The Marketing Performance Blueprint – Book Interview

Heidi Cohen Interviews Paul Roetzer

The_Marketing_Performance_BlueprintWhat’s your best piece of advice for readers looking to improve their marketing?

Measure what matters. It’s so easy to get lost in the flood of data, and lose focus on the metrics that are most relevant to success.

Identify a core group of 3-5 prime goals (e.g. website visits, leads, sales conversions, monthly recurring revenue) to monitor, and then ensure that every campaign you run has a singular goal with a measureable outcome.

For example, you may run a Q3 lead-gen campaign in which the goal is to generate 100 sales qualified leads (SQLs).

What was the inspiration for The Marketing Performance Blueprint?  

The marketing industry is advancing at an unprecedented rate, creating seemingly insurmountable gaps in marketing talent, technology, and strategy.

At a time when marketers face increasing pressure to measure the return on investment (ROI) of their campaigns and connect every dollar spent to bottom-line results, they are largely underprepared and underperforming.

But with obstacles, come opportunities.

This is a book about what is possible. It is about unlocking your potential as a marketer and accelerating success for your organization.

What is the key concept behind your book?

At its core, The Marketing Performance Blueprint is a story about the convergence of marketing talent, technology, and strategy, and the opportunity to build performance-driven organizations.

My first book, The Marketing Agency Blueprint, which was released in 2012, provided a framework for building tech-savvy marketing agencies. With the new book, I wanted to create a guide for marketers, executives, and entrepreneurs to advance their businesses, exceed ROI expectations, and outperform the competition.

the-state-of-marketing-talent-tech

What do you want readers to take away from your book?

The future of your business and your marketing career depend on your ability to meet increasing ROI demands and continually adapt to new marketing tools, philosophies, and channels. But the rate of change in the marketing industry is accelerating, and the challenges for marketers seem to be multiplying.

The marketing talent pool is underprepared, the marketing mix is evolving, and the matrix of technology providers is exploding. Customers are tuning out traditional marketing methods, while consuming information and making buying decisions on mobile phones, tablets, computers, smart televisions, and wearable devices. Marketers are drowning in data, dealing with the complexities of real-time marketing, and navigating brands through the openness and transparency inherent to social media.

Yet, there has never been a better time to be a marketer.

Organizations of all sizes have access to the tools and knowledge needed to grow more efficiently and intelligently, to outthink, rather than outspend, the competition.

Marketing is now, as it has always been, an art form. But the next generation of marketers understands it can be so much more. These innovators are rewriting what is possible when the art and science of marketing collide. 

How do you describe yourself professionally?

I am an entrepreneur, author and inventor who is driven by what’s possible.

What are 1-3 books that inspired your work/career?

Automate This by Christopher Steiner opened my eyes to the inevitable transformation of the marketing industry through automation and artificial intelligence.

The Lean Startup by Eric Ries gave me a new perspective on how to improve the operational efficiencies of our agency through the lens of a high-growth startup.

How Google Works by Eric Schmidt & Jonathan Rosenberg provided a fascinating framework to assess the management and operations of our business.

What is the biggest challenge that you’ve had to overcome in your life or career?

The greatest challenge has been finding balance in business when challenges in my personal life consumed my heart and mind.

I was 27 when I left the comfort and security of my career to start PR 20/20. I had a sound business plan, an investor, a paycheck, healthcare coverage, a few potential accounts and the support of an amazing group of family and friends.

Everything seemed so perfect. Then life happened, and turned my world upside down.

In a 20-month span, two of the most important people in my life tragically passed away, and I quickly realized that our personal and business lives are inextricably bound.

These personal experiences have had a direct and lasting impact on my goals for the agency, the people that I choose to surround myself with, and the decisions that I make every day on where to focus my time and energy.

What’s something unusual or fun that most people don’t know about you?

I entered college at Ohio University in the pre-med program, majoring in biology. After an inglorious start to my freshmen year (apparently you actually need to attend BIO 170 classes to pass the midterm), I eventually found my way to OU’s renowned E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, and graduated with a major in public relations and a specialization in business.

Is there a piece of content, a social media campaign or a marketing campaign that you worked on that you’re particularly proud of?

In terms of content, I’m probably proudest of my two books, The Marketing Agency Blueprint (Wiley, 2012) and The Marketing Performance Blueprint (Wiley, 2014). I’ve heard so many amazing personal stories from entrepreneurs and professionals affected by them, and that means more to me than any marketing metric.

Paul-RoetzerContact information

Thanks, Paul.

Happy Marketing,
Heidi Cohen

Heidi CohenHeidi Cohen is the President of Riverside Marketing Strategies.
You can find Heidi on , Facebook and .

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