Do what you love, love what you do: Chris Willman, marketer

Chris Willman, regional marketing director and EMEA strategy lead for the identity risk management organization RSA Security, joined Carlota Pico on our latest podcast episode. Chris shared his most memorable marketing moments to date, his advice for creating an ROI-centric model and his top tools for tracking the performance of content and marketing activities. He also discussed his unexpected journey in becoming an author, the works he’s written so far and what else is on the horizon.

You can watch the full conversation in the video above or on YouTube, listen to the podcast on Apple and Spotify, and read our recap below.

Key takeaways

Marketing is constantly evolving, so it’s important to avoid clinging too much to old ideas and pigeonholing yourself into a certain way of thinking. You must constantly strive to expand your perspective and look for new ways of doing things.

Creating an ROI-centric model involves defining tangible objectives from the beginning and focusing on your client’s needs and wants. Success also comes down to constantly tweaking, optimizing and tracking everything along the way.

Using the right tools to track the performance of your content and marketing activities is crucial. Some recommendations include Pardot, Marketo, SalesLoft, HubSpot and even Microsoft Excel, which is great for spotting patterns and exploring data.

COVID-19 has put marketers to the test to see how quickly they can pivot and adapt. RSA (and brands across the globe) have had to figure out how to react swiftly and change their plans accordingly, while being as authentic and generous as possible.

Marketing is exciting because no two days are the same, and you get to tap into both creative and analytical thinking. New technologies, tools and trends keep marketers on their toes, as do the abundance of events and people they interact with every day.

I love what I do. I love working with small businesses and helping them understand how they can better invest their time and money. I’m an early riser—I get up at 5 a.m. most mornings—but I do it because I look forward to getting on with the day.

Rapid-fire recs

A source of inspiration?

Someone that comes to mind is Gary Vaynerchuk. Gary Vee—you either love him or you hate him. He’s got a million ideas and he’s not afraid to try them. While I don’t always agree with everything he says, I love that he’s an innovator and bold enough to try new things.

Simon Sinek is also great and shares really interesting concepts.

A useful book, publication or resource?

My first book is called “The Entrepreneurs Marketing Manual,” and it’s all about marketing for the non-marketer. The goal is to help people who aren’t marketing savvy to execute their ideas, shape their strategy and combine it with creative execution.

My second book, tentatively titled “The Marketing Mentor,” zooms into how to make marketing engaging for people who are unfamiliar with the idea. It talks about taking some of the great strategies from the world’s mega-brands and condensing them to create strategies that small businesses can learn from.

Your favorite app at the moment?

LinkedIn is an enormous resource for content that’s constantly being updated. I love being able to log on almost every day and see people sharing new ideas.

I also love Audible—I’m a self-described “audiobook junkie.” I love having a library of audiobooks in my pocket and the ability to listen to amazing content absolutely anywhere. If I’ve got a little bit of downtime, I’ll turn one on. It’s definitely my favorite app!

Connect with Chris and Carlota on LinkedIn.

This post was edited by Mary Kresge, a freelance content creator based in Madrid.