Send This To Your CEO

Branding in the Fast Lane: When (and How) to Move Quickly

Sam Grise — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 12:54:42 +0000

In this Office Hours Live edition of Send This to Your CEO, Tyler Jacobson, Matt Gillespie, and Aaron Rosenbluth tackle a question that many B2B leaders wrestle with: When is it okay to rush a brand or rebrand?

From exploring the impact of AI and rapid market shifts to identifying when to prioritize strategy over visual identity, this energized discussion uncovers the nuances of building a brand at high speed without sacrificing authenticity or connection. The team debates the pros and cons of expedited branding in both B2B and B2C contexts — touching on public brand backlash (looking at you, Cracker Barrel) and the importance of tone, positioning, audience insight, and even booth design at trade shows.

Whether you’re a startup sprinting to market or an established brand navigating a merger or market shift, this episode offers sharp insights — along with a few laughs — to guide your next move.

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The Latest Trends in Marketing, Social Media, and Web

Sam Grise — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 12:05:39 +0000

In this episode of 4B Marketing’s Office Hours Live, Tyler Jacobson, Matt Gillespie, and Aaron Rosenbluth explore the latest marketing, social media, and web trends shaping the industry. The team dives into how brands should think differently about marketing during economic downturns, why rebrands spark both attention and controversy, and the growing role of “unhinged” content in the attention economy. They also tackle the impact of AI-generated content, what it means for authenticity in creative work, and the surprising rise of older demographics on TikTok.

From Cracker Barrel’s rebrand backlash to Liquid Death’s influence on brand edginess, the conversation highlights both the risks and opportunities marketers face in today’s landscape. Whether you’re navigating budget cuts, testing bold creative, or evaluating new platforms, this episode is packed with insights on how to stay ahead while keeping your brand authentic

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Unlocking Channel Growth with Insider Secrets From Top-Performing Partner Programs

Sam Grise — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 11:03:09 +0000

Partner ecosystems are evolving, and savvy marketers are adapting to them.

In today’s go-to-market reality, it’s not enough to rack up leads or partner logos. What matters is how well you align the right partners to the right customer profiles and how efficiently your efforts drive actual impact, not just activity.

In this conversation, Sam Grise, 4B Marketing Director of Strategy, connects with Julie Crescenti Heck, Head of Global Partner Marketing at Ordr, to discuss modern partner marketing strategies, real sales alignment, AI-driven insights, and building mutual trust across channel programs.

Julie brings perspective from both sides of the aisle—sales and marketing—and from roles at EMC, VMware, and now Ordr.

Together, she and Sam unpack the future of partner enablement, the need for tighter ecosystem focus, and why trust and simplicity are more valuable than ever.

It’s an honest, experience-backed discussion that any partner marketer, channel strategist, or tech seller will find valuable.

Finding the Joy and Value in Social Media for B2B Brands and Businesses

Sam Grise — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 11:51:02 +0000

B2B Social media often carries a reputation for being bland and overtly professional. The reputation is warranted. After all, we’ve been trained to ignore the waterfall of boring, corporate content labeled “thought leadership” in our LinkedIn feeds.

Embracing personality and creativity on social platforms significantly enhances audience engagement and deepens connections. When B2B social media breaks away from the conventional corporate mold, there’s a valuable shift. Humor, relatability, and a conversational style capture attention and build trust and loyalty. So loosen up and don’t fear becoming just a little unhinged.

This approach turns social media from a simple broadcasting channel into a dynamic space for meaningful interaction and engagement, highlighting its role in business growth and innovation. It’s also fun to create and manage.

This episode, featuring 4B Marketing Director of Content Aaron Rosenbluth, 4B’s Social Media Designer and Manager SJ Gingras, and 4B Director of Strategy Sam Grise, uncovers the reasons to move away from a staid, tiresome approach to B2B social and into something far more interesting.

The $1,000 Click: What the Most Expensive Search Term in America Means for Your Business

Sam Grise — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 12:45:29 +0000

Discover the eye-opening reality behind the most expensive paid search term in the U.S.—and why this insight matters for every business, no matter your industry. In this high-impact episode, the 4B Marketing leadership team breaks down what’s really at stake in today’s digital ad landscape, revealing the hidden costs of inaction and the strategic advantages of smart search investments.

What You’ll Learn:

The exact search term costing over $1,000 per click
Why this matters even if you’re in a completely different industry
The unseen cost of not showing up where your customers are searching
Key strategic insights from seasoned digital marketing experts

Featured Experts:Aaron Rosenbluth – Director of ContentMatt Gillespie – VP of CreativeTyler Jacobson – Director of Marketing

If your business isn’t investing in visibility where buying decisions are made, you’re leaving the door wide open for competitors. This episode goes beyond expensive keywords—it’s a wake-up call about the real cost of being invisible in search.

Forget What You Know About Tech Channel Marketing and MDF

Sam Grise — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 10:27:27 +0000

Marketing in the tech channel has evolved, and relying on traditional MDF (Market Development Funds) to drive results doesn’t cut it anymore.

The old days of using MDF as your primary marketing engine are gone, replaced by the need for more creative, strategic approaches.

Today, it’s not enough to simply cash in on MDF dollars and pump out generic content. You need to build long-term relationships, define your unique value proposition (UVP), and supplement MDF with your own marketing efforts. Creativity and strategic investment are critical to standing out and driving genuine results in this new landscape.

Understanding how MDF fits into this new reality—and how to use it effectively—can be the difference between barely getting by and dominating your space.

Successful tech marketers are finding ways to supplement MDF with their own marketing resources, focusing on customer relationships and brand awareness and creating authentic, targeted content that speaks to their audience’s unique needs.

Panel:

Sam Grise, Director of Strategy, 4B Marketing

Tyler Jacobson, Director of Marketing, 4B Marketing

Aaron Rosenbluth, Director of Content, 4B Marketing

AI’s Role in Revolutionizing the Tech Channel’s Future

Sam Grise — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 11:03:46 +0000

A discussion on how AI is reshaping the tech landscape.

We recently hosted a webinar featuring Tom Brunn, VP of Channels at Vation Ventures, and Troy Cogburn, Chief Technology Evangelist at Vation Ventures, alongside our host and Director of Strategy, Sam Grise. The trio discussed Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its significant impact on the tech channel, exploring every facet of the topic.

The conversation covered how AI is a business game-changer, not just a trendy term. It’s transforming everything from data center operations to how companies engage with customers.

Our panelists shared their experiences and insights on using AI in their work, pointing out both the opportunities and the challenges. They discussed why having a solid game plan for AI is vital for any tech-focused business that wants to stay ahead.

They also explored AI’s practical applications, like boosting business efficiency and shaking up industries with fresh innovations.

Finding (and Filling) Cybersecurity Jobs in 2025

Sam Grise — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 12:12:43 +0000

The cybersecurity sector continues to evolve rapidly, creating a job market poised for significant growth in 2025. Sam Grise, 4B Marketing Director of Strategy, recently sat down with Brad Rager, CEO and Founder of Crux, to discuss practical strategies for people trying to enter the cybersecurity job market in 2025.

Redefining Engagement and Innovation in Tech through Content and Social Media

Sam Grise — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 23:00:32 +0000

Recapping an excellent conversation that offered deep insights and practical strategies.

On May 1st, 2024, IT leaders gathered online for an episode that went beyond the typical discourse on social media’s role in the tech industry.

The episode featured 4B’s Director of Strategy, Sam Grise, 4B Director of Content, Aaron Rosenbluth, and SkyFi’s Director of Marketing, Tom Babb, who discussed the landscape of digital content creation and its crucial impact on business strategy for the tech channel.

The episode provided more than just theory; it was a hands-on exploration of aligning social media efforts with overarching business goals.

The trio discussed the importance of brand awareness and how social media validates business credibility. They also discussed the reality of constant testing and experimentation in social media, highlighting that sometimes businesses must get uncomfortable and throw brand guidelines out the window. Challenges like content volume management and outreach effectiveness were tackled, emphasizing the necessity for flexibility and innovation in strategy execution.

The session highlighted the power of internal buy-in and engagement, encouraging employee participation to magnify reach and authenticity. Additionally, the integration of AI tools was discussed, explaining their role in amplifying content creation while acknowledging the irreplaceable value of the human touch in maintaining relatability.

The episode’s core message was that in the fast-evolving tech sector, strategic, engaging, and human-centric content is the key to an impactful social media presence.

Defining Your Difference: Finding Your Genuine Edge to Shorten Your Sales Cycle

Sam Grise — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 11:58:43 +0000

In today’s competitive tech sales environment, standing out isn’t just an advantage—it’s a necessity. But how can you cut through the noise and truly differentiate yourself?

Join 4B Marketing’s Director of Strategy, Sam Grise, and “The Tech Sales Coach,” Dave Elsner, for an insightful episode that promises to highlight your uniqueness and leverage it for a swifter sales cycle.

Expect to learn:

Identifying and communicating your unique selling proposition effectively.
Implementing a consistent, repeatable sales process customized to your solutions.
Techniques for enhancing technical sales teams’ performance from SDR to Sales Engineers.
Strategies for improving engagement and nurturing leads through social selling and more.