Recruiting Top Marketing Talent in a Remote World: Strategies from BlueConic's CMO

Welcome to another episode of The Remote CMO, the show dedicated to helping marketing leaders build, manage, and lead their remote and hybrid teams. In today's episode, we're speaking with Patrick Reynolds, Chief Marketing Officer of BlueConic, a customer data platform that has raised over $26 million in funding.

Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:

• Patrick's perspective on why he continues to work in marketing, citing the constantly evolving nature of the field and the fact that no two days or years are the same, which appeals to his self-described "low-grade, undiagnosed ADD."
• The influence of technology on marketing, both in terms of providing powerful tools to streamline processes and the potential for machines to reclaim tasks previously done by human colleagues.
• BlueConic's focus on helping enterprise-sized B2C companies leverage first-party data to create highly personalized, resonant experiences for their customers.
• The challenges of managing a fully remote marketing team of 16-20 people, including the need to foster a sense of connection and belonging without the benefit of in-person interactions.
• The importance of having a subject matter that people are genuinely interested in when recruiting top marketing talent, as opposed to relying solely on company brand recognition.
• The efforts to maintain collaboration and expose team members to other areas of the business through cross-functional meetings, "lunch and learns," and guest speakers.
• The emphasis on upskilling and training the team through a mix of internal and external resources, including courses, workshops, and knowledge-sharing sessions.
• The value of starting with marketing generalists when building a team from scratch, focusing on individuals who can "be a little bit dangerous in a lot of areas" rather than narrowly specialized.
• The advice for new remote CMOs to be more deliberate in checking in with team members, asking questions, and providing clear direction, acknowledging that the process may take slightly longer than in a traditional office setting.
• The impact of the book "4,000 Weeks" on Patrick's approach to balancing work and life, emphasizing the importance of being efficient with one's time and prioritizing personal fulfillment.