SearchFest 2014 Keynote Interview: Joanna Lord

Joanna Lord will be giving the morning keynote at SearchFest 2014 which will take place on February 28th, 2014 in Portland, Oregon. For more information and to purchase tickets, please click here.

1) Please give us your background and tell us what you do for a living.
I’m the CMO of BigDoor, a technology company in Seattle that helps big brands build customer loyalty. My days are full of brand marketing, inbound initiatives, and paid advertising campaigns. I also manage our design and account management teams. I like to play in a number of verticals, and working at a startup allows me to really jump in and get my hands dirty.

My background spans five startups where I’ve both built out and managed a variety of channels. My specialties are in creating the brands themselves, and growth marketing – so any effort that helps drive revenue/expansion for the company. The past few years I’ve spent more time managing teams of smart marketers, designers, and content contributors – which is exciting in so many ways.

2) I’m the king of the deal and tend to be loyal to wherever can save me money right now. How can a company convince me to “go steady” with them?
Ha, I love that. The truth is there are four traditional types of loyalty and one is in fact a “no loyalty” bucket which will always account for a small percentage of your audience. This groups tends to be loyal to the lowest price point and not brands themselves, so it’s possible you are part of that group ?

At BigDoor, we’ve seen the rise of a fifth type of loyalty called “reciprocal loyalty” where the brand is now expected to give back to the customer with rewards, great experiences, valuable content, and moments of delight. I think this type of loyalty might possibly sway even the “no loyalty” types. With so many channels available to brands to create highly personal experiences with consumers, I think we are seeing some great shifts in the loyalty space.

3) Compared to Starbucks, Big Door is quite a bit smaller. How can you get such a large company to not only pay you attention but actually engage with you?
Starbucks has always invested in their customers. They have an existing loyalty program that is very complex and incredibly effective. BigDoor powers loyalty campaigns that help supplement these efforts and create new opportunities for them in three key ways: increase purchases, drive offline activity, and encourage their members to recruit or advocate on their behalf.

So even though BigDoor operates lean, we work primarily with Fortune 1000 retailers and publishers, and have a number of options available depending on their current business objectives. That’s one of my favorite things about great technology – with a great product you really can scale with your partners. From there it’s all about proving your value, and aligning in goals. Starbucks is an amazing partner, we really enjoy their take on loyalty and we’re happy to be a part of it.

4) I do remember getting pinged by you once and not knowing who the heck you were. Now, you’ve not only done quite well for yourself, but IMO, you’re one of the best networkers I know. How have you built your network so successfully?
Ahhh shucks Todd. Thank you ? I remember pinging you as well and to be honest I’ve learned a ton from your blog posts over the years, so thank YOU for that. I can honestly say I’ve never really seen it as “networking” per say. I love meeting new people, hearing their stories and helping if I can.

I think our industry is really special for so many reasons, one of which is – everyone seems really invested in each other. I love that. I think it’s helped me to be better personally and professionally. I also think it’s that sort of camaraderie that keeps our industry really connected and always striving.

5) What are the top traits of a successful CMO?
I think about this a lot. I think successful CMOs need to be both tactical and strategic, keep an eye on financial growth always, stay on top of new trends while still leveraging the best practices. Great CMOs see the many pieces and understand how they can come together to create the infamous – marketing halo. They are students – always learning, adapting, testing, stretching. I would also say that the CMOs that really shine today understand brand marketing. They realize that building an authentic connection between the brand and the customer is critical for business success.

As a CMO, my two key focuses are: build a valuable business and build a brilliant brand. I think CMOs have a great opportunity because they bridge the internal company and the external persona of a company. They can be the voice of the customer, but they can share the heart of the company. It’s really unique, and in my opinion – so damn exciting.

6) You’ve shared some very personal stuff on your blog and elsewhere. Are you worried that there might be a detrimental confluence between your personal and professional personas?
Great question Todd. I’d be lying if I didn’t say – yes. I’ve worried about it, many times over the years. But honestly I felt compelled to hit publish on those posts and tweets. Blogging about those moments have helped me process them and sharing them has often been the “deep breath” moment I needed to move on. I have found an online community of friends and colleagues that have been there through some very personal times, and I can’t imagine having made it through without them.

These days I worry less about it. I figure if a company doesn’t hire me for something I shared, we might not have been the best fit to begin with. I make sure to never comment on anyone else publicly, and keep professionalism at the forefront of my pursuits. But when I am deeply rocked by something and I feel the need to share it, I do. I think the mediums available to us today are meant to bring us closer. Sharing yourself authentically – including your faults, hard days and lows– is all part of that.