An interview with Kirk Deis, Senior Growth Marketing Manager at Skydio
We sit down with Kirk Deis, Senior Growth Marketing Manager at Skydio. Skydio is the leading U.S. drone manufacturer and world leader in autonomous flight. Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirkdeis
How did you end up at Skydio and what problem does Skydio solve for its clients?
I joined Skydio after being approached by a recruiter on LinkedIn. Prior to that, I held a position as the head of the marketing department at a national distribution company. With a deep-rooted passion for flying drones, I was instantly captivated by Skydio, an American drone manufacturer, when I researched their brand. The possibilities it offered completely amazed me. Skydio addresses several crucial issues, namely time efficiency, cost savings, and even the preservation of lives.
As the Senior Growth Marketing Manager, what are your main responsibilities at Skydio?
My main responsibilities include developing and executing growth strategies, overseeing marketing campaigns, analyzing data and metrics, identifying opportunities for customer acquisition and retention, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to drive business growth.
How do you lead your team to organize and improve the marketing-sales process to increase sales and enhance the customer experience?
I dedicate significant time and effort to establish a solid foundation in my work. I firmly believe in leveraging project management tools, efficient processes, and cutting-edge technologies such as AI to streamline our operations. In terms of customer interactions, my constant focus is on comprehending their digital journey, extracting meaningful data, and devising innovative approaches to enhance their experience.
At ColdFire, when we look at our clients' Marketing and Advertising strategies, they vary greatly. Some have found a single, scalable client acquisition process while others thrive on a mix of top-of-funnel strategies. How would you summarize the overarching revenue-focused strategy of Skydio, and what key elements does it encompass?
At Skydio, a primary area of emphasis lies in offering customer education and actively listening to their feedback. The insights gained from engaging with customers and participating in customer calls are immensely valuable. By harnessing this information and incorporating it into product development, marketing campaigns, and webinars, we unlock an inexhaustible resource. I highly recommend tapping into this valuable source of knowledge.
What is an efficient marketing technique that you've implemented at Skydio or previous companies, which you believe is underutilized by most management teams - and why do you think that is?
In my observation, many companies tend to overlook the essence of SEO and make it unnecessarily complex. Impatience often arises when immediate results are not achieved. To address this, my recommendation is to simplify the approach by dividing it into two key components: onsite and offsite SEO. By developing a comprehensive strategy that addresses both aspects equally, you are more likely to witness significant results over time.
Has your Marketing team experimented with some kind of cold outbound strategy (like cold email)? If yes what was the general outcome and if no, why not?
During my tenure as the head of an Ad Agency, potential clients would ask me if they should invest in email marketing. I would start by asking them to raise their hand if they had a Facebook account, which would result in most hands being raised. Then, I would inquire about their possession of a Twitter account, resulting in a few hands going down. Finally, I would ask if they had an email address, and without fail, every hand would shoot up. Even my grandmother has an email address. Email marketing is an invaluable resource that deserves significant investment of resources.
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