In this episode of OpsCast, brought to you by MarketingOps.com and powered by the MO Pros community, host Michael Hartman sits down with product marketing and growth advisor Deirdre Mahon. Deirdre has led marketing functions at both early-stage startups and public companies, with a focus on executing strategy, driving tactics, and creating new market categories. In this discussion, she shares why AI still needs HI (Human Intelligence) to be effective and how Marketing Operations professionals can leverage emerging technologies without losing the human touch.

What You'll Learn in This Episode
Building MarketingOps from the Ground Up
Learn Deirdre's approach to establishing a marketing operations function, including choosing the right tech stack, defining key processes, and collaborating closely with sales.

Scaling in Larger Organizations
Discover how marketing ops evolves as companies grow-shifting from generalists to specialized roles and using data warehouses and advanced analytics to drive efficiency.

AI Tools for MarketingOps
Hear about Deirdre's favorite AI-driven platforms (like ChatGPT, Clay, Markov, and Copy Compass) that help automate repetitive tasks, enrich data, and create more personalized campaigns.

Why AI Needs HI (Human Intelligence)
Explore the critical role of human insight in guiding AI: from crafting the right prompts and workflows to interpreting results and telling compelling data stories.

Driving Results with Data & Analytics
Find out how to chat with structured (and unstructured) data for quick insights, identify stalled points in the funnel, and iterate faster for better decision-making.

Timestamps
(Approximate markers; jump right to the part you're interested in!)

00:00 – Introduction and Welcome
02:10 – Deirdre's Background and Experience
07:25 – Key Factors in Building a MarketingOps Team
13:45 – Moving from Startups to Larger Enterprises
18:00 – Using AI to Automate Repetitive Tasks
24:30 – Deep Dive: AI + Data Analytics for More Actionable Insights
29:10 – Personalizing Outbound Efforts with Tools Like Clay
35:50 – "AI Needs HI": Striking the Balance Between Automation and Human Expertise
42:00 – Takeaways for MarketingOps Pros and Where to Connect with Deirdre

Resources & Mentions
Connect with Deirdre on LinkedIn: Deirdre Mahon
Deirdre's Website: MarketingEngine2.com
Join the MarketingOps.com Slack Community: The MO Pros Slack
AI Tools Discussed: ChatGPT, Clay, Markov, Copy Compass
Host: Michael Hartman