Katie Jane Parkes

I chose Demand Generation over Product Marketing because I wanted to be at the front lines of brand building. I have specialized in content creation and strategy, specifically in video and social media, and I've seen first hand how the right content put in front of the right audience at the right time can have a significant impact on sales and customer and product acquisition. I love the thought that a customer (potential or current) could be watching a video that my team produced and it makes t ...Read More

Here are the skills I think you need to be a great demand generation leader: Deep understanding of the sales process Ability to connect sales and marketing Email marketing Google Analytics SEO Systems: Salesforce, Marketo, Hubspot, etc. Knowledge of ABM programs Understanding customer personas Able to manage multiple tasks and projects Project management Experimentation mindset And here are the skills/knowledge that will make you an exceptional demand generation leader: Social media and content ...Read More

The common traits that all of the best demand generation candidates have is a growth mindset and the ability to combine both data/science and creativity in their approach at work. Demand generation requires a growth mindset because you constantly need to test and iterate and use your learnings to make the next idea or next piece of your strategy better for your customers. And with this style of thinking, you need inputs from both data/science but also an excellent gut instinct and a creative app ...Read More

I will answer this specific to my creative team, as it's not quite your traditional Demand Gen team. My current video team is about 8 creatives, plus myself. Here's the current makeup: VP, Creative (me) Executive Producer Director of Post-Production Post-Production Manager Production Manager Producer Editor Copywriter Production Assistant I measure the teams impact in the same way I assess my own impact, which is 2 ways: The impact they each have on our internal team: culture, processes, stakeho ...Read More

Because the customer journey doesn’t end at the sale, you need to focus on a process that evolves their experience with your product (and brand). You need to focus on driving continuous value so your customers will not only stay and grow, but also become advocates for your brand. In my experience, here's what those stages typically look like: Onboarding: Create a tailored onboarding journey for your ICP, including product walkthroughs and quick-win educational content that can get your customers ...Read More

My go-to demand gen strategy is actually really straightforward: gain deep audience understanding + create content that educates, not just sells. It’s simple, but wildly effective when done right. Here’s what that looks like in action: Start with actual customer insights Interview customers. Talk to them as much as you can. And ask them about their lives, not just your product. What movies do they like? Do they have kids? What is the biggest time suck in their day? Know what their lives are like ...Read More

Best-in-class Customer Marketing teams are deeply integrated across all of marketing. They build tight knit relationships with Customer Success, Sales, Product, Brand, and Demand Gen so they can support all of these teams in driving retention, expansion, and advocacy. Ultimately, the best Customer Marketing teams don't just support customers and give them a community to be part of, they treat their role like a real marketing discipline and activate their best customers to create a growth engine. ...Read More

My advice for recent graduates looking to go straight into demand generation is to think about your own experience as a person who loves certain brands. Ask yourself what made you get into them, how you heard about them in the first place, and what about their brand makes you love and trust them. Then continue to do this exercise over the course of your career. It will remind you that every customer's journey is unique and nonlinear. And that the journey you plan out and hope they might go on is ...Read More