Amrita Sahasrabudhe is the Vice President of Marketing at FastMed Urgent Care and former Sr. Manager of Marketing Strategy & National Promotions at PetSmart. She joins the show to talk about why it’s important for marketers to push the boundaries and move companies to the next step. Amrita also discusses the difference between adapting to what is new in technology without getting distracted by the shiny things, how marketers can prove the metrics of success, and why a bigger budget doesn’t always mean better results.
Takeaways:
[3:27] Amrita started her marketing career in B2B in the manufacturing world before social media was a major part of the industry. She saw an opportunity to digitize their communication such as the newsletters and started with the automation of communication to clients.
[7:30] Marketers are faced with staying on the rapid evolution of technology and consumer consumption, yet not getting distracted by shiny things. Social media can be one thing to add to your toolbox of tricks over time, but it’s important to move on to different channels should the need arise.
[11:04] The marketing team must not only prove the metrics of success but also show how the tactics work on converting audiences and building upon the company strategy. They also must constantly educate senior leadership on what marketing is and why it’s important, and to be clear on the vision of the company as a whole.
[17:15] Being creative with less is a requirement in digital because it’s not tangible like traditional media.
[20:33] Great leaders are brutally truthful and not afraid to speak up. They are prepared to pivot when the rules of the game change and be clear about what they want.
[33:48] Building a long-term strategy is important to building a foundation so that if there is a shift in leadership, the team still knows what to do and why.
[37:39] When Amrita is hiring and looking to add to her marketing team, she looks for people thinking about the long-term future and how they would make decisions that would impact a broader set of people. She also encourages them to think at a higher level, so they can start to think about doing her job when she moves up and on.
[46:23] Amrita encourages those looking to get into senior leadership to not only identify the problem but to begin to also look at possible solutions.
Quotes:
- “Marketing is fun, no matter which way you cut it.”
- “Everyone thinks they know marketing, and that it’s the easiest thing on earth. The reality is, it’s an ever-shifting landscape.”
- “You have to be willing to lose a little to gain a lot in the future.”
- “Some of the top companies in the world allow consumers to build the brand.”
- “Take a risk and keep testing. What works today may not work tomorrow and what worked yesterday may work again.”
- Mentioned in This Episode:
- Long Way Round
- Amrita Sahasrabudhe
- FastMed Urgent Care