The Marketing Share: What leaders need to know to run marketing

Alec Cheung & Barb VanSomeren
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Marketing
  • Updated Biweekly

Running a marketing department requires expertise in many domains, from branding, media and positioning to demand generation, sales enablement, and much more. As a business leader or a new department head, you may be an expert in one or more marketing areas but usually not all of them. The Marketing Share aims to close this gap.Co-hosts Barb VanSomeren and Alec Cheung are experienced marketing leaders who have been down the path of learning on the fly while managing a marketing team. They interview domain experts and ask the right questions so business leaders can learn what they need to know to run marketing.

  1. Sep 29

    How to Build a B2B Social Media Strategy That Actually Drives Business Results

    Picture this: your CEO says, “We need to do more on social media.” But what does “more” actually mean? More posts? More followers? More video? More engagement? And most importantly, what is any of it supposed to accomplish for the business? In this episode of The Marketing Share, Alec Cheung and Barb VanSomeren talk with Kat O'Leary, founder of Knockout Creative and former social media leader at McKinsey & Company, about how marketing leaders can build a B2B social media strategy that goes beyond simply posting consistently. Kat breaks down why every social strategy should start with a clear business objective, what social media can realistically accomplish for B2B companies, and why awareness, expertise, and trust can be more meaningful than trying to connect every LinkedIn interaction directly to revenue. The conversation also gets into what is changing on LinkedIn right now, why executive and employee voices are becoming increasingly important, which social media metrics Kat actually pays attention to, and why marketers shouldn't automatically assume that video is the best-performing format. And, of course, there's AI. Kat shares why she's cautious about using AI to generate social content, why audiences are increasingly looking for human voices, and how marketing leaders can use AI without handing over the personality and perspective that make their content worth reading in the first place. If you're a CMO, Marketing Director, or marketing leader wondering whether your company's social media is actually contributing to the business, this conversation will give you a much clearer framework for deciding what to do, what to measure, and what may no longer be worth doing. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Why B2B social media needs a strategy 02:30 Meet Kat O'Leary 07:30 Why human voices are winning on social media 11:30 Your CEO wants “more social.” Now what? 14:00 What should B2B social media actually accomplish? 19:00 The attribution problem with B2B social media 22:00 Why executives matter more on LinkedIn 26:00 Which social media metrics actually matter? 30:00 Is AI generated content hurting your reach? 35:00 How to use AI without losing your voice 38:00 Does video actually work on LinkedIn? 43:00 Social media, GEO and AI discoverability Connect with Kat O'Leary: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleenboleary/ Connect with the hosts: 👉 Barb VanSomeren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbvansomeren/ 👉 Alec Cheung: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleccheung/ Connect with the Podcast Manager 👉 Cinthya Zeledón: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cinthyazeledon/ Explore the video content of each podcast episode on YouTube Want to be a guest on The Marketing Share Podcast?  Send us your bio and proposed interview topic to marketingsharepodcast@gmail.com, and our Podcast Manager will get back to you.

  2. Sep 15

    How to Make Your Brand Discoverable in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and other LLMs

    When someone asks ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or another LLM for the best solution in your category, does your company show up in the answer? And if it doesn't, how do you figure out why? In this episode of The Marketing Share, Alec Cheung and Barb VanSomeren welcome back marketing consultant David Kirkdorffer for a deep dive into how LLMs are changing brand discoverability and what marketing leaders can actually do about it. When David joined the podcast in 2025, the conversation focused heavily on the technical side of getting discovered by LLMs, including website structure, schema, citations, and other elements happening behind the scenes. Those things still matter. But as David explains in this conversation, they aren't enough. The words on the page matter too. David explains why clear positioning, strategic narrative, and buyer enablement are becoming increasingly important as people turn to LLMs to research products, compare vendors, and make buying decisions.  Drawing from the frameworks of Andy Raskin, April Dunford, and Hank Barnes, he breaks down how marketers can make it easier for both buyers and LLMs to understand what their company does, who it's for, how it's different, and why its claims should be trusted. The conversation also gets into a challenge many established brands may not be thinking about yet: their "narrative wake." Old positioning, outdated company descriptions, previous messaging, and third-party listings can continue influencing how LLMs understand a brand long after the company itself has moved on. If you're a CMO, Marketing Director, or marketing leader trying to understand GEO, AEO, AI search, or how your brand can earn greater visibility in LLM-generated answers, this episode offers a practical way to think about what actually matters. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introducing David Kirkdorffer and the evolution of LLM discoverability 05:00 Why the fundamentals of B2B marketing still matter in AI search 10:00 How the way buyers use LLMs changes what marketers need to communicate 15:00 Buyer enablement and the questions prospects want answered 24:00 Why your brand may not appear when someone searches your category 30:00 The "narrative wake" your old messaging leaves behind 39:00 Keeping your messaging consistent across marketing teams 48:00 What CMOs should prioritize for better AI discoverability 51:00 Schema helps LLMs find you, but your content determines what they can use Connect with David Kirkdorffer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkirkdorffer/ Connect with the hosts: 👉 Barb VanSomeren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbvansomeren/ 👉 Alec Cheung: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleccheung/ Connect with the Podcast Manager 👉 Cinthya Zeledón: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cinthyazeledon/ Explore the video content of each podcast episode on YouTube Want to be a guest on The Marketing Share Podcast?  Send us your bio and proposed interview topic to marketingsharepodcast@gmail.com, and our Podcast Manager will get back to you.

  3. Sep 1

    How Sales and Marketing Can Actually Work Together and Avoid Friction with Chief Revenue Officer Paul Huffman

    Sales and marketing alignment sounds like an intuitive thing to have in place in a business, but in practice, it can be one of the hardest things for a growing company to get right. In this episode of The Marketing Share, Alec Cheung and Barb VanSomeren talk with Paul Huffman, Chief Revenue Officer at EMP Claims, about what happens when sales and marketing stop working as separate functions and start operating toward the same goals. Paul shares what marketers need to understand about the sales side of the business, why constant feedback matters, how to identify where the funnel is actually breaking, and why metrics and messaging are two of the most important pieces of the puzzle. The conversation also explores how AI is changing the way lean teams approach marketing and sales, why you shouldn't try to automate everything, and how Paul is using AI to build more efficient workflows while keeping humans involved where strategic judgment matters most. If you're a marketing leader or a founder, working to improve sales and marketing alignment, build a leaner team, or create a more effective revenue engine, this episode has plenty to take away. TIMESTAMPS:  00:00 Introduction: Aligning Sales and Marketing CRO perspective 02:55 Why sales and marketing struggle to work together 04:06 Why companies often build sales and marketing at different times 07:31 Should sales and marketing report to the same leader? 10:05 What marketers need to understand about sales 18:34 Building the right foundation before using AI 20:19 Using AI to understand customers and manage workflows 24:04 Why sales and marketing need shared definitions and metrics 26:05 Where the sales and marketing funnel actually breaks 27:26 Getting a real feedback loop between sales and marketing 31:53 Why you shouldn't automate everything 39:39 How to diagnose a broken sales and marketing engine 41:08 Metrics + messaging: the key to alignment 41:38 The mistake founders make with their first sales hire 43:16 When fractional and outsourced leadership makes sense Loved this episode?  🎧 Subscribe to The Marketing Share Podcast to get unfiltered conversations with marketing leaders about growth, strategy, and the future of digital. Connect with Paul  👉 Paul Huffman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-huffman-healthcare/ Connect with the hosts: 👉 Barb VanSomeren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbvansomeren/ 👉 Alec Cheung: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleccheung/ Connect with the Podcast Manager 👉 Cinthya Zeledón: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cinthyazeledon/ Explore the video content of each podcast episode on YouTube Want to be a guest on The Marketing Share Podcast?  Send us your bio and proposed interview topic to marketingsharepodcast@gmail.com, and our Podcast Manager will get back to you.

  4. Aug 18

    How CMOs Should Present Marketing Results to the Board

    CMOs spend a lot of time talking about marketing performance, but what happens when it’s time to present those results to the board? In this episode of The Marketing Share, Alec Cheung and Barb VanSomeren talk with Casey Carey about what CMOs need to keep in mind before they walk into a board meeting. Casey shares the lessons, the mistakes, and his best approach to presenting marketing results and forecasts to the board successfully. And he doesn't gatekeep! He also walks through his four-box framework for presenting marketing performance, his six rules for building a board presentation, and why every marketing story should have a clear line of sight to revenue and growth. If you're a CMO or marketing leader preparing for your next board meeting, there is a lot to take away from this one. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Intro: board presentations can determine the course of your career 03:00 The biggest mistake CMOs make when presenting to the board 08:30 Understanding your board: financial leaders, operators, and marketers 09:30 Casey’s four box framework for presenting marketing results 14:10 Turning marketing initiatives into a strategic story 15:50 Casey’s six rules for presenting to the board 18:20 How to prepare for a board meeting without making it a quarterly fire drill 21:30 Presenting bad news, attribution, and building credibility with the board 29:30 What boards actually care about: bookings, ARR, and free cash flow 30:55 Which marketing metrics belong in the board conversation? 33:15 Managing aggressive growth expectations with realistic marketing investment 41:00 How AI is changing marketing teams and their economics 43:30 Casey’s advice for marketers: learning, earning, and giving Loved this episode? 🎧 Subscribe to The Marketing Share Podcast to get unfiltered conversations with marketing leaders about growth, strategy, and the future of digital. Connect with Casey Carey: 👉LinkedIn -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseykcarey/ 👉 Email: CCAREY@TCPsoftware.com Connect with the hosts: 👉 Barb VanSomeren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbvansomeren/ 👉 Alec Cheung: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleccheung/ Connect with the Podcast Manager 👉 Cinthya Zeledón: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cinthyazeledon/ Explore the video content of each podcast episode on YouTube Want to be a guest on The Marketing Share Podcast?  Send us your bio and proposed interview topic to marketingsharepodcast@gmail.com, and our Podcast Manager will get back to you.

  5. Aug 4

    What Great Performance Marketing Actually Looks

    How do you know where to put your budget, which channels are actually working, and whether you're measuring the right things in the first place? In this episode of The Marketing Share, Alec Cheung and Barb VanSomeren talk with Matthew Simpson, founder of Pitch Blend, about what it really takes to build a performance marketing strategy that connects to the bigger picture of the business. Matthew has spent his career on both sides of the table, working in-house and at agencies. He brings that perspective to a conversation about what agencies often misunderstand about marketing leaders, why performance marketing needs a strong foundation behind it, and why "set it and forget it" is a myth. The conversation gets into some of the questions marketers are constantly trying to answer: How much should you actually spend on paid media? Which channels make sense for B2B? How do you know when a campaign isn't working?  If you're responsible for paid media, performance marketing, demand generation, or marketing strategy, this episode is packed with ideas for making better decisions with your budget, your data, and your channels. TIMESTAMPS:  00:00 Meet Matthew Simpson 02:15 What agencies misunderstand about marketing leaders 07:05 Can paid media actually work for B2B? 11:44 How Matthew approaches paid media 13:36 What to do when your paid media isn't working 16:13 Three ways to find the right marketing insight 21:48 Why “set it and forget it” is a myth 28:21 Smarter decisions with a limited media budget 34:14 The problem with multi-channel attribution 42:08 Performance marketing can increase business value Loved this episode?  🎧 Subscribe to The Marketing Share Podcast to get unfiltered conversations with marketing leaders about growth, strategy, and the future of digital. Connect with our guest:  👉Matthew Simpson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/directmarketing/ 👉 Pitchblende: https://www.pitchblende.net/ Connect with the hosts: 👉 Barb VanSomeren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbvansomeren/ 👉 Alec Cheung: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleccheung/ Connect with the Podcast Manager 👉 Cinthya Zeledón: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cinthyazeledon/ Explore the video content of each podcast episode on YouTube Want to be a guest on The Marketing Share Podcast?  Send us your bio and proposed interview topic to marketingsharepodcast@gmail.com, and our Podcast Manager will get back to you.

  6. Jun 30

    How Great CMOs Lead Through Change with Lauren Esposito (Ep 65)

    Sooner or later, every marketing leader will have to guide their organization through a major change. Whether it's repositioning a brand, launching a new product, or helping a company navigate growth, those moments require much more than a solid marketing strategy. They demand alignment, trust, and the ability to bring the entire organization along for the journey. In this episode of The Marketing Share, Alec Cheung and Barb VanSomeren are joined by Lauren Esposito, CMO at Asymbl and former marketing leader at Salesforce, to explore what it really takes to lead marketing during periods of transformation. Lauren has an incredible track record of leading product and brand initiatives at one of the world's most recognizable technology companies. From that experience, she shares how successful CMOs balance long-term brand building with business outcomes, communicate change internally, and help customers understand why change matters in the first place. Throughout the conversation, Lauren also covers other important topics to keep in mind:  The importance of customer centricityCross-functional leadershipBuilding trust across the organizationIf you're a CMO, VP of Marketing, or an aspiring marketing executive leading a company through growth or transformation, this episode is a must-listen. Timestamps:  00:00 Introduction 02:15 Meet Lauren Esposito and her journey from Salesforce to Asymbl 06:40 Why brand transformation is never just a marketing project 11:20 Leading brand changes inside large organizations 16:45 Building alignment across marketing, product, sales, and leadership 21:35 Keeping customers at the center during periods of change 26:50 Balancing long term brand building with short term business goals 31:40 How marketing leaders earn credibility inside the executive team 36:55 Lessons Lauren brought from Salesforce into her CMO role 42:10 Advice for marketers preparing for executive leadership Loved this episode?  Connect with Lauren over LinkedIn and tell her you came from The Marketing Share Podcast! Connect with the hosts: 👉 Barb VanSomeren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbvansomeren/ 👉 Alec Cheung: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleccheung/ Connect with the Podcast Manager 👉 Cinthya Zeledón: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cinthyazeledon/ Explore the video content of each podcast episode on YouTube Want to be a guest on The Marketing Share Podcast?  Send us your bio and proposed interview topic to marketingsharepodcast@gmail.com, and our Podcast Manager will get back to you.

  7. Jun 16

    How to Stand Out in the Sea of AI Content with David J Ebner (Ep 64)

    The million-dollar question right now is this: what separates memorable content from the growing flood of AI-generated marketing? That's exactly what this episode explores. In this episode of The Marketing Share, Alec Cheung and Barb VanSomeren talk with David J. Ebner, founder of Content Workshop, about why human-led content is more important than ever in today's marketing landscape. Throughout the conversation, David explains why the customer should always be the hero of the story, how marketers can use AI without sacrificing quality, and why producing more content isn't the same as creating better content. He also shares practical advice on evaluating content quality, building AI workflows that actually work, adapting content strategies for AI search, and deciding what content should and shouldn't be gated. If you've been wondering how content marketing is changing in the age of AI, or how your content can stand out in an ocean of sameness, this episode is for you. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to David J. Ebner and Content Workshop  02:00 From creative writing to content marketing  04:00 Why customers should be the hero of your story  07:00 What "story first marketing" actually means  09:00 How to recognize great content  12:00 Fighting the sea of AI generated content  16:00 The ROI conversation around AI and content teams  20:00 How marketers should really use AI  24:00 Building AI workflows that improve quality  26:00 Why more content doesn't mean better results  30:00 How AI search is changing content strategy  33:00 Should marketers still gate content?  39:00 Informational vs educational content  44:00 The most important lesson for marketers today  46:00 David's final advice and where to connect 🎧 Subscribe to The Marketing Share Podcast to get unfiltered conversations with marketing leaders about growth, strategy, and the future of digital. Connect with our guest:  👉David J Ebner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjebner/ 👉 Content Workshop: https://contentworkshop.com/ Connect with the hosts: 👉 Barb VanSomeren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbvansomeren/ 👉 Alec Cheung: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleccheung/ Connect with the Podcast Manager 👉 Cinthya Zeledón: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cinthyazeledon/ Explore the video content of each podcast episode on YouTube Want to be a guest on The Marketing Share Podcast?  Send us your bio and proposed interview topic to marketingsharepodcast@gmail.com, and our Podcast Manager will get back to you.

  8. Jun 2

    This is What Sales Teams Actually Need From Marketing (Ep 63)

    What does it actually take for marketing to earn influence inside a business? In this episode of The Marketing Share, Alec Cheung and Barb VanSomeren talk with Saurabh Kothari about one of the biggest challenges modern marketing leaders face: proving impact while building alignment across sales, product, and leadership teams. Drawing from his experience leading marketing across enterprise organizations, agencies, and high-growth companies, Saurabh shares why marketing cannot operate in isolation anymore and why the best CMOs know how to combine data, storytelling, and persuasion to move the business forward. The conversation explores the tension many marketers still feel with sales teams, why attribution alone rarely tells the full story, and how marketing leaders can better communicate their value internally. They also unpack the balance between creativity and analytics in modern B2B marketing, what makes certain marketing leaders more influential than others, and why strong communication is often the difference between a marketing team that gets ignored and one that drives strategic decisions. If you work in B2B marketing, lead generation, demand generation, or marketing leadership, this episode offers a practical look at how modern CMOs think about growth, influence, and business alignment. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 02:17 Meet Saurabh Kothari 05:12 Why marketing and sales often misalign 09:46 The challenge of proving marketing impact 14:03 The balance between creativity and data 18:27 Why persuasion matters in marketing leadership 22:41 Building stronger alignment across teams 27:18 What modern CMOs need to prioritize 31:54 The role of storytelling inside organizations 36:22 Why attribution alone is not enough 40:11 Final thoughts and advice for marketing leaders 🎧 Subscribe to The Marketing Share Podcast to get unfiltered conversations with marketing leaders about growth, strategy, and the future of digital. Connect with our guest:  👉 Sourabh Kothari: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sourabhkothari/ Connect with the hosts: 👉 Barb VanSomeren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbvansomeren/ 👉 Alec Cheung: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleccheung/ Connect with the Podcast Manager 👉 Cinthya Zeledón: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cinthyazeledon/ Explore the video content of each podcast episode on YouTube Want to be a guest on The Marketing Share Podcast?  Send us your bio and proposed interview topic to marketingsharepodcast@gmail.com, and our Podcast Manager will get back to you.

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Running a marketing department requires expertise in many domains, from branding, media and positioning to demand generation, sales enablement, and much more. As a business leader or a new department head, you may be an expert in one or more marketing areas but usually not all of them. The Marketing Share aims to close this gap.Co-hosts Barb VanSomeren and Alec Cheung are experienced marketing leaders who have been down the path of learning on the fly while managing a marketing team. They interview domain experts and ask the right questions so business leaders can learn what they need to know to run marketing.

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