Silvia is a Marketing Specialist and Growth Manager at Binarcode – creative and empathic, with a very good eye to detail. People-oriented but passionate about procedures, too. 

Her personal interests include psychology, music, animals and painting.

Let’s get started. Enjoy!

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Hi, and thank you for inviting me to this talk! I’m Silvia, and I just turned 36 in March. I got into marketing for tech/SaaS about a year ago, in May 2023. It almost happened by accident, but I am glad it did. After working in multiple fields, including video editing for 8 years, I decided it was time to try something else – something more creative and diverse – and to advance further in my career path while learning new things.

A former colleague recommended me to his team at BinarCode, and it was then that I met the founders, Cristi and Edi, and Cecilia, the COO. 

I think Cecilia was the person who helped me choose this path because, even if it sounds a bit strange, it was more of an emotional choice for me. I liked her instantly; she made me feel heard, and it was clear she believed in my potential, so I chose to join their team. This was even though at the time I was almost through another recruitment process with a very big corporation I really wanted to work for. But my heart told me to choose BinarCode, and I am glad I did.

Can you tell us more about BinarCode?

Of course! BinarCode is a growing, enthusiastic IT company, small to medium in size, focusing on building great products and sustainable teams.

We take pride in our values, which are client-centric, transparent, team-oriented, and detail-oriented. Our teams have experience developing MVPs in various industries such as health, construction, accounting, and project management, to name a few. They continuously learn new frameworks and technologies to stay at the forefront of the market and deliver outstanding results.

Last year, we launched our first internal product, the Growee App. It is an app that helps companies digitize their data and processes in a secure, super easy, and user-friendly way, with a minimalistic and clean design, while saving a lot of time and trees! No more wasted paper. It’s our baby, and we aim to reach as many companies as possible in the near future to help their businesses grow faster. We received the all-clear from Cyber Threat Defense this spring, an achievement we’re proud of.

Currently, we have two main Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs): one for BinarCode and one for Growee App. They are different yet have some things in common. We have spent time with our teams defining them as accurately as possible, as we know how crucial they are for targeting the right audiences and saving time and resources to reach the people who actually need our services.

Based on your experience, what marketing strategies have been most effective for BinarCode?

I’ve found that in marketing, strategies can be both predictable and full of surprises simultaneously. They depend on many factors, such as hours, days of the week, months, seasons, and the global financial climate, making them somewhat subjective. However, achieving predictable revenue is our goal, and we strive to build reliable procedures to ensure this happens. Our motto is ‘measure and improve,’ so we continuously learn and adapt as we go. For us, I believe inbound marketing tends to be more effective than outbound. Networking is also a great way to reach people, and maintaining a genuine, authentic presence on social media is something I’ve found to be highly appreciated.

Digital marketing has many tactics, channels, formats, etc. Can you tell us how you choose the best ones for BinarCode? How do you decide where to put your efforts for the best ROI?

I think I touched on this earlier, but yes, digital marketing is a vast field that can easily overwhelm you if you don’t focus your efforts in the right directions. As I mentioned, it depends on many factors and current circumstances. For instance, if we’re running an umbrella campaign targeting a specific industry, like Healthcare, then that’s where we’ll focus. We always adhere to our motto to ‘measure and improve,’ and we’re not afraid to pause and make changes – whether that means tweaking and re-editing, or outright admitting mistakes. Collaboration within our teams is a strong point that benefits both marketing and sales. Given the dynamic nature of this field, I believe there’s no room for rigid definitions

If you could change one thing about digital marketing, what would it be and why?

Oh, this is a personal one! :)) I would change how many people perceive marketing campaigns today, due to the oversaturated market. It seems that people often forget that behind every email, post, or newsletter, there’s a human being trying their best to achieve results. I’m not referring to 100% AI-generated copy and fully automated campaigns, which admittedly have less soul. However, even for those, the prompts for GPT were written by someone. What I’m trying to convey is that, even if you receive dozens of emails per day, if you choose to open and respond to them, a little kindness goes a long way, even with a negative answer. I feel marketing has become so depersonalized that it’s increasingly difficult for marketers to connect with their audience due to this barrier.

And I understand the other side too; we’re bombarded daily with so much information, and it can be overwhelming and even annoying. But yes, I’d like people to remember that behind an email or an ad, there’s a person with fears, wishes, and dreams—and a KPI.

What does “success” look like for BinarCode?

For BinarCode, success takes many forms. We feel successful not only when we sign a new client but also when we celebrate a teammate’s birthday. We define success as both professional and personal growth. Success for us is seeing our colleagues content and happy, feeling safe to share and connect with each other, and welcoming new people to our team. It’s those moments when we laugh until we cry at team-building events and feel grateful. Of course, success is measured in numbers as well, and revenue is a good indicator of our growth and professionalism.

What trends do you currently see shaping the marketing industry? How are these trends influencing your marketing strategies and decision-making processes?

I think two trends shaping marketing in the tech and SaaS sectors are personalization and the use of AI for better data insights. These trends drive the focus heavily on tailored content and predictive analytics, helping people connect more effectively with users and streamline their marketing efforts. This not only improves customer engagement but also enhances campaigns efficiency

Reflecting on your journey in digital marketing, what is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned that you would pass on to someone just starting out in this field?

I’ve learned that it takes time. One year is not a lot in this field, and there’s still so much to discover, including many useful tools for various processes. I’ve experienced times when it felt like a spiral, fluctuating up and down depending on the day. :)) So, my advice is this: if you enjoy it, stick with it, and allow yourself time and permission to fail. Also, try to take regular breaks. A breath of fresh air can often help with creative blocks, and discussing your feelings with someone you trust can definitely help with the Impostor Syndrome many of us experience but are afraid to admit.

In your opinion, what’s the best book in the world:

The Wizard of Oz is my pick because it speaks of hope, homecoming, self-belief, and the deceptive nature of appearances. For more serious reading, Predictable Revenue might seem a bit outdated, but it still offers valuable insights for our field. I believe that ‘the best book’ is as subjective as it gets. It’s like a ‘good copy’ in an email marketing campaign: some will love it, and some will mark it as spam

About BinarCode

A fine mix of Backend & Frontend developers who love working together to solve new challenges.

If you want to find out more about BinarCode, check these resources:
Linkedin Binarcode: https://linkedin.com/company/binar-code
Linkedin GroweeApp: https://www.linkedin.com/company/groweeapp/
https://www.binarcode.com/projects
growee.ro

Thanks for reading this.

Our goal with this SaaSy interview series is to bridge the gap between SaaS & tech founders and marketing professionals. We bring useful tools and services closer to the community of specialists and we help our community better understand your industry. 

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