Marketing In The Now

Nonprofit Marketing in the Digital Age

In this episode of "Marketing in the Now," Nowspeed CEO Dave Reske interviews Mary Crean, Marketing Director at Nassau Financial Group, about the biggest marketing mistakes nonprofits make and how to overcome them. Mary explains that many nonprofits treat digital presence as an afterthought, relying on outdated tactics like direct mail while ignoring their websites, which 72% of donors say influence their giving decisions. She highlights the pitfalls of neglecting data-driven decisions, mistaking volume for strategy, and failing to use impactful storytelling to convey their mission. Mary advises nonprofits to build a strong digital foundation, leverage data to refine their approach, and focus on consistent, authentic stories of impact to inspire action and thrive in the digital age.

Optimizing Marketing for Lifetime Value

In this episode of "Marketing in the Now," Nowspeed CEO Dave Reske interviews Tim Hamelen, CMO of iDesign, about shifting marketing strategies from traditional lead generation to a focus on customer lifetime value (LTV). Hamelen critiques the outdated "spray and pray" model, explaining how prioritizing low cost-per-lead often attracts unqualified customers who increase downstream costs and damage brand perception. He advocates for precision marketing, which involves analyzing ideal customer traits, micro-targeting audiences with integrated campaigns across multiple channels, and fostering a "symbiotic relationship" between front-end marketing and back-end performance data. Tim emphasizes that this transition to an LTV-focused model requires cultural transformation and alignment across marketing, sales, operations, and customer service, urging marketers to optimize for value rather than volume.

The Rise of Lean Marketing Teams

In this episode of "Marketing in the Now," Nowspeed CEO David Reske speaks with Andy Zimmerman, CMO of Tamr and a veteran marketing and tech leader, about the evolving landscape of marketing teams. Andy discusses the strategic imperative of running lean marketing teams, emphasizing the shift towards leveraging contractors, agencies, and AI to deliver more with fewer full-time staff. The conversation highlights how versatility is now prioritized over seniority in hiring, as marketers must be able to navigate diverse tools and functions, amplified by AI as a powerful accelerant. While acknowledging challenges like burnout, Andy offers strategic advice for CMOs on assessing talent, filling gaps wisely, and optimizing tech stacks for efficiency and impact.

Scaling Local Businesses with Digital Marketing

In this episode of "Marketing in the Now," Dave Reske interviews Rob Thomas, CMO of RamClean, about the complexities of marketing multi-location local businesses, especially in B2B janitorial services. Rob shares insights from his dual role as an agency owner and CMO, highlighting the need for lead generation-focused, city-specific strategies over broad brand awareness. He details geo-specific keyword targeting, multi-channel lead generation tactics, and a content strategy centered on high-impact, industry-specific case studies. The conversation also explores the increasing use of AI for content, CRM data summarization, and developing AI agents for sales and support.

Winning with ABM: A Practical Guide for B2B Marketers

In this episode of "Marketing in the Now," David Reske interviews Sebastian Pestritto, a four-time CMO and author of "A Practical Guide to Account-Based Marketing," to explore the strategic approach of ABM. Sebastian emphasizes that ABM, unlike broad marketing, targets specific companies and individuals, and is often misunderstood due to a rush to tactics over strategy. He explains that successful ABM requires a deep understanding of customer problems, targeted content for various buyer personas, and leveraging the right technology stack for scalability. The conversation also covers the crucial alignment of marketing and sales for ABM success, the role of intent data in identifying in-market buyers, and how to effectively measure ABM's impact through funnel metrics and conversion analytics.

Reimagining E-commerce: A Core Strategy for Growth

In this episode of "Marketing in the Now," Suzanne Carawan, CMO at Web2Market, Inc., challenges the view of e-commerce as a mere utility, arguing it should be a core revenue driver and central to a company's marketing and growth strategy. She explains how AI and accessible digital tools are revitalizing e-commerce by enabling advanced data activation for audience analysis and personalization. Suzanne emphasizes AI's role in democratizing capabilities for small to medium-sized businesses, allowing them to create personalized customer experiences and generate content more efficiently. She advises small business owners to build strong teams, embrace proactive planning, leverage new tools, think holistically about e-commerce, and tell authentic brand stories to drive significant growth.

Smarter Sales Through CRM and Document Integration

In this episode of "Marketing in the Now," Chris Eustace, CEO of Spark Grid Software, discusses his company's new integration of HubSpot and Box, aiming to boost sales productivity. He explains how this integration streamlines document management, improves compliance, and enhances efficiency for sales and customer service teams by allowing HubSpot users to manage, share, and automate document workflows directly within their CRM. The solution tackles administrative burdens, centralizes document access, and automates e-signatures, ultimately empowering sales teams to focus on selling. Listen now to learn more!

The Rise of the T-Shaped CMO

In this episode of Marketing In The Now, host David Reske interviews Dr. Dawn Mueller, Chief Marketing Officer at Trinity Life Sciences and former CMO at Vitech Systems Group and Sapphire. Dawn shares how modern marketing leaders can evolve by becoming “T-shaped marketers”—combining deep expertise with broad cross-functional knowledge. The conversation covers how CMOs can better align with Sales, HR, IT, and Finance, adapt their leadership to company maturity, and foster collaboration across the business. Whether you're an experienced CMO or an aspiring leader, you’ll gain actionable insights to elevate your marketing impact.