
Women In Marketing 2020 Edition ft. Cassandra Craven from Helium 10
Women have a natural ability to see the bigger picture and work cross-functionally with other departments and leadership teams. Women understand customer values, instincts, and rationale behind purchases.
Cassandra Craven
For this segment of Women In Marketing, we had a chat with Cassandra Craven who is Helium 10’s Social Media & Content Manager. With the advent of AI, Cassandra shares with us why automation tools are not only helpful but important especially in the martech context. Oh, and by the way, she’s a huge Prince fan! Let’s dive in.
LET’S GET PERSONAL
WHERE WERE YOU BORN? WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FONDEST MEMORIES?
Anaheim, California. My fondest memories are at “The Happiest Place on Earth,” Disneyland.
SHOW OFF TO OUR READERS. ANY HIDDEN TALENTS YOU CAN SHARE WITH US? A CLARINET STAR IN THE MAKING PERHAPS?
I’m pretty keen at pop culture trivia.
WE WOULD ALL LOVE TO WIN THE LOTTERY RIGHT? IF YOU WON $10 MILLION TOMORROW, WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH YOUR FORTUNE?
Travel the world, invest it, and buy my dream home.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MEAL? THAT ONE MEAL YOU WOULDN’T SHARE WITH ANYONE!
Sushi!
WHAT MADE YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THE WORLD OF MARKETING? WHAT PARTICULAR MOMENT IN TIME PUSHED YOU TO PURSUE THIS CAREER? AFTER ALL, WE ALL WANTED TO BE DOCTORS GROWING UP, RIGHT?
Great point, doctors seemed to be the only thing on the menu when it came to aspirational jobs lol.
I always wanted to work in journalism and pursued a career in it originally with the goals of being a KTLA News Anchor. My love of pop culture and growing up a 90’s Nickelodeon kid made me want to pursue a career in Entertainment Communications and Marketing. I fell into the world of Social Media through a Disney/Nickelodeon internship and realized I loved to bring all the pieces together and create a 360 approach to promotion.
IF YOU COULD BE ANY ANIMAL IN THE WORLD, WHAT ANIMAL WOULD YOU BE AND WHY?
A lion, all my best friends are Leo’s and who doesn’t want to be the king of the jungle?
WHAT’S THE MOST INTERESTING THING ABOUT YOU THAT WE WOULDN’T LEARN FROM YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE ALONE?
I have been fortunate enough to have experienced various places and events – many once in a lifetime in terms of travel, people, happenings, timing, and right place / right time.
ENTERING THE WORKPLACE
GIVE US A SNEAK PEEK OF HOW YOU TYPICALLY START YOUR DAY. ARE YOU #TEAMCOFFEE OR #TEAMTEA? OR BOTH? YOU BEAUTIFUL REBEL!
#TeamCoffee all the way! I don’t mind starting my day with a vanilla or caramel blend hot coffee from home, but when I know it’s going to be a long day or I want to start my day off right with an extra perk, I go for the McDonald’s caramel iced coffee.
HOW BEST DO YOU STRIKE A WORK-LIFE BALANCE?
Sometimes I don’t and lately, I haven’t been. Quarantine and COVID WFH life have made it more difficult, especially because I love what I do, so working doesn’t always feel like work, but I need to do better at shutting down my laptop and indulging in activities I have been putting off – gardening, cleaning, organizing, or getting into a good movie or Netflix series.
YOU OBTAINED YOUR BACHELOR’S OF ARTS IN COMMUNICATIONS AND ENTERTAINMENT STUDIES FROM CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY-FULLERTON (GIRL YOU FANCY!). ACCORDING TO GLASSDOOR, IT HAS BECOME SEEMINGLY EASIER TO APPLY TO WORK FOR COMPANIES LIKE GOOGLE, APPLE AND STARBUCKS AS THEY DO NOT REQUIRE APPLICANTS TO HAVE A DEGREE. HOW CAN YOUNG WOMEN UTILISE THE INTERNET TO UPSKILL THEMSELVES PARTICULARLY IF THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO OBTAIN A FORMAL EDUCATION?
A powerful story and point of view would be the best way to leverage yourself in the career force without formal education. If you have a natural skill or passion for a certain industry do what you can to make the dream come true now with or without it being your job title. If you enjoy writing start a blog, love to be on camera? Start a YouTube channel.
Think you know #Helium10?
— Helium 10 (@Helium_10) October 7, 2020
Now’s your chance to prove it and get certified.https://t.co/xPfVYO7iiP
JOB HOPPING IS A COMMON PHENOMENA ESPECIALLY IN THE DYNAMIC WORLD OF ADVERTISING AND MARKETING. WHAT’S YOUR OPINION ON JOB HOPPING? DOES IT HURT OR AID ONE’S CAREER?
I started in entertainment television production, so job-hopping was the nature of the game. But loyalty always looks good on a resume but doesn’t determine a person’s work ethic or skill set. It does show that this person wasn’t willing to settle for a job they didn’t like or want. I think millennials and gen-z are making this a more common practice now.
FOR OUR INTERVIEW WITH YAEL TAMAR FROM SOLIDBLOCK, SHE REMARKED THAT WOMEN ARE MOST LIKELY TO OCCUPY THE CMO ROLE AS COMPARED TO THEIR MALE COUNTERPARTS. WITH WOMEN CONTROLLING OVER $20 TRILLION IN GLOBAL SPENDING, WHY HAS IT BECOME INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE FEMALE CMOS IN YOUR OPINION?
Women have a natural ability to see the bigger picture and work cross-functionally with other departments and leadership teams. Women understand customer values, instincts, and rationale behind purchases. Women can tap into the psyche better than men and figure out what makes their customers tick.
SYSTEMS AROUND REMOTE WORK AND VIDEO CONFERENCING ARE INCREASINGLY BECOMING STAPLE IN MOST ORGANISATIONS. ACCORDING TO VISUAL CAPITALIST, ZOOM IS NOW WORTH MORE THAN THE 7 BIGGEST AIRLINES IN THE WORLD AT A WHOPPING MARKET CAPITALIZATION OF JUST OVER $40BN. SUFFICE TO SAY, REMOTE WORKING IS AN ASPECT OF MODERN-DAY WORK THAT HAS BEEN LONG OVERDUE. IN YOUR OPINION, WHY HAVE MOST ORGANISATIONS STRUGGLED TO CONVERT TO THIS WAY OF WORK?
I think it has to do with old school/new school dynamics. There were/are still enough upper management / those in leadership positions who believe in the old way of working from a desk from 9-5. I also believe that this way of thinking carried on far longer due to shared workspaces like We Work, giving millennials and gen-z the allure of “have fun at work” – there’s a ping pong table or bar carts. That’s all well and good, but nothing can compare to the freedom of waking up and working at your pace in your home space.
REMOTE WORK HAS COME WITH ITS OWN SET OF CHALLENGES, PARAMOUNT TO THIS IS THE FACT THAT EMPLOYEES ARE NOW ‘ALWAYS ON’ WITH WORK CARRYING OVER EVEN BEYOND WORKING HOURS. IN YOUR OPINION, HOW CAN ORGANISATIONS MANAGE THIS BETTER TO PROTECT THE WELLBEING OF THEIR EMPLOYEES?
I don’t think it’s about providing happy hours or fun zoom backgrounds anymore, now I think organizations should provide more paid time off as well as set stricter boundaries with after work hours communications.
STORYTELLING SEEMS TO BE THE NEXT RISING BUZZWORD. WHAT’S THE Helium 10 STORY? HOW ARE YOU TELLING IT IN AN INTERESTING WAY?
For this, I would say one of our strongest attributes as a company is our ability to connect with people in a real and meaningful way. We truly are friends and colleagues inside and out of Helium 10, this enables us to talk with influencers on a personal level and learn about how they got to where they are today, where they want to go, their successes and their struggles.
COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS
BCG PUBLISHED ITS INNOVATION REPORT FOR 2020 AND AT THE CORE OF ITS SELECTION CRITERIA ARE COMPANIES THAT HAVE SUCCESSFULLY MARRIED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THEIR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES. ACCORDING TO YOU, WHAT MAKES SOMETHING INNOVATIVE? HOW DO YOU DEFINE INNOVATION AT Helium 10?
What makes something innovative is its ability to redefine the way we as a society do something, whether that communicates, travel, work, deliver, etc. An innovative product has got to be a game-changer. At Helium 10 we are helping people redefine the way they live.
We provide a suite of software, tools, features, and resources for Amazon sellers to help scale their business. This has the potential to change the game for the way people earn a living, spend time with their family and friends, see things they never could have otherwise.
AT THE TIME OF PUBLISHING, THE DIGITAL MARKETING INSTITUTE ESTIMATED THAT THE INFLUENCER MARKETING INDUSTRY WILL HIT THE $10BN MARK BY 2020. WHETHER B2B OR B2C, IT’S EVIDENT THAT BRANDS AND ORGANISATIONS HAVE HAD THEIR SUCCESS WITH THIS MODEL OF MARKETING. HOW WILL THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AFFECT THIS INDUSTRY GOING FORWARD AND DO YOU BELIEVE THERE IS STILL A PLACE FOR INFLUENCER MARKETING?
100%! People are being influenced now more than ever, I don’t have any hard stats on this, but I’m sure an influencer started the sourdough bread baking phenomenon of 2020. People are either looking to influencers to emulate their way of life or aspire to it. Influencer marketing isn’t going anywhere, it just may be shifting to fit the needs and climate of society.
ANY RECENT/UPCOMING INFLUENCER MARKETING CAMPAIGNS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE FROM Helium 10?
One of my favorite influencer initiatives we have ever done has to be our HQ tours and Seller Talk Series on YouTube, Facebook and IGTV. At Helium 10 (pre-COVID), we would invite sellers to tour our headquarters in Irvine, California, take fun photos, tour the office space, partake in our famous Tequila room. Part of the experience was recording a podcast for the Serious Sellers Podcast and being interviewed for the Seller Talk Series.
I learned so much about our members, affiliates, and influencers on a personal and professional level. It’s still inspiring me every day.
WHAT’S YOUR SMARTEST WORK-RELATED SHORTCUT OR PRODUCTIVITY HACK?
Getting a head start on projects! If you can hit the ground running and accomplish the tasks at hand before your deadlines, then it feels as if you’ve been given the gift of time. I would also recommend automating as much as you can when it comes to reporting and analytics. Lean into the automated services, software, and tools that can provide the necessary materials for you and your team.
2020 AND BEYOND
WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING? (WHAT DO YOU READ, AND HOW DO YOU CONSUME INFORMATION? PAPERBACK VS EREADER?)
Nothing compares to a real book. I am currently reading ‘The Most Beautiful: My Life with Prince‘ By Mayte Garcia. I am a huge Prince fan and love learning the details of his life and journey. I generally consume my information for work or industry trends through social media – I love Twitter for news and updates, some of my favorite outlets are Entrepreneur, INC. and Buzzfeed.
WHAT IS ON YOUR NETFLIX WATCHLIST?
I just finished ‘Ratched” – hands-down one of the best shows I have ever seen. Everything about it was so wonderfully done and I can’t get my mind off it. It’s so good, I might rewatch!
AS WE LEARN TO LIVE WITH COVID19 IF YOU COULD REPLACE THE HANDSHAKE AS A FORM OF GREETING, WHAT INTERESTING NEW GREETING WOULD YOU INTRODUCE?
I always loved the East Asian form of greeting, bowing. I think it is respectful and formal for both men and women and can be used in an array of circumstances among all groups.
WHO HAVEN’T YOU SEEN OR TALKED TO IN A LONG TIME AND HOPE THEY ARE DOING OKAY?
I try not to overcomplicate life, if I miss someone, I give them a call. Right now, I talk to and communicate with everyone who crosses my mind and has an impact on my life and wellbeing; personally and professionally.
A UNIQUE MESSAGE FOR ALL YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN THE MARKETING INDUSTRY
Never lose your positive attitude or who you are at heart. Upon finishing my first internship in Burbank, California, my mentor said those words to me and I have never forgotten them.
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR YOUNGER SELF?
Things have a way of working themselves out. Be patient and give time to things you want most, everything happens for a reason.
WHAT CHALLENGE IS ON YOUR PLATE? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PAIN POINTS YOU ARE TRYING TO OVERCOME IN YOUR LIFE WHETHER PROFESSIONALLY, PERSONALLY OR BOTH?
My current challenge now is getting out of the COVID-19 rut. I find myself week after week slipping back into the same day to day habits and not breaking them up. I want to focus more on myself and my long-term goals (personally and professionally), being in social media the two blend together so much and now more than ever with WFH life.
WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR AWESOME WOMEN IN MARKETING TO PROFILE. WHO WOULD YOU LIKE US TO INTERVIEW IN FUTURE?
My fellow #bossbabe at Helium 10, Karyn Thomas:
ANY BUCKET LIST ITEMS (PROFESSIONAL AS WELL AS PERSONAL)?
I am currently aspiring to take my professional goals to the next level. I want to start my network and consulting agency. I also want to live a life of leisure – travel the world in style, be cosy at home with all the comforts, etc.
WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FEMALE HEROES?
Number 1, my mother! She was a #bossbabe long before me and I hope that I can live up to all that she has done in her life and career. I also look to women in business and entertainment who never settle for anything less than their worth and aren’t afraid to be themselves. Knowing who you are and leveraging it is the smartest business decision a woman can make.
HOW CAN PEOPLE FOLLOW YOUR COMPANY ON SOCIAL MEDIA?
Helium 10 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helium10software/
Tweet with us: https://twitter.com/Helium_10
Join us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/helium10/

