People do not like to be fooled. Everyone wants to choose smartly these days. Directly telling customers what the best buy is for them—typically the format of traditional advertising and marketing—is no longer an effective strategy. With the availability of internet-enabled smart devices, people can themselves do research on the products or services that they intend to buy.
In such a scenario, a more subtle marketing approach is required to target potential customers and influence them to choose your products. This is where influencer marketing comes into play. Chelsea Andrews (Co-founder) has mastered the influence marketing space with her platform called TechMode.
Through the TechMode agency, Chelsea helps clients’ companies connect with tech professionals on a massive scale through business-to-business (B2B) influencer and brand ambassador programs.
In addition to this, her agency provides thought leadership content production, channel growth and amplification, and event production. It works with Fortune 500 tech companies, leveraging data-proven strategies to amplify clients’ digital footprints, boost engagement, and increase exposure and influence.
In an interview with Insights Success, Chelsea shared with us her journey in establishing the agency as well as insights about its services, which are helping generate sustainable marketing solutions for the clients.
Below are the excerpts from the interview:
Chelsea, please give us a brief overview of your journey as the Co-founder of TechMode.
Beverley Eve and I founded TechMode in the infancy of B2B influencer marketing. When we first started our agency years ago, little was known about the B2B influencer approach in the tech space, but we saw an opportunity to mainstream thought leadership-driven marketing and ran with it. It’s been a joy to see B2B influencer marketing flourish and grow, and we are proud to be leaders in the space.
Tell us more about your company, its vision, and the key aspects of its stronghold in the marketing and advertising space.
At TechMode, we always say we’re in the business of relationship building. We facilitate relationships between brands and thought leaders. We support thought leaders in building relationships with their community on behalf of brands.
People are at the heart of what we do. The processes and workflows we have built over the years help establish a level of trust for all involved, which is the secret ingredient to our success.
What are the distinct offerings of your company that is making an impact on your clients?
At TechMode, we offer custom thought leadership-driven marketing campaigns exclusively to tech companies. What sets us apart is our ‘people first’ approach, our data-driven strategies, and the workflows we have mastered over the years. There are a lot of moving parts in our campaigns, but our methodology is second to none, and we take a lot of pride in the results we achieve for our clients.
What efforts did you take during the pandemic to sustain operations and ensure the safety of your team at the same time?
Prior to COVID, we would frequently send influencers and staff to physical conferences to capture content and provide live event coverage. When events halted, we transitioned to a virtual model, which was a seamless transition.
As all marketing activities become 100% digitally driven, it has become more important than ever for our clients to break through an increasingly crowded sea of online content, which is exactly what our campaigns achieve.
What is your opinion on the adoption of modern technologies like AI and ML in the marketing and advertising industry?
Effective marketing strategies target audiences at the right time in the right place. When AI and ML are deployed to reach people where they are, I think that is an optimal approach. As a consumer, I appreciate it when I’m served ads for things I’m currently looking for and despise it when I’m targeted for things that don’t apply to me or what I need.
What is your view on practicing inclusivity and diversity at the workplace?
Inclusivity and diversity in the workplace are absolute musts. Being in the tech sector, it’s not uncommon to witness a lack of cultural and gender diversity, but inclusivity is truly the path to a more just society and is something that is critical in the workplace across all sectors and industries.
As an established industry leader, what would be your advice to the budding entrepreneurs and enthusiasts aspiring to venture into the marketing and advertising industry?
My advice would be to think large. Think one step ahead. People may tell you that your vision is unimportant or will not work, but if your business idea is grounded in data and you know in your heart that your ambitions have potential, go for it. Find mentors that can help guide you and work to make your dream a reality.
How do you envision further strengthening TechMode’s stronghold in 2022 and beyond?
2022 and beyond is all about growth for TechMode. We are working to make B2B influencer marketing a staple in the marketing roadmap for all companies across the tech industry.
