The Product IS the Marketing: Lessons from Authentic’s Growth Lead

In this episode of Marketing Front Lines, we speak with Bobby Vo, Head of Growth at Authentic. Authentic is transforming commercial insurance through embedded solutions for vertical SaaS platforms, franchisors, and affinity groups. Bobby shares his journey building a growth strategy from scratch at a Series A insurtech startup, redefining partner enablement in a traditionally commoditized industry, and creating product-led experiences that drive word-of-mouth adoption despite the challenges of marketing insurance products.

Topics Discussed:

• Building trust with partners through hands-on product demos and visualization
• Creating a two-pronged education strategy targeting both partners and end customers
• Developing a content strategy focused on case studies and white papers
• Implementing platform-centric marketing rather than relying solely on traditional channels
• Finding marketing inspiration from consumer brands outside the B2B space
• Navigating prioritization challenges as the sole marketing leader in a Series A startup

 

Lessons For B2B Marketers:

• Look Beyond Traditional Customer Feedback: Instead of blindly following customer requests, learn to interpret the underlying needs. As Bobby explains, "It's not just blindly listening to whatever your customers say. It's reading between the lines and understanding what's going to drive value for them." This approach helps you solve problems customers may not even realize they have.
• Make Your Platform the Marketing Centerpiece: Resist the temptation to rely solely on traditional marketing channels like email. "Marketing can't just solve all your problems. You have to use your platform as a way to market," Bobby advises. The most effective B2B marketing leverages the product experience itself to demonstrate value and drive adoption.
• Build Partner Enablement Through Visualization: When working with partners who will represent your product, prioritize "seeing is believing" education. Bobby's approach centers on visual learning: "Make sure your partners are able to speak to the product by themselves without us in the room." Equip partners with demos, customer testimonials, and tangible evidence they can use independently.
• Adapt Marketing Strategies to Partner Communication Styles: What works for one partner may fail with another. Bobby learned that "if partners are used to talking through their app, an email is going to come off as spam." Study how your partners communicate with their customers and align your marketing approach accordingly.
• Find Inspiration Outside Your Industry: The most innovative B2B marketing ideas often come from consumer brands. Bobby draws inspiration from Trader Joe's and Celsius—companies that transform commodities into cult followings through exceptional experiences rather than traditional advertising. "I love word of mouth, deep customer experience," he notes, seeking ways to apply these principles to B2B insurance.
• Use AI as a Thought Partner, Not Just a Content Generator: Bobby uses ChatGPT not to produce finished content but to quickly test hypotheses: "I use it to arrive at answers quickly... as a thought partner rather than a content generator." This approach helps him "spit out the bad pancake" early and refine his thinking faster.
• Embrace Strategic Failure in Early-Stage Growth: In a Series A environment, you won't have all the answers. Bobby recommends optimizing for speed and learning: "Try to optimize your speed to trying something, then fail and get the lessons quickly." Don't get trapped in analysis paralysis—determine what's "good enough" to test and iterate from there.

 

 

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Sponsors:

Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership.

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The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. 

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