year-old, and 6-month old), do yoga, run, drink tea, eat cookies, and putter around the garden.

Ask me anything about content creation, event production, employee operations, scrappy growth tactics, what makes great messaging, what it’s like being the first employee, what I love about marketing, breaking into VC, or getting funding as an early-stage startup!

ElphaStaff·Sep 30

Thanks so much for joining us @Kera!Elphas – please ask @Kera your questions before Friday, October 4th. @Kera may not have time to answer every questions, so emoji upvote your favorites 🔥👍🏾➕

KristinaM·Oct 04

Hi Kera, If you find the time, I would love your thoughts on these:1. The difference between employee number one and co-founder can sometimes be blurry. Would you mind exploring why you like being employee number one vs starting your own thing with someone? Assuming security, salary, and benefits have an impact, but what about it all entices you to do all the grunt work and presumably get less of the glory or ultimate payout. 2. How do you measure the impact of in-person events? Also, do you have any tips or tricks on how to create successful events when you may not have a big audience to tap into yet? 3. What tools do you use to make your life easier? This can be AI automations and processes for content creation or using medical grade snot suckers for your kiddos…what gets an NPS of 100 in your book? Really appreciate your time!2.

Kera·Oct 04

Oh I love these questions! 1. Yes, salary and benefits is part of it. I like to feel secure in my income... although startups aren't typcially "secure". I've not felt called to start my own business in part because I don't think anyone I hire will ever work as hard on it as me. In fact, I KNOW that's true. No employee will care about a business as much as the founders do. And I don't think I'm cut out to deal with that. Also, as an early employee, I'm responsible for a lot of things. I feel responsible for setting a great example, for being a leader, for being a team player, for getting results, etc. But I am NOT responsible for employee insurance, or lawsuits, or paying the bills, or any of the other crap that founders have to manage. I'm more than happy to take my 1% equity or whatever it is, and be a behind-the-scenes superhero.2. Measuring the impact of in person events is a combo of qualitative and quantitative. Quantitatively, I look at - revenue- signups- attendance rate- net new leadsQualitatively, I look at the vibe. Are people connecting with one another? Are people happy? Are the quality of the conversations high? Is it fun? Are people sticking around? Did my team have good conversations?This is impossible to measure, but pretty easy to feel out, esp if your team is onsite and doing a good job talking to everyone there.3. Hahaha I love this. For kids - the Beaba is my go-to tool right now. I love how easy it is to make purees for my baby. Disney+, take my money. Piggie and Elephant books - the best. Magic Merlin Sleep Suit - yes. See Kai Run for shoes - esp. the sale section.For work - we recently invested in a company called ToolFlow and I'm obsessed. It's the first AI product I've found actually useful. FlowClub is another one. Also a portfolio company, and also part of my daily workflow. I get more done in FlowClub in an hour than I do without it in two hours.

Janise42·Oct 02

Hi Kera,Thank you for hosting AMA!I'm trying to make a career transition from education to marketing, I have an MBA degree. I'm exploring opportunities in the marketing field, have been applying for jobs but no response at all, which is frustrating. Do you have any suggestions or guidance? Would love to hear your opinions.

Kera·Oct 04

Hi! Congrats on your MBA :) And gosh that sounds frustrating. The truth is that breaking into a new industry can be incredibly difficult. Recruiters at big companies tend to look for very specific background and key words when they’re flipping through piles and piles of resumes. Some companies are even leveraging technology to immediate filter out any applications that don’t meet their qualifications.So, that stinks.A couple ideas you could consider – and keep in mind that I am not a recruiter, so I’m not sure how effective these strategies will be.Start by approaching startups in the edtech space. Between your background and your industry connections, you might be just the thing a fledgling edtech company is looking for.Get in touch with recruiters. They’re paid when they make placements, so they’re highly incentivized to find you a job. Some are paid only if the candidate sticks around for 6 months, so those recruiters are also incentivized to find you a great place to work.This might be a stretch, but are there other people you know (or could find on LinkedIn) who made this same transition? Can you buy them a coffee and maybe ask for a couple of intros?Start networking like crazy. When people know you and develop a relationship with you, they’ll become more personally attached to your happiness. And they might be more willing to go out of their way to make strategic intros, or even vouch for you.Build a web presence. Start a blog, build a newsletter audience, grow a following on social media… presenting yourself as a thought leader will give you credibility, and might help grab attention from folks in the industry.I hope this helps! Good luck!

Janise42·Oct 05

Many many thanks, Kera! These are really helpful! I appreciate your advice and guidance.

Stephmagistretti·Oct 02

Would be super interested in reading any tips, thank you! @Kera thank you for your time and @Janise for your question!

sofiazaman·Oct 01

Kera, thanks so for much for hosting an AMA! I'm wondering if, as a marketing expert, you have any interactions with partner strategy or alliances? A trend I'm seeing in recent years is folks shifting from an outbound focus to leveraging vendor partners and building a funnel from there. I see a lot of interactions and importance from the marketing team. Would appreciate any insights and thoughts!

Kera·Oct 04

Hey! I’m also seeing this trend. Customer acquisition is a challenge for most companies right now, simply because there is so much noise on the internet these days. Lots of competition for eyeballs and attention means CAC is super high.So partnerships with vendors can be a strategic way to find new customers without breaking the bank.My sense is that vendor partners want to be able to add more value to their customers. And if your vendor partner is able to offer your product to their customer at little to no cost to the customer… well that sounds like a win-win-win.Marketing’s role in this scenario seems to be crafting the message such that the value prop is a no-brainer. This is likely the case for both the vendor partner (IE why is working with you a no-brainer) and the customers you’re trying to reach (IE why is getting this additional value a no-brainer).Marketing will come into play again if you are going to sell something else to these customers, outside of the vendor partner. Marketing teams will need to educate these users on who the company is, why the company is trustworthy, and why the customer should continue working with the company in a new capacity.Essentially... build relationships with them. Earn their trust.That comes down to deeply understanding the problem you solve, and quickly demonstrating that your solution can solve it. And any time you can give away value for free, do it. Users will reward you for that later on.FWIW, investors love to see this kind of customer acquisition channel, just in case your company is thinking about fundraising soon.I hope this helps!

smtoy·Oct 04

Hello Kera, thank you for taking time out of your day to answer our questions! I am a current 4th year at UCSD majoring in International Business with a Marketing minor. I am looking to break into marketing and event planning specifically in San Francisco-- my hometown-- after graduation. I have experience in event planning for music festivals and events on my campus, done some photography and videography, and have experience building partnerships through sponsorships/in-kind donations. As you wear a lot of hats from producing corporate events, general marketing, recruitment, previously being an executive assistant and more (based on your Linkedin), I'd be interested to learn about how you navigated your journey and if you have any general advice for a student like myself. I would also love to hop on a Zoom call for a coffee chat if you would be so kind! Your advice is appreciated, thank you Kera! Best,Stephanie

Kera·Oct 04

Hi Stephanie. Sounds like you've done a lot already to launch a career in event planning! Based on your experience, I imagine you're a great fit to join an events team at a large org that puts on a lot of events. I have to admit that I've never had a master plan for my career. Every decision I've made has revolved around - what sounds like a fun challenge? What's a good next step for me... not necessarily, what's a good next step for me that will take me closer to my overall goal.That said, one theme has consistently shown up in every job I've had: find great people.The people make all the difference in the world. You could have a cool job with great pay and good benefits, but if you don't like the people you work with, you will dread going to work every day. And suddenly all that money isn't going to seem worthwhile.But if you find great humans -- people who share your values, who are motivated by the work they do rather than by the payout they'll get, who treat you with kindness -- you will find success. And you might even discover a pretty awesome professional path that you didn't plan for.I hope this helps :) Good luck in your last year at UCSD!

AndreaMoore·Oct 03

@Kera any recommendations for family and friends fundraising ?

Kera·Oct 04

Angel investors are probably gonna be your best bet. My team has actually written extensively on this subject, so I’ll point you to a couple of articles. If you have other questions, please feel free to DM me!The difference between angels and VCs: https://www.hustlefund.vc/blog-posts-founders/should-you-raise-from-angels-or-vcsTips for raising from angels: https://www.hustlefund.vc/blog-posts-founders/tips-for-raising-angel-moneyThree places to look for investor leads: https://www.hustlefund.vc/blog-posts-founders/3-places-to-look-for-investor-leadsHow to get a meeting with an investor: https://www.hustlefund.vc/blog-posts-founders/how-to-get-a-meeting-with-an-investorSlides to include in your deck: https://www.hustlefund.vc/blog-posts-founders/your-pitch-deck-only-needs-5-slidesYou might also like this free e-book about raising money. It’s super detailed and tactical: https://letsgo.hustlefund.vc/raise-millionsHope this helps! Good luck with your raise!

NataliaJastrzebska·Oct 03

Hey @Kera, thank you for doing this. :) Your career path as an early employee in companies is truly inspiring. I'm a software engineer with a passion for working with startups, particularly in the education sector. I've had the opportunity to work with two EdTech startups. Unfortunately, due to the challenges many startups face, the last one I was with closed down last year.My question is, how can I find early-stage startups that are looking for engineers? Or, how do early-stage startups typically search for people to join their mission? I'd love any insights you might have (and hopefully something other than LinkedIn, since I don't have an account 😅).

Kera·Oct 04

Hi! My pleasure :) Thank you for the kind words, and congrats on your career path so far. I find the best place to connect with early stage startups is in-person at networking events. Almost every startup is looking for engineers, especially in the earliest days. My guess is that if you go to a couple events, you’ll find a handful of leads in that department.You could also keep an eye on early-stage VC firms and accelerators. They often share about the companies they’re backing. If a company recently received funding, they likely have runway available to grow their engineering team.VCs also often help portfolio companies find new talent. So you could reach out to early-stage VC firms and ask if they have a job board for their portfolio companies, or any kind of program to match their founders with engineering talent.Lastly, check out Angel List! Most startups are on the platform, even if they’re just one or two people.I hope this helps!

daniroo·Oct 03

Hi Klara! Over the past 6 months, I've had the opportunity to take on a GTM/product marketing role at work for an upcoming product launch. I was thrown into the role as a temporary measure to cover for a colleague, but realized product marketing just might be the right fit for me! Any thoughts/advice for breaking into the field coming from a product/partnerships background? I'm job searching now, but only have this limited experience focused explicitly on marketing, although I have always been close to customer research/UX and product strategy in some capacity throughout my career.

Kera·Oct 04

Hey there! Sounds like you might be in a great position to grow your skillset at your current company, and then leverage that experience somewhere new. I’m assuming your company will continue to launch new products... but ff that’s not the case, then you may want to consider looking for a product marketing role at a large org that launches new products regularly. You may need to come in at a lower level and work your way up… but that’s the beauty of large orgs! There are tons of growth opportunities, and brilliant people to learn from.Plus, large orgs love hungry candidates who have some experience but not too much. Instead of coming in with all kinds of bad habits and biases, you're teachable. They love that shit.

daniroo·Oct 06

Thank you Kera! Agreed, I'm working to find the balance of finding my break-in role without necessary needing to take too many steps back in terms of seniority level if it's possible.

Kera·Oct 07

If you do end up moving to a different company with a focus on product marketing, you could ask questions to the manager of that role about what it would take to get to a particular level of seniority. Might help to align expectations and create some accountability on both sides. Good luck!

Naomi61·Sep 30

Kera it is nice to meet you! Really appreciate you being here with us. I wanted to follow up on Melanie's question (thank you @melaniecrissey for the inspiration here) - I am an early stage founder and currently bootstrapped but mid next year I am planning a raise (nervous but excited!) - What are the KPIs for your role? And how do you measure success? - Is it correlated with say how many pitch decks you receive every month? - VC is such a long game that most of the time, as an investor you don't know if yure good at your job ie. good at picking winners so I am curious how does the marketing function help?- does your work interfere at all with LP relationship? - in an era where there's so many VC firms popping up especially at the pre-seed/seed, how do you differentiate yourself from other firms / stay relevant?

Kera·Oct 04

Hi! My KPIs change depending on what I’m working on. Events are typically tied to attendance rate, signups, or revenue (or some combination). Content is typically tied to engagement, like open rates (for email) or shares (for social). From a higher level, we like to look at the number of deals we see each month, and also the quality of the deals. For that, we look at how many companies per month we met with and/or invested in.You’re right! Measuring success as an investor can take 5-7 years (or longer). Spotting the bad decisions is quick, but spotting the good ones usually takes an exit event.Marketing can help with this by looking at the number and quality of deals that come in. My work does not usually interfere with LP relationships. Sometimes the events or content or programs I create are used by our investment team as a positive signal about what we're doing, but for the most part I don't communicate with our LPs too much.We focus on:- Building our brand through valuable, actionable content; and a kind, inclusive vibe- Offering support to our portfolio companies through education and support- Creating opportunities for our investor community to connect with one another- Consistent, transparent communications with our LPs- Investing in great teams that show hustle and grit rather than relying on pedigreeThanks for asking!

Naomi61·Oct 05

thank you, Kera! this was so insightful. Never a dull moment for you it appears

Jacelyn43·Oct 02

What do you love most about marketing and what type of content are you seeing as most successful across platforms?

Kera·Oct 04

My favorite thing about marketing is finding the message that the audience can connect to. It’s like doing a puzzle upside down. You don’t know what the picture is gonna be, but you’ve got all the pieces you need… you just gotta figure out how they fit together.Different formats seem to work for different platforms (obviously). For twitter, it’s often threads. For LinkedIn, it’s often carousels. For email, it’s often bullet points.The thread I see that connects them all? Great stories. People LOVE a great story. Packaging it up in different formats for different platforms is pretty easy. But finding the story… that’s the fun part :)

sydcreates·Oct 02

Thanks for tagging in @Kira! I would love to hear from you about how you identify and develop emerging talent. Yes, you hire the best that finds their way through the door, but when you collaborate on the future of a new hire or recent grad: how are you communicating expectations and developing a roadmap? I started in a scrappy world of teeny-tiny startups and now I'm living my Marketing Manager dream in a niche field... so my dev path wasn't so picturesque and I'm grasping at ideas and mission statements. Build the plane and fly the plane (at the same time), right?I'm continuing to think about how to structure an atmosphere and protect my current/future people from a vantage point with more breathing room. Though knowing what I don't want to emulate was a great first step. Sincerely,Starting Up and Stepping Up SydneyBONUS: Whatcha growing these days?

Kera·Oct 04

Hey hey! Sounds like you’ve had quite the journey. So happy to hear you’ve landed in a dream job situation. I’ve had some experience as a people manager, and almost always with talent that is, shall we say… a little green.I have no problem mentoring or managing a new generation of workers. I don't mind training someone on skills. But there are a few traits that I find cannot be learned. Things like determination, reliability, humility, and drive.If I see that someone is lacking in experience but has those qualities (among others, depending on the job), I’m apt to give them a shot.In terms of setting expectations… communication is key. Probably this person is highly motivated but needs to up their skills. This is a solvable problem. It takes time and patience, but it’s solvable.It starts with a certain level of micromanaging. Explaining what needs to be done, how to do it, why it matters, and when it’s due. And then making sure it gets done. This takes a lot of time in the beginning, but pays off if the teammate is motivated.As their confidence builds, I can give them more projects, and – eventually – less oversight to complete those projects.As they ramp up and probably for the foreseeable future, they’ll benefit from:- Consistent check-ins- Clearly defined deadlines and expectations- Feedback - delivered regularly and with kindnessI hope this helps!

Tessa·Oct 02

Thanks for doing this Kera! What are your strategies around hosting effective in-person events as a lead gen tool, especially when your sales funnel is really long? And how have you convinced leadership teams that they are effective investments, vs other shorter-term growth marketing tactics?

Kera·Oct 04

Great questions! Using events as lead gen is something I feel very strongly about. I’ve seen it work time and time again as a way to generate extremely qualified leads.When I was at The Hustle, we hosted small, local, monthly events that were free to attend. We focused on bringing in awesome speakers and setting expectations that this would be low-budget. Costco pizza and PBR. The events were SUPER successful in helping us develop relationships with prospective customers. So when it came time to start selling higher-priced items to this audience, the sales cycle was much shorter compared with people who had never heard of us before.Think of events as a way to demonstrate value and build trust. Yes, it can take time to do this. But trust is a critical element of any sales cycle. You’re going to need to build it regardless. Events are cool because you're developing real relationships with these people. They’re getting to know you as a person, not just as a sales rep. And people like doing business with people they like. I guarantee that if you let your customers get to know you as a human – and if you get to know them as humans – they will be more likely to want to do business with you. And events are a great way to do this.It can be hard to move forward with any marketing strategy when you don’t have full buy-in from your leadership team. Ideally they're open to giving you a certain amount of budget and time to try out events. Then you can track the leads and see what percentage convert into paying customers within a given amount of time. If it doesn't work, at least you tried. And if it does, leadership will be glad you carried the torch.Good luck!

Ira153·Oct 02

Thanks for being here @Kera! I was wondering if you had any advice or resources you could share on product adoption strategies. What role does marketing play vs product management? It’s the first time I’m coming up with a product adoption strategy as a PM and need expert advice on how to get started. Thanks!

Kera·Oct 04

Super exciting! I believe product adoption is both a marketing and product manager goal. The two functions work together. The PM’s job is to ensure that the product is:- Solving a massive problem for its users- Easy to access (low-friction sign-up process)- Enjoyable to use (intuitive interface) The marketer’s job is to craft messaging around the product that grabs the user and makes them feel like the product is a no-brainer. They should do that by focusing on:- The biggest problems their user is facing- Demonstrating how their product can quickly and effectively solve those problemsBeehiiv, the email marketing platform, does a great job of this. The product itself is superb - solves a lot of problems for content creators, it’s easy to get started with them, and the UI is intuitive even for non-engineers.But the messaging plays a huge role in customer adoption. If you go to Beehiiv’s website, you’ll see a ton of language around how content creators can use the platform to grow their audience and grow their revenue.Those are the two biggest problems content creators need to solve for. Long answer here, but I’ll end with these pieces of advice:- Talk to your existing or potential users. A lot of them. Deeply understand the biggest problems they face. - Once you talk to a lot of users, you should find a theme. Common words or phrases they use to explain the problems they face, or the solution they crave. Use that language on your website or landing page. - Make it a no-brainer to try it out. This could mean a free trial, or money-back guarantee, or white-glove service to remove the friction. Focus on solving the problem rather than maximizing revenue (for now).- Stay top-of-mind, especially in the early days of a customer's journey with you. Set up a 1-1 onboarding meeting, even if that means buying them coffee gift card. Send regular emails with product updates. Pay attention to who is logging in and who is not. Communicate with ALL of them, adjusting the messaging depending on their levels of engagement. That's gonna help you get in the mind of the customer, which will help you be more successful.I hope this helps! Good luck to you :)

emilydrewry·Oct 01

Thanks for doing this, Kera! Your career path is awesome. Wondering: as the first employee at startups, how do you continue to level up your skills? I find myself seeking mentorship in the structure of bigger companies but otherwise prefer the challenge and day-to-day life at startups!

Kera·Oct 04

Thanks for the kind words! It’s been a bit of a zig-zag career trajectory, but tons of fun every step of the way. I totally feel your pain. It’s super fun having a seat at the table at a startup, but there aren’t as many people to learn from. And reaching out to random people on LinkedIn for mentorship doesn’t seem all that effective. Here’s what’s worked for me: I work really hard to create something new. I get it to product/market fit, and make it easy for someone else to keep it running. Then I grab a new project that will push my skillset to the next level.This alone has helped me uplevel my skills. I'm always reaching for a project where I'll learn something new. Then once I do, and have the playbook for that project so someone else can keep running it, I rinse and repeat.Anytime I feel stuck, I ask my community for introductions to people in other orgs who might be able to offer some guidance. So if I’m creating a new type of event, I might try and get a warm intro to the head of events at Salesforce. Because at that point I’ll have a specific question (or many questions) about my project, so getting their attention is a bit easier… compared to a cold email, like “hey I want to buy you a coffee and pick your brain.”No one wants to get that email.

emilydrewry·Oct 05

Thank you for your response!!! This is great advice and I look forward to using it in the future :)

sylviabuchanan·Sep 30

Hi Kera, thank you for offering to answer our questions. Your background is quite relevant to what I am trying to create. So, would love to pick your brain on developing online courses to help entrepreneurs utilize AI in their businesses. I am really struggling with choosing the right software and deployment methods. Perhaps you could off some insight into online course development on a very limited budget?

Kera·Oct 04

Of course! I used a combination of:- Password protected landing pages- Circle - the online community platform- Google meet or Zoom- Google calendar’s “appointment schedule” feature- Mailchimp automation sequencesI basically duct-taped those platforms together to create an online course for our portfolio community a few years ago. That said, managing all those platforms was kind of a lot. You could also explore Teachable or Graphy for more of a one-stop-shop solution.Good luck!

sylviabuchanan·Oct 05

Thank you Kera

beckyaldaz·Sep 30

Thank you for sharing your incredible journey, Kera! I’d love to learn more about your experience with scrappy growth tactics and messaging! A few questions for you:1) What are some of the most effective scrappy growth tactics you’ve used to scale programs or events with limited resources?2) How do you approach testing and refining messaging to ensure it resonates with your target audience, especially when resources are tight?3) Can you share an example of a time when you had to pivot messaging due to audience feedback? How did you handle it?I’m excited to hear your thoughts! Thanks again ❤️

Kera·Oct 04

Hi there! Great questions. I’ll do my best to answer all of them :) What are some of the most effective scrappy growth tactics you’ve used to scale programs or events with limited resources? ➡ I’ve always worked with a shoestring budget, so scrappy is kinda my jam. Things I’ve tried:- Hosting SUPER cheap free-to-attend events to build a community, then market a higher-paid even to that same community. This works best if the event is repeatable and local, so you build a relationship with the attendees.- Webinars (also cheap to host, also free to attend) - same concept as above. For webinars, I focus on highly tactical topics. For in-person events, I focus on ultra-interesting speakers and community engagement.- Find brands with similar size audiences and do a “promo swap”- Offer tickets for free to influencers in exchange for promotions (this doesn’t always work, but could be worth a shot)- Build an online community (email, social media, etc) that you build trust with, THEN launch something paid. This takes time but is extremely effective.How do you approach testing and refining messaging to ensure it resonates with your target audience, especially when resources are tight? ➡ Having 1-1 conversations with my target audience is my go-to. I’ll interview a bunch of folks that seem like the right fit, and ask them dozens of questions about their experience. Then I use their language in my marketing – or some version of their language – and test to see how it resonates. To test, I’ll either A/B test, or just publish the new version and compare results over a set period of time. Can you share an example of a time when you had to pivot messaging due to audience feedback? How did you handle it? ➡ Any time I’ve had to pivot based on audience feedback, I’ve found the best way to handle it is with humility and honesty. I can’t think of a specific incident related to messaging, but I’ve had my share of experiences where my team had to reset based on a negative reaction from our audience or community. Each incident, this is what worked: admit fault, apologize sincerely, explain what our intention was, acknowledge that we fell short, and then share what our plans are to move forward. Hope this helps!

beckyaldaz·Oct 06

Kera!!! THANK YOU so much for answering all of my questions in such detail! I really appreciate the specific examples you provided, especially around hosting free events to build a community and then offering paid events to that same group (such a smart strategy)! Your approach to testing messaging by having 1-1 conversations with the target audience is something I’ll definitely keep in mind. I also love the idea of partnering with brands for promo swaps! Your insights are super actionable. Thanks again!! ❤️❤️❤️

Kera·Oct 07

My pleasure! Good luck with your marketing efforts! Excited to see your progress.

kristinakroot·Sep 30

Hello Kera, seeing you have experienced being an early employee at startups, have you ever worked as a marketer reporting to a CRO? If so, do you have any advice on how to manage expectations and maintain marketing's strategic voice with the CRO?

Kera·Oct 02

Hi Kristina! I can speak to this somewhat. If you have any additional context here, that may help me come up with a more robust response :)

Iynna·Oct 04

Jumping on here to share the context (and since I recommended OP write her question here too) https://elpha.com/posts/2jseawvb/marketing-reporting-to-cro-how-to-keep-marketing-voice

kristinakroot·Oct 04

Thank you @iynna for your help! @Kera this is a new reporting structure for me. The CRO, who is also new to the role, explicitly mentioned that they know nothing about marketing, don’t care about it, and are only focused on sales. While I understand and have always worked closely with sales, I’m concerned that this reporting structure and the CRO’s lack of marketing understanding could impact the marketing strategy.

Kera·Oct 04

Woof, that's tough!It's not uncommon to see finance teams and marketing teams butt heads. But in this case, it sounds like there's a lack of education on the CRO's side, which could make it hard for you to make your case for your marketing initiatives (and budget).I think I would start by putting myself in the CRO's shoes. What is keeping them up at night? What is the #1 thing that they’re stressed about? We’re talking about a CRO, so that person is probably stressed about money. How much is going out vs. how much is coming in. You can help relieve some of that stress by over-communicating about the marketing budget.This will involves a lot of advance planning. I encourage you to think through all the marketing initiatives you want to do, price out what they’re gonna cost, and then pad the budget a bit to account for anything unexpected. Bonus - if you come in under budget, the CRO will love you. This will show them that you value the health of the company as much as they do.Then you could prioritize the list – what needs to happen this quarter vs. what can wait?I also find it helps to draw a clear line between an initiative and a stream of revenue. For example... these ad campaigns will generate leads for this product. This invite-only event will lead to this many ticket sales for our larger event. It's a bit of guess work, so be frugal in your assumptions. If your assumptions are based on reasonable data, hopefully the CRO can meet you halfway.In regards to strategic voice… that can be really tough. I’ve seen leadership teams that are hesitant to lean into a unique and memorable brand voice. They’d rather play it safe and stay vanilla. Ugh.My solution for that is to create 2 versions of each product. To show them: hey, here’s what you asked for. But I also created this other, way cooler version. Ideally the leadership team will at least be open to testing both versions to see what works. Optimizely is a great tool for A/B tests on landing pages.Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you with this CRO. But by creating a working relationship that’s based on respect, trust, and reliability, you might find the opportunity to make your mark on the company.Hope this helps!

kristinakroot·Oct 16

Hello Kera, thank you so much for the tip, being transparent and communicate often is important and something I;ll make sure to do.

melaniecrissey·Sep 30

Hey Kera! How are the marketing goals for a VC firm similar or different to marketing goals for a startup?

Kera·Oct 04

Hi there! The thing is, most VCs aren’t selling a product. So the marketing goals typically focus on solving for either:- Attracting dealflow – AKA founders who want funding- Attracting LPs – AKA people or entities that invest in venture capital firmsSo marketing for a VC is typically not around earned revenue or customer acquisition costs… it’s more about quantity and quality of dealflow, or LP leads when fundraising.

Iynna·Sep 30

SMALL BETS FTW! IYYK ;-) great seeing you here , Kera!

Kera·Oct 04

Thanks for reading!!https://www.hustlefund.vc/small-bets