Increase Engagement and Generate Qualified Leads: Turning Attention into Action

Increase Engagement and Generate Qualified Leads: Turning Attention into Action

In today’s crowded marketplace, it’s not enough to grab attention—you need to convert it into meaningful engagement that drives qualified leads. Generating high-quality leads requires a strategy that prioritizes relevance, interaction, and trust-building at every stage of the buyer’s journey. The Value of Engagement for Lead Generation According to Forrester Research, companies that excel at lead nurturing generate 50% more sales-ready leads at a 33% lower cost. This underscores the importance of engaging potential customers meaningfully to convert them into valuable leads. Why It Matters Fills the Sales Pipeline: Qualified leads give your sales team the best opportunities for conversion.…
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Extend Brand Awareness and Create Demand: Building the Foundation for Growth

Extend Brand Awareness and Create Demand: Building the Foundation for Growth

You can’t sell what people don’t know exists. For many businesses, a lack of awareness is the biggest roadblock to growth. Expanding brand awareness and creating demand are essential for establishing your presence in the market and attracting new customers. It’s not just about being seen—it’s about being remembered. The Reach of Awareness Campaigns Research from Nielsen found that 59% of customers prefer to buy new products from brands they are already familiar with. This highlights the importance of building awareness to create a sense of trust and credibility with your audience. Why It Matters Boosts Market Credibility: A visible…
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Sharpen Market Focus and Value Proposition / Brand Messaging: Cutting Through the Noise

Sharpen Market Focus and Value Proposition / Brand Messaging: Cutting Through the Noise

In today’s crowded marketplace, businesses can no longer afford to be everything to everyone. Success hinges on understanding your target audience and clearly communicating a compelling, differentiated value proposition. Without a sharp market focus and effective brand messaging, even the best products or services can go unnoticed. The Power of Focused Messaging Research by the Edelman Trust Barometer shows that 81% of consumers say trust in a brand is a dealbreaker for purchasing decisions. Clear, authentic messaging that resonates with a specific audience builds trust, reduces friction in the buying process, and accelerates sales. Why It Matters Stronger Differentiation: A…
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The 16 Authentic Growth™ Drivers Every CEO Should Understand

The 16 Authentic Growth™ Drivers Every CEO Should Understand

Growth isn’t just about increasing sales. For CEOs of small to mid-sized businesses, achieving sustainable and scalable growth requires a broader, more strategic approach. While your scrappy, sales-driven strategies have gotten you this far, the next phase of your company’s journey demands a deeper understanding of what really drives growth. This is where the expertise of a Fractional CMO comes in. By leveraging diverse growth drivers, a Fractional CMO helps your business identify gaps, prioritize resources, and focus on meaningful outcomes.  Below, we explore 16 “Authentic Growth™ Drivers” that can help transform your business, guiding you toward lasting success. 1.…
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Authentic Founder & CEO Jennifer Zick Joins 2025 ACG Minnesota Board of Directors

Authentic Founder & CEO Jennifer Zick Joins 2025 ACG Minnesota Board of Directors

Minneapolis, MN, January 6, 2025 – Authentic is proud to announce that our Founder and CEO, Jennifer Zick, has been appointed to the 2025 Board of Directors for the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Minnesota. ACG Minnesota is a global community for middle market M&A dealmakers and business leaders focused on driving growth. In her role as an “at large” board member, Jennifer will leverage her deep background in sales, marketing, and entrepreneurship to provide advisory input and cross-functional leadership, helping ACG-MN launch new programs, drive membership and engagement, and multiply the impact of their mission. Jennifer Zick expressed her…
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Is the Agency of Record Relevant in Today’s Marketing Landscape

Is the Agency of Record Relevant in Today’s Marketing Landscape

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmBy0DfnRR4 Video Transcription 20 years ago, when I first started my career in sales and marketing, most marketing capabilities were handled by agencies of record, those traditional agencies that provided the whole landscape of marketing execution capabilities, from advertising to events and sponsorships and PR.  But in the past 20 years, the landscape of marketing capabilities has changed dramatically and exponentially. And that traditional agency of record has really been challenged as a result, because one single source can't possibly provide the thousands of different micro disciplines that marketing requires for today's businesses. So while there are still traditional agencies,…
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What should you measure for marketing when you have zero baseline data?

What should you measure for marketing when you have zero baseline data?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJm5fLRNOpY Video Transcription What should you measure for marketing when you have zero data to form a hypothesis or to set a baseline?  Hi, I'm Jennifer Zick. I'm the founder and CEO of Authentic®. Our fractional CMOs are working with growing businesses every day, helping them to Overcome Random Acts of Marketing® and confidently take the next right step in growth.  But sometimes the next right step is into a bit of a blind zone. Some of our clients have never had sophisticated or even basic technology to help them capture a baseline when it comes to how customers interact…
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How do you know your long-term marketing strategy is working?

How do you know your long-term marketing strategy is working?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fdf2DcF2j50 Video Transcription Ryan Tansom: How do you know that what you're doing is the right approach when you're building a community or doing that long term play like that? Because for me, I know it's the right approach. But how do you prove that what you're doing is the right approach other than just the gut.  Jennifer Zick: Yeah, there's proof points along the way. Okay, so for me, it all started by centering on what's our purpose in the world? Who should matter to us? Why should we matter to them? How do we build something that gives…
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Trust equity: Harnessing the power of trust to fuel early-stage growth

Trust equity: Harnessing the power of trust to fuel early-stage growth

Brands are built, scaled, and sustained based on buyer trust. The value of trust in fueling growth cannot be underestimated. For startups and early-stage businesses (whose brands are essentially unknown), trust-building must be a top priority, cultivated proactively, and re-invested with purpose. Hear from Jennifer Zick, CEO of Authentic, as she shares a formulaic approach to trust-building; drawing upon her own entrepreneurial and startup growth experiences, and supported by Authentic’s Fractional CMO work with growing companies across the country and around the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysyzNgl9JkA Video Transcription Introduction Hi everybody, this is Jennifer Zick coming to you from the global home…
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