Erin Balsa

Content Marketing Consultant and Writer 

Navattic

Marketing Advisor

Haus of Bold

I help sales-led B2B SaaS startups in four key areas:

1. People: Hire and train full-time content marketers
2. Process: Build and optimize content marketing processes
3. Strategy: Develop a narrative-led content strategy
4. Execution: Create bold content 

Happy clients include Showpad, Intellum, SurveyCTO, monday.com and more. 

hausofbold.com

Fractional Director of Content Marketing 

The Predictive Index

The Predictive Index is an Inc. 5000 B2B SaaS startup in the HR tech/human capital management space. 

I led a 12-person team made up of editorial, graphic design, media production, and digital learning professionals. 

In 2021, PI added 2,400+ new clients and 500 new PI partners—with content playing a central role in acquisition, onboarding, activation, and retention. We also increased our high-intent hand raiser leads by 102% in 2021.

Marketing Director — Content Marketing & Brand

I grew the content team from 1 to 8 full-time employees and built an iterative, narrative-led content strategy that helped us hit our aggressive marketing goals month over month. 

Our creative content campaigns drove millions in revenue during this time period. One research report, The 2020 Remote Work Report, helped us close 114 opportunities and drove $680k in revenue.

Head of Content Marketing 

As a content team of one, I built PI's content marketing engine from the ground up. 

During this time, I worked with the executive team to write the 50-page Ultimate Guide to Talent Optimization and talent optimization market map. We used these assets to launch a new discipline (talent optimization), and rebrand our product (talent optimization platform), helping us grow from seed to Series A ($50M).

Content Marketing Manager

Erin Balsa Content Marketing

Occasional freelance writer, editor, and content strategist for B2B, B2C, and D2C brands in various industries including Software & Services, Fashion, Food & Drink, and Media. 

Clients include Shinesty, Kindred Bravely, Mightier, Accord, Rhode Island Monthly, Boston Magazine, Parents Magazine, VONA (and many more).

erinbalsa.com

Editor, Writer & Content Strategist

Brafton Inc.

Brafton is the largest content marketing agency in the United States.

I was promoted to lead the Boston editorial department, overseeing all content managers, editors, and writers. In addition to managing writer resources (to the 30-minute unit), I sourced and screened talent, trained all new employees on content marketing best practices, and traveled to meet with clients. I also wrote for the Brafton blog and edited copy to build our authority as trusted a content marketing partner.

Managing Editor, Content Marketing

I managed a team of 15 full-time content marketing writers. In addition to coaching my team and assigning work, I edited copy for 100+ clients including SMBs, early-stage startups, and Fortune 500s.

Section Editor, Content Marketing

Providence Media

Providence Media publishes four monthly lifestyle magazines. 

I edited four print magazines per month, which entailed: 

- Community-based listening to understand trending topics
- Planning issues and coming up with good stories to tell
- Managing the editorial calendar
- Assigning work to freelance writers
- Writing cover lines, headlines, and articles
- Editing copy (I did all first round edits)
- Proofing copy

Assistant Editor

Collaborative for Educational Services

I led IEP meetings for incarcerated students ages 18-22 and advocated for out-of-district students in DYS and DMH placements. In summer, I taught at DYS facilities.

Educational Team Liaison

Girls of Gold

I co-founded a scrap gold buying business. We purchased broken, unwanted gold jewelry at gold buying parties and re-sold it to a smelter.

Co-Founder

Kennedy-Donovan Center

I supervised individual home share placements.

Case Manager

Justice Resource Institute

I managed direct care workers at Meadowridge Academy, a residential school for students with behavioral difficulties and complex trauma histories.

Assistant Manager

I build and execute content marketing strategies for sales-led B2B SaaS startups that sell complex, enterprise-ready solutions.

Hey! You landed on my profile, which means one of three things:

1. You want to sell me something 
2. You know me in real life
3. You want to create better content

If you’re a two or three, make yourself comfortable — I'm happy you're here!

Looking for a director-level content pro who can help your B2B SaaS startup create content that builds loyal fans and drives business results?

I'm a builder, strategist, and doer. And I'm obsessed with metrics that matter, like: 

- Pipeline generation: I helped increase high-intent request demo leads by 102% in a year. 
- Revenue creation: One of my research report campaigns drove $680K in closed won revenue.
- Happiness quotient: I assume positive intent, lead with empathy, and try to be a joy to work with.

My 13+ year professional content marketing journey took me from writing a personal blog to leading a 12-person content marketing engine at The Predictive Index (an Inc. 5000 HR Tech startup). In January of 2022 I took a leap of faith and went out on my own as a Fractional Director of Content Marketing. 

Three-and-a-half years later, and I have codified my expertise into a repeatable system I use with clients:

🔮 The Bland to Bold Framework helps B2B marketers create content that stands out and builds trust — so they make it onto their ideal buyers’ Day One Lists. It breaks bold content down into four key elements: originality, novelty, proof, and depth. Each element is represented by its own spectrum. 

🔮 The Bland to Bold Content Assessment™ is a 27-question survey that allows me to measure a brand’s content for originality, novelty, proof, and depth. Each question represents one content marketing competency, and the output is a list of strengths and gaps. 

🔮 The Bland to Bold Blueprint is a customized action plan that outlines a path forward, based on your assessment results. (Lots of people think they need to create more content when really they need to take a step back and build a stronger foundation.)

🔮 Execution is where I roll up my sleeves and get shit done! Because an action plan is just words on a page.

If you've made it this far, why not say hello? 

To avoid any generic banana "I see we both work in advertising services" messages, let's play two truths and a lie. One of these statements is false:

- I've been held up at gunpoint.
- I've traveled to 10 countries this year.
- I've taken roadkill to the taxidermist. 

Have a great day (or have the day you deserve, depending on the circumstances)!

Content Marketing Consultant

I build and execute content marketing strategies for sales-led B2B SaaS startups that sell complex, enterprise-ready solutions. 

Unlike some strategists and agencies, I don't hand you a content strategy and say, "Best of luck!" I ensure your success by helping across four buckets:

▶ People 
▶ Process 
▶ Strategy
▶ Execution 

Learn more and read client testimonials at: hausofbold.com

Ashley Faus

Kogan Page Publishing

My book, "Human-Centered Marketing: How to Connect with Audiences in the Age of AI" features three frameworks to help marketers build trust and attract, convert, and retain customers.

Key messages:

-	Trust is the key: People buy from people they trust, and people trust people like themselves. As marketers, we need to build trust with our audience to win and re-win their hearts, minds, and wallets.

-	The human connection becomes more important in the age of AI, because more technology makes it harder to find people you can trust and make authentic connections.

-	The Playground mindset shift: Marketing needs to evolve to match the modern journey. It’s no longer about rushing people to a purchase, it’s about building trust and rapport for long-term value exchange.

-	The Social Media Spectrum (communication, conversation, community): Social media continues to evolve, but too many brands are still focused on driving and participating in conversation about the brand, instead of meeting the audience where they are and fostering community.

-	4 Pillars of Thought Leadership (credibility, profile, prolific, depth of ideas): Thought leadership helps build trust, but it’s not the only type of content or creator that you need in the marketing mix.

Author, "Human-Centered Marketing: How to Connect with Audiences in the Age of AI"

Atlassian

Head of Lifecycle Marketing, Portfolio

Director of Integrated Product Marketing

Product Marketing Lead, Software Teams Content 

Sr. Manager, Integrated Media

Sr. Corporate Communications Manager

Skyport Systems

Skyport Systems, acquired by Cisco, provides secure, hyperconverged infrastructure to modernize the DMZ, protect Active Directory, and secure legacy applications and remote branch operations.

Sr. Product Marketing Manager and Content Strategist

Palerra

Palerra, acquired by Oracle, pioneered the API-based Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB).

Sr. Manager, Content Strategy and Marketing Communications

Duarte, Inc.

Strategy and execution for all things marketing.

In addition to previous duties, manage budget, forecast, and annual planning for marketing strategy.

Sr. Marketing Manager

Manage a team of creative experts
Marketo integration, strategy, and execution
Analytics/KPI reporting and analysis
IP launches - Resonate multimedia, Slidedocs, Persuasive Presentations eCourse
Email campaigns, social media, and ad campaigns
Website branding and content updates
Editorial content strategy and execution
Executive presentations

Marketing Manager

Killick Aerospace

Killick Aerospace encompasses several companies that provide engine maintenance, accessory maintenance, airframe support, and parts and engine sales to the aviation industry. I oversaw the marketing activities for all companies in the Killick Aerospace portfolio. My duties include, but are not limited to:

Work with management and IT department for requirements gathering, implementation and documentation of CRM strategy 

Manage 3rd party programmer to update company websites, content manager for company websites

Manage relationships with outside vendors including designers and promotional representatives 

Coordinate all aspects of trade show exhibits, including marketing collateral, shipments, promotional items, and travel logistics

Co-creator and co-manager for print advertising budget

Track and measure success of marketing activities, including website traffic/SEO, referral lead source, and email campaigns

Marketing Coordinator

UserTesting.com

I helped research and implement a social media strategy, including Twitter and reaching out to bloggers. I also helped with customer service.

Independent Contractor

Solar Designs, Inc

Account manager for the company’s largest project, a commercial solar installation, worth $150,000

Improved profit margin by 5% through bulk-price negotiations with supplier

Grew affiliate partnerships from 2 to over 50 within 8 months, used direct Marketing to offer qualified leads and guaranteed revenue to new partners

Increased revenue opportunity by creating a training package for installers

Strategic analysis of customer and installer needs, led to over-hauling information-gathering form and presentation of final customer proposal

Wrote proposals with details about solar system design, environmental impact, and financial implications including up-front costs, rebates, ROI, and payback

OpenTech Media, Inc.

Research, layout, and copy for corporate brochure and website to present a more cohesive message to customers

Virion Interactive Agency

Competitive analysis, post-project analysis, client invoicing and work order processing

Account Management Intern

Director of Integrated Product Marketing, Atlassian

Marketer, writer, speaker by day... singer, actor, fitness fiend by night!

I've handled all aspects of marketing strategy and execution, from product marketing, to demand-gen, to content and events. I love telling the high-level stories that resonate with an audience and connecting the dots between types of assets and distribution channels.

My writing has been published on TIME, Forbes, The Journal of Brand Strategy, and The Muse, and I've spoken on various marketing topics for INBOUND, Harvard Business Review, and MarketingProfs.

Visit https://ashleyfaus.com/ for more information about my book, "Human-Centered Marketing: How to Connect with Audiences in the Age of AI".

(Views are my own)

When you're friends with smart marketers, you feature each other as an example when you write a book 😀

Devin Bramhall released her book recently, and she featured my Playground framework.

I released my book in May, and I featured her community work from her time at Help Scout.

Per usual, there's a blooper pic if you swipe through 😂

Buy "Human-Centered Marketing": https://amzn.to/480QQLI

Buy "B2B Content Marketing Strategy": https://amzn.to/4i3SLne

(Thanks to MarketingProfs B2B Forum for the cozy background and in-person photo opp 😊)

Head of Lifecycle Marketing, Portfolio at Atlassian

You do NOT need more assets.


You need better distribution.

That's it.
That's the post.

(Ok, one more thing: grab a copy of my book, "Human-Centered Marketing: How to Connect with Audiences in the Age of AI" if you want tactical advice on how to build an audience journey that scales and converts)

I don't have many rituals before I step onstage to speak.

But I DO love my glitter face mask tradition 😀

Excited to speak about building trust in the buyer's journey MarketingProfs B2B Forum this morning, 10:20am EST!

Grateful for another award for my book, "Human-Centered Marketing: How to Connect with Audiences in the Age of AI" 🎉

Need a gift for yourself or a marketer you love? Get 40% through December 1st!

Grab a copy: https://lnkd.in/eJWZHRF8

Need some light reading en route to allllll the Thanksgiving dinners?

Free sneak peeks:

Thought leadership: https://lnkd.in/eXCZ2qPf

Buyer's journey playground: https://lnkd.in/esQDz9EK

Congrats to all the winners: https://lnkd.in/emxkNFZ2

When I was VERY early in my career, I had to make an expensive decision on behalf of the business.

I was SO worried about it!

Tons of money.
Literally minutes to make the choice.
No time to call my boss for approval.

I decided to spend the money, and trusted that my boss would be ok with it once I finally talked with her.

Y'all... It was paying $50 for valet parking.

But at that time in my life, $50 for parking seemed absurd.

At that time in my career, I wasn't well-versed in how businesses expenses and vendor agreements worked.

And I was genuinely worried about confirming with a vendor that they could pay $50 for valet parking because they were running late to film a customer testimonial during a big conference.

My boss was thrilled that I made the decision to spend the $50 on faster parking vs. potentially losing the filming slot with the customer.

Now as a seasoned marketer, I cringe at my younger self, thinking how silly it was for me to even worry about $50 valet parking. 

OF COURSE that is a no-brainer call!

But... does your team know when it's a no-brainer decision? 

Do they trust that their leaders will back them up when they need to make real-time "expensive" choices?

Do they have a framework for when to escalate?

If you're rolling your eyes at folks making bad calls, it's worth taking a step back to understand whether they have context and trust to make good calls.

Because it's ACTUALLY expensive to do things cheap.

"Which bakery did this come from?"

"Wait, YOU made these!?!"

"You should open a bakery..."

People say this to me frequently when I bring treats to the office, the theater, birthdays, etc.

There's some AMAZING commercial-scale bakeries out there, AMAZING home bakers out there, and everything in between (including my amateur baker status).

After baking treats and buying treats over the years, I've started applying my marketing nerdery to the questions of perception, compliments, trust, etc. in this space.

And so, I'm curious...

In the comparison below, which option would you pay more for?

How much would you pay for a dozen of the cupcakes shown in the picture?

Assume that each option has comparable cost of goods sold, etc. to not bias the results too much, and you can make whatever assumptions you want about where the cupcakes came from, who took the pictures, if they're AI-generated vs. human, etc.

Please nerd out with me about the intersection of my baking hobby and my marketing brain 😋

"When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure." - Goodhart's Law

I've been on a bit of a metrics and attribution kick lately, and I talked a bit about Goodhart's Law in my conversation with 🍁 Glenn Schmelzle on the Funnel Reboot podcast.

The heart of it is something that marketers continually struggle with...

We know we gotta measure.
But we know we can't measure everything.
And without everything, it kinda feels like we have nothing.

The problem is that we're so focused on capturing every. little. detail. in a way that we can easily show in a dashboard, but we miss the big opportunities that actually help people move through a buying process.

We talked about the core frameworks in my book that help you do just that: create a journey that helps the HUMANS make decisions, take action, and solve their problems (and yep, drive revenue for your business)!

Hear the full episode: https://lnkd.in/emxHSDgk

Grab a copy of the book: https://amzn.to/480QQLI

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Erin Balsa

Ashley Faus

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The Battle

Erin Balsa

Ashley Faus

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Ashley Faus's LinkedIn Performance

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