As a customer marketer, one of the most valuable resources I have is a strong network of other customer marketers. Through this community I’ve had the chance to meet so many amazing marketers who are facing the same challenges and are so generous with sharing their lessons learned.

Lucky for me, one of my favorite customer marketing friends also happens to be one of our best customers at G2 (they have over 2,000 reviews!)  Ari Hoffman, Senior Director of Customer Marketing at Amplitude, is someone I always enjoy chatting with, swapping stories, and discussing challenges.

So I was absolutely thrilled to have him join me on a recent LinkedIn Live event to discuss his career journey that led him to this new role at Amplitude, and his approach to fostering strong relationships (both internally and with customers), especially being new in his role.

Here are three key takeaways I noted from our conversation. 

1. Start small and build trust through listening

When Ari joined Amplitude, he knew building cross-functional partnerships inside his organization would be crucial to his success. But he didn’t come in “guns blazing” with a fixed plan. Instead, he took a “garage band” approach, starting small with one-on-one conversations to understand his teammates’ goals and priorities. 

Ari emphasized the importance of active listening, even recording calls to capture insights. He then used tools like ChatGPT to transcribe and synthesize the information, creating a listening tour to identify common themes and priorities across the organization. This allowed him to thoughtfully align his efforts with the needs of the business.

Whether you’re new to our team or looking to refresh your approach, these are good best practices to keep in mind to ensure you have the right foundation – through relationships and listening – to get your customer marketing program on the right track. 

2. Advocate for others to build your own reputation

As Ari expanded his internal network, he focused on actively advocating for his teammates. He made it a point to give public shoutouts and recognition, highlighting the great work his colleagues were doing. 

Not only does this help build trust and goodwill with your colleagues, but it also has a “contagious” effect. When you start publicly celebrating others, they’re more likely to return the favor and amplify your own contributions.

Ari also recommended creating formal programs to recognize top performers, using customer feedback to make them the “heroes of the story.” Ultimately, this creates positive visibility for customer marketing inside your organization, which will continue to fuel the flywheel and encourage others to participate because they see the value and output of this important work.  

3. Prioritize value realization over just delivering value

At the heart of Amplitude’s customer-centric culture is a focus on value realization – not just delivering value, but ensuring customers truly understand and recognize the benefits they’re receiving.

As Ari explained, “You can have a great customer experience, and still churn customers if they don’t realize the value.” That’s why Amplitude’s strategic objectives include “winning the category” – maintaining their position as a market leader, as evidenced by strong G2 reviews and ratings.

Ari shared how the company integrates G2 feedback throughout the organization, from sales enablement to leadership meetings. This helps keep the entire team aligned on customer needs and priorities. 

Whether you’re a seasoned customer marketing pro or just getting started, Ari’s insights offer valuable lessons on building trust, advocating for others, and truly delivering value to customers. By embracing these strategies, you can elevate your customer marketing efforts and drive meaningful impact for your organization. 

If you missed our live chat, you can catch it on-demand here.