Hi, Bernadette, could tell us about you your journey in MarTech? 
I started in B2B marketing at an agency, then moved to a B2C agency to produce typical advertising campaigns, then transitioned to the client side, where my funny ads now had to drive traffic and sales. It was then that I discovered a need, one which wasn’t being filled, and one that I wanted and needed for my then-brand. That’s what brought me to co-founding StoryTap, a marketing technology that enables global brands to grow by tapping into their real customers’ video stories at scale. It’s a seamless, easily-integrated platform that lets brands create video content without the studio.
How do you see B2B brands leveraging videos at scale?
B2B has typically invested in one brand promise video and three high-production video testimonials. That has been the status quo for decades. Today, however, data tells us that lead generation is much more efficient when B2B brands lean into video stories by segments with the ability to personalize a journey into a lead.
In a time when we’re working remotely from home on video calls, the more authentic videos feel, the better! Even though this feels counterintuitive for brands who might feel like a video not produced in a studio might diminish the perception of their company, it is the opposite. People love real people.
Data shows us that prospects (leads) want the truth about how other customers feel about products or services. By leaning into authentic videos at scale, you can target leads down to the specific title and geography — turbocharging sales enablement by engaging prospects with videos with relatable people. It creates more than social proof; it creates a sense of business FOMO that boosts your bottom line.
How has the Covid-19 Pandemic reshaped your view of the business environment that Storytap operates in?
Our patented technology helps brands remotely secure video content from real people, customers and employees. When the COVID-19 pandemic started, brands looked for a “socially distant” solution to replicating the in-store and in-person experience. Retail companies took a hit as in-store shopping stopped, and our video marketing technology was a fast solution that allowed companies to connect and engage with customers online and grow their online sales. Because StoryTap was able to help these businesses pivot, our technology went into hyper-growth and is now used in nine countries.
What sets StoryTap apart from the competition?
What sets StoryTap apart from other video platforms is that deep down, we’re all about harnessing the power of storytelling. We know that real stories featuring real people can drive growth, so we’re constantly evolving how we can create and distribute video content at scale. We’ve figured out a way to automate sourcing customer and employee-generated video stories at scale and are always updating our technology to expand our offerings.
What direction do you envisage Video taking, in the years to come?
In the next few years, I predict that there will be a race for brands to shift to video-first marketing strategies. As brands start to see the rate of return that video offers, the customer journey will have videos at the forefront. From a category ownership perspective, the race is on to own the video answers to their customer questions. The video space is hot and exciting!
As a marketing touchpoint, what 3 things can business owners do to optimize their video marketing?
- Produce more videos. Not just another 10 each year, but hundreds more. This will help brands rank in Video SEO as they focus on long format questions to get to the first page of the search engine results pages (SERPs).
- Segment your content. One video won’t fit all of your customers. Vary your video subjects by your key demographics so that the videos feel relevant and relatable, and are constantly being refreshed.
- Review your video mix to make sure you’re ticking all of the boxes. Repurpose your video content in multiple formats (i.e. long-form on YouTube, ranking for video SEO, short clips for TikTok) that increase brand discoverability, customer consideration, conversion, and retention.
As a Business Leader, what is the one piece of advice you would give to those who aspire to the C-suite?
Read. Learn. And get obsessed with it. Experts before you have done incredible things and you can learn from them. Plus, it is easier to read a book than to experience failure yourself (I speak from experience!). As a business leader, you have to have one foot in the future, one foot in the present, and one foot in the past. If you counted three feet, then you’re now getting the idea that the C-suite is a busy place! So, having a grasp on the past, present and future is paramount. Data will always show you the past, what you did, and what worked –and you can hypothesize on the ‘why’. Ensuring you can decipher data and trends will help you steer better for the future. Your job is to hunt for clues, from talent to product performance to unlocking growth opportunities, which you can do through reading or listening to audiobooks and podcasts.
Your top pick for a book on marketing that everyone should read?
It is not a marketing book per se, but if you’re a marketer, I’m recommending is Courage is Calling by Ryan Holiday.
Working in marketing is hard. It is an experiment that constantly evolves with more channels and methods than ever before. Many times those at the marketing helm must take risks. They must hustle with speed x accuracy in mind to be competitive, working through bold ideas and channels that have never been done before. This book shows how taking the leap to become innovative for the big return takes courage.
Could you name one other marketer that you would like to see featured here?
I would love to put forward, Brian Venuti, CMO of Alpaca. He is transforming marketing for a product that is stigmatized, which I think is incredible! Full transparency, he’s one of our customers:)
What are the key ingredients that make a successful marketer?
Creativity. Grit. Innovative thinking. Courage. The ability to bounce back after failures.
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