In this week's CMO Insights, we talk to Kristoffer Paldeak, CMO at the proptech company Mestro, about how a company navigates through an energy crisis, the advantages of being a CMO from the "creator side" and what marketing trends he sees ahead.
Krisftoffer's interest in media and advertising developed already in high school. An extra job as web editor for Clarion Hotel led to him being responsible for building up the digital marketing for the chain's new restaurant concept to be rolled out in the Nordics. Before that, he studied marketing, communication and psychology and worked as a freelance photographer for Foodora.
Today, he works as CMO at the proptech company Mestro. Mestro helps property owners make their properties sustainable. They collect, analyze and visualize sustainability data using educational graphs that anyone should be able to decipher.
And it is an exciting time for Mestro. Inflation, the electricity crisis, and climate disasters have caused property owners to rethink sustainability. Something that naturally benefited a company that wants to make properties more sustainable.
– When I started working at Mestro, no one talked about energy. Then fast forward to today, when energy equals sustainability. Previously, we had many private property owners as customers. Now, even the larger state companies have opened their eyes to us. More and more people have to start measuring their sustainability thanks to regulatory requirements, says Kristoffer.
“We have worked a lot on that – to build cooperation between market and sales”
Mestro operates in B2B. The target group is often a bit older than Kristoffer. When Kristoffer stepped into the role, he had to challenge himself and his ideas. He elaborates:
– When I joined Mestro, for example, I wanted to spend something other than a single kroner on print. However, I quickly understood that the target group was there. So now we run print. Otherwise, inbound leads are becoming more and more critical. The fact that those who come in that way have a need, some prior knowledge and concrete questions makes for a smoother and faster sales process. That's precisely what we've worked a lot on - to build cooperation between market and sales.
He continues:
– We spend a lot of time on our newsletter. It is one of our main channels. And we see that it gives results when we look at open rate, clicks and engagement. Additionally, our blog serves as a storefront where we seek to guide and teach through thought leadership content. We see that our content drives the business, and I have an advantage with my background as a creator, as I have a basic understanding of the craft itself. That, combined with the fact that we have a dedicated Content Manager, is crucial.
The CMO role is constantly evolving; today, it covers many disciplines. Kristoffer predicts that the role will become both more commercial and innovative in the future. He develops his reasoning:
– The CMO will have more influence over the customer journey, becoming a prominent part of the brand. Remember that every interaction with the company should be an experience in itself. In terms of innovation, many companies started in the same way that Halebop was a way for Telia to challenge itself and become more fun.
He continues:
– Our benchmarking report, "Energy in Buildings", was initially an initiative from the marketing department, which is now part of the roadmap in our product offering. We want to make Mestro a "campfire" from the industry.
Finally, Kristoffer shares his best tips and advice for future CMOs:
– Simplify everything you do. When I started at Mestro, I came from a large organization and thought eight A/B tests on our ads were no big deal. Of course, it won't be sustainable, and you need to be able to settle and prioritize. I'm wearing so many hats right now that there's much to gain from simplifying and adapting, depending on your organisation.
He continues:
– The role will only become more complicated and complex, so you must build a strategy to prioritize things or delegate.