“Marketing isn’t just about campaigns; it’s about educating teams internally on what we do and how we help them succeed.”
Charlie Riley, Head of Marketing at OneScreen.ai
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In this episode of Executive Conversations, Maeva Cifuentes speaks with Charlie Riley, Head of Marketing at OneScreen. They discuss the importance of establishing trust with internal stakeholders and the need to understand each department’s motivations so you can communicate the value of marketing in their terms.
Charlie also shares insights into the challenges of being the first marketing hire and how to navigate building a marketing function from scratch.
He also shares some practical advice on how to align with sales, customer support and HR to create a unified go-to-market approach.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Internal marketing
- Building trust in marketing
- Go-to-market leadership
- First marketing hire
- Sales and marketing alignment
Takeaways
- Importance of internal marketing: Charlie explains how marketers must educate teams about the value, processes, and goals of marketing to build trust and alignment across departments.
- Securing buy-in: Strategies for gaining trust and support from executives, sales, and other teams, while ensuring alignment on marketing’s role in achieving company-wide objectives.
- Handling reactionary requests: Practical tips on managing last-minute demands from other teams while maintaining focus on long-term marketing goals.
- Starting as the first marketing hire: Insights into building a marketing function from scratch, understanding the ICP, and addressing common industry misconceptions.
- Collaborating across departments: The importance of aligning marketing efforts with sales, customer support, and HR for a cohesive go-to-market strategy.
Time Chapters
[00:07] Introducing Charlie Riley and his role at OneScreen
[01:08] Learning to navigate internal marketing challenges
[03:15] Understanding your ICP and building a content strategy
[05:02] Creating trust with cross-functional teams
[06:57] Connecting with sales and aligning on shared goals
[09:10] Starting a marketing function from scratch: What to prioritize
[12:12] Addressing misconceptions about marketing roles
[15:39] Managing conflicting requests with clear communication
[18:56] Explaining marketing’s value with repeatable processes
[22:29] Using frameworks to handle last-minute marketing requests
[25:37] Reinforcing ideas through repetition for long-term alignment
About Charlie Riley
Charlie is Head of Marketing at OneScreen.ai where he brings years of SaaS and software experience as a well-rounded marketing communications, advertising, public relations, business development, sales and branding executive. He was recruited to lead or start those areas for a SaaS cybersecurity startup, Top 5 plastics distributor, Top 50 independent insurance agency and as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for a global education technology startup.