The Keys to Success in EdTech: An Interview with uPlanner Marketing Director

In this interview conducted by 27Zero, a creative agency specializing in EdTech Marketing, you’ll meet Daniela Lopez, Marketing Director and creative force at uPlanner. Together 27Zero, uPlanner has developed its product marketing strategies, improving the product narrative to continue positioning itself globally.

Discover Daniela’s singular approach to leading groups, and we’ll unravel the secrets behind her success in demand generation and event strategy. We will also dive into the role of product marketer and learn how Daniela has developed her expertise in different marketing areas.

Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your current role?

I’m currently the Global Marketing Director at uPlanner, which is a position similar to that of CMO. With a background in Communications and Journalism, I’ve worked in public relations, publicity, and television, which has given me experience in diverse industries and allowed me to fulfill different roles within the marketing field. Over the past four years I’ve specialized in the B2B and EdTech sectors. Before joining uPlanner, I directed the Latin America region at CognosOnline, an Edtech solutions company that was one of the largest resellers in the region. This path has provided me with wide knowledge of the EdTech market.

What was it like landing at such a large regional operation?

At that time, CognosOnline was looking for someone who specialized in digital marketing more than B2B marketing or EdTech marketing. My career had been focused on digital marketing and it was the first time I had tackled the B2B market, which is different in the digital realm. I learned as I went, but I also had the help of advisors and people who guided me through the process of understanding the world of B2B. When it comes to B2B for EdTech, I believe a marketing professional who specializes in B2B can adapt to any industry. I had the opportunity to explore the world of EdTech and I discovered that I liked it. When you’re passionate about something, you really immerse yourself in it and you become an expert, and I think that was what happened to me when I entered the world of EdTech.

What do you like about the industry?

I enjoy seeing the meaningful impact that our work has in an industry tackling social issues that are relevant everywhere in the world. Although we’re focused on the B2B market, it’s so gratifying to hear someone on the field say, “I use that technology and it has been useful because of this or that.” It’s clear that our work has a positive impact in multiple ways. That’s the reason I enjoy this industry so much. On top of that, I’ve always been interested in the world of academia. During my university days I was an involved tutor, and I was active in student life. Out of that I found the perfect combination of marketing, communications, technology, and education, and I knew that I had found my place in the world.

What has been your biggest achievement?

At CognosOnline I managed to close a pipeline of close to USD $13 million in Latin America, which is quite a big number in the industry. At uPlanner we are also achieving very important milestones in terms of demand generation, and commercial closings brought from marketing management with close to USD $5 million in 2022.

In terms of leadership, I’m so proud of my team. Leadership means choosing the people you work with carefully. If you’re not satisfied with your team, or if your team isn’t happy with you, it’s unlikely that things will work well. I’m a strong believer in the importance of that dynamic, so I have built trust both with the managerial level and the C-level at uPlanner.

What do you do to generate leads quickly and effectively?

Understanding the processes of demand generation, visibility, and reputation reveals the importance of diversifying your actions to stimulate growth. It’s not enough just to create content, you have to integrate complementary strategies as well. I visualize this as like a wheel that is constantly turning, in which each crucial action is connected to and reinforcing the others. It’s like strategically distributing your eggs into different baskets to achieve an agile, productive flow. This mentality has been key to the success of my projects, since it requires paying attention to multiple aspects and coordinating different teams. The profile of someone who creates content is different from performance specialists, and in our case, the industry experts also have a profile focused on the product.

What should someone in a marketing role for a startup do to generate traction and be successful?

First, it’s important to understand what resources are available to you. I’ve worked at companies that gave me everything I asked for, as well as situations of total austerity. You must be realistic about what you have to work with.

Second, it’s crucial to understand who you will work with and what skills those people have. Curiously, someone’s role may not always reflect their strongest skills. For example, one of my BDRs isn’t an expert in getting meetings or being really sales-y, but rather in deeply understanding the psychology of the people he’s interacting with. Why? Because he’s a psychologist by profession. What’s a psychologist doing as a BDR? It’s all about understanding the real strengths of each person and how to make the most of them whether you’re in a situation of austerity or abundance.

In practice, I maintain direct and informal communication with my whole team. I don’t wait to take the time to write super structured emails that I know no one will read and I’ll have to check to be sure people understood. It’s important to have a good personal relationship with every member of the team.

How do you prioritize the short-term versus the medium-term?

We go back to marketing basics: How does the funnel work? First, by generating awareness. If I already have enough recognition in Latin America, this year I won’t be focused on that. I prioritize closing sales. But if I’m opening a market, like in the US, I have to start from zero. I need to create awareness.

How has the work of defining a brand message and a product message been, especially when it is done by programmers or product folks, and how have you made it work?

It’s crucial to understand that the role of the product marketer is unique. Engineers can’t create a message on their own, and marketers can’t do it on their own either. That’s when the product marketing expert comes in. They are the person in charge of bringing together those two worlds in the best possible way. Without that role, we couldn’t do what we’re doing. Having the expertise of people like Laureano Diaz from 27Zero has been key.

Now, here come the rapid-fire questions. You can only choose one!

Agency or internal?

Both, that’s the only choice. The agency brings the knowledge and the capabilities that you often may not have access to, but on the internal side it’s very important to have someone who understands what’s happening in the business to be able to convey it.

Specialist or generalist?

Generalist

Ed or Tech?

Ed, no question.

Thinking or doing?

Act, one hundred percent.

Quantity or quality?

Quality.

In-person or virtual?

Hybrid.

Remote or in-person?

In-person, one hundred percent.

Read the full interview here.