Building Authentic Connections in a Remote Marketing Team: Lessons from Sponsor United's CMO

In this episode of The Remote CMO, Jen Rapp, Chief Marketing Officer at Superside, shares her experiences in leading a remote marketing team for a creative-as-a-service company. Jen discusses her transition from the outdoor industry, including her role at Patagonia, to marketing leadership in tech. She explains how her adventurous background as a climber and BASE jumper has shaped her approach to creativity and risk management in remote marketing.   Key Topics Discussed Jen’s career journey from PR at Patagonia to marketing leadership in tech. The challenges of transitioning from traditional industries to fast-growing tech startups like DoorDash. Superside’s unique positioning as a creative-as-a-service platform for enterprise technology companies. How to thrive as a remote marketing leader by building relationships with cross-functional teams. Advice for marketers transitioning into the tech industry and working closely with founders. Building and managing a global marketing team in a fully remote environment.   Actionable Takeaways for Remote Marketing Leaders Embrace change by being flexible, willing to learn, and understanding the core business dynamics when transitioning from traditional industries to tech. Invest in understanding your company’s product by spending time with product and engineering teams to grasp the ins and outs of your offerings. Foster relationships to improve collaboration by building strong personal connections with your team members, ensuring everyone feels connected despite being remote. Encourage risk-taking in marketing by drawing from your life experiences, much like Jen does from her outdoor adventures. Be adaptable as a remote CMO by adjusting your meeting cadence and leadership approach to meet the needs of a distributed team.

20 Helmi 202535min

In this episode of The Remote CMO, Leslie Lee, VP of Marketing at Deel, shares her experience in leading a remote marketing team for a global HR and payroll platform. Leslie discusses Deel’s journey as a remote-first company, the challenges of managing a globally distributed team, and the strategies they’ve used to scale while staying customer-centric. Key Topics Discussed How Deel became the fastest-growing B2B startup, embracing remote work from inception. Leslie’s biggest marketing failure and the lessons learned about community building. The differences between leading marketing at Deel vs. Atlassian and adapting to remote-first cultures. Strategies Deel uses to build trust in a fast-moving, remote environment. Deel’s approach to hiring global talent outside of traditional tech hubs. How Leslie manages a 60-person marketing team across multiple time zones and cultures. Why Deel prioritizes customer-centricity, with leadership directly engaging with customers. How AI tools like MidJourney and content creation automation are helping Deel’s marketing team.   Actionable Takeaways for Remote Marketing Leaders Establish trust by understanding what the CEO cares about most and proving marketing’s alignment with those KPIs. Instead of spreading your team thin across many small trade shows, focus on fewer high-impact events with a stronger presence. Talent exists beyond Silicon Valley—find and develop high-potential marketers from diverse global backgrounds. In a remote-first world, set clear expectations early on and give your team the trust and flexibility to execute autonomously. Use AI for content creation, creative ideation, and translation to cut down manual work and accelerate campaigns.

13 Helmi 202532min

In this episode of The Remote CMO, Kristen Bryant Smith, VP of Marketing at Help Scout, shares her experiences in leading a remote marketing team for a customer support software company. Kristen discusses Help Scout’s customer-centric approach, the importance of maintaining a strong culture in remote teams, and how her team fosters innovation while delivering a seamless customer experience. Key Topics Discussed Help Scout’s customer-centric marketing approach in a remote-first environment. Building a strong, unified culture across a fully remote marketing team. Aligning marketing efforts with customer success to enhance overall brand value. The importance of collaboration between marketing and customer support teams. Strategies for maintaining productivity and creativity in a distributed team. Challenges in managing cross-functional teams remotely and how to overcome them. Fostering innovation within a customer-first mindset in remote marketing operations.

2 Loka 202425min

In this episode of The Remote CMO, Jason Grunberg, Chief Marketing Officer of Bluecore, shares his experiences in leading a remote marketing team at a company specializing in retail marketing automation. Jason discusses how Bluecore has adapted its strategies to drive e-commerce success, the importance of personalization in marketing, and the challenges and opportunities presented by leading a remote team in a rapidly evolving industry. Key Topics Discussed The role of personalization in scaling marketing efforts for e-commerce brands. Strategies for building and managing a high-performance remote marketing team. How Bluecore approaches the challenges of maintaining customer engagement in a remote-first world. The importance of aligning marketing efforts with data-driven insights to optimize performance. Lessons learned from scaling a remote team in a fast-paced industry. The impact of remote work on Bluecore’s ability to innovate and adapt to market trends. Best practices for fostering collaboration and creativity within a geographically dispersed team.

27 Syys 202434min

In this episode of The Remote CMO, Siobhan Hayes, Director of Marketing at Float, shares her experiences in leading a remote marketing team for a SaaS company that specializes in resource management software. Siobhan discusses the strategies that have enabled Float to build a cohesive, high-performing team in a fully remote environment, as well as the unique challenges and opportunities of remote work in the SaaS industry. Key Topics Discussed The importance of establishing clear communication protocols for remote teams. How Float maintains a strong company culture despite being fully remote. Strategies for effective onboarding and integration of new team members in a remote setting. The role of flexibility in managing a remote marketing team across different time zones. Approaches to maintaining productivity and accountability in a remote-first environment. Challenges and solutions for fostering collaboration in a geographically dispersed team. The impact of remote work on the evolution of marketing strategies at Float.

11 Syys 202423min

In this episode of The Remote CMO, Ian Lowe, Chief Marketing Officer at Level Access, shares his experience in leading a remote marketing team for a company dedicated to digital accessibility. Ian discusses the challenges and strategies involved in managing a fully remote team while driving the mission of making technology accessible to all. Key Topics Discussed Strategies for managing a mission-driven marketing team in a remote environment. The importance of aligning marketing efforts with the core mission of digital accessibility. Scaling a remote marketing team while maintaining a strong company culture. The role of transparency and communication in effective remote leadership. Challenges faced when hiring and onboarding remote talent in the tech industry. Balancing short-term marketing goals with long-term mission-driven objectives. Tactics for fostering creativity and innovation in a remote-first team.

4 Syys 202424min

In this episode of The Remote CMO, John Schneider, CMO at Betterworks, shares his experience in leading a remote marketing team at a performance management platform focused on driving employee engagement and aligning teams with business outcomes. John discusses the challenges and strategies for managing remote teams during periods of significant change and uncertainty. Key Topics Discussed The importance of maintaining transparency and trust within a remote marketing team. Strategies for effectively leading a remote team during times of crisis and uncertainty. How Betterworks adapted its marketing approach to address the changing business landscape. The role of communication in ensuring alignment and productivity in a remote environment. Balancing short-term priorities with long-term strategic goals in remote team management. Lessons learned from transitioning to a remote-first leadership model. The impact of remote work on team culture and collaboration.

30 Elo 202431min

In this episode of The Remote CMO, Jacob Varghese, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at AgencyAnalytics, shares his experience in scaling a remote marketing team and driving rapid growth for a SaaS platform designed for marketing agencies. Key Topics Discussed: Agency Analytics' growth from 45 to 130 employees in three years The structure and distribution of the 20-22 person marketing team across multiple countries Strategies for sourcing and managing remote marketing talent The importance of sales and marketing alignment in driving growth Transitioning from a demand generation focus to building brand awareness Leveraging AI tools in marketing and sales processes Prioritizing revenue generation, brand building, and community development

14 Elo 202418min