MarTech Interview with Steve Sturges, Chief Marketing Officer at Paycom

Steve Sturges, Chief Marketing Officer at Paycom highlights a few classical problems that modern B2B marketers need to focus on fixing in this quick chat with MarTechSeries: 

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Welcome to this MarTech Series chat, Steve. Tell us about your marketing journey and what you’re looking forward to as CMO at Paycom.

I am a former marketing agency owner and have been consulting with Paycom for over 15 years. I first met Chad Richison, Paycom’s founder and co-CEO, when he invited me to write some radio commercials. We hit it off immediately.

I’m curious by nature. Coming from the agency side, I’ve lived and learned a lot of lessons that I’m able to apply to this role: Be bold, creative; appreciate the talent in the room; and if we miss the mark, always try to fail forward. I’m really excited to elevate a brand that’s loved by so many organizations. I’m also honored to work with so many gifted marketers. Paycom really puts a premium on innovation and growth.

What about modern B2B marketing and MarTech do you feel needs fixing and why? 

There are so many sources/tools and software options available on the market. It can be time-consuming just choosing the right options. As far as B2B marketing is concerned, I see two classic problems: One, B2B companies marketing their products or services solely like a B2C offering, and two, thinking that every prospect is ready to buy as soon as they hear about a product.

Every company wants instant results, and it’s easy to want to cut corners to sell faster. I’ve always believed if you want to go fast, you need to slow down. There’s not enough attention paid to the customer journey. Every human goes through a similar purchasing decision process. You don’t ask someone to marry you on the first date. I think MarTech can greatly enhance the customer journey the right way.

Can you talk about the impact of AI across marketing stages today and how you feel marketers should use it to hasten impact?

I have a son who just finished his masters in AI/data analytics, and we’ve had many talks about this. There’s no putting this genie back in the bottle. AI is here, and we need to be responsible with how we use it. It’s a very exciting time for businesses of all shapes and sizes. In marketing spaces, AI could be used in a multitude of ways including content generation, search engine optimization, audience segmentation, data analysis and more.

I feel there will be a day when human workers and AI workers work side by side. I think the fear is that AI will replace everyone, but my perspective is more optimistic. AI has the potential to create more career paths dedicated to advancing our pursuit of knowledge and making the world better.

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Can you throw light on some of the core marketing strategies you usually rely on as a marketing head and what kind of MarTech has helped drive them?

We undoubtedly use many of the same marketing software and tools as other companies. To us, it’s all about how and when we use them. How are we interpreting data? What insights are we uncovering? How are we best nurturing those interested? When are we engaging prospects? How are we using software to help accelerate work and learn without relying on it too heavily to replace the human element? And the biggest one: How and what are we able to measure? Strategy starts with a measurable objective that’s created by understanding data. Strategy helps us focus, and that allows us to choose the right tools.

What do you feel modern marketing teams can do differently to create unique brand impact through today’s digital noise? 

Stop trying to boil the ocean. Many companies just assume they know their brand. Even the word “brand” has been watered down to mean a “logo” or “tagline.” We must be bold enough to realize that a brand is not what you tell audiences; it’s not a TV spot or viral social post. A brand is what audiences think and feel about you. It is your unique place in the world. Once you accept that reality, it gives you freedom and focus. The digital noise is real; there are so many channels available. The fallback is to create one-size-fits-all content and place the same thing on different channels. That’s lazy marketing, in my view. The trick is knowing your target well enough to create convergence: the right content on the right channel at the right time for the right eyes/ears/attention.

Can you talk about some career lessons, key takeaways, overall strategy in B2B marketing?

I’ve been extraordinarily fortunate to work with some incredibly talented people, many of whom I still count as mentors and friends. Jim Collins writes about levels of leadership in his book, Good to Great. I identify most with a Level 4 Leader, one who can get the most out of the people around them. One of the things I do well is hire the right people. I’m intentional in finding people who are better than I am. I truly believe when you hire people smarter than you, it leads to success. I’m focused on significance rather than simply success. I want to build things that last and create better ways/conditions/opportunities for those who come after me.

I think the best B2B marketing strategy is bold. For brands to stand out, we must do things differently. Staying the course and doing the same things over and over can be a recipe for mediocrity. We want to challenge convention. That’s how we get noticed.

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