5 signs you need a fractional CMO 

05/27/2026

5 signs you need a fractional CMO 

By Nora Bright, Carolyn Lange

5 signs you need a fractional CMO 

Image by Emily Zheng

A good CMO brings strategy, focus, leadership, and a sharp point of view on how marketing should support growth.

They also bring a full-time executive salary.

For some companies, that investment makes sense. For others, it’s not quite time. Maybe your marketing team is still small. Maybe your budget is better spent on execution. You need senior guidance, but not 40 hours a week of it. That’s where a fractional CMO can fit.

A fractional CMO gives you access to senior-level marketing leadership without hiring a full-time executive. They can help set strategy, sharpen messaging, guide your team, evaluate performance, and make sure marketing is doing more than keeping everyone very, very busy.

Because “busy” is not the same thing as “working.”

Here are five signs it may be time to bring in a fractional CMO.

1. You don’t know what success looks like

Your team is posting. Campaigns are running. Emails are going out. Someone is definitely making a spreadsheet. But when you ask how marketing is performing, the answer gets fuzzy.

    That usually sounds like:

    • “Website traffic is up, but we’re not sure if it’s the right traffic.”
    • “The newsletter performed well, depending on how you define well.”
    • “We got a lot of leads, but sales says they weren’t good leads.”
    • “We’re tracking a bunch of metrics, but nobody really knows which ones matter.”

    This is one of the clearest signs that marketing needs leadership. Without agreed-upon goals, teams end up measuring activity instead of impact. They can tell you what shipped, but not what changed because of it.

    A fractional CMO can help define what success actually means for your business. That might include KPIs, reporting rhythms, campaign benchmarks, attribution models, or better alignment between marketing and sales.

    2. Your messaging isn’t landing

    Sometimes the problem isn’t your marketing channels, but what you’re saying.

    Your sales deck says one thing. Your website says another. And that inconsistency can cost you.

    When messaging isn’t clear, prospects have to do too much work. They have to figure out what you do, who it’s for, why it matters, and how you’re different from the other companies saying something suspiciously similar.

    Messaging issues can show up in a few ways:

    • Prospects understand the category but not your differentiation.
    • Sales calls spend too much time explaining the basics.
    • Content gets traffic but does not convert.
    • Internal teams describe the product, service, or company differently.
    • Your website sounds polished, but not especially specific.

    A fractional CMO can help clarify your positioning and create messaging that actually gives your team something useful to work with. That may include refining your value proposition, tightening your audience definition, sharpening competitive differentiation, or building messaging frameworks that sales, marketing, and leadership can all use.

    3. You’re unsure if your marketing mix makes sense

    You’ve got it all: A little paid search here. A webinar program there. A few events because competitors are showing up. Some SEO and a social media calendar because someone said they’re important. Maybe a podcast. Maybe a booth with stress balls, if things have gone too far.

    Individually, none of these tactics are necessarily wrong, but do they make sense together?

    A fractional CMO can step back and look at the full picture:

    • Which channels are helping move the business forward?
    • Which ones are consuming budget without clear return?
    • Where are you over-invested?
    • Where are you under-invested?
    • Are your tactics aligned to your audience and sales cycle?
    • Are you trying to do too many things at once?

    This is especially important for companies that have grown quickly or changed direction. The marketing plan that made sense two years ago may not fit the business you are today.

    READ MORE: 7 questions to ask when hiring a marketing consultant

    A fractional CMO can audit your current efforts and help refocus your resources on the channels most likely to drive results. Sometimes that means adding something new. Often, it means finally letting something go.

    RIP to the campaign that technically still exists but no one can explain why.

    4. You know something is off, but you’re not sure what

    Revenue is not where it should be, leads are inconsistent, and sales conversations are stalling.

    Maybe it’s the messaging. Maybe it’s the targeting. Maybe the sales handoff is broken.

    Maybe it’s all of the above, which is rude but possible.

    When you’re inside the business every day, it can be hard to see the real issue. Teams get close to their own assumptions. They inherit decisions from earlier stages of the company. They keep doing what has always been done because no one has had the time, authority, or distance to question it.

    A fractional CMO brings outside perspective and pattern recognition. They’ve usually seen similar problems across different companies, growth stages, and markets. That makes it easier to spot what’s actually happening and what needs to change.

    This doesn’t mean they walk in with a magic answer on day one—they just know where to look. They can evaluate the strategy, team structure, messaging, funnel, performance data, and customer journey to identify the gaps that are holding marketing back.

    5. Your marketing team needs a leader

    A lot of companies have capable people doing marketing work. They have a junior marketer, a content person, a designer, an agency, a freelancer, or some combination of people keeping the machine moving.

    What they don’t have is someone clearly leading the function.

    That gap shows up fast.

    Without senior marketing leadership, teams can struggle with:

    • Prioritizing work
    • Connecting campaigns to business goals
    • Deciding where budget should go
    • Saying no to low-value requests
    • Creating consistent messaging
    • Setting performance expectations
    • Translating leadership ideas into an actual marketing plan

    This is how marketing teams become very productive in a way that doesn’t necessarily move the business forward. A fractional CMO can give execution teams the direction they need. They can help decide what matters most, what can wait, and what should never have become a priority in the first place.

    For smaller teams, that leadership is important. Junior marketers often have the energy and skill to execute, but they may not have the experience to build strategy, manage stakeholders, allocate budget, or push back when every department wants “just one quick thing.”

    Fractional CMOs fill the gap

    A fractional CMO is not the right fit for every company. Some businesses truly need a full-time executive. But if your marketing has momentum without direction, activity without measurement, or a team without a leader, a fractional CMO may be the missing piece.

    They can be hands-on, helping build the plan and guide the work. They can act as a strategic advisor, giving leadership teams the perspective they need to make better decisions. Or they can sit somewhere in between, offering structure, accountability, and senior-level guidance without the full-time overhead.

    The point is not to add another voice to the room. It’s to add the right kind of leadership.

    At 2A Recruiting & Staffing, we help companies figure out what kind of marketing leadership they actually need—and connect them with experienced fractional CMOs who can step in and help.

    If your marketing feels stuck, scattered, or harder than it should be, we can help you find the person who knows what to fix first.

    Reach out to 2A Recruiting & Staffing

    Is your AI messaging as good as your product? 

    01/07/2026

    Is your AI messaging as good as your product? 

    By Olivia Witt, Carolyn Lange

    Is your AI messaging as good as your product? 

    Image by Emily Zheng

    AI is supposed to be the most exciting thing happening in tech right now. It’s powerful, it’s fascinating, and it’s reinventing entire categories of work. But you wouldn’t know it by reading most AI product websites.

    Somehow, the world’s most thrilling technology keeps getting distilled into phrases like “streamline processes” and “unlock the value of your data.” You’d think AI was invented solely to help overworked managers feel slightly better about their operational dashboards.  
     
    Let’s look at where AI messaging goes flat, how to spot the signs in your own copy, and how to get on the path to clearer differentiation. 

    This messaging could belong to any AI tool 

    To show what this looks like in the real world, here’s the kind of messaging you’ll find across half the AI work automation market. 

    Tempo is an AI-powered work automation platform that streamlines your processes from end-to-end using predictive intelligence. By eliminating manual, repetitive tasks and reducing bottlenecks across the organization, Tempo helps boost operational efficiency at scale. With automation guiding every step, your business is better equipped to adapt, grow, and stay future-ready.

    It works. But it’s also extremely forgettable. And the kicker is: the product underneath is actually very cool. So, let’s make the messaging match the substance. 

    Tempo is an AI-powered work automation platform built to understand the behind-the-scenes of your business. It finds the places where things slow down—handoffs that stall, steps that repeat, patterns everyone follows but no one really questions. As Tempo learns your team’s natural rhythms, it automates the friction that causes the most drag and surfaces smarter ways to move work forward. Your workflows get faster on their own, without needing a big redesign.

    Suddenly the product feels more grounded and more memorable. It’s something built for people instead of presentations. 

    So what happened here? 

    The new messaging works because… 

    • It trades aspiration for specificity. “Streamline your processes” could describe any automation tool. “Tempo learns where work actually stalls and fixes those patterns first” tells you something real about the tool and the AI behind it.
    • The benefits don’t just restate the features. The old version promises efficiency because… automation. The new version shows the outcome: fewer hidden slowdowns, smoother handoffs, faster work.
    • It explains how the product delivers value in real-world terms. Generic AI messaging says “intelligent automation” and moves on. The revised copy makes Tempo’s approach clear: it learns real behavior, uncovers real bottlenecks, and improves actual workflows without redesigning them.

    Self-assessment: Is your AI messaging putting people to sleep? 

    Time for a quick self-assessment.  

    1. Could a competitor paste your messaging onto their site without changing a word?
    2. Does your hero line rely on broad promises instead of describing something real or observable? 
    3. Do your benefits sound like synonyms for “work faster” or “do more with less”? 
    4. Is your copy missing real-world context your audience would recognize? 
    5. Do your benefits restate your features in slightly different words? 
    6. Could a non-AI tool make the same claims you’re making? 
    7. Would your messaging read almost the same if you swapped “AI” with “software”? 

    Scoring 

    Mostly yes: Your messaging is technically correct, but easy to forget. If you’re ready for clearer, more differentiated language, 2A can help you build messaging that actually sounds like you. 

    Mostly no: You’re carving out your own space in a crowded category. If you want to turn that clarity into standout content or a full narrative, we’d love to help you take it further. 
     
    Let’s build something better together > 

    The engine that makes Google Cloud’s customer stories more human

    12/16/2025

    The engine that makes Google Cloud’s customer stories more human

    By Carolyn Lange

    The engine that makes Google Cloud’s customer stories more human

    Image by Rachel Adams

    If you work in marketing, you’ve probably noticed that customer stories tend to follow a familiar pattern. Useful, sure, but not always the most compelling way to show what a team actually built or why it matters. 

    Over the last year, we’ve built an internal engine with our Google Cloud partners that helps us tell these stories differently. Instead of only dropping customers into a problem, solution, results template (which has its time and place), we start with richer inputs, dig deeper for voice and nuance, and craft pieces that read more like real conversations.

    Starting strong with thoughtful inputs 

    One thing we love about working with our Google Cloud clients is the way they encourage their customers to be thorough in our intake form. Product marketing managers and account teams take the time to set expectations and give customers space to answer thoughtfully. That means we often start with: 

    We don’t need every diagram or service dependency to write a strong story… but having them helps us choose the right details. Better too much information than too little when you’re translating something like a migration to Cloud Run or Target’s use of AlloyDB AI into a narrative anyone can follow. 

    Digging deeper, however the customer works best 

    Our discovery process is intentionally flexible. Sometimes we hop on a Google Meet with the customer and ask follow-up questions live. Other times, everything happens asynchronously in doc comments, letting people think before they answer. This mix of structured inputs and flexible follow-up gives customers the space to be thoughtful and selective in what they share. It also lets us meet them exactly where they work best, something that feels especially natural in our Google partnerships. 

    When we do meet, we listen for how Google’s customers talk about their project: what they emphasize, what they gloss over, and what sounds too exciting to ignore (like Google’s AI Hypercomputer). That’s where their voice lives and what makes each story unique. 

    Writing from their perspective 

    This is where the magic happens. Instead of locking ourselves into the classic case-study phrasing, we write many of our dev-centric stories the way the customer would actually tell it.

    For example, a traditional case study might say: 

    “The team migrated its workloads to GKE to improve scalability.” 

    But the customer would say: 

    “We moved our workloads to GKE so we could scale without babysitting infrastructure.” 

    A scrappy startup modernizing on GKE sounds nothing like a research team building a GenAI pipeline with Gemini. That’s why we let each piece find its own rhythm. And because Google encourages a more human, conversational tone, we’re able to keep the writing lively, even when we’re deep in architecture decisions or GenAI pipelines. Their stories can be technical and still feel witty, warm, and unmistakably human. 

    Process makes perfect 

    A huge part of why this works is project management on our end (shout out to Google Cloud process expert Sal) and on Google’s. Internally, we keep the machine humming by coordinating schedules, tracking templates, meeting with the client, managing approvals, and quietly removing roadblocks before anyone notices them. 

    And we couldn’t do any of it without our Google Cloud partner marketing managers. They know their customers and products inside out, and they give us the right context and guidance to make each story shine.  

    At its core, the success of our Google Cloud customer story engine comes down to four things: 

    1. Thorough inputs that help us understand the full scope of the story 
    2. Flexible discovery that pulls out authentic voice 
    3. Perspective-driven writing that feels human 
    4. PM support from 2A and Google that keeps the process delightfully uneventful 

    If you want stories that feel like real humans talking about real wins, this is how we get there. 

    Let’s make your next customer story feel more human → 

    Illustration of a video player with a large play button on screen. A cursor points to a red ‘REC’ button. Icons for sharing, user profile, film clips, and a heart reaction appear around the player, symbolizing recording and sharing video content.

    09/23/2025

    The case for remote video case studies

    By Carolyn Lange, Erin McCaul, Felip Ballesteros

    Illustration of a video player with a large play button on screen. A cursor points to a red ‘REC’ button. Icons for sharing, user profile, film clips, and a heart reaction appear around the player, symbolizing recording and sharing video content.

    Image by Nicole Todd

    For some folks, the concept of remote video case studies conjures early-pandemic memories of pixelated webcams and talking heads in spare bedrooms. But today’s remote videos are a different story. With planning, direction, and editing, they can look sharp, feel personal, and bring customer voices forward in a way that matches the channels people actually use.

    Think of them as the right tool for the right job. You wouldn’t hire a film crew to record a podcast snippet, and you wouldn’t use a remote video for a keynote opener. Each format has its place. And for authentic stories that need to move fast and travel far, remote is built for the moment. Here’s why:

    More reach for your story 

    A customer win captured in video gets more traction than one tucked inside a PDF. Remote videos extend the life of your written case studies, with attention-grabbing snippets for social or the ability to embed in campaign pages.

    Polished, not overproduced 

    Remote video delivers professional quality without the need for a studio. What you get is storytelling that feels approachable and credible. It’s exactly the tone most audiences expect in their social feeds today—casual enough to fit in amongst a sea of workplace hot takes, and polished enough to shine.

    Easier to get the right voices 

    Coordinating travel and multi-day schedules for leaders or customers can stall a story for months. Remote recording removes those barriers, so you can include folks across time zones without disrupting the workday. The result is a broader set of voices and perspectives, captured without logistical headaches. 

    More value for time and budget 

    Remote production eliminates airfare, hotels, and days away from the office. Instead of tying up resources, you get high-quality storytelling that respects people’s time and saves budget, leaving more room for additional campaigns or assets.

    Faster campaign turnaround 

    Without the need for location scouting or pre-production setup, remote videos move from idea to final cut quickly. That speed means your content can keep pace with campaign timelines and market moments while they’re still relevant.

    Flexible and evergreen 

    Case study video doesn’t have to be one-and-done. Remote formats make it simple to refresh graphics, swap in updated B-roll, or adjust messaging without a full reshoot.

    It’s time to revisit remote

    It’s a smart, polished way to amplify customer voices fast, authentically, and in the formats people are actually consuming.

    Our remote video team—writers, editors, designers, and videographers included—makes “remote” look anything but DIY. Ready to roll? Let’s talk

    Collage-style illustration of a computer window with a green grid background, a large blue location pin in the center, and a hand placing it. Surrounding elements include design icons like a text size 'Aa' box, color palette, toggle switch, image placeholder, and interface buttons, representing digital design and navigation

    08/13/2025

    Navigating design: How we stick to a brand with or without guidelines 

    By Suzanne Calkins, Carolyn Lange

    Collage-style illustration of a computer window with a green grid background, a large blue location pin in the center, and a hand placing it. Surrounding elements include design icons like a text size 'Aa' box, color palette, toggle switch, image placeholder, and interface buttons, representing digital design and navigation

    Image by Nicole Todd

    This year has brought a steady stream of new-to-us brands, each with its own style, assets, and way of working. And just like any new adventure, we weren’t quite sure what was in store for us when we set out. Some of these new projects kicked off at the trailhead with just a color palette and a deadline, while others were already at the final mile—sharing polished brand systems and guidelines. We found ways to adapt to both, drawing on our experience as creative problem-solvers and collaborators to guide each project to a strong, on-brand finish.  

    Whether we’re following a well-worn map or forging ahead on what years of expertise tells us, we’ve learned a few things about how to navigate the process.  

    Under-developed design toolkits: When we kick things off with a new brand, we typically ask for a design onboarding session where our designers can review available references and identify areas that need clarification. If brand guidelines are light, we’ll look for clues in the wild—published assets, LinkedIn posts, or campaign examples that hint at their intended direction. From there, we guide the conversation: What tone are you hoping to strike? What visual details do you love (or hate)? When the client isn’t sure yet, our designers draw on years of experience and pattern recognition to offer strong starting points and explore multiple options. We help clients see what they want, often before they know how to ask for it. 

    Well-established design guidelines: On the flip side, when brands have comprehensive toolkits we carve out extra time to go through all available resources. We also ask early on if there needs to be a brand review process, then build that step into our timelines.  

    And now the fun part! Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve been up to recently: 

    Neo4j  

    We riffed in real time, tested a bolder color palette, and reshaped social posts and decks for more punch. Consistent client collaboration kept the work fresh and cohesive across every asset. 

    Google

    We drew inspiration from a file-folder motif and ran with it. It served as the basis for navigating a 70+ page document.  

    Auth0 (Okta)

    We worked closely with available references and brand cues to shape a visual direction that respected identities of both Auth0 and the larger Okta family. 

    Carrier

    An in-progress Figma from the Carrier brand team became the blueprint for our Lynx design.  

    Contact our team to speak with a consultant and see more examples of our designs in the wild. 

    A stylized collage showing a person holding an envelope while a large, digital email notification overlays the scene. The email preview features a blue box with the text

    07/17/2025

    The anatomy of a high-performing email send 

    By Carolyn Lange

    A stylized collage showing a person holding an envelope while a large, digital email notification overlays the scene. The email preview features a blue box with the text
    The anatomy of a high-performing email send 

    Remember those chain emails from the early aughts? They were like tiny inbox surprises wrapped in weird promises like, “Forward this to 10 people or you’ll be cursed with lice forever,” or “Send this and your crush will take you to Burger King.” Some were absurd, some were oddly sweet, and the best ones had just enough charm to make me hit forward (for kicks and giggles). 

    Eventually, though, the chain letters lost their magic. I tuned out when the messages didn’t change and that sense of connection I felt with the sender was lost. 

    That’s what happens when your marketing emails start sounding the same. They become noise. At 2A, we treat each send like a fresh chance to connect, with clear, focused content that’s just different enough to earn a click. 

    One recent email earned a 47% open rate and 25% click rate—well above peer benchmarks of 30% and 4%. Here’s what made it land so well. 

    Nail the first impression 

    This subject line is conversational, but not chatty. It introduces tension without sounding dramatic, and it sidesteps all the usual buzzwords that scream “marketing email.” 

    We also use preview text that sets expectations and suggests that something helpful is waiting inside: “Tips to get partner content back on track.” 

    Catch those eyes 

    This collage-style design gives the email a distinct look without overwhelming the content. The combination of motion, color, and texture shows that we care about the details.  

    Make it worth their time 

    Got a tangle of partner or industry marketing content that’s hard to manage? It can quickly spiral out of control when teams repurpose the message without a clear strategy.   

    Learn how to tame your messaging Hydra and build scalable assets that actually work. 


    Right out of the gate, the email content names the problem. It acknowledges the reader’s reality with clarity and zero condescension. It also offers a clear, actionable promise without overselling. The brevity makes it feel more like a helpful nudge than a pitch, and the line about taming a messaging Hydra adds just the right bit of fun personality. 

    Get the click 

    The CTA closes the loop on the message by pointing to an outcome the reader can expect by clicking, instead of an offer. It’s visually bold and verbally simple. 

    Optimize for your audience  

    Our audience list is a living thing. We’ve spent years honing it, curating a group that’s relevant, engaged, and genuinely interested in what we send. We maintain it regularly and filter out bots to ensure our performance data reflects real human behavior. We even use an AI spam checker to find language that might be flagged by the filters. 

    This email worked because it felt real. It had a point. It respected the reader’s time. And even though it resonated especially well with partner marketers, it was designed to connect with anyone dealing with messy content. 

    Not every audience will respond to the same tone, format, or pacing. But the principle holds: if your email feels like it could’ve been written for anyone, it probably won’t matter to anyone. 

    Say something specific. Sound like someone. That’s the bar worth meeting. And if your email sends could use a little extra spark, let’s talk

    Illustration of a browser window filled with blue and pink lines of text. A hand holding a pencil circles a red phrase, while other editing marks and a magnified word “Leverage” suggest a review or revision process. The background is dark blue with floating squares and cutout paper textures, evoking a theme of AI-generated content review.

    07/01/2025

    Human vs. AI: How to know if your writing has a pulse 

    By Ashley JoEtta, Carolyn Lange

    Illustration of a browser window filled with blue and pink lines of text. A hand holding a pencil circles a red phrase, while other editing marks and a magnified word “Leverage” suggest a review or revision process. The background is dark blue with floating squares and cutout paper textures, evoking a theme of AI-generated content review.

    Image by Nicole Todd

    You know the feeling.  

    The writing checks all the boxes. Grammar? Fine. Structure? Present. But you’re three paragraphs in, and nothing’s landed. You’re not bored, exactly. Just…disconnected. We get it. AI-generated content can feel like the industry equivalent of a knockoff handbag: technically correct but missing the soul. In a sea of auto-generated sameness, people are craving content that sounds like it came from someone who gets them.  

    That doesn’t mean swearing off AI. It means using it well and knowing how to add the human layer that keeps readers reading. 

    At 2A, we don’t fear the tech—we use it. Joyfully and strategically. It helps us write faster and get out of our own heads. But we never let it replace the part that matters most: knowing our audience, holding your brand voice, and shaping a story with a bit of soul. 

    When humans and AI work in harmony… 

    You can feel it. When someone’s really shaped an idea and turned it over in their minds, it leaves a trace of intention, texture, and warmth. (Yes, B2B tech can have cozy stories.)  

    Here’s what that might look like: 

    • A point of view. There’s a pulse behind the prose. Real people have opinions. Great content does, too. 
    • Intentional rhythm. Sentences vary in length and cadence, so content reads naturally. 
    • Tone that fits the brand. It doesn’t just say the right things. It sounds like you. (Our tone? Smart, clear, and a little bit spicy.)
    • Specificity. The messaging is grounded in real-world examples, offers concrete advice, or speaks from personal experience with a turn of phrase you can’t just copy and paste. 
    • A sense of story. Even in B2B content, a good narrative structure pulls you through by giving you a reason to keep reading.
    • Quotes, references, or punchlines. The kind of stuff you’d only get from a real person with a real perspective.
    • A little imperfection. Maybe there’s an odd analogy. Maybe a dad joke sneaks in. That’s flavor. 
    When AI is left to its own devices…  

    The humans might just bounce. When the only fingerprints on the draft are digital, it’s obvious: 

    • Repetitive phrasing. You know the ones: “Whether you’re an enterprise or SMB…” or “With the ever-evolving digital landscape…” You’ve read them hundreds of times. You’ve skipped them hundreds of times. 
    • Keyword soup. Scalable, secure, seamless, innovative, robust, transformative… yawn.
    • Over-structured sentence patterns. Every sentence begins with a prepositional clause, ends with an em dash, and sounds like it’s trying to win an award for formality. 
    • Zero personality. It exists. It says a thing. You read it. But it could’ve come from anyone, and might as well be for no one. (It definitely wasn’t from us.)
    • No story, just summary. You’ll get bullets and benefits, but not a sense of why it matters. 
    Use AI, just don’t stop there 

    We use AI all the time: to kickstart drafts, poke holes in our logic, suggest a dozen options we hadn’t thought of, or help us pressure-test structure and voice. But the magic doesn’t come from the model. When our storytellers use AI, they follow up by shaping structure, adding brand voice, and replacing autopilot phrasing with something real. 2A relies on human ears, human judgment, and human standards. 

    Want content that sounds like you? Let’s talk. We promise not to write “leverage” in the first 100 words. (Probably.) 


    Nerd Corner with Dr. Ash 


    Corpus bias: When the data used to train a model doesn’t reflect the full range of voices, perspectives, or language patterns that exist in the real world. 

    Most large corpora (the datasets AI models train on) skew toward what’s been published the most: dominant voices, formal registers, U.S.-centric norms. The result? Outputs that feel generic, repetitive, or off-brand. 

    That’s why the human layer matters. A model can predict the next word. You can decide if it actually belongs. 

    A collage-style graphic showing elements of a marketing event: a trade show booth with people walking in, digital content like a video player and webpage layout, and a conference badge on a lanyard. The background features bold colors and geometric patterns, emphasizing momentum and engagement.

    05/02/2025

    Don’t let the buzz die—how to keep event momentum going 

    By Carolyn Lange

    A collage-style graphic showing elements of a marketing event: a trade show booth with people walking in, digital content like a video player and webpage layout, and a conference badge on a lanyard. The background features bold colors and geometric patterns, emphasizing momentum and engagement.

    Image by Suzanne Calkins

    You packed the booth. You nailed the session. You charmed every badge-wearing human in the conference room. What now? 

    If you don’t have a plan to keep the post-event energy alive, all that effort just becomes a memory instead of a real pipeline.  

    Don’t let it fizzle—here’s how to keep the excitement going even after the lanyards come off. 

    Follow up like a human, not a robot 

    “Thanks for stopping by our booth!” just doesn’t have the warmth and personalization that makes folks want to open an email. Personalize your post-event follow up outreach. If you had the chance to meet, reference a conversation you had or the swag they picked up. And reach out as soon as possible so they don’t feel like an afterthought. 

    Give them something worth remembering 

    Help your audience relive their favorite moments with recap content. Write a highlights blog to summarize the key takeaways, what you learned, and what surprised you. Or create an infographic. People love a snackable “5 things we learned” moment. Whatever you create, make it easy to skim and easy to share with their work pals. 

    Stay on their radar 

    Nobody leaves an event thinking, “Wow, I wish I had less info about that cool technology I saw.” Leave them with content to keep them curious and move them to that next funnel stage. Try: 

    • A solution brief 
    • A product datasheet 
    • An exclusive offer 

    Pro tip: Plant these takeaways before the event wraps. Add a QR code to your deck or your booth. You could even tack a QR code onto some sweet swag

    Momentum isn’t magic. It’s a mix of smart follow-ups, well-placed takeaways, shareable content, and yes, a little bit of swag. Keep showing up in ways that are useful, fun, and genuine, and you’ll stay top of mind long after the plane ride home. 

    A collection of branded swag items displayed on a dark blue background, including a white T-shirt with a pink abstract design, gray socks with pink accents, a silver water bottle with a pink graphic, a small silver mint tin with a pink logo, and a cream-colored tote bag with a pink geometric design. Yellow starburst accents and an oval blue sticker that says

    04/30/2025

    Give them swag they’ll remember (and actually use) 

    By Carolyn Lange

    A collection of branded swag items displayed on a dark blue background, including a white T-shirt with a pink abstract design, gray socks with pink accents, a silver water bottle with a pink graphic, a small silver mint tin with a pink logo, and a cream-colored tote bag with a pink geometric design. Yellow starburst accents and an oval blue sticker that says

    Image by Emily Zheng

    At 2A, we can write a great story and create slick visuals. But you may not know we also make swag that people actually want to keep. Whether it’s a sticker sheet, socks with a tech-y twist, or a wine bottle and tumbler set that says, “I know how to party—and I know my cloud infrastructure,” we’ve done it all. 

    Here’s a peek at some of the goodies we’ve made lately. 

    Sticker sheets that turn services like Azure Cosmos DB into adorable astronauts

    Socks that match your shoes and your brand

    Jackets to keep your clients cozy at conferences 

    Mint tins to freshen up your giveaways 

    Team swag that brings your culture to life 

    🎁 Curated gift boxes with laser-engraved wine tumblers if you’re feeling fancy 

    Looking for ideas? Think of your audience, convention-goers, or internal team. Are they… 

    • Thirsty? Water bottle. 
    • Hungry? Branded snacks. 
    • Cold? Sweatshirt and gloves. 
    • Short-handed? A roomy tote bag.
    • On-the-go? Travel mug or packing cubes.
    • Tech savvy? Power bank or laptop sleeve.
    • Zoom-fatigued? Blue-light glasses.
    • In Seattle? Something plaid. It’s pretty much the uniform. 

    Want to snag some swag for your team or event? Let’s talk. We’ll help you dream it up and turn your brand into something memorable. 

    A digitally manipulated image of a pink toolbox filled with various hand tools, set against a blue grid background. Surrounding the toolbox are blueprint-style outlines labeled with different types of sales enablement content, including 'Customer Story,' 'Whitepaper,' 'Click-Through Demo,' 'UI Video,' and 'Pitch Deck.' The image metaphorically represents a toolkit for equipping sales teams with the right content.

    03/26/2025

    Give your sales team the right content to win 

    By Carolyn Lange

    A digitally manipulated image of a pink toolbox filled with various hand tools, set against a blue grid background. Surrounding the toolbox are blueprint-style outlines labeled with different types of sales enablement content, including 'Customer Story,' 'Whitepaper,' 'Click-Through Demo,' 'UI Video,' and 'Pitch Deck.' The image metaphorically represents a toolkit for equipping sales teams with the right content.

    Selling is part charisma, part strategy, and a whole lot of confidence. But even the best sales reps can see their performance falter if they’re constantly scrambling for the right information. That’s where sales enablement resources make all the difference. 

    Let’s break down three key moments where the right content can give your team an edge.

    1. Engage them 1:1 

    Your sales team’s first touchpoint sets the tone for the entire engagement. When your team knows exactly how to start the conversation, they can approach every interaction with confidence. 

    • Invite and follow-up email—A strong first email inviting a prospect to talk sets expectations, and a timely follow-up message keeps the conversation moving. 
    • Call script—This gives your reps a clear roadmap for conversations, so they’re never left searching for the right words. 
    2. Make it personal 

    Once you have a prospect’s attention, it’s time to tailor the conversation. When sales reps have the right proof points and visuals, they control the conversation instead of reacting to it. 

    • Pitch deck—A well-structured, visually engaging presentation helps your team tell a compelling story. 
    • Joint solution pitch deck—If you’re selling alongside a partner, a unified story strengthens your offering. 
    • Click-through demos and UI-based videos—Show, don’t tell. A clear product walkthrough makes it easy for prospects to understand value. 
    3. Leave ’em with answers 

    Great sales teams don’t just pitch and disappear. They leave behind assets that keep the momentum going and give prospects what they need to move forward. When sales teams have the right follow-up materials, they can anticipate questions and keep deals moving forward. 

    • Datasheet—A concise, easy-to-reference document with key specs and details makes it easy to substantiate value. 
    • Customer story—Real-world success stories build credibility and trust. 
    • Whitepaper—A deeper dive that decision makers can use to justify their choices. 

    A strong sales enablement strategy keeps your team prepared. At 2A, we create content that helps teams close deals with confidence. If you’re ready to build a field-ready kit that sets up your team for success, let’s talk