Could you tell us about your role and journey into technology?

I’ve worked in technology for over 12 years but before that, my career started client-side with a creative flair as a graphic designer at IKEA. I’ve always had an interest in joining a start-up and to experience the thrill of the constant challenge. My determination led me to begin a journey into successful Silicon Valley start-ups where I headed up the EMEA Marketing division. The move from design to Marketing seemed like a very natural transition. I love the fact that technology is changing lives, solving modern-day problems and, well, basically is the future. This is what I wanted to be part of.

How did you arrive at Magnolia and what attracted you to the business?

Magnolia is at a very exciting phase in that we’re currently expanding into other regions of Europe. I wanted the thrill of being part of a company that’s taking the CMS to the next level. With an inclusive culture and fantastic people, Magnolia is a great place to work.

Content Management Systems have been the slowest and yet most stable in the disruptive MarTech space. What are the main reasons for the stability in this MarTech category?

Content Management Systems have been the most stable in the MarTech space simply because they are essential for marketers to easily create, edit, manage and maintain a company’s website on a single interface. Without a robust CMS, marketers would struggle to publish content that can keep pace with customer demand in the digital era.

What lead you to build the “Straight-talking Content Management” report? What were the most popular and widely used MarTech terms in the report?

There are so many technologies out there with very similar messaging—essentially a string full of buzzwords. With our Straight-talking Content Management report, we wanted to shine a light on the noise, and begin to cut through it. Buzzwords like “Omnichannel” and “API” are leading to this huge disconnect between IT teams and marketers, who should be working together to create great digital experiences. Yet this divide means that lots of digital assets are being delivered to a far lower standard than they should be.

At Magnolia, we want a return to straight-talking solutions that work for everyone across the business — from marketers to developers, to leaders, to IT teams.

As a Head of Marketing, what kind of specific training and learning do you undertake regularly? What keeps you sharp in your game?

To keep up-to-date with the latest trends in Marketing, I like to attend talks and conferences. I also enjoy participating in debates and discussions with like-minded marketers and commercial executives and learning from their experiences. I love to read so I actually spend a lot of my time reading blogs and articles.

What is your opinion on the way AI makes it easy (or hard!) to forge great customer success relationships?

I think AI is a great way to forge customer success. For example, AI can be used to optimize combinations of content like the behavior of visitors to your site so you can display the most relevant options for the individual. Ultimately, this can lead to an end to irrelevant experiences where a customer gets bombarded with promotions that are completely removed from what they actually desire.

What are your predictions on the future of Content Marketing Technology between 2020 and 2024?

We know that marketers are already frustrated with the slowness of launching digital assets, so one of the areas that content marketing technology will look to address in 2020 and beyond is on the speed and simplicity of CMS.

Tag one Customer Success/ CMO leader from your community whose answers to these questions you would like to see here —

Ann Smith, Content Marketing Director – Cross CX – Oraclex