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Strategic Communications Advisory For Visionary Founders
Conversation
Highlights
In this episode of The Marketing Front Lines, we speak with Ava Barnes, VP of Brand & Community at Alvys. As the marketing leader of a rapidly growing logistics software company, Ava has built a revenue-focused marketing engine that drove 5X growth in 2024. Coming from a psychology background, she’s brought a unique perspective to B2B tech marketing, focusing on understanding customer motivations while maintaining rigorous attribution modeling. Through a combination of strategic paid acquisition, emerging media partnerships, and cross-functional team building, she’s helped Alvys establish itself as a significant player in the logistics software space while scaling from a small startup to a high-growth technology company.
Topics Discussed:
- Building a revenue-attributed marketing engine in a complex B2B space
- Scaling paid acquisition channels while maintaining efficiency
- Developing strategic media partnerships in traditional industries
- Structuring a marketing team during hypergrowth
- Balancing professional brand image with modern content formats
- Creating effective thought leadership programs
- Leading marketing in an unfamiliar industry
Actionable
Takeaways
Optimize Multi-Channel Paid Acquisition:
Rather than following conventional B2B wisdom, Alvys found success across diverse paid channels. Google Ads drove the highest performance, followed by Meta platforms, while Bing Ads provided a surprising advantage in reaching senior decision-makers at lower costs. This multi-channel approach, combined with careful CPL monitoring, enabled consistent pipeline growth during rapid scaling.
Build Strategic Media Relationships Early:
Instead of pursuing expensive partnerships with established players like FreightWaves, Alvys identified emerging platforms like Freight Caviar early. By becoming early sponsors and building personal relationships at industry conferences, they secured valuable media partnerships at a fraction of the cost while helping shape these platforms' growth trajectories.
Structure Team Growth Around Revenue Impact:
Alvys built their marketing team by prioritizing roles that directly impacted revenue. They started with an events manager due to the relationship-based nature of logistics, then added demand generation, followed by product marketing. This revenue-first approach helped justify and accelerate team expansion during hypergrowth.
Master New Industry Knowledge Systematically:
When entering an unfamiliar industry, Ava created a structured learning system, including flashcards for industry terms, extensive research, and continuous documentation. This systematic approach helped transform complex industry knowledge into effective marketing messaging and campaigns.
Connect Brand Initiatives to Revenue Metrics:
Instead of treating brand building as a separate function, Alvys tied it directly to revenue metrics. They measured thought leadership through sales call mentions and guest-to-customer conversion rates, while tracking offline campaigns through unique URLs and measuring brand initiatives' impact on customer lifetime value.
Balance Traditional and Modern Marketing Approaches:
While operating in a traditional B2B industry, Alvys successfully merged professional brand positioning with modern marketing techniques. They maintained credibility through thought leadership while engaging audiences through social media and emerging platforms, creating a distinctive voice in a conventional space.
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