Tosin Thomas is a devoted Christian, daughter, and wife with a fascinating career journey. Though she graduated with a degree in Biochemistry, she has never used it professionally. Instead, Tosin “accidentally fell” into marketing, a field where she has thrived for over eight years. Her story of how she transitioned into marketing is both intriguing and inspiring.
Currently, Tosin is the Head of Marketing at Financial Cents, a role she embraced in 2022 as the company’s first marketing hire in the position of Content Marketing Lead. Her exceptional contributions and leadership skills were recognized quickly, and within nine months, she was promoted to Head of Marketing. In her current role, Tosin leads a dynamic team comprising three talented marketers and an incredible designer.
Her career reflects a blend of passion and serendipity, demonstrating her ability to adapt and excel in new environments. Tosin’s journey highlights her commitment to her work and her growth within the marketing field.
In this exclusive conversation, Tosin explains how she accidentally bumps into digital marketing and the best strategies that have helped her grow as head of marketing at Financial Cents.
Can we get to know you?
My name is Tosin Thomas. I’m a Christian, daughter, and wife. I have a degree in Biochemistry that I’ve never used and 8 years of experience in marketing. I always say I “accidentally fell” into marketing and I have an interesting story about it. I’m the Head of Marketing at Financial Cents, a company I joined in 2022 as the first marketing hire (Content Marketing Lead). Nine months later, I got promoted to Head of Marketing. I lead a team of three talented marketers and an incredible designer. You can learn more about me here.
Tea or Coffee? How do you enjoy it?
Tea. With lots of milk!
Can you tell us about your journey into marketing and how you ended up at Financial Cents?
After my NYSC, I really wanted to get a job in the science or health field. I remember walking around Obanikoro Road in Lagos State, handing out my resume to any health-related companies I could find, such as HMOs and Pharmaceutical companies. It just never worked out. Eventually, through my aunt’s recommendation, I got an interview at a cosmetics production company for a Graduate Trainee role. A few weeks later, I received an offer as a “Digital Marketing Executive”. I literally had to Google the meaning of digital marketing because I had never heard of it. I immediately accepted the offer, took on the role, and spent time developing my skills. Since then, I’ve worked for multiple digital agencies and tech companies.
How I ended up at Financial Cents: My husband and I were getting ready to immigrate to Canada, so I started applying for jobs from Nigeria, thinking it would take me a couple of months before I landed a job. Thankfully, I got a lot of interviews and landed job offers from two companies (one official and one verbal), including Financial Cents, all within three weeks of my job search. I accepted the offer from Financial Cents and resumed remotely a few days after landing in Canada. You can watch the full story here.
Did you have any role models or mentors who influenced your career path?
No, not really.
I grew up in a medically inclined family. My Dad was a Medical Doctor, and my Mom is a Nurse. I have two Medical Doctor uncles and one Nurse aunt. If anything, I wanted to tow the same line, but life! lol.
But since I started my career in marketing, I’ve definitely been influenced and inspired by so many people, especially the amazing Dara Treseder, CMO of AutoDesk.
What are your main responsibilities as the Head of Marketing at Financial Cents?
My core responsibility is to set the company’s marketing strategy and guide my team to execute it. In my role, I manage three marketing channel managers and one designer. I guide and support them in executing our marketing strategy and working towards our goals. I am also in charge of our virtual event strategy (webinars, conferences, summits, live shows), influencer marketing, and new feature launches. I work closely with the CEO to regularly fine-tune our positioning in the market and interview our customers.
As a company, we operate the EOS model, so we work towards quarterly goals that ladder into the goals for the year. This helps keep us focused and efficient, and I love it.
What has been your most successful marketing campaign at Financial Cents, and what made it so effective?
My most successful marketing program at Financial Cents has been creating our maiden signature brand conference, #WorkflowCon last year. It was a resounding success in every way. We had about 19 speakers, 1700+ registrations, a 50% attendee show rate, and 150+ people watched the replay post-event. This event led to six figures in attributed deal value and influenced 190 deals at a planning cost of about $12k (including event platform cost, speaker fees, and promotions). Attendees rated it 4.8 stars, and we received many raving reviews on social media, in the event chat, and via email. It really helped push our demand generation efforts forward, positioned us favorably in our niche, and got us into important industry discussions.
Can you describe a typical day in your role?
My typical day starts with early morning meetings at around 8 am Mountain Time. After my meetings, I would then get into my tasks for the day. It could be reviewing my team’s work and providing feedback, planning our next virtual event, collaborating with an influencer on a campaign, preparing marketing reports for the CEO, or creating a marketing strategy for a new feature. I try to take a 1-hour break in between my workday to relax, watch something on YouTube, cook, or catch up with friends.
What are some of the emerging trends you see shaping the future of digital marketing?
I probably sound like a broken record, but AI is a trend that will shape the future of marketing. This week, we heard about SearchGPT. There is literally an AI tool for everything and anything out there. I don’t think marketers should be scared of these tools; after all, they’re “tools.” But it also means that the only marketers who will thrive in the future are those who are creative, analytical, and great at telling compelling stories.
If you weren’t in marketing, what career do you think you’d be in?
I’d be a Medical Doctor! I still have a secret desire to go back to Medical School. Time will tell, I guess.
What are some of the most rewarding aspects of being a marketing manager?
Seeing my team members grow professionally. It makes me feel like a proud mum #JK. But really, seeing someone on my team become a better writer, strategist, or communicator gives me so much joy. Another rewarding thing about my role is seeing the impact of marketing on pipeline and revenue. The feeling is so satisfying.
What advice would you give to aspiring marketing managers who are just starting out in their careers?
If you have the chance, work at a startup. In my opinion, startups are some of the best places to grow quickly, learn many skills, and be agile. My career really took off when I got into the world of startup marketing. I was always hired as the first marketer, meaning I did the work of three to four people before hiring and building the team. I’m so grateful for the experience.
What’s one marketing buzzword you wish would go away forever?
None. I don’t care too much about things like that. We all have different opinions about marketing and how we communicate them.
If you could only use one marketing channel for the next year, which one would you choose and why?
VIRTUAL EVENTS.
I personally believe many tech companies are sleeping on virtual events. They spend thousands of dollars on exhibiting at tradeshows and conferences and burn even more on Facebook marketing only to get leads that churn faster than a speeding bullet.
With your own virtual event, you can own the narrative and the audience. It allows you to generate demand and qualified opportunities, and drive pipeline and revenue, all at a fraction of the cost of exhibiting at an in-person conference. You access a pool of prospects from different parts of the world who may never be able to meet you in person. You also get to partner with the brightest minds in your industry by having them as speakers and moderators, tapping into their audience.
PS: By virtual events, I mean conferences, summits, live podcasts and shows, webinars, etc.
If you could go back in time and give your younger self one piece of career advice, what would it be?
It will all be alright. You may not become a medical doctor, but you’ll have a great career. A career you’ll love and enjoy. Just take one day at a time and always give your 150%.
What are some of your favorite marketing tools or platforms that you use regularly?
Airmeet for virtual events.
HubSpot for CRM; I love testing out and setting up workflows and automation in it.
What piece of tech gadget you can’t do without?
My phone, I guess.
What’s your favorite way to unwind after a busy week at work?
Lie down on my couch and binge-watch YouTube shows. Major culprits include Visa on Arrival and Family Feud Nigeria especially.
Finally, Can you share a book, podcast, or resource that has significantly influenced your marketing philosophy?
Sure. Chris Walker’s Revenue Vitals podcast is gold.
In my opinion, Cognism has the best content on the planet for marketers. Given how much of their content I consume, if they had a marketing university, I would probably have gotten a Bachelor’s degree by now undoubtedly.
Growclass and CXL certifications are *chef’s kiss*.
Finally, Exit Five is an excellent community for B2B Marketers.
All these resources have formed my marketing philosophy and made me a better marketing leader altogether.
It’s a pleasure talking to you Tosin.
Thank you for having me.
