This name and face might not be new to some of you, but this latest development should be. Pouria Nastaean, Lake One’s first-ever intern, has joined the Lake One team as an employee! Meet our new Digital Marketing Associate.
“They say you are the average of the people you spend the most time with. I’m glad to be surrounded by such a knowledgeable and goal-oriented team that has supported me through the start of my journey as an intern and into transition to an employee,” said Pouria. ” I couldn’t be more thankful to be a part of the Lake One family!”
Pouria joined the Lake One team in June of 2020. Prior to Lake One, Pouria worked as a freelance digital marketer. Working with small businesses and startups, Pouria specializes in paid media and marketing strategy. Pouria loves to take on new challenges and help businesses grow.
“We launched the Lake One internship program this summer and Pouria has set a high bar. His level of curiosity, accountability, and desire to learn, grow, and dig into challenges were immediately apparent,” said Ryan Ruud, Lake One’s Founder and CEO. “As he looks to pursue his degree in Management Information Systems at the Carlson School of Management we’re thrilled to have him continue on with us past his internship as a Digital Marketing Associate.”
Congratulations Pouria! We can’t wait to see what insights and innovations you’ll continue to bring to Lake One.
Never a shortage of fun and exciting things happening around Lake One! We are thrilled to announce and acknowledge the promotion of Rachael Cecko. Formerly our Director of Client Delivery, she is now officially our Senior Director of Operations.
“I love my job and the Lake One team. I’m so fortunate to be able to say that! I’m grateful for the opportunity and can’t wait to see what the future brings,” said Rachael. “Not only do we have the best team, but we have the best clients. I’m looking forward to continued growth and partnerships as the Senior Director of Operations.”
Rachael Cecko joined the Lake One team in August of 2017. Prior to joining Lake One, Rachael obtained her Master’s in Mass Communications and got her feet wet in all things digital at an AdTech company, NativeX (acquired by Mobvista in 2016). At NativeX Rachael led strategic partnerships and technical onboarding initiatives for both the business and account development teams.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Rachael at both NativeX and now Lake One. She always has the client’s best interest at heart and works tirelessly to ensure they are happy and receive the absolute best,” said Tiffany Schultz, Lake One’s Director of Content Strategy and Promotion. “She is a tremendous asset to Lake One and I’m thrilled for her and this promotion!”
“Rachael has been with Lake One since its early days and worn about as many hats as I have,” said Ryan Ruud, Lake One CEO and Founder. “Her adaptability, willingness to take on new challenges and compassionate leadership is an extraordinary asset to the team. In her new position, adding operational responsibilities to her client services oversight, she’ll continue to add her unique touch to our organization as we continue to grow.”
Congratulations, Rachael! Thank you for all that you do for Lake One, our clients, and your colleagues. We can’t wait to see what greatness you’ll achieve next.
What if you could focus your time selling directly to the companies and people who have the highest value to your business? Get right to the most important opportunities that trickle their way through traditional marketing and sales funnels? What kind of impact would that have on your business? Aligning your sales and marketing teams around a business strategy called account based marketing can make that kind of laser-focused buying experience happen. Wondering how? We’ll share with you what you need to decide if account based marketing is right for you and how to plan, build and launch a program in your organization.
Do you fully understand your B2B buyer personas? If not, you could be missing out on some serious opportunities in your marketing campaigns. After all, 71% of companies who exceed revenue and lead goals have documented personas. Understanding your B2B buyer personas is a vital part of any effective marketing plan.
Personas. Don’t have them? Make Some.
With the world of marketing becoming more reliant on data, relevancy, and personalization, there is no question whether you should sit down and create personas for your business.
Having a persona allows you to plan and execute your marketing campaigns with some very valuable insights in your toolbox that can help you:
Establishing your B2B buyer persona is the piece of the marketing puzzle that allows you to narrow down who you need to market to and how you can tailor your messaging and strategy to the needs of those people. The last thing you need is to be marketing to someone who will never buy from you and has zero interest in your product or service.
Researching Your B2B Buyer Persona
In order to understand your B2B buyer persona, you need to conduct some extensive research. Getting to know your persona is all about being open-minded and putting yourself in the customer’s shoes. Throw away any bias thoughts, personal preferences, and assumptions about the industry that you might have and then ask yourself:
Who could benefit from my product/service?
Who might be looking for my product/service?
Where or on what channels are these people most active?
Who has used products or services similar to mine in the past?
What problems do these people have, and how can I solve them?
Couple these kinds of questions with research on how your B2B buyer personas behave online and what their demographic might look like. Start by utilizing your current CRM system to see if you notice any kind of trends in your customer database. Maybe the majority are located in a specific area or have interacted with your business in similar ways. You can also use tools like Google Trends and Facebook Insights to get valuable analytics and data on what your personas are actively searching for and what they might look like demographically.
Buyers are naturally drawn to businesses that they know and trust. To build that trust, you must show a comprehensive understanding and concern for your B2B buyer persona. Keep in mind that at the end of the day, these are people, people who are very complex, educated, and typically have a long sales cycle. This means that your research should be based on a long-term, well thought out strategy.
It’s very common for businesses to have multiple personas, so don’t restrict yourself to just one. In fact, try to create as many as you can without going overboard. Distinguish your individual personas by things like their pain points, change drivers, and job status.
A great tool to use to create your B2B Buyer personas is Hubspot’s make my persona tool. This tool implements all the best practices of creating personas and gives you tips and tricks along the way. This tool includes metrics like your persona’s preferred communication method, tools they need to do their job, seniority level, and more.
Understanding Your B2B Buyer Persona
Your buyer persona is the bedrock of your marketing strategy. It dictates which channels you will utilize, what kind of strategy you will create, how much you will spend — the list goes on and on! Learn how to speak your B2B buyer persona’s language and speak it fluently. Speaking their language makes your persona comfortable; it builds credibility and helps your company build that trust with them that will help lead you to success. The more you know about your B2B buyer persona, their industry, and their organization, the better equipped you are to market to them in an effective and personable manner.
New to buyer personas and incorporating them into your marketing or sales strategy? We can help. Chat with one of our experts today.
In part one of our series, we talked about some of the pros and cons associated with lead generation and some tools to help combat the challenges. (Click here if you missed it.) Now we’re going to share with you some techniques to actually generate those elusive leads we all covet so much. Let’s start by thinking of your lead gen strategies and program as a toolbox. These tactics are all just tools in there to use at your disposal. Some you’ll use, some you won’t. You might have a favorite that gets the job done every time and another that you only pull out to tackle special projects. There’s a mix of old school and new school lead gen tactics. Take a look and find the ones that will help you build a successful lead gen strategy.
Lake One® announced today that its Director of Content Strategy and Promotion, Tiffany Schultz has stepped into the role of Vice President on the AdFed (American Advertising Federation) of Central MN Board of Directors. AdFed is a nonprofit 501(c)(6) organization comprised of business professionals in the sales, marketing, creative, publishing, print, radio, television, and photography industry.
“Tiffany joined our organization in 2019 and from day one you could tell she was going to give it her all. Without hesitation, she jumped right into her role as the community connector and paved her own path. She wasn’t afraid of a challenge and learned to pivot as the year went on. In a year of change for our group, I can confidently say having Tiffany in the room made us better,” said Taylor Sellnow, Board President. “Her fortitude, creativity, and belief in the club made her a great candidate to fill the Vice President role for the 2020-2021 year. I’m so happy she said yes to this opportunity and I know once my presidency is up in 2021, the club will continue to be in great hands.”
AdFed of Central MN has monthly events to entertain, educate, and network. To learn more about the AdFed of Central Minnesota and how they got their start, click here.
“I had attended several AdFed events in the past and instantly felt a sense of belonging. When I was approached to take on a bigger role and join the board, there was no question. The same was true for the VP role. While 2020-2021 might look a little different than previous years, I’m excited to see what great things this group can accomplish together, ” said Tiffany. “Whether you attend events, are a member or you’re on the board, you’re surrounded by smart, creative people who all support one another and the hidden gem that is the creative community of Central Minnesota.”
“We’re thrilled to see Tiffany grow in her role and involvement with AdFed of Central MN. At Lake One she’s shown tremendous leadership and grit to tackling challenges of all shapes and sizes. A perfect addition to the AdFed Central MN leadership team!” said Ryan Ruud, Founder & CEO of Lake One.
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