Authentic Blog - Marketing Insights for Growing Businesses

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…

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…

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. 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 with recruitment and staffing challenges.…

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…

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…

Augurian: Client Story

Digital marketing agency Augurian engaged Authentic to develop a targeted marketing strategy for the upcoming year. “[Our Authentic Fractional CMO] helped us get what we intuitively might have understood or had in the back of our minds onto paper in a more organized way.” Josh Becerra, co-Founder & CEO, Augurian https://youtu.be/4uahV_2PlZA Augurian at a glance Company size: 28 employeesBusiness type: Digital marketing agencyCategory: B2BHeadquarters: Minneapolis, MNKey initiatives: Marketing strategy, marketing roadmap, ideal customer profile, content marketing, messaging & differentiation The challenge Augurian, a digital marketing agency based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was faced with a common challenge that many other marketing…

AI Readiness: How to Assess If Your Business Is AI Ready

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here to stay, and is already changing the business landscape. Leaders must be prepared to address how and where AI and machine learning can - and more importantly, should - transform essential business processes, roles, and experiences. This guide aims to equip business leaders with practical steps they can take to become AI-ready and how to implement this technology into their organizations effectively and strategically. Chapter One: 6 steps your business should take toward AI readiness Prepare for a speed check Where is your business with artificial intelligence (AI) readiness today? If you believe every AI…

Growing Through a Hold Period with M&A with Renee Ernste

As the CEO of Orange Tree Employment Screening, Renee Ernste brings a passion for client care and teamwork to the business, values that have been the foundation of every decision in her 16-year tenure with Orange Tree. Renee joined Orange Tree as their VP of Customer Care and earned the role of President before becoming CEO in 2018. Orange Tree was sold to Tonka Bay Equity Partners in January 2021. After doubling the company's revenue through organic growth initiatives, technology innovation, and acquiring three businesses, the company sold to a strategic buyer in May 2024. Renee and Mark sat down…

5 Lessons in Building Community, a Brand, and Entrepreneurship

One of the core tenets of Authentic’s company vision is that we believe when executive marketers are supported by a diverse community of like-minded peers, who share common values, experiences, and resources, they become more impactful leaders. Building this type of community requires a lot of collaboration and support along the way. Finding those who share in the vision of community, conversation, and connection is so incredibly special and important in living a purpose-driven life. Authentic’s founder & CEO, Jennifer Zick, was recently invited to speak at Purpose Driven Coffee, an event for these like-minded people who seek significance, meaning,…

Part Time CMO, Full Marketing Accountability

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BftIq1uQtk Video Transcription Your growing business needs experienced marketing leadership but the last thing you need is an outside strategist providing you with more ideas and leaving you and your team to figure out how to execute those and achieve results. I'm Jennifer Zick, Founder and CEO of Authentic®. Our community of fractional CMOs helps growing businesses to Overcome Random Acts of Marketing® and confidently take the next right step to build revenue. We do this as dedicated, retained CMOs and as a member of your executive team while our CMOs work on a part-time flexible basis. They assume full…

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