Cassidy Shield’s Post

I read a post yesterday with multiple comments from marketers trying to convince themselves that “buyers like to compare,” which is why category design doesn’t work. “Buyers like to compare” sounds like an excuse for “my marketing isn’t effective.” If I heard this from my marketing team, I would let them have it. If I heard this from my agency, I’d fire them. Buyers want to solve their problems. Buyers don’t want to fail. Buyers don’t want to change unless they have to. Buyers don’t like uncertainty. Buyers want consensus and support on decisions. I don’t know a buyer who “likes to compare.” It takes time, and it’s annoying. If you like to compare, I'd argue that you are just window shopping. Buyers compare products because the differentiation and value are UNCLEAR from one product to the next. This lack of clarity is marketing’s job to fix. What does this have to do with Category Design? At its heart category design is strong fundamentals for segmentation, targeting, and positioning your company and products.  It’s about having a strong POV, marketing the problem first, and focusing on different vs. better. Whether you are creating a new category or designing your own piece of an existing category - it all comes down to fundamentals. More marketers would benefit from understanding this point better.

I’m sharing initial learnings from a recent senior marketing role that we posted. Let me start by saying that the process of recruiting talented people is broken. Furthermore, the technology that supports recruiting teams and hiring managers sucks (a separate post). I feel for good people looking for new roles and for recruiters who are understaffed trying to find good candidates across hundreds (if not thousands) of resumes. ** Our Approach ** We opened the role on a Friday. I posted about the role on Saturday, asking those interested to DM me. I spent the weekend and early the following week prioritizing those who reached out. Trusted referrals carried the most weight. We closed the posting in less than a week, as we had over 300 applications, and I had 20-30 strong candidates through DMs. ** What Happened Since ** Those currently going through our interview process came from the 20-30 who came through DMs. We prioritized this list first, and while we have been working through those who applied and didn’t reach out - we have not met with any of those candidates. ** The Learning ** I’m no expert, but I’m hiring, so here are my recommendations: 1️⃣ Apply, and then find the hiring manager and reach out. 2️⃣ If the hiring manager posted about the role, absolutely DM that person. 3️⃣ Even better, find a referral who knows the hiring manager.  4️⃣ If you reach out and haven’t applied, you will be asked to apply. 5️⃣ Don’t say, “I’d love to chat to see if I’m interested.” 6️⃣ If you are going to reach out - be interested. 7️⃣ If you chat with the hiring manager, articulate your interest. 8️⃣ Don’t apply if you aren’t qualified. The above may seem obvious, but here is what is essential to understand: "When you get a cohort of highly qualified, impressive candidates confident enough to reach out to the hiring manager - it makes the hiring manager question why the others didn’t." => Are they not confident? => Are they not that interested? => Do they not take initiative? => Did they use a silly tool to apply to every opening? I’m sure I’ll get a counterargument from recruiters who want to control the process or hiring managers who are “too busy” to put in the effort to help find great talent. Ignore it. From my perspective - you don’t want to be one of the 300 or more defined by a resume in a crappy recruiting tool; you want to be one of the 20-30 in the hiring managers DM. Last, if you have read this far - more job openings are coming - so let's connect.

** Marketing and branding community ** Is there a person or agency using AI tools to execute the equivalent of a "virtual brand shoot?" We need to enhance our brand guidelines, specifically our visual imagery (static and video). While we can execute a classic photo shoot, I have to believe there is a way to do this faster and more efficiently with AI. Are we there technically as a marketing and branding industry? Thoughts and advice are appreciated!

We are looking to hire a new product marketing leader! Flexible on level based on experience. Top 10 reasons why this is an incredible opportunity: 1️⃣ Our purpose to help save lives and prevent emergencies 2️⃣ Opportunity to build the product marketing function & team 3️⃣ Chance to be a marketing leader with real business impact 4️⃣ Fascinating 2-sided platform business model 5️⃣ Flex skills with both PLG and large enterprise solution marketing 6️⃣ Amazing community of fans & success stories 7️⃣ Product organization that is visionary and fun to work with 8️⃣ Sales organization that knows how to sell and close 9️⃣ Leadership team with experience 🔟 Well funded with solid growth & unit economics What I’m looking for in this leader: => CMO/Senior Exec potential - I want to hire future senior leaders => Curiosity, grit, drive - the ability to figure it out and get the job done => Player-coach - strategic and do’er - everyone roles up their sleeves here => Can handle pressure - you will be in front of execs, boards, etc. => Lead from the front - out meeting the company, customers, the market If you are interested or know someone who is a great fit - have them apply and add their name to the comments below, or DM me. I started my marketing career as a product marketer and have worked with fantastic product marketers - so I’m excited to hire for this role, and the bar is high 🙂 Link to the role in the first comment. #b2bmarketing #productmarketing

Good vs. Bad Marketing 👇 I read this every year to ground myself in the fundamentals. This year, I have a new team that will be growing, so there is no better time to outline expectations and what good looks like 😊 1 - Good marketers make it their job to know the market, the competition, and the company’s products better than anyone else. Bad marketers don’t know the product thoroughly and don’t stay up-to-date with the market landscape. 2 - Good marketers measure themselves on revenue generated. Bad marketers measure themselves on leads or traffic only. 3 - Good marketers feel ownership of the go-to-market process end-to-end. Bad marketers blame the product or the sales team for their lack of success. 4 - Good marketers define and articulate a strong and unique position for their company, division, and products. Good marketers use easy-to-understand and straightforward language. Bad marketers don’t think about positioning or hide behind marketing jargon to define their products. 5 - Good marketers understand that their company’s brand encompasses all materials, people, and external-facing processes - and are fierce about ensuring that the brand stays consistent across all of the above. Bad marketers allow off-brand activities ‘just this once.’ 6 - Good marketers are relationship builders who meet customers, prospects, and peers. Bad marketers only talk to people who work at their company. 7 - Good marketers run integrated programs and seek to reuse and redistribute assets as much as possible. Bad marketers run one-off campaigns that aren’t well thought out. 8 - Good marketers experiment and frequently ship while maintaining an extremely high quality of work. Bad marketers create and ship long, drawn-out programs that may or may not work. 9 - Good marketers use data to drive decision-making to a point where experience and intuition take over. Bad marketers rely on “gut feel” alone. 10 - Good marketers hustle and are curious, gritty, and fearless. They are the team that should push the company to be uncomfortable. Bad marketers play it safe. 11 - Good marketers are proactive. They get in front of the market, prospects, and customers. Bad marketers wait until someone raises their hand. 12 - Good marketers question the status quo. They continually ask if they are doing the right tasks correctly and modify them as needed. Bad marketers do things ‘because we always do it this way.’ While in no particular order, which is your favorite, and what trait(s) are you working on in 2024? #b2bmarketing

Hey All - we are looking for a good web design and dev partner. Website is on WordPress, and we use Hubspot. What is important to us: => Flexibility and consistency in relationship. => Handle development and maintenance activities. => Work with our creative team on design and best practices. 80% Execution, 20% Strategy. We aren't looking for an overhaul but rather a partner for continual improvement. Last, any POV's out there on Wordpress vs Webflow? Much appreciated! #b2bmarketing

This week RapidSOS was selected to the Fortune Impact 20 List of startups tackling key social issues as part of their business model. What does that mean? Since joining, I’ve had many folks ask me what we do. While I can say it, it’s better to hear it from those we serve in public safety. So, check out the video below. In short - our vision is that every single connected device should work in harmony with Public Safety to save lives in the moments that matter most. Today, we support 170M+ emergencies in six countries, working with 100+ tech companies and 16,000+ first responder agencies delivering ~3.3B emergency data payloads to 9-1-1 from over 500M+ devices, apps, and sensors. However, despite the above - the vast majority of connected devices still aren’t connected to Public Safety and, therefore, aren’t available for use in an emergency. Think of the technology in your schools, homes, buildings, cars, etc. The assumption most of us have is that when there is an emergency, these devices can be used for a faster, better response. The reality is different, and our mission is to change that reality. That’s the social impact Fortune is referencing with the Impact 20 recognition. #intelligentsafety #publicsafety

I've had the opportunity to work at multiple companies that have designed new categories. I've read pretty much everything I can find on the topic. I have found that the criteria for "when you need to create or design a category" is typically vague. Sort of you know it when you see it. This makes it challenging to discuss strategically with leadership if/when a category design strategy is necessary. It's less about "Let's create a category because we want to create a category" and more about "We need to create a category because if we don't, we won't maximize our growth potential." Therefore, here is a set of criteria I've found helpful in determining when creating or designing your category is necessary. 1️⃣ You are solving a massive untapped problem in a new way The initial litmus test. You need to have a hard discussion on whether you are solving a problem that is either not known or in a fundamentally new way. If you cannot get buy-in on this first point, the rest doesn't matter. 2️⃣ You don't fit into an existing market category This point isn't "we think we are different," but rather, we are struggling to explain what we do in the context of the existing market landscape. You consistently struggle to communicate what you do against your potential customers' current mental model. 3️⃣ You are Investing and building a differentiated product You are building a product where you struggle to identify competitive threats - either because none exist (most clear case) or because there are different markets where aspects of what you do exist - but not in a single product. 4️⃣ You are leveraging a disruptive business model Outside of (1) - this point may be the most important for designing and winning the category. Often, the best examples of category winners have as much to do with business model innovation as with product innovation. If you are not challenging the status quo on the business model, you may struggle longer-term. 5️⃣ Early market of super consumers - i.e., "fans" This point is telling in terms of "when you should focus on the category." If you have an idea but no "fans" - I'd maintain that you are too early. You want to see strong indicators across 1-4 AND a diehard group of customers who love you. When you are at this point, you can focus on category dominance. 6️⃣ Unique mission-driven culture Do your customers see you as "different," or do they lump you into a set of companies that all sound and look the same? Can you attract talent based on your mission and culture? Last and the most important takeaway. If you answer YES on the above criteria, I maintain that you MUST create or design the category to maximize your growth potential. Not doing it means you are swimming upstream against the market. It shifts the category discussion from a subjective strategy of desires and wants to an objective strategy of need. Assess your situation and let me know what you discover! #categorydesign #b2bmarketing

Pumped to announce that as of today, Google Emergency Health Profiles for Android Devices will now be shared with 9-1-1 in an emergency via RapidSOS! ** What does this mean ** During an emergency, 9-1-1 telecommunicators will receive users’ medical information and emergency contact data. This information will provide first responders with critical context, supporting a faster, more informed emergency response and better patient outcomes. ** Why is this important ** Hopefully, it’s clear, but unfortunately, today, when an emergency happens, very little data about the emergency and those impacted make it into the hands of the first responders whom we all depend on to help us in our time of need. A growing list of companies like Google want to ensure that those who need data during an emergency can get it. Our role at RapidSOS is to help bridge the gap between Public Safety and those Enterprises with the devices, sensors, and apps that can help. ** How to enable the feature ** My hunch is that most of us don’t know these capabilities exist on our phones (I didn’t). So, if you are an Android user, I’ve linked how you opt-in and set up your Emergency Health Profile in the first comment. #PublicSafety #IntelligentSafety

As we dive into the 2024 budget planning season, marketing and revenue teams must align resources with next year's revenue goals. If you are struggling with where to start - here's a framework to guide you: 1️⃣ Growth Projections: Compare your 2023 projected revenue to your 2024 target. You may need to do this by product, market, geo, etc., depending on your business and your finance & leadership plan. For simplicity, imagine your product's growth going from $5M to $10M. That's $5M in new revenue you need a plan to achieve. 2️⃣ Expansion vs. New Business: Break down the $5M gap. How much will come from expanding current customers versus net new business? Let's say it's $1M from existing customers and $4M from new customers. 3️⃣ Pipeline Assessment: How much qualified pipeline do you expect to carry into 2024, and what is the expected revenue from that pipeline? Distinguish between expansion and new business, using win rates by pipeline stage to calculate revenue impact. In our example - let's assume you have 50% of the expansion business and $1M for the net new business in the pipeline. 4️⃣ Gap Analysis: What's missing from your pipeline to hit the target? We want to grow revenue by $5M. The plan is $1M in expansion, of which $500K should come from existing pipeline. The goal is $4M in net new business, of which $1M comes from existing pipeline. Therefore, we have a gap to close of $500K in expansion and $3M in new business. 5️⃣ Quarterly Breakdown: It matters when revenue happens, so now align with your financial plan's quarterly targets. Know your risks and ensure achievable Q1 goals through existing pipeline and reliable revenue programs, giving yourself time to prove in new programs throughout the year. 6️⃣ Strategic Initiatives: Split your approach into evaluating past successful strategies and experimenting with new programs for generating demand. Determine what you can deliver from current programs and prioritize where to experiment with new programs. In our example, let's assume we can find the $500K in expansion and $1M in net new business by doing what we have always done. We must find an additional $2M in net new business with new demand programs. 7️⃣ Demand Plan Alignment: Take your strategic initiatives, including new + existing programs, and now model what it will take to hit your goals, factoring in resources, timing, and budget. You will want to run a few scenarios based on your unknowns. The goal would be as conservative as possible, especially with new programs. 🔍 Final Insights: Weave a credible narrative analyzing the above steps, showcasing how you'll hit your 2024 targets. Remember, this framework is a starting point. Tailor it to your unique situation. Even if your analysis isn't flawless, logical reasoning will boost your credibility in achieving those 2024 business objectives. Let me know how it goes! #b2bmarketing #b2bsales #GTM