Authentic Blog - Marketing Insights for Growing Businesses

Marketing data: From information to intelligence

Every growing business wants to know the ROI of its marketing investments. They want to predict, with certainty, how much they’ll get in return for various marketing activities. But few of these businesses have done the strategic work necessary to mature their data practices. (more…)

How mature is your marketing? Answer this question before setting your budget

Setting a marketing budget is tricky. How much a business allocates to marketing and which channels it invests in depends on various factors, including the growth expectations, industry, business stage, and business model (e.g., B2B vs. B2C). (more…)

Dynasty Leadership Podcast Featuring Jennifer Zick

How to Overcome Random Acts of Marketing Our founder and CEO, Jennifer Zick, was recently the featured guest on the Dynasty Leadership Podcast, with host Todd Eberhardt. In this episode, Jennifer shares how a fractional CMO can help revitalize your business when you’re in the middle of the growth stages. She offers a seven-part framework to help break out of any marketing funk you might have. (more…)

Cultivate a culture of trust between marketing, sales, and finance

The process of creating demand and happy customers has never been more of a team sport than it is today. The buyer’s journey is one long continuum that requires marketing’s close alignment and collaboration with sales. And just as important to both marketing and sales is a solid foundational alignment with the finance team. (more…)

Sales and marketing alignment: What is it & how to achieve it

Sales and marketing alignment is something businesses talk about a lot. But what is it, really, and how do organizations achieve it? This definition from Highspot succinctly and effectively defines it: “Sales and marketing alignment is a shared system of communication, strategy, and goals that enable marketing and sales to operate as a unified organization.” (more…)

Talent is tricky in this economy: What to do about marketing leadership

At the beginning of this year, the economy was strong, and many companies were looking to make new marketing investments, lean into post-COVID growth, and build their marketing teams and programs. The biggest challenge was finding enough talent to fill open roles. (more…)

Red Argyle: Client Story

Salesforce Systems Integrator engages Fractional CMO to take strategy and growth to the next level. "What got us interested in talking to Authentic was their reputation in the industry. ...And it only took a couple of quick conversations for us to realize it would be a great business fit for us and also a great culture fit."Garry Polmateer, CEO, Red Argyle https://youtu.be/w-Nw_2IX5Us Story Summary Garry Polmateer is the CEO of Red Argyle, a Salesforce Systems Integrator with a focus on Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, and Experience Cloud solutions, along with security and privacy consulting. With a track record as a…

COLAB: Client Story

Digital agency overcomes random acts of marketing with a dedicated Fractional CMO and clear brand value proposition. "I think one of the compelling components of [choosing Authentic] was they had a methodology that had been proven out, they had a team of [CMOs] in Mindshare that they can rely on and [Ally] partners that they could pull on. It felt like it dramatically reduced the amount of risk that we were taking on."Morgan Witham, CEO, COLAB https://youtu.be/UjjDsAu9ZPg Story Summary Morgan Witham is the CEO of COLAB, a digital agency that focuses on WebOps: building websites that drive ongoing value and…

NATF: Client Story

National nonprofit engages Fractional CMO to strengthen existing marketing efforts, processes, and future hiring decisions. "For a nonprofit organization, [hiring a Fractional CMO] certainly is an investment. But when I think about all the time and energy that we saved by bringing on Authentic and our fractional CMO, it was hands down worth every penny.” Kathryn Mikkelsen, Executive Director, North American Thrombosis Forum (NATF) https://youtu.be/Jq8jziGqUWE Story Summary Kathryn Mikkelsen is the Executive Director of North American Thrombosis Forum (NATF) - a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by blood clots and related diseases. With a small…

Unlock the potential of a channel marketing strategy

Channel marketing can be an effective way for companies to scale their business growth and generate more sales. By using the right distribution channels, a business can reach new audiences and customers, leverage existing marketing programs, and improve profit margins. B2B companies may find traction working with resellers, while B2C companies can reach international audiences through the right distribution channels. (more…)