Media Mavens: In conversation with Method & Motion
By: Ellie Larkin
Michelle Cinapri and Sarah Benteau started Method & Motion when they realized that small businesses and startups need a different marketing model. There are different needs at all stages of a business, and a CMO position isn’t always a possibility, so they found another way. Acting as fractional marketing managers, Sarah and Michelle start with strategy before bringing in the support of their trusted network to execute the plan. They focus on meeting their clients’ business goals through marketing tactics that are flexible and innovative.
We sat down with Michelle and Sarah to talk about getting into motion with their clients through on-demand marketing.
Cleo: How did Method & Motion come to be? Can you delve into what on-demand marketing means when it comes to your work?
Michelle: Before we started Method & Motion, we felt like there must be a better way to serve small businesses. Startups can struggle with marketing because they need a team but aren’t at the point of being able to hire one. So we wanted to offer a new solution so that they didn’t have to sacrifice their marketing needs because of their budget.
Sarah: On-demand marketing means doing work our clients need when and how they need it. Startups need flexibility for both strategy and implementation. On-demand marketing is flexible and helps grow with our clients. So often startups think they need just one thing, only to end up needing more. On-demand marketing allows us to identify that and move really quickly. Startups need multiple things that fit them, and our model allows us to help in many different ways.
Cleo: Since you work with many different types of clients, is there anything that you find similar across all of them? What does everyone need to get out of their marketing strategy, no matter their size or stage?
Michelle: What we typically find similar for our clients is that they know they need marketing support for strategy and execution but also know that it isn’t their expertise. Their superpower(s) are tied to what their business does, but they need marketing to bring awareness to that. Marketing is our superpower, so we bring that strategic thinking to them in the specific way they need it and as it changes and forms. You have to get deep to understand a brand and customer experience.
Sarah: No matter what the business is, it always comes down to the strategy to create a solid foundation for marketing and sales effort. That never changes no matter the size of the type of business - foundational work is needed to build out successful implementations. We built out a plan that can be executed effectively. Every penny a company spends is so important because some startups are pre-revenue or need to take time to achieve their goals and make money, so we need to be sure they’re making the best, most necessary moves.
Cleo: You both have had such diverse and interesting careers. What advice would you offer someone rising up in the marketing industry and trying to choose a direction for their future?
Michelle: Marketing trends are not one-size-fits-all. If you’re looking at current trends to dictate the future of your career, keep in mind that trends often change. For example, early on folks would look at social media and think that it’s all figured out, but it continues to evolve and change with new platforms and algorithm changes. Ask yourself what parts of the marketing process you enjoy - and better yet, set out to experience them all before deciding on your lane.
Sarah: Because marketing is so diverse and vast, it’s about finding the parts around the marketing landscape that fit you and what you love. There are so many different directions, but you’ll find it more fulfilling doing what you love. Don’t limit yourself.
Cleo: What do you find your clients often cite as their biggest challenges when it comes to marketing?
Michelle: When it comes to ambitious goals and a limited budget, the biggest challenge is deciding what to choose as a priority in order to create the greatest impact. It’s a difficult decision because the customer journey has a lot of touchpoints. The challenge becomes how to make a client’s budget go as far as possible in order to fit their goals. That’s often where we come in - we can help prioritize, making a step-by-step plan that utilizes the budget as the organization grows.
Sarah: People who are starting a business have invested lots of time and money into it, and they have really high hopes tied to it. Often, they don’t know how to go from that point to the point of making things happen. The other challenge is to align expectations with reality in order to achieve the best ROI.
Cleo: In your opinion, what kind of role does social media play in marketing?
Michelle & Sarah: It’s all about the buyer journey. Our marketing strategy touches on the tactics that make up the buyer journey. Social media is very important in the awareness stage of the journey, as a top of funnel tool, but social media touch points also happen across the buyer journey multiple times. It is the first step, but it is also an ongoing tactic to keep the audience and customers engaged.
Cleo: For our last question, we have a fun one - how do you two enjoy taking a break from work!?
Michelle: I have a healthy boundary with work, school and life. I spend time outside and with my dog. I also enjoy reading, yoga - really anything to keep my heart and brain healthy when I’m not working.
Sarah: We wanted to build a business that would support our life, not be our life. For entrepreneurs, there’s no traditional on-off switch. But we both love spending time with our dogs and taking time and space to have personal time in order to show up better for our clients