What Is A Virtual CMO? 8 Benefits Of Hiring A VCMO

What Is A Virtual CMO? 8 Benefits Of Hiring A VCMO

Hiring a virtual CMO allows you to expand your search for the perfect candidate beyond your direct area and transform your business’s marketing team without the commitment of a full-time executive. In today’s competitive marketing world, virtual CMO services are becoming increasingly imperative for substantial business growth. If you are looking for additional marketing leadership that does not need to be in the office, a VCMO can be a great solution. VCMOs can seamlessly integrate themselves into your existing team on a flexible basis.  Find a vetted, experienced virtual fractional CMO when you partner with Authentic®.  What Is A Virtual…
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Authentic® Debuts on Twin Cities Largest Women-Owned Businesses List

Authentic® Debuts on Twin Cities Largest Women-Owned Businesses List

Minneapolis, MN, September 19, 2024 – Today, Authentic® was recognized for the first time as one of the largest women-owned businesses in the Twin Cities, ranking #29 according to the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal. To be eligible for this list, business owners must include women who own 50% or more of their companies. Companies must be based in the Twin Cities 24-county metro area and are ranked by their 2023 revenue numbers. View the full list of honorees here. Authentic CEO Jennifer Zick, who founded the company in 2017 and is the firm's sole owner, had this to…
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Embracing AI: What growth leaders need to understand about the next frontier of technology innovation

Embracing AI: What growth leaders need to understand about the next frontier of technology innovation

It’s the hottest topic since the “world wide web” disrupted everything for businesses. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been around for quite some time already, quietly humming in the background, having a nearly imperceptible impact on most individuals and organizations - until in late 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT to the public, and our collective minds were blown. As the whole world turns its attention to the new frontier of innovation, plenty of speculation exists about whether AI is a friend or foe to businesses and their employees. Will AI be a threat to artists, authors, musicians, analysts, developers, and all other…
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Hiring a marketer based on industry experience? You’re doing it wrong.

Hiring a marketer based on industry experience? You’re doing it wrong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kst0flupOvc Video Transcription Are you hiring for a marketing leader in your organization and prioritizing that hire based on finding somebody with deep industry experience within your particular business niche or vertical or market focus? If so, you're doing it wrong.  Hi, I'm Jennifer Zick, founder and CEO of Authentic, and I'm here today to dispel a very common myth among business leaders who are making perhaps their first ever executive decision for marketing leadership. So many businesses come to Authentic asking for somebody with a particular industry or business niche of experience, and in fact, they miss out on…
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CRM Optimization: Aligning your organization for insight and efficiency

CRM Optimization: Aligning your organization for insight and efficiency

In growing businesses, it’s vital to leverage a CRM for growth, scalability and insight. But is your CRM slowing you down with clunky processes and outdated contacts? A clean, optimized CRM can change your business from sluggish growth to a systematized organization that's ready for growth. Watch this webinar in partnership with Authentic, 11outof11, and Convergo to learn more about how to optimize your CRM for maximum insight and efficiency.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL9Rxtexml0 Key Takeaways Clear role definitions help align different departments' objectives with the CRM strategy, enhancing cross-functional collaboration and data integrity. CRM systems serve as a centralized repository for all…
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The Buyer’s Journey: Optimize engagement to maximize revenue results

The Buyer’s Journey: Optimize engagement to maximize revenue results

It’s a hot topic, and for good reason. In recent months, most companies have had to rethink and retune their go-to-market strategies and approaches. In many cases, the way companies sell, who they sell to, and how they solve customer problems has been reshaped as organizations adapt to economic, logistic, and demographic impacts on a global scale. Whether your organization has been radically transformed, or only lightly touched by recent changes and challenges, one thing is true for all: To maintain and sustain healthy growth, every business needs to attract, convert, and retain healthy relationships with its buyers. If persona-building,…
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The Importance of Employer Branding: How to Attract and Retain Top Talent

The Importance of Employer Branding: How to Attract and Retain Top Talent

In an era where the quest for top talent has become more challenging than ever, businesses are increasingly recognizing the importance of employer branding as a strategic tool for attracting and retaining the best employees. With insights from a webinar featuring experts in the field, we’ll delve into the core aspects of employer branding and how organizations can leverage it to stand out in a competitive job market. Veronica Williams   Tammy Ribaudo Understanding Employer Branding Crafting Your Competitive Edge: The Power of Employer Branding The post-pandemic world has seen a significant shift in the job market, with industries grappling…
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Marketing budgets for growing businesses: How to think about investing in leadership and execution

Marketing budgets for growing businesses: How to think about investing in leadership and execution

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZOfHUzAeGk Video Transcription Great question about how you should think about the activation budget to do the things that marketing will require? In our scopes of work, we can only propose and price the services we directly provide, which are for fractional CMO services. As a management consulting firm, however, all of our clients do need activation and their budgets are as diverse as the clients that we serve.  A good rule of thumb for the businesses we work with, who of course, as I explained, are generally between five and 100 million in annual revenue. For those organizations. The…
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What Is An Outsourced CMO? What Does An Outsourced CMO Do?

What Is An Outsourced CMO? What Does An Outsourced CMO Do?

Sometimes hiring a full-time marketing executive isn’t the right move for your business, and an outsourced CMO may be a better option. Keep reading to find answers to questions such as “What does an outsourced CMO do?” and “How can you hire one?” A chief marketing officer (CMO) leads a company’s marketing department. Large businesses usually have an in-house CMO, but smaller businesses may not need a full-time CMO or have a budget that supports a full-time hire. An outsourced chief marketing officer may be a better fit for these companies. Learn more about CMO outsourcing to determine if it’s…
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Marketing + Finance: An unlikely match, or a love story written in the stars?

Marketing + Finance: An unlikely match, or a love story written in the stars?

We’ve all heard it said that opposites attract. This time-tested sentiment holds true in the C-Suite, where leaders balance roles between risk aversion and growth investment. Opposite perspectives are valuable to inform decision-making. But opposing priorities are deadly to team culture and corporate health. The rubber often meets the road in the relationship between Marketing and Finance. Should the company invest in strategic, but often unpredictable (risky), marketing initiatives? Or should the business limit its spend to programs already proven to generate measurable results? What is the right ratio of risk vs. caution, reward vs. stability? There is no one-size-fits-all…
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