Growth Talks: Growth Marketing Strategies & Insights – Details, episodes & analysis

► About this Video

Jason Ing, Chief Marketing Officer at Gusto, joins Krystina Rubino on Growth Talks to share his journey from B2C marketing with global tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon to leading B2B marketing strategies at Gusto.

He explores the balance between brand and demand generation and highlights how storytelling and emotion shape decision-making in the B2B space. Jason also offers a behind-the-scenes look at how Gusto builds trust and brand consistency while providing HR and payroll services to small and medium-sized businesses.

🗝️ Key Takeaways:

• Start with demand gen marketing to find those short term wins. Then once you’ve mastered product market fit, move onto brand marketing for your long term growth. 
• When making decisions on where to put your marketing dollars, make sure the ‘feels right’ doesn’t exceed 15-20%—and be sure to keep tabs on paid performance trends at all stages of the funnel after you layer in brand spend. 
• Creative consistency builds trust AND recall. Be sure to be solid in your “why,” and make sure that everything from ads to customer support align behind that vision.
• The best B2B marketing creative is based in storytelling. Find a way to blend the emotional and rational. 
• Qualitative insights go beyond metrics. Listening to customers reveals opportunities that data alone can’t—like the potential impact of placing the niche ad in front of the right audience at the perfect time.

Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to Jason Ing and his transition from B2C to B2B marketing 01:22 Discussing the tension between demand gen and brand marketing in B2B 06:01 How marketing philosophies evolve across different industries 08:41 Emotional decision-making in B2B marketing 12:26 Why storytelling matters in B2B marketing 14:40 Gusto’s "Choose Gusto" campaign and the power of consistent messaging 17:52 Creating brand trust through consistent experiences across channels 21:15 Jason’s thoughts on qualitative vs. quantitative research in B2B marketing 27:22 How B2C and B2B marketing differ in practice 30:05 Gaining organizational buy-in for experiments with new marketing channels 37:00 Using non-endemic channels in B2B marketing 40:00 Closing thoughts and advice for growth marketers

🔗 Mentioned in this episode:

• Gusto: www.gusto.com
• AWS: www.aws.amazon.com
• Xbox: www.xbox.com
• Procter & Gamble: www.pg.com
• Accenture: www.accenture.com
• Infosys: www.infosys.com

👍Did you enjoy this video? Don’t forget to click the like button! And find more episodes of Growth Talks here: https://bit.ly/3xXGJJc

🤝Connect with Right Side Up

Right Side Up is a premium growth marketing agency that has helped more than 1,000+ companies hit their growth goals. Check us out and send us a note at: https://bit.ly/4bfaBQt

‣ Subscribe to our channel: https://bit.ly/3HWiJYD

‣ Subscribe to our marketing newsletter: https://rightsideup.com/resources/growth-marketing-newsletter/

‣ Follow us on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rightsideup/

‣ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RightSideUpCo/

‣ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rightsideupco

In this episode of Growth Talks, Simon Vishnevskiy, Chief Growth Officer at Credit Genie, sits down with Krystina Rubino to share his experiences and strategies in growth marketing for fintech. With a background that spans gaming, ridesharing, and finance, Simon dives into the unique challenges of marketing within a highly regulated and competitive space. 

He discusses the parallels between marketing and gaming, the importance of cross-functional collaboration between product, compliance, and marketing, and the best way  to effectively reach underserved audiences. Simon also explores how to build a strong acquisition strategy from scratch and scale it efficiently over time.

🗝️Key Takeaways:

• Unlike other industries where a playbook may work long-term, fintech demands continuous reevaluation and dynamic strategies due to changing regulations and customer behaviors.
• In a highly regulated industry, collaborating closely with your compliance team ensures you can get creative with messaging while avoiding legal issues. Paying attention to product changes may explain swings in KPIs. 
• Starting with digital channels like TikTok, Meta, and Google is key but, as fintech brands mature, investing in offline channels like podcasts, TV, and radio is crucial for establishing brand equity and trust.
• To build an effective growth engine, Simon always evaluates 4 key things: tracking and attribution, data analytics, creative output, and lifecycle marketing as key pillars of an effective growth engine.
• “Day trading,” or short-term optimizations in channel spend, can help maintain an efficient acquisition strategy, while building foundational team roles in MarTech, data analytics, creative, and lifecycle marketing ensure sustainable growth.
• Leverage platforms like TikTok and DSPs to create ads and videos specifically optimized for their formats, boosting performance without hefty creative costs.

⏰ Timestamps

00:00:00 Introduction to Simon Vishnevskiy

00:04:10 Unique challenges in fintech

00:06:56 Creating a collaborative playbook with product and legal teams

00:13:02 Targeting underserved audiences in fintech

00:16:42 How marketing strategies and channels evolve as fintech brands mature

00:24:00 A/B Test Segment

00:32:54 Managing CAC while scaling acquisition efforts

00:38:12 Key roles to prioritize when building a user acquisition team

00:41:21 Simon's favorite "growth non-hack"

🔗 Mentioned in this episode:

Credit Genie: www.creditgenie.com

Dave: www.dave.com

Chime: www.chime.com

MoneyLion: www.moneylion.com

Coinbase: www.coinbase.com

Robinhood: www.robinhood.com

🤝Connect with Right Side Up

Right Side Up is a premium growth marketing agency that has helped more than 1,000+ companies hit their growth goals. Check us out and send us a note at: https://bit.ly/4bfaBQt

‣ Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/3HWiJYD

‣ Subscribe to our marketing newsletter: https://rightsideup.com/resources/growth-marketing-newsletter/

‣ Follow us on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rightsideup/

‣ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RightSideUpCo/

‣ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rightsideupco

In this episode, your host Krystina Rubino chats with Ben Starmer, CEO and co-founder of Dad Grass, a Hemp and CBD brand. Ben shares his journey from being the Global Marketing Director at Levi Strauss to founding a bootstrapped e-commerce business in the challenging cannabis industry. 

Discover what inspired Ben to start Dad Grass, how he navigated the transition from corporate marketing to entrepreneurship, and the innovative strategies that have driven Dad Grass’s growth despite the challenges of marketing in the cannabis space.

⏰ Timestamps:

00:00:00 Introduction to Ben Starmer and Dad Grass

00:04:10 Transitioning from Corporate to Startup: Ben’s journey from Levi Strauss to Dad Grass

00:07:00 The Genesis of Dad Grass: Ben’s personal experiences with cannabis

00:10:00 Building a Brand: The importance of branding in differentiating Dad Grass

00:14:00 Growth Strategies and Challenges: Overcoming the inability to use traditional advertising platforms like Meta

00:19:00 Bootstrapping the Business: The decision to bootstrap rather than seek venture capital

00:24:00 Lessons Learned and Future Plans: The importance of balancing intuition with data-driven decisions

00:31:00 A/B Test: Personal Insights and Reflections

00:37:00 Creating a memorable customer experience

00:46:00 Outro

#GrowthMarketing #MarketingStrategies #Bootstrapping #Startup #Cannabis #EarlyStageCompanies #Marketing 

🔗 Mentioned in this episode

Dad Grass: www.dadgrass.com

Levi’s: www.levis.com

George Harrison: www.georgeharrison.com

Margo Price: www.margoprice.net/

Truffleman: www.truffleman.com

GQ: https://www.gq.com

Vice: https://www.vice.com

🤝Connect with Right Side Up

Right Side Up is a premium growth marketing agency that has helped more than 1000+ companies hit their growth goals.  Check us out and send us a note at: https://bit.ly/4bfaBQt

‣ Subscribe to our channel: https://bit.ly/3HWiJYD

‣ Subscribe to our marketing newsletter: https://rightsideup.com/resources/growth-marketing-newsletter/

‣ Follow us on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rightsideup/

‣ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RightSideUpCo/

‣ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rightsideupco

Ever wondered when you should hire your first product marketer? 🤔 In this episode, Krystina Rubino sits down with Deanna Dong, Head of Product Marketing at Writer, a generative AI company. Formerly the VP of Marketing at Wealthfront, Deanna’s experience in early to late stage companies across AI, SaaS, healthcare, FinTech, and crypto gives her a unique perspective on the role of product marketing at any company.

Deanna dives deep into why product marketing is crucial for startups and what it takes to build this function from the ground up. Get tips on how to effectively align internal stakeholders, the importance of experimenting with positioning and messaging, and when to hire your first product marketer.

⏰ Timestamps:

00:00 Introducing Deanna Dong, Head of Product Marketing at Writer

01:15 Explaining the foundational role of product marketing in startup success

03:00 Exploration of product marketing's evolution from early to later stage companies

04:26 The importance of target audience identification and the pitfalls of a broad target approach

05:35 How product marketing gets operationalized through collaboration and internal alignment

06:24 Discussion on tactical steps for establishing effective product positioning

07:36 Utilizing customer feedback and competitive analysis to refine product marketing strategies

09:04 The challenges of aligning various team opinions and the strategies to manage them effectively

10:42 A/B test segment comparing different marketing strategies and personal preferences

27:44 The transition from early to later stages in product marketing roles and the ideal timing to hire a product marketing manager

31:25 Leveraging AI in product marketing and the future of the role in an AI-driven landscape

35:38 Deanna shares her personal career path and the lessons learned from navigating various roles and taking sabbaticals

45:32 Closing thoughts and the importance of figuring out personal career desires and goals

🔗 Mentioned in this episode

Writer: www.writer.com

Wealthfront: www.wealthfront.com

UserTesting: www.usertesting.com

🤝Connect with Right Side Up

Right Side Up is a premium growth marketing agency that has helped more than 1000+ companies hit their growth goals.  Check us out and send us a note at: https://bit.ly/4bfaBQt

‣ Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/3HWiJYD

‣ Subscribe to our marketing newsletter: https://rightsideup.com/resources/growth-marketing-newsletter/

‣ Follow us on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rightsideup/

‣ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RightSideUpCo/

‣ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rightsideupco

In this episode of Growth Talks, Krystina Rubino chats with Doug Hoggatt, VP of Marketing at Elfster, to explore the past, present, and future of growth marketing. Doug shares his extensive experience and insights from over 25 years in the industry, discussing the shift from early digital marketing strategies to today's complex landscape, the impact of cookie deprecation on the future of digital marketing, and the importance of leveraging offline channels earlier.

⏰ Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Introducing Doug Hoggatt, VP Marketing of Elfster

00:01:42 - Doug's Background in Growth Marketing the last 25 years

00:03:53 - Exploring Alternatives to Online Channels

00:06:00 - Limitations of Remarketing and Lookalike Modeling

00:09:00 - Rise of Influencers in Marketing

00:14:09 - Timing and Strategic Approach to Channel Diversification

00:19:58 - Startup Mistakes in Marketing Spend

00:27:32 - A/B Testing with Doug: Insights on Personal Preferences

00:36:26 - Value of Direct Mail in Modern Marketing

00:40:15 - The Myth of Growth Hacking

00:42:57 - Closing Remarks and Acknowledgments

🔗 Mentioned in this episode

Elfster: www.elfster.com

LiftLab: https://www.liftlab.com/

More episodes of Growth Talks: https://bit.ly/3xXGJJc

🤝Connect with Right Side Up

Right Side Up is a premium growth marketing agency that has helped more than 1000+ companies hit their growth goals.  Check us out and send us a note at: https://bit.ly/4bfaBQt

‣ Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/3HWiJYD

‣ Subscribe to our marketing newsletter: https://rightsideup.com/resources/growth-marketing-newsletter/

‣ Follow us on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rightsideup/

‣ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RightSideUpCo/

‣ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rightsideupco

In this episode of Growth Talks, Krystina Rubino chats with Manbir Sodhia, SVP of Marketing at Whisker, the brand behind the innovative products including Litter-Robot, Feeder-Robot, and Litterbox. Manbir discusses how to build the foundation needed for sustainable DTC acquisition strategies, the importance of diversifying beyond Meta and Google, and how he leverages his secret weapon, a growth matrix, to build an experimentation mindset on his teams.

⏰ Timestamps:

00:00:00 Introduction and guest background

00:02:12 Manbir's transition from music to marketing

00:07:21 Building the foundation of DTC customer acquisition

00:14:15 Navigating channel expansion and market complexities

00:22:17 Adapting strategies in dynamic market conditions

00:30:28 Diversifying acquisition beyond Facebook and Google

00:45:56 The impact of authenticity and company culture on marketing

00:51:26 Manbir's perspective on growth "non-hacks"

00:53:03 Conclusion and appreciations

🔗 Links to check out

Learn more about Whisker: www.whisker.com

More episodes of Growth Talks: https://bit.ly/3xXGJJc

🤝Connect with Right Side Up

Right Side Up is a premium growth marketing agency that has helped more than 1000+ companies hit their growth goals. 

‣ Check us out and send us a note at: https://bit.ly/4bfaBQt

‣ Subscribe to our channel: https://bit.ly/3HWiJYD

‣ Subscribe to our marketing newsletter: https://rightsideup.com/resources/growth-marketing-newsletter/

‣ Follow us on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rightsideup/

‣ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RightSideUpCo/

‣ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rightsideupco

Welcome to Growth Talks, Right Side Up’s new sit down series. Join us as we chat with growth leaders and marketing executives from leading brands and companies across industries and stages including Credit Karma, Coinbase, Whisker, and many more. Our guests will spill the tea, share their wins and war stories, and arm you with actionable insights on how to craft best-in-class strategies, execute with efficiency, and build your dream team.

From exploring the evolution of growth marketing over the past 15 years to walking the tightrope between brand and performance marketing without missing a beat to the epic saga of launching an ecommerce storefront from scratch—we'll dig into it all. 

"Curiosity paired with tenacity is a killer combination."

Tyler Elliston, the founder of Right Side Up, discusses the ins and outs of marketing leadership and the nuances of building effective marketing teams. 

From early-stage startups to late-stage enterprises, Tyler shares insights on the unique challenges and strategies for success at each level. The conversation covers everything from building a marketing team from scratch to balancing in-house talent with external resources like consultants and agencies.

🗝️Key Takeaways:

• The shift from generalists to specialists is a natural progression as companies grow. Early-stage companies often need versatile employees who can handle multiple tasks, while later-stage companies benefit from specialists in specific channels.
• Beyond skills and experience, intangibles like curiosity and tenacity are often the differentiators that separate good hires from truly exceptional ones. 
• The use of Google and Facebook as customer acquisition channels varies at different stages: early-stage companies use them to gather product feedback and refine product-market fit, mid-stage growth companies use them to drive efficient customer acquisition at scale, while enterprise companies focus on incremental optimizations like reducing CAC and increasing volume.
• External resources, such as freelancers, are becoming increasingly critical for companies that need specialization or want to test new tactics without committing to full-time hires.
• Aligning on metrics and trusting team members are key to overcoming friction between marketing, product, and sales.
• Offering flexibility is crucial to attract top-tier talent, especially in a post-pandemic world, where work-life balance and autonomy are highly valued.

⏰ Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to Tyler Elliston, Founder of Right Side Up

01:44 Building a marketing team from scratch

04:52 Intangibles of great talent: passion, curiosity, tenacity

11:32 Balancing autonomy and accountability

18:07 When to use consultants, agencies, or in-house talent

24:04 Challenges in cross-functional collaboration

31:16 Lessons from high-growth startups vs. enterprises

35:39 Why Tyler founded Right Side Up

44:12 Tyler’s favorite growth non-hack

🔗 Mentioned in this episode:

Right Side Up: www.rightsideup.com

Eventbrite: www.eventbrite.com

Equifax: www.equifax.com

In this episode of Growth Talks, Chiyong Jones, the VP of Brand Marketing at Kajabi, discusses his approach to building and evolving brand identities for startups and established companies alike.  To build a brand identity that lasts, it’s incredibly important to understand the customer, create a cohesive brand system that remains flexible, and balance creativity with constraints like budget and team size. Chiyong also explores the role of brand in long-term business success, the value of authenticity in influencer partnerships, and the importance of consistency in brand messaging.

🗝️Key Takeaways:

• When building a brand, it’s incredibly important to have a deep understanding of the customer, their needs, and how the brand is currently resonating with them. This insight informs all subsequent brand decisions and helps ensure that messaging is on target and effective.
• While consistency in brand messaging and visuals is key to building brand equity, you need to maintain flexibility across different platforms and touchpoints. 
• Constraints like budget, team size, or time, can actually lead to more creative solutions by forcing teams to focus on what’s truly important and feasible.
• Brand and growth marketing are complementary strategies, with brand building long-term trust and awareness, while growth marketing drives immediate conversions.
• The most effective partnerships are ones where creators genuinely align with the brand. Authenticity in these partnerships leads to more meaningful connections with audiences, which is more valuable than just reaching a large number of people.
• Humor is an underutilized tool in brand communication. When used effectively, it can disarm audiences, make the brand more memorable, and foster a positive emotional connection.

⏰ Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to Chiyong Jones

01:56 Key Steps in Brand Development

03:14 Establishing Brand Identity

06:46 Challenges in Creative Functions

09:49 Testing and Iteration in Branding

15:29 Brand Evolution and Redesign

23:33 Challenges in Measuring Brand Impact

24:15 Tracking Brand Health: Surveys and Signals

27:33 Fun Marketing Game: The AB Test

32:15 Marketing to the Creator Economy

35:45 The Value of Authentic Creator Partnerships

42:03 The Power of Humor in Marketing

43:12 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

🔗 Mentioned in this episode:

Kajabi: https://www.kajabi.com

Personal AI: https://www.personal.ai

GoodRx: https://www.goodrx.com

Honey: https://www.joinhoney.com

In this episode of Growth Talks, Krystina Rubino interviews Ty Conner, the Senior Director of Growth Marketing Offline at Rocket Money. Ty shares his journey from being a geologist in remote Alaska to becoming a key player in Rocket Money's marketing team. He discusses the foundational decisions and strategies that have propelled Rocket Money to the top of the app store charts, including their rebrand from Truebill.

Ty discusses the importance of data-driven decision-making, explaining how Rocket Money leverages data and utilizes robust measurement techniques such as geo holdout tests and media mix models to scale offline channels like linear TV and out-of-home. Ty offers insights into the balance between digital and offline marketing and the future impact of privacy changes on measurement and strategy.

🗝️Key Takeaways:

• Utilizing multiple measurement methods, such as surveys and media mix models, can help triangulate data and provide a clearer picture of channel performance. These methods are also crucial in navigating upcoming privacy changes.
• For out-of-home advertising, prioritizing high dwell time, such as subway ads, can lead to better engagement and more efficient spend due to longer exposure times.
• A successful marketing team should consist of individuals who are highly curious, data literate, and competitive, ensuring they continually strive for better performance.
• Brands should focus on optimizing and scaling their core channels before exploring new ones, as there is often untapped potential in existing channels.

⏰ Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to foundational decisions for scaling

00:34 Importance of data-driven decisions and high data literacy

02:34 Navigating offline channels and measurement challenges

05:00 Ty's career transition from geologist to marketer

08:00 Launching and prioritizing offline channels

10:16 Embracing successful tests, even with 0% ROAS

12:00 Handling digital vs. offline channel diversification

15:00 Overcoming streaming TV measurement challenges

20:00 Cracking out-of-home for growth marketing

22:00 Balancing high traffic and targeted areas in out-of-home advertising

25:00 Using geo holdout tests and media mix models for measurement

30:00 Privacy-resilient measurement methods

32:00 The future impact of privacy changes on offline marketing

35:00 Balancing offline and digital marketing strategies

37:00 Building a strong marketing team with curiosity and competitiveness

40:00 Ty's growth non-hack: improving core channels over testing new ones

🔗 Mentioned in this episode:

Rocket Money: www.rocketmoney.com

Haus: www.haus.io

Recast: www.recast.com