How did you hear about SalientMG and why did you decide to join the firm?
I learned about SalientMG through LinkedIn as I was exploring opportunities for the next step in my career. Initially I was thinking I was ready to move to the client/brand side. But I’d grown to love the fast-paced changing environment that comes with agency work. When I met the SMG team and heard how they collaborate and how everyone brings such interesting expertise to the table, I felt I was on the right path. Speaking with SalientMG’s CEO, Mack McKelvey about her marketing philosophy and mission to raise underrepresented voices in tech sealed the deal for me. I knew I’d found somewhere where I could be my best self professionally while personally feeling a sense of purpose in my work.
Describe your role and what you’re most looking forward to/have most enjoyed to date in your position.
I am the Director of Demand Generation at SalientMG. I support our clients in leveraging paid media to drive revenue and accomplish their business objectives. I get the most energy from seeing results on my client’s accounts. That may sound like a canned response, but I genuinely love when something is launched for the first time. You’ve put resources into planning creative, thinking through copy that will resonate with an audience, planning budgets, then it goes live and you can actually see the results pour in. It’s so exciting and even more so for startups in the B2B space. Their audience is out there and it’s just a matter of reaching them strategically.
What is your personal philosophy about the purpose and power of marketing?
My philosophy is that marketing provides the ability to connect with an audience and tap into what they need to be successful. Advertising, particularly paid media, gets a reputation of being disruptive or intrusive. But at the end of the day, few people complain if what they’re seeing is relevant, timely and trustworthy. The proof of that is in the results. I’ve built and launched campaigns that have increased revenue, university enrollment, patient admissions and more. It never gets old when I’m able to help my client help their end consumer.
Marketing doesn’t have to be a cost center–especially through digital there are ways to understand and attribute revenue. Making sure systems are in place to do that should be step one, and everything you build from there is going to provide value. It’s a win-win when done right and you keep your audience at the center of everything.
What is the best piece of advice someone gave you and how has it impacted your personal and/or professional direction?
It’s more a lesson learned than advice. My mom is a Chief Nursing Officer. She started her career as an RN and throughout my life I watched her continuously grow and face challenges unlike anything I will ever experience in my career in marketing and technology. She got her bachelor and master degrees while raising four children. The work ethic and continual mindset for growth and learning I got from her has probably impacted me more than any single bit of advice I’ve gathered over the years, and I’ve had some fantastic mentors along the way. The ability to be constantly learning has set me up for success in agency environments where any given day I’m learning a whole new business to support their marketing efforts. Thanks, Mom.
Effective marketing is about capitalizing on the human element. Tell us how you view the synergy between consumer psychology and our increasingly digital world.
I’m not sure this would be a popular opinion with advertisers, but no one ever bought something because of an ad they saw–at least not in the B2B space. (I do have a few impulse buys lying around the house I’ve gotten from TikTok ads.) The B2B buyer’s journey is typically much more complex than a B2C journey.
I think marketing is done well when you’re asking the right questions about your audience and what they’re thinking, feeling and doing. Once you understand their pain points and motivations you can provide your brand’s solution. I’m not creating a singular ad or one-off campaign to push widget purchases. As a strategic marketer I’m creating one part of a larger consumer experience and helping to educate and influence. My passion for consumer psychology is the most valuable tool I have to be effective. When you combine it with a deep knowledge of digital platforms and best practices you end up with a solid strategy.
SalientMG specializes in helping growth-stage technology companies. Real tech talk here–how would you describe your everyday technological prowess?
In my personal life I’m the resident IT expert for my family. How do I hook up my Alexa? Can you set up my Ring doorbell? How do I do *insert thing you can Google*? I’m happy to help because it makes my family think I’m made of magic.
More seriously and professionally, I started my career with a tech startup. I worked the front desk where I learned the ins and outs of data center technology, cloud services and more. I learned from customers about the critical role technology played in their businesses. Eventually I created marketing strategies and supported product marketing for disaster recovery and managed services solutions. Ultimately that role taught me that I don’t need to know exactly how to execute the things I was learning but that it was important to understand the solutions and what made them important to our customers.
What is one thing your colleagues don’t know about you (yet)?
I’m a whiz at trivia and chock-full of fun facts. (Did you know koalas have fingerprints that look just like human fingerprints?) My trivia team went to the state championship once and I collect random knowledge wherever I go and in whatever I watch or listen to. Someday, I’d love to take the Jeopardy test!