Q&A: Brooke Bartos from Walker Sands Communications

 

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Brooke Bartos is the Senior Manager for Marketing Operations at Walker Sands Communications, is a 4x Marketo Champion, a Fearless 50 Marketer, AND part of the 25 Women to Watch in Marketing Ops. That's QUITE the resume. Using her expertise in marketing automation, strategic planning, and analytics, she has worked previously for Misumi USA, and as an independent contractor. She also volunteers as a Person Shopper for the Glass Slipper Project, which helps underprivileged high school girls attend their proms. A real life fairy Godmother! 

Jobs in Martech are always super layered and complex. Your position is no exception! So to make things a little bit clearer, could you describe your role in five words or less?

Marketing automation architect and consultant

What is your biggest martech/ marketing ops gripe? Don’t hold back!

The absence of any understanding of data capture or attribution in many of the systems I've inherited, and how clients still think they can wave a magic wand and have closed loop multi-touch attribution overnight!

It’s a bit 2008, but do you have a personal mantra?

Failure is a learning opportunity to grow stronger.

Have there been any women along the way, who have helped you out and supported you?

1000%! I wouldn't be where I am today without women championing me and being my biggest cheerleaders along the way.

How do you see the martech scene in the Post-Covid days? Apart from everyone going straight to the pub, of course.

Getting more respect than we had before! I feel that organizations now more than ever are seeing the importance of martech, and in having it work well, driving a thriving talent market.

What are your own plans Post-Covid? Are you looking forward to being back out, or are you enjoying the Netflix binges?

Get me out of here! Seriously though, I love to travel and I'm very family oriented, so those two things have both been lacking for me and are at the top of my list, as soon as I can!

Do you have any advice for bouncing back from failure or difficulties, especially for young women within the industry?

Failure or hard feedback can often be difficult because of the emotional response they can evoke. If you can separate out the disappointment and upset, look for what lessons you can learn from it. Ask for actionable feedback. Take what information you can gain and use it to grow, that feedback can be an asset to you in the future.

What career advice would you give to your younger self, on how to succeed in marketing and tech?

Identify mentors as soon as possible. People to learn from and who are willing to share their knowledge are the best way to learn real life scenarios and use cases that documentation can't teach.

Who are the professional women that really inspire you?

Women who have succeeded despite every opportunity to fail. There's something in the core fiber of their beings that just won't quit, won't settle for the easy road.

What are your plans for the future? By this I mean what are your upcoming projects, and what are you having for dinner?

The existential question here! I've got some really exciting projects around overhauling lead nurturing, and I'm pursuing an executive certificate in Customer Experience. I've also been dedicating time to coach other women on career goals and personal brand building, which has been tremendously fulfilling. For dinner tonight, I have pasta and walnut pesto sent to me by a friend in Italy that I can't wait to dive into!

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