Shannon Johlic

The only thing you really need to set CMO up for success - is to agree and follow through on how you would measure the impact of marketing. Once that is in place - the rest is just problem solving, project management, stakeholder management, and team leadership. Good candidates should have these skills. But no amount of problem solving and project management will save a CMO (and a business) if CEO and the Board are inconsistent about what they want and how they measure success.

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What’s the compensation range for top startup marketers? Well, it's complicated. IMO, it depends on three main factors: ✅ Timing: Marketers hired in 2021 or early 2022 often received higher comp due to market demand. Three years in, they’re likely seeking even higher compensation. ✅Growth Stage: Marketers who’ve been part of high-growth companies (e.g., through acquisitions or funding rounds) usually have higher bonuses, equity, and comp expectations. ✅Region: Location matters. Marketers in cities like San Francisco or New York, or those in Canada working for U.S. companies, generally earn more due to higher regional pay scales. While finding top talent at your comp range might seem tough, it’s still possible to hire a marketer who can drive revenue, even if they don’t tick all the boxes. Need help? Book a call with me, and I’m happy to help you through it. #growthmarketing #startuphiring #compensationtrends

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I heard my new favorite term this week: "𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘀" Where companies do handstands, backflips, and workarounds to get GTM pipeline/funnel data in a reportable format using Excel. If you're past Series A, >$10m ARR, and have ambitions to grow revenue/headcount/etc quickly, you shouldn't be living in spreadsheet hell and doing "excelympics." You really need reporting in your GTM systems to work and not perpetuate a process of: • Pulling loads of different reports into an Excel file • Doing a load of weird stuff to build a useful view of conversion/velocity • Having no one know actually how it works and no ability to repeat the process each month/quarter Put all that busy work into actually fixing the root problem: Your data and process (within CRM and MAP). #gtmoperations #revenueoperations #marketingoperations  

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Marketers: Did we decide? Is AI coming for our jobs? Here’s my updated 2025 prediction. ♦️ Prediction 1: The most in-demand, highest-paid marketers will be the marketing ops folks that stitch AI tools together. In the past the highest paid folks were the digital advertising / demand gen folks, but that’s about to change. Google and Meta AI is already choosing which ad creative permutations to run and which audiences to serve ads to. But there are now hundreds of new point-solutions helping us create better ads, predict the best leads to call, write better personalized emails, predict who will churn, etc. But stitching these point-solutions together, making sure data is piping so the AI has the context to personalize well, etc. - that’s where we humans still have enormous value. Learn to configure these tools, design experiments to measure their impact, and measure ROI of these stools. ♦️ Prediction 2: AI will destroy the traditional SDR function. The need for SDRs doing cold outbound outreach has disappeared entirely. A single marketer can use Clay.com to orchestra conduct a ton of outbound outreach, replacing 10 SDRs. 11x AI is making it easy to qualify inbound leads and get them scheduled with an AE using a voice-based AI SDR. And imagine generating 1000 perfectly personalized video sales letters or demo videos. YC-backed Yarn that is doing this today. ♦️ Prediction 3: Organic Search is Fragmenting, and Google’s share of our ad spend will decline. 57% of Google’s revenue is search 🔎, so their incentive is to load a full page of search results to sell lots of ads. But most folks don’t want a page of potential answers, they want to get straight to the answer. And some users are switching to tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT. Additionally, Gen Z is increasingly turning to TikTok as their preferred search engine: • 74% of Gen Z use TikTok for search, with 51% preferring it over Google • 45% of Gen Z are more likely to use "social searching" on sites like TikTok and Instagram instead of Google, compared to about 35% of millennials, 20% of Gen X, and less than 10% of Boomers • According to Google's internal data, nearly 40% of young people turn to TikTok or Instagram instead of Google Maps or Search when looking for a place to have lunch Finally, Amazon is growing: >50% of product searches now start on Amazon, not on Google • Amazon is projected to control nearly 25% of U.S. search ad dollars by 2025, with that figure expected to grow to 27% by 2026 So where does that leave Google? Google is responding to ChatGPT by putting AI-snippet-answers in search results. They’re hoping that as long as they have our search intent, they can serve us intent-based ads elsewhere (i.e. instead of on the SERP page, they’ll show us a display ad or YouTube ad). But if their overall share of search continues to decline, we advertisers will naturally shift our spend to searches on TikTok, Amazon, and OpenAI.

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Yelp has recently sued Google for monopolizing local search results by favoring its own services for local search and associated advertising competitors. This lawsuit may open a can of worms and lead to other companies taking legal action against Google, potentially reshaping how local search services are delivered and accessed by consumers. For more information, scroll 👉 ! #YelpVsGoogle #LocalSearch #MonopolyLawsuit #DigitalCompetition #TechLawsuit #SearchMonopoly #Antitrust #GoogleLawsuit #ConsumerRights #FairCompetition #AdvertisingWars #LegalAction #SearchEngines #TechRegulation #BusinessCompetition

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Literally, on the floor....95 of you signed up for tomorrow's webinar 🙏 😵 Ok. Now, I'm nervous 😬 haha No, but really, come learn the ins and outs of how pixel-based attribution for podcast advertising ACTUALLY works. ✖ no bullshit ✖ no pitching ✖ no software engineering background required... Just pure unadulterated, demystification and learning. Register Today and bring your questions! →https://lnkd.in/e8xyFyYH #webinar #podscribe #attribution #podcastadvertising #podcast #advertising #pixel #pixelattribution Podscribe

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New Rule (Bill Maher Voice).... If your Pricing page doesn't have numbers on it, it's not a pricing page. It's a packaging page. Mark and I discuss - and he's clearly fired up 🔥! In this episode of #TheUnexpectedLever, Mark dives into why transparent pricing is essential for building trust, keeping buyers engaged, and weeding out low-intent prospects early. Hear his passionate take on how upfront pricing saves everyone time and creates stronger B2B relationships on the new episode of #TheUnexpectedLever If your product is worth it, why hide the cost?

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Software vendors often forget why companies invest in their tech stacks They are all trying to drive more revenue. The HubSpot ecosystem is sadly also guilty of this. With all of the new features getting released, it's very easy to focus on finding a problem for these new features to solve. Unless RevOps professionals can refocus their conversation around driving revenue, the solutions they are presenting will always be "expensive nice-to-have" tools. S/O to Christopher Barnett for being a guest on the Sprockets & Gears Podcast

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Google’s third-party cookies phase out leaves no room for mismanagement of data. 🍪 As marketers we must now explore alternative strategies to achieve desired results and address the challenges posed by limitations in data tracking.   To increase conversion, marketers need to look into varying tactics to target customers across content, search and paid looking to ways to offer new users the choice to submit personal information.  Partnership, influencers and review sites are also worth exploring to compensate for the loss of reach via third-party cookies.  At Exclaimer, we've witnessed a growing trend among our customers who are increasingly leveraging personalisation including email signature marketing, to facilitate personalized, one-to-one communication. This approach not only nurtures trust between sender and recipient but also fosters stronger relationships.  Focusing on creating a strong human-centric brand and the personalization of content at scale are no longer luxuries but necessities for standing out. How are you navigating the zero-click world? ⬇️ 

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Are Data and Metrics Ruining Marketing? 🧠💥 Let’s get real: Data is powerful. It's essential for running ads, tweaking website design, and refining strategies. But here's my hot take: our obsession with data is slowly strangling creativity in marketing. 📊🔗🎨 Think about it: From ad campaigns to Hollywood blockbusters, everyone's playing it safe, betting on what the numbers say will work. But when did marketing become so soulless? Data should inform, not dictate. When it comes to your overall marketing and branding strategy, leaning too heavily on analytics can make your efforts feel robotic. People don’t hate marketing; they hate bad marketing—marketing that lacks passion, creativity, and authenticity. They crave campaigns that feel genuine and fun. Here’s what we need to remember: 1️⃣ Principles Over Points: There’s usually a core principle behind successful initiatives. Focus on what the data is demonstrating, not just the data itself. 2️⃣ Creativity is Key: Don’t be afraid to take creative risks. That’s where the magic happens. 3️⃣ Genuine Connection: Authentic marketing resonates. Data can guide, but heart and creativity should lead. Obsessing over data leads to the "same-ification" of branding. Let's break the mold. Use data as a tool, not a crutch, and bring back the creativity and soul into marketing. 🌟 #MarketingStrategy #DataDriven #CreativityInMarketing #AuthenticBranding #MarketingPrinciples #ThinkOutsideTheBox

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Sending up the bat signal... You would have to be NUTS to go into 2025 without a revamped digital ad, Google, and SEO strategy. Everything has changed with Google's new AI search experience. Advertisers are not seeing the ROI they once did. Companies that once enjoyed top organic search status are buried under paid ads and click bait. #CodeSquirrels can help. https://codesquirrels.com/ I've been working so closely with my web developer Nahid Bin Zahangir to navigate the "Dead Internet" that we've decided to team up and help other companies apply what we have learned through testing, trial and error, talking to dozens of clients and reading through Google's docs. If you want a powerful campaign that generate results and revenue, reach out. #seo #marketing #google

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Never trust a Google rep. Their current actions are bordering on predatory sales practices. We recently conducted an audit for a prospective client that launched a new account and had a “helpful” Google rep reach out to them shortly thereafter. When we looked at the account that was set up with the support of a Google rep’s support, we found Exhibits A, B, and C illustrate why you should never just take a Google ad rep’s advice at face value... A - The brand picked the default campaign settings for a "search" campaign their rep helped them build and ended up spending its entire budget on display and Search Partners – and 0% on Google search. (If you need me to explain why that’s bad, DM me - we can find a lot of ways to save you money in like 5 minutes.) B - They served lots of ads to people outside of the geo where their service works because they followed the rep’s suggestion to use the default “Presence or interest” setting – so any conversions would just lead to wasted time and money. C - They were encouraged to run Performance Max, even though they were a B2B product that was only tracking leads The client told us directly that they felt like they got a bait and switch on the outcomes vs. promised value from the Google rep, and I completely agree with them. The brand spent a fair amount of money to get nothing in return, and the Google rep went on to "help" someone else. If there’s ever an argument against “trusting the rep” and/or “trusting Google,” this is it. Whenever setting up a new B2B account, be sure to change the following settings: - In location settings, change it from "Presence or interest" to "Presence" - Make sure you turn off "Automatically created assets" or Google will randomly add copy to your ads - Turn off "Use broad match keywords for your entire campaign" or you will be ceding additional control to Google - Don't use Performance Max for B2B These are all ways that Google takes money from unsuspecting advertisers. If you think you might be in this boat, where Google is steering you in the wrong direction, please DM me or a digital marketer you trust for a sanity check.

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Some powerful new AI tools from our friends at HubSpot. Particular love the AI Search Grader. Wondering how your company is showing up in the AI models? As more and more people turn to AI instead of search, understanding how your brand shows up is a key to your future marketing and brand strategy. See where you land today: https://lnkd.in/dWUWxj_2

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When someone demands "more MQLs", it's a dead give away that they have no clue how real MQLs are actually generated. A true MQL is the result of extensive top of funnel and brand development work, often conducted over a period of months or even years, targeting ICPs with valuable content and genuine education. That bowl for business cards on your trade show booth? Not the way to MQLs. Sending that 4th cold email to people who've never heard of you other than in their spam box? Not the way to MQLs. A LinkedIn pitchslap that says "Hi Abdul, I noticed we both have lots of connections in common so let's also connect." Not the way to MQLs. Cranking up the dollars on Google Ads to obscene amounts so you can be the first sponsored link to appear? Not the way to MQLs. Every once in an rare while, that kind of activity may lead to something but the ROI of it is shockingly low and probably not worth the effort. And it makes your marketing program reek of desperation. What works better? You guessed it... demand creation, and that hated word of "brand development." Demand creation through genuine content, market education, (ethical) influencer collaboration, relationship-development. Perhaps even community building, though that one is a whole other level of complex. And it can't be about your products or services. It has to be about the customer's needs, and how their goals can be achieved. That's the type of marketing activity that leads to genuine MQLs that eventually convert to new opportunities. And as Marketing leader, it's your role to educate the rest of the management team and the Board about this reality.

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I've seen enough - Meta's Bid Multiplier is a requirement in 2024. Since building out the proprietary tool for our team, we have run five structured split tests to determine the value of this approach. The results* speak for themselves: Client 1 (Beauty): +123% revenue, -23% CPA Client 2 (Beauty): +13% revenue, -16% CPA Client 3 (Apparel): +13% revenue, -12% CPA Client 4 (Footwear): +12% revenue, -10% CPA Client 5 (Sporting Goods): +67% revenue, -23% CPA * For two of these clients, these results are from 3rd party attribution solutions like Rockerbox - in other words, this isn't Meta grading its own homework. We're rolling this out to all of our clients this quarter. You need to be running broad audiences on meta. BUT, layering in your 1p data through bid multiplier amplifies the results by 15% or more. I would think in the current environment that any marketer would want that extra 15%. Here is your golden ticket. Our tool isn't glamorous (screenshot below), but the results are what we care about :) #meta #digitalmarketing New Engen, Inc.

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💯”thanks to the internet, you are never going to run out of leads… the more niche, the better.” Technical agency founders often struggle with sales momentum—but making second degree connections has never been easier. It’s decision paralysis that often comes by thinking you have to sell to the whole internet, when you actually need to sell something specific enough to get 100 people a year to put your name in someone else’s ear.

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Something the best ad agencies can learn from McKinsey -   McKinsey gives high-conviction advice.   Most times, it's right.   B/c they have an edge...their people and their playbook.   If a client consistently disregards their advice, they do something refreshing…   Something most consultants and agencies never do...   They fire the client.   TLDR - they prioritize reputation over revenue.   They'd rather bleed quality and have a reputation for outcomes than bank extra rev.   Chalk it up to a "third edge."   This is how we operate too.   It's not that we're never wrong…   We're learning every day, too.   But if you're not ready to move quick and learn together, we're not a fit.   B/c retainers with the wrong brand--no matter how large--aren't worth the cost.

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I’ve gotten 8 inbounds from CMOs in the last week. What are they asking me for? …… Content help “Do you have a really good content writer you’d recommend?” “I need to create so much content this quarter I need some extra help” I’m going to venture and say scaling content production (volume and speed) is one of the top priorities CMOs are grappling with! 💡 (Myself included 🙋🏻) #content #marketing

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🤔 It's certainly not the sexiest topic, but if you've been paying attention there's some really interesting things happening in the B2B marketing analytics and attribution space... 👀 I'm thinking of a few recent upstarts like Factors.ai, HockeyStack, and Dreamdata, in particular. They've all brought a fresh perspective to attribution, which is saying a lot. (Especially from me. At heart, I'm a brand marketer.) 👊 Ostensibly, all three are competitors. But what I find really interesting is that even though all three are competitors, looking for an edge in any way that they can, they all seem to agree on one thing: - the value of G2 🤯 But don't take my word for it, hear it from the companies themselves: 👉 Factors.ai: G2 traffic has a 67% higher conversion rate than paid search traffic. (And paid search traffic isn't getting any cheaper for more most folks.) https://lnkd.in/ebu-Tmj7 👉 HockeyStack: MQLs with a G2 touchpoint have a 22% better conversion rate and deals with a G2 close 27% faster. (Like I've said, nobody except weirdos like me go to G2 for fun - they are there because they are in-market!) https://lnkd.in/eqBUR_rb 👉 Dreamdata: On average, G2 influences more than 50% of the deals that they track to close - and at all points of the journey. (You might want to be where more than half of your prospects/soon-to-be customers are.) https://lnkd.in/emy9d6yK It's tough to get competitors agree on anything, but G2's value to software buyers (and the software vendors trying to reach them) is something that everyone can agree on. 🤝

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