Mike Troiano is the Chief Marketing Officer of Actifio, a fast-growing enterprise technology company changing the way customers around the world manage the data that is the lifeblood of their business.
Question 1: How do you define ‘digital strategy’?
“’Digital Strategy’ boils down to an explicit choice to leverage digital media in ways that are distinct from those of your competition. It should be sufficiently concrete to drive the prioritization of tactics, and sufficiently effective to deliver on your measurable objectives.’”
Question 2: As the CMO at a fast-moving company in the digital sector, what keeps you up at night?
“The gap between what I’m saying and what the organization is saying.
The conversation between your organization and the marketplace has always been distributed. Digital media tends to amp up that distribution, making it even harder to make sure you’re telling the same story at every point of contact with the market.
The most important part of my job is finding patterns in the dots of our successes and failures, and distilling our messaging based on what’s working and what isn’t in the real world. The stories that result need to be simple and effective, just to give us a fighting chance of speaking to the market with one voice.
What keeps me up at night is that rep way out in Whateverville, Randomstan who’s describing what we do in a way that’s different from the way we know works best. Just as speaking with one voice creates a virtuous cycle of brand development, fragmentation in our messaging has a way of creating noise that eventually drowns out the signal.”
Question 3: What kind of mobile device(s) do you have, and what are your three favorite apps?
“I made the switch to Android a while ago – the HTC One to be specific – and could never go back. Outside the Google apps (Gmail, Calendar, Drive and Keep), I probably use the social stuff (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) most, followed closely by Spotify.
I also have an iPad for those same apps, and a few more from Amazon (Kindle and Instant Video). I’m never without it, and am just about the point where I can travel without a laptop.”
Question 4: Why should people care about Actifio?
“We enable enterprises to access any of their application data, instantly, for up to 90% less than they’re paying today. We ‘virtualize’ their data – just like VMWare virtualized their servers – and in the process, free them from the tyranny of their own physical infrastructure.
I came to Actifio because I wanted to help create the next great enterprise technology brand. After 2 years, I’m more sure than ever that we are.”
Question 5: What advice do you have for aspiring digital professionals?
“Make friends with a sales guy.
Most digiphiles are afflicted with a crippling squeemishness when it comes to engaging real people, in person or even on the phone. In the end, digital technology and social platforms are important tools in making contact with new people and prospects, but getting those prospect to think, feel, or do something they don’t today takes the next level of human contact. In my experience, the folks who do that best are those ‘knuckleheads’ that are most resistant to twitter et al on the sales team. A relationship like that will end up helping both of you, and that’s really what it’s all about.
So, get out from behind your phone and go sell something to somebody.”
For more information about Michael Troiano, visit the Actifio website or follow him on Twitter (@miketrap).
