In this episode of The Marketing Front Lines, we speak with Jillian Childs, VP of Marketing at Turntide Technologies. Turntide designs, manufactures, and engineers electric motors, power electronics, and battery systems for OEMs across construction, motorsports, marine, and agriculture industries. With a lean marketing team of four targeting multiple industries with complex regulations, Jillian has built a revenue-focused marketing engine that drives results through strategic trade show investments, educational webinar programs, and high-quality content. After operating as a one-person marketing team for 18 months, she assembled her current team and turned on all marketing channels in January 2025, resulting in 400% growth in website traffic and significant pipeline generation. Topics Discussed - Building a revenue-first marketing strategy with a lean team across multiple industries - Allocating 50% of marketing budget to trade shows and measuring ROI - Creating educational webinar programs that convert engineers without being salesy - Launching 75+ articles of technical content to establish thought leadership - Navigating the challenges of paid advertising on LinkedIn and Google - Managing global trade show calendars with standardized booth sizes for budget efficiency - Coordinating integrated product launch campaigns across engineering, legal, and product teams - Growing from a one-person marketing department to a fully functional remote team Lessons For B2B Tech Marketers - Allocate Half Your Budget to High-ROI Channels, Even If They Seem Old School: Turntide dedicates 50% of their marketing budget to trade shows because they deliver the highest ROI for lead generation and revenue. They attend 13-15 shows globally per year, targeting tier-one industry events and increasingly niche, industry-specific shows in marine, off-road, and motorsports. Rather than chasing trendy digital channels, Jillian doubles down on what actually drives deals. - Standardize Trade Show Logistics to Maximize Budget Efficiency: Rather than customizing booth sizes for each show, Jillian maintains consistent space dimensions across all 13-15 annual trade shows. This allows them to reuse graphics, ship the same trade kits, and work with the same agencies depending on region. The standardization dramatically reduces costs while maintaining professional presence at every event. - Build a Trade Show Strategy Matrix Around Four Key Variables: Turntide evaluates trade shows based on: (1) which industries they’re trying to penetrate most, (2) what product launches are planned, (3) which channel partners they can leverage for exposure, and (4) what geographic gaps exist in their revenue strategy. This framework helps them choose between tier-one broad shows and tier-two industry-specific events. //  Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. www.GlobalTalent.co // Don’t Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role.  Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM