Mariana Padilla is the founder and CEO at Red Lab Marketing and the co-founder of the Urban Farming Initiative.
Mariana has a passion for brand-building through strategic storytelling built on a deep understanding of her audience, their needs, and how best to reach them. Her marketing approach is built on empathy and creating authentic human connections.
We asked Mariana to share her perspective on B2B Marketing. Here’s what she had to say.
My outlook on marketing has been shaped by the idea that all marketing, no matter your audience or medium, needs to connect on a human level.
When brands can be human, your audience will feel like they are being spoken to, not talked at. In my experience working with clients across various industries, I’ve found the content that continually outperforms is content that people find relatable.
Remember, people don’t buy from companies. They buy from the people that work there. Be more human, and your brand will not only be memorable, but chances are, you will grow a loyal online following that will support your business for years to come.
Building Community By Feeding Communities
One of Mariana’s passion projects is her work as the co-founder of the Urban Farm Initiative. She explained how she got interested in urban farming and what her organization is doing to combat the effects of climate change while bringing communities together.
A few years ago, I was working with a client that was an early-stage climate startup. While I had always been passionate about combating climate change, I learned a lot about our food system and its flaws through that experience.
Commercial farming and agriculture are often terrible for the planet. But beyond this, with a rapidly-warming planet, the way we grow our food simply won’t be sustainable for much longer. Things like drought and extreme heat will kill crops and threaten our ability to feed ourselves.
To do my part and address this issue, I helped co-found the Urban Farming Initiative, or UFI. UFI aims to turn unused urban spaces into indoor farms and community hubs. We’re building an organization that can not only feed communities but will also bring people together.
Simplifying the Software Sales Process
We’re always interested in hearing what members of the Leadtail community are doing that excites them. We asked Mariana to share something she’s working on and what she’s learning from the experience.
I love this question! I was recently asked to join the advisory board for an early-stage startup called Kikrr. Kikrr is the cyber security industry’s first Software Democratization™ Platform that brings highly qualified buyers and software vendors together on a single easy-to-use Demos on Demand™ Cybersecurity platform.
I don’t know about you, but I do not love the software sales process. Getting on a sales call is tedious, and I often feel pressured to purchase things I don’t need. Kikrr aims to solve this by creating a try-before-you-buy model for security software.
I’m excited about this project because I love working with brands that reject the status quo and are shaking up industries.
In my role on the board, I’m helping to guide the creation of our brand from the ground up, which is really exciting to me. Plus, I get to work with a group of founders who are happy to let my creative juices flow and push boundaries with our brand identity and marketing.
I think the most significant learning from my experience so far is to ask questions. In my eyes, there’s no such thing as a dumb question! The more questions I ask, the faster I can learn and successfully do my job.
Instagram for B2B Brands
One of Mariana’s areas of expertise is Instagram marketing for B2B brands. She shared where she sees the platform going in the coming years and the opportunities she sees on the platform for the right B2B companies.
I love video because it gives brands a chance to be authentic and connect with their audience on a human level. As you may have heard, Instagram has prioritized Reels content to compete with TikTok. Now, while they may be dialing that back a bit, I’m still confident that the future of Instagram lies in short-form video.
Now, I know that Instagram may not be right for every company. But if you are thinking of jumping in, just know that you will need to incorporate video into your strategy to succeed.
Say “Cheese”
Finally, we just had to know if there was a “junk” food that Mariana just couldn’t do without. We have to say we approve of her answer!
I don’t know if you can consider this junk food, but I would die without cheese! Kerrygold’s Aged Cheddar is divine.
Many thanks to Mariana for sharing her insights and expertise. If you’re interested in connecting with Mariana, you can find her on LinkedIn and at her website redlabmarketing.com.
Want to have a conversation about social media? Let’s talk.