A client recently came to us with a familiar request: they wanted a sizzle video to improve the effectiveness of a product landing page. After adding one of our sizzle videos, they noticed a lift in performance and wanted to repeat the approach.
They’re not alone in turning to video to boost engagement. Including video on a landing page can increase conversion by as much as 80%. Sites with video also tend to convert at higher rates overall, with one benchmark showing a 4.8% average conversion rate for sites using video, compared to 2.9% for those without.
So, what type of video should you use—and when? Here are three formats we recommend, each suited for different goals and stages of the buyer journey.
Sizzle videos: Build excitement and boost engagement
Sizzle videos are short, energetic, and designed to get attention. They’re great for product pages, campaign rollouts, or events where you want to create momentum and drive action. These videos usually combine animation, sound design, and fast pacing to create an emotional connection quickly.
That’s what our client experienced: after adding a sizzle video to their product page and seeing a clear lift, they came back to request more. It’s no surprise—when visitors stay longer and feel more emotionally invested, they’re more likely to take the next step.
Explainer videos: Clarify and convert
Explainers go deeper and often include common customer pain points, topline product benefits or features, and UI snapshots. They’re especially effective when addressing a known challenge or objection, like demonstrating cost-saving features or what’s changed in an update.
We’ve partnered with enterprise teams to create explainer videos that highlight key functionality and reduce friction during the decision-making process. These videos are a great fit for users further down the funnel who need reassurance before they commit.
Testimonial videos: Build trust with firsthand perspective
For buyers evaluating complex solutions, credibility is key. Testimonial videos let viewers hear directly from the source about the impact your solution had. They’re especially effective when paired with written case studies, giving added dimension to performance metrics and making success stories more relatable.
These videos work well on product pages and in sales enablement content, where they help build trust and spark engagement. Like this one, where the team at Lumen Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks, shows how a partnership with Amazon took the fan experience to the next level.
Video works because people remember it
Studies show that viewers retain about 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to just 10% when reading text. Pages with video also hold attention longer, which correlates strongly with higher engagement and conversion rates.
If you’re considering ways to drive conversion with your audience, we’re well-versed in video and would love to show you what’s possible.
Contract roles are foundational to how large tech companies operate: entire teams and initiatives depend on contractors doing high-impact work. Yet despite how mission critical these roles are, many companies rely on vendor management systems (VMS) to find talent, often with subpar outcomes.
On the surface, these contractor hiring portals promise scale and speed. But in practice, they often strip away the context and care that good recruiting depends on. What you get is a system optimized for volume, not for finding the right person for the work.
Where VMS-driven hiring starts to break down
When roles are posted in a portal, staffing firms are competing against dozens, sometimes hundreds, of other agencies. With such low odds of placement, recruiters are naturally incentivized to move fast and submit often. Spending extra time deeply vetting candidates or digging into the nuances of a role rarely pays off.
To make matters harder, recruiters usually have little to no direct access to the hiring team. Without meaningful context about the role or team, even strong recruiters are left guessing. Volume becomes the safest bet, while candidate fit becomes secondary.
Scale over relationships erodes the experience
VMS portals tend to favor the largest staffing firms. Enterprises can’t realistically onboard every specialized agency, so size becomes the deciding factor. Many agencies that appear boutique in a portal are actually owned by large conglomerates and operate like one.
From the client side, agencies become interchangeable. That makes it difficult to understand how one firm might support the hiring manager during the engagement, or how contractors are treated once they’re on the job. Over time, this lack of differentiation removes the incentive to invest in better experiences.
Contractors feel this quickly. Large agencies often offer the bare minimum in benefits and route support through impersonal service desks with slow response times. Talented, experienced contractors notice and choose to work elsewhere. Poor support leads to higher churn, disengaged talent, and teams that are constantly backfilling instead of moving forward.
A more thoughtful way to hire contractors
Boutique agencies, like 2A Recruiting and Staffing, take a different approach. We build long-term partnerships with our clients and our contractors because thoughtful recruiting leads to better results. That starts with strong benefits, like our fully covered health, dental, and vision insurance, 4 weeks+ of PTO annually, and 401(k) with employer match. It also means regular check-ins, personal, responsive support, and staying engaged throughout the entire contract. Because of benefits like these, in 2025 more than 85% of our contractors completed or extended their engagements.
When contract roles are truly mission critical, they deserve more than portal submissions. If you’re ready to go beyond the portal and work with a firm that treats contractor hiring like the strategic function it is, we’d love to talk.
After years of recruiting for large, matrixed organizations where employees collaborate across functions and regions, we’ve noticed a consistent pattern. While technical skills might land someone the job, they rarely determine whether that person thrives long-term. What truly sets candidates apart is how they operate in complex, fast-changing environments.
That’s why our interview process focuses on core behavioral traits we’ve found to be strong predictors of success. Here’s what we look for, and why it matters.
1. Driving self-directed execution
In complex roles, candidates need the ability to take initiative and keep things moving. We look for people who can work through ambiguity without getting stuck. They’re comfortable getting started even when the details are incomplete, and they know how to break down fuzzy goals into clear, actionable steps.
They also keep stakeholders informed without needing close oversight. And when something stalls, they don’t wait; they know when to keep going and when to raise a flag. This combination of independence and judgment keeps work momentum going, even when guidance is limited.
2. Taking proactive ownership
In fast-moving environments with shifting priorities, success often comes down to mindset. The people who thrive are those who treat problems as theirs to solve, even if they fall outside their job description. Rather than waiting to be asked, they build cross-functional relationships, seek out context, and stay curious. When something needs doing, they step in because they see the broader value in helping the team move forward.
3. Communicating with clarity and context
In cross-functional, global teams, misalignment can create major downstream issues. That’s why clear, contextual communication is essential. We look for people who tailor their communication style based on who they’re talking to and what the situation calls for, whether it’s explaining a project to a non-technical stakeholder or looping in a team across time zones.
They make sure their work connects to broader goals and that they identify conflicting priorities early, which helps prevent misalignment that can slow things down later.
4. Staying adaptable and resilient
Change is a constant in complex organizations, and success depends on being able to roll with it. We look for people who maintain focus and productivity even when priorities shift, plans change, or teams restructure.
Resilient candidates recover quickly from setbacks and keep a constructive mindset under pressure. They don’t rely on certainty and know how to move forward without it.
Looking for candidates with these traits?
We’ve spent over a decade helping enterprise teams hire professionals who have the right skills and the behaviors that lead to long-term success. Our screening process is designed to surface these traits early, so you meet candidates who are ready to thrive in real-world complexity.
We’re proud to say that two customer stories we wrote made Google Cloud’s list of most-read blogs in 2025! Given how much Google Cloud published—and launched—last year, it was encouraging to see our Target and Waze customer stories resonate so strongly. Turns out, people are as interested in smarter retail search and traffic data as we are!
Both stories focus on practical, real-world use of Google Cloud products. To us, that’s the whole point. Even in a year packed with attention-grabbing AI news, B2B audiences still want to understand how cloud and AI show up in real systems, real workflows, and real decisions. Customer stories do that in a way few other marketing assets can.
Going great with Google
We’ve worked closely with Google Cloud for years, and part of that partnership is understanding how their customer stories are meant to work:
Clear without oversimplifying
Technically credible without being inaccessible
Grounded in what actually happened
When those pieces are in place, even a deep dive into databases or infrastructure can hold a reader’s attention.
That’s the approach we bring to every customer story we write at 2A. We focus on the details that matter and write in a way that reflects the customer’s voice. When stories are handled like that, they feel real. And hey, sometimes they even end up on a cool list.
“2A is great, they don’t freak out.” I overheard a long-time client say this to a colleague while convincing her that our creative agency was the right team to help get an executive keynote presentation across the finish line.
It made us laugh, and it perfectly captured something I’ve come to value in marketers. Whether I’m hiring for our creative agency or helping our recruiting and staffing clients build their own teams, I look for candidates who are flexible. In other words, they don’t freak out.
A lot can change over the course of a tech marketing initiative. Executive priorities shift. Tools and channels gain or lose effectiveness. And we’ve all seen AI reshape workflows that, not long ago, were considered best practice.
Great marketers aren’t overly attached to any single tool or tactic—they stay focused on outcomes. When something stops working, they test, learn, and adjust without panic.
Translating change into opportunity
Product change adds even more complexity. In tech, features are added, removed, or repositioned frequently as roadmaps evolve in response to customer needs and competitive pressure. Marketers who struggle with change risk misalignment and missed opportunities. The strongest ones stay close to the product, translate updates into customer value, and evolve the story without unnecessary friction.
This doesn’t mean the fundamentals don’t matter. A deep understanding of marketing principles, the ability to tell a compelling story, and a strong grasp of the product and/or industry are still essential. But on top of that, the best marketers quickly absorb new information and evaluate how it changes their course.
When you’re hiring a marketer, look for the ones who can adapt, recalibrate, and move forward confidently. Your team (and your customers!) will thank you.
It’s time to talk about our favorite albums of the year! Historically, we’d assemble a list of top picks that recently dropped, but 2025 was a little different. Some of us weren’t into the new stuff and instead reached for music that felt familiar and grounding. So our 2025 list includes both new music we discovered and not-so-new tunes we love.
The right song can work wonders: it can inspire when you’re stuck in a creative rut, calm you when you’re feeling overwhelmed, or motivate when prepping for something big (Dwight Schrute + Kickstart My Heart, am I right?!). However you’re feeling at the moment, we hope you’ll enjoy our roundup of what we had on repeat—maybe it’ll inspire some good vibes for the year ahead.
Vie—Doja Cat Doja Cat does it again! At first I was thrown by the 80s beats (and background sax?!) in many of the tracks. But on a second listen of the full album, the lyrical magic and sound that Doja is known for shines through. She’s got me embracing the 80s vibes and considering shoulder pads :-). —Katy Nally
The Art of Loving—Olivia Dean This year, one of my goals was to find a signature scent. I spent hours misting tiny paper tabs in front of perfume walls. Eventually, I landed on Etat Libre d’Orange’s I Am Trash, which a salesperson described to me as “what a trash can smells like after a wedding: wilted flowers, leftover fruit, cake, and champagne”—a hauntingly beautiful description for a very unfortunately named perfume. But I loved it. Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving captures the same bittersweet magic that made me fall in love with I Am Trash: It’s nostalgic, elegant, sweet, and somehow, still fresh. Listening to it feels like standing alone in a ballroom at the end of a wedding. Thankfully, the album has a much prettier name than my new perfume. —Emily Zheng
Dance Called Memory—Nation of Language I write for long stretches of time, go for drives in the Washington wilderness, and paint abstract landscapes while the rain pours outside. Nation of Language’s Dance Called Memory is the perfect pairing for all of these activities. Their melancholy synthpop makes me feel wistful, nostalgic, dreamy, and inspired in just the right way. —Andrea Swangard
From a Room—Chris Stapleton It’s been a year of highs and lows. Chris Stapleton’s music has always been a place of peace for me. —Tammy Monson
The Life You Save—Flock of Dimes Flock of Dimes has been one of my favorite projects over the years, a solo endeavor by Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak and Bon Iver. She is one of my favorite vocalists in indie music and I think The Life You Save is a very beautiful, chill, and personal album that’s among her best work. I’ve had it on repeat since it came out. —Wil Morrill
Suzanne—Mark Ronson and RAYE While Mark Ronson is a talented producer, the real star in this song is our girl RAYE. This song came up in my To Listen playlist this summer and has been on repeat ever since. There’s something about the jazzy vibes that I can’t seem to get enough of! And if you like this song, definitely check out more RAYE—she is amazing! —Olivia Fiero
We Go Again—Enny We love a hip hop, R&B girlie, and Enny delivers. Her 2023 release We Go Again brings an existential, soulful edge to her sound, balancing introspection with sharp, confident storytelling. “Charge It” has been on repeat since its release, setting the tone for an album that feels both grounded and expansive. Enny is real and raw in how she reflects on her experience as a Black woman, her Nigerian heritage, and her come-up through trial and tribulation. It’s an album that works at any time of day, equally fitting for slow mornings, getting ready to go out, or winding down. —Salena Hill
Hickey—Royel Otis If you’re like me, you got hit over the head with that Linger SiriusXM Session at some point last year. Thus began my love affair for this lil’ band that sits somewhere between slacker indie and romantic nostalgia. It makes me want to sip a Slurpee, windows down, sun low, cruising the Santa Monica Pier with my friends… you know, for old times’ sake. Honorable mention to their 2023 album Sofa Kings. —Michelle Najarian
Live From 33 West—Charles Yang Splitting my time between all the different forms of content available means I don’t usually have the patience to listen to a whole album for the two bangers in an hour of forgettable tracks. I’m just looking for that quick, invigorating musical fix. Instead of scrolling through music venue calendars to find new music, now I’m mostly finding those musical fixes through social media. So, when a clip of Charles Yang popped up, I was like “OH SCHNAP! This guy got pipes!… Link to the full track in the comments?… Yes, please!” Skip to that three-minute mark and enjoy. —Evan Aeschlimann
Headlights—Alex G I listened to this album for the equivalent of four business days in 2025. Headlights is full of somber, retro songs about being a dad that, for some reason, 20-year-olds like to mosh to (a real thing I witnessed). —Jack Foraker
This Better Be Something Great—Westside Cowboy The debut EP from Westside Cowboy is what I wish my band in high school had sounded like if we’d had more talent (no offense Dave, but this drummer is incredible). It’s only five songs, and each has a distinct, dynamic sound—from group vocal anthems to lo-fi acoustic tracks. A blend of 90s/2000s rock, punk, and (strangely) some alt-country that stands out in a crowded genre, this has me looking forward to their next EP coming in January. —Mike Lahoda
Make The Road By Walking—Menahan Street Band Listen to this album for the ultimate getting-stuff-done music. Warm horns, steady grooves, zero lyrics so your brain stays on task and your vibe stays groovy. It energizes without interrupting, motivates without shouting, and never asks for attention. Make the Road By Walking is your busy day bestie: cool, consistent, and calmly crushing it. —Jenni Lydell
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.
Could a competitor paste your messaging onto their site without changing a word?
Does your hero line rely on broad promises instead of describing something real or observable?
Do your benefits sound like synonyms for “work faster” or “do more with less”?
Is your copy missing real-world context your audience would recognize?
Do your benefits restate your features in slightly different words?
Could a non-AI tool make the same claims you’re making?
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.
When a partner marketer leaves, hiring their replacement can feel like a big lift—it’s a niche role that blends strategy, relationship management, marketing execution, cross-functional coordination, and project management. But it’s also a natural moment to pause, reassess what you need, and shape the role in a way that moves your partner marketing program forward.
With a little structure—and a little guidance—you can use this transition time to re-scope the role, sharpen expectations, and quickly attract quality candidates who can hit the ground running.
Let’s get started!
Step 1. Evaluate the role: What do you want to keep, adjust, or elevate?
Start by reflecting on the role as it is today and where you see your partner program heading in the future:
What’s changed since this role was last open?
Has your partner program matured—more partners, more tiers, higher goals?
Have priorities shifted—different customer focus, new products, new regions, new motions?
What worked well? What could work better?
Collaboration: Was there friction between teams when making decisions? Did cross-functional teams slow down or genuinely support the last person?
Capacity: Was there too much (or too little) to do?
Support: Was there enough support from a manager or mentor?
How should your new hire be the same (or different) from your last hire?
Were any skills lacking?
What strengths are essential to maintain?
Are there different skills this person might need based on new priorities?
Step 2. Audit tools and workflows: What systems and processes are in place today—and what needs to be changed or built?
The seniority and experience you need depends on the current state of your operations. Evaluate your workflows and tools and categorize each as “keep running,” “change,” or “build.” Here is a list to help you get started:
Intake and prioritization: How work requests come in, get approved, and get scheduled
Project management cadence:How timelines and stakeholders are managed
Partner communications engine: Communication schedule, messaging consistency, and ownership
Co-marketing workflow: Campaign planning through execution and follow-up
Assets and enablement: Where partner-ready materials live and how they’re managed
Systems and handoffs: CRM/PRM basics, lead flow, ownership, and data hygiene
Measurement: What “success” means and how it’s tracked and reported
Budget and vendors: MDF spend (if any), agencies, tools, and ownership
Step 3. Decide what level of role you’re hiring for: Operator, strategic lead, or hybrid
Based on your answers to steps 1 and 2, you should have a clearer picture of the role level you’re hiring for:
Operator: Ideal when systems are already in place and details just need to be managed. This person is essentially a project manager—driving timelines, managing stakeholders, and keeping work moving.
Strategic lead: Best when priorities are unclear and the overall partner marketing program needs rethinking. This person shapes strategy, sets priorities, makes high-level decisions, and drives executive communications.
Hybrid: A blend of the two: Best when you only have the ability to hire one person or when your program is in its earlier phases and still evolving. Keep in mind, finding someone who can and wants to do both can be tricky.
Step 4. Define what success looks like in the first 30, 60, and 90 days
Now that you’ve outlined the role, the next step is understanding what strong performance looks like in the first few months. A simple 30–60–90 framework can be used to help you set direction and align everyone involved in hiring. For example:
30 days:Get up to speed on the partner program, stakeholders, partners, and current priorities. Clarify goals, success metrics, and “who owns what,” and then create a realistic plan for what will (and won’t) get done.
60 days: Start delivering meaningful work, including 1 or 2 quick wins.
90 days: Turn early wins into repeatable processes. Set a forward-looking roadmap.
Step 5. Write the job description and interview for what you need
Once the role is well-defined, writing a clear and compelling job description that attracts the right candidates is much easier. Make sure to include the following:
From step 1: Role mission and top priorities
From step 2: Build/fix/run expectations
From step 3: Role level and required skills (this will also help determine compensation)
When you take the time to define what you really need before you hire, the process becomes smoother, faster, and far more likely to deliver a great outcome.
2A Recruiting & Staffing has over a decade of experience recruiting for partner marketing roles. We can help scope your open role, calibrate level and compensation, and deliver qualified partner marketing candidates.
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:
Enough technical detail to understand what matters and what doesn’t
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:
Thorough inputs that help us understand the full scope of the story
Flexible discovery that pulls out authentic voice
Perspective-driven writing that feels human
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.
Event season used to follow the same well-worn script—pick up a water bottle, pocket a stress ball, wander past a demo screen looping in the background. Not bad, just…predictable. Lately, the vibe has shifted. There’s a glow up happening on the event floor: experiences that surprise and booths with enough personality to make you stop mid-stride.
Engagement is the main attraction
Whether it’s AWS Partners rolling in giant slides, claw machines, and touchscreen demo quests, or AWS itself setting up hands-on activities ahead of re:Invent (games! dance parties!), the idea is the same—give people something fun to try, and they’ll stick around long enough to talk.
Customer stories are product launch partners
Instead of rolling out features with a “ta-da!” and a datasheet, teams—Microsoft included—are pairing announcements with real customer outcomes. It’s relatable, grounded, and a way for attendees to see themselves in the story. The written case studies also serve as follow-up touchpoints after the customer initially shares their stories at the event. Think of it as launching with receipts.
Luxury swag is having a moment
At Ignite this year, the Azure team showed up with the kind of gifts that beg for an unboxing video. Limited-edition Labubus. An Azure Cosmos DB LEGO set. Not to be outdone, at re:Invent AWS handed out custom Nikes. Suddenly, walking away with something cool isn’t the exception—it’s the expectation.
Our take
The bar is officially higher with smarter swag, immersive moments, and customer proof that does more than fill a slide.
At 2A, we help teams show up with intention—shaping event experiences with personality and purpose for real people.
