0:07-1:49

Steve Van Diest introduces himself, Acumen, and his guest, Robin Emiliani. Robin shares a bit about herself and her role as Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Catalyst Marketing Agency, which has been in business in the Denver area for 8 years.

1:50-2:38

Steve asks: what were some of Catalyst's first big wins? Robin reflects on the beneficial experience and challenges  of landing Microsoft as a client early on.

2:39-5:20

Robin discusses the opportunities and challenges of being a women-owned company, citing the fact that less than 1% of  marketing agencies are owned by women. She describes the process and benefits of becoming certified as a women-owned business through WBENC. She and Steve joke about the parallels to the show Who's the Boss?

5:21-9:16

Robin dives into some key lessons learned in the marketing world that could provide insights for business owners in general, honing in on the question: how do you choose who to hire for your marketing team? The most important thing to look for in a marketing leader, she shares, is a focus on the bottom line. When they describe their experience or history, you want to hear phrases like lead generation, customer acquisition, and demand generation. While things like branding and PR can be outsourced, marketing should at its heart not shift its focus from filling the sales funnel! 

9:17-9:57

Steve asks: who manages the CMO? Robin replies that this falls to the owner or CEO, but emphasizes the importance of collaboration between a CMO and individuals like the Head of Sales and the Chief Revenue Officer.

9:58-11:20

Robin speaks to the importance of organizations having their own internal marketing teams to spearhead strategy, rather than relying primarily on agencies like her own. Skills can be outsourced, she asserts, but there needs to be a strategically-minded person handling the marketing from within. And you need to get them sooner rather than later!

11:21-17:54

The conversation turns to the uses of AI in the marketing sphere. Robin points to a few primary uses: enhancing marketing strategy, developing content, and competitor analysis. In terms of AI potentially posing a threat to industries like marketing, Robin agrees that writers, in particular, will find their jobs threatened in the coming years, but emphasizes that the human touch is still necessary to finalize AI-produced work, whether it's content or strategy. She hopes it will actually create jobs in the form of people who specialize in using it! Steve agrees that the human soul continues to be central and necessary, even with AI being used as a tool.

17:55-19:17

Robin shares her insights from working with the enterprise companies that predict the future. She saw budgets tighten up about a year before everyone else, but asserts that there was a loosening of budgets in Q4 of 2023, which foreshadows good things for midsized companies in 2024!

19:18-20:41

Steve closes out, and Robin shares her contact information.

LinkedIn: Robin Emiliani

Email: robin@catalystmarketing.io

Website: catalystmarketing.io

Steve shares more information about learning more about Acumen at acumenimpact.com.