Podcast Summary: Scaling B2B Marketing at an AI Startup with Holly Xiao

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Exit Five CMO Podcast
• Host: Dave Gerhardt
• Episode: Scaling B2B Marketing at an AI Startup: Channels, Strategy, and Team Ops with Holly Xiao
• Release Date: August 4, 2025

1. Introduction to Holly Xiao

In this engaging episode of The Exit Five CMO Podcast, host Dave Gerhardt welcomes Holly Xiao, the Head of B2B Marketing at Heygen, an innovative AI video generation platform. Holly brings a wealth of experience in marketing operations and product marketing, having previously worked with notable companies like Eventbrite and Drift.

Notable Quote:

[01:42] Holly Xiao: "I'm Holly Xiao and I lead the B2B marketing team at Heygen, which is an AI video generation platform. We help businesses of all sizes, from creators and solopreneurs to Fortune 500s, fast track video creation without the usual production headaches."

2. Holly’s Career Journey

Holly shares her unconventional path into marketing, highlighting her diverse academic background and early professional experiences. Initially studying medicine and considering a career in law, Holly pivoted to marketing operations after a series of serendipitous events, including assisting a lawyer in pitching a song to radio stations—a task that ignited her passion for marketing.

Notable Quote:

[06:24] Holly Xiao: "I basically, like, created the whole process there and created triggers for the first time at the company using Sugar CRM... that was the moment where people were like, oh my gosh, this is great."

3. Transition to Heygen

Holly discusses how she landed her role at Heygen through an unexpected outreach. Intrigued by Heygen's cutting-edge AI video capabilities, she was drawn to the company's vision and product, aligning her passion with her professional expertise.

Notable Quote:

[09:03] Holly Xiao: "Coming from a product marketing background, it's really important to me to work on a product that I'm personally really passionate and excited about. So that checked the box."

4. Company Structure and Role at Heygen

At Heygen, Holly oversees the B2B marketing function, specifically targeting the SLG (Small and Large Growth) segment. She collaborates closely with her peer, Nick Warner, who manages the growth side focused on creators and solopreneurs. This dual approach allows Heygen to cater to both individual users and large enterprises effectively.

Notable Quote:

[10:55] Holly Xiao: "We are really focusing on people who are true enterprises and will want the enterprise plan in the package."

5. Marketing Strategies and Channels

Holly outlines Heygen's primary marketing engines, emphasizing four main strategies: paid social, account-based marketing, webinars, and field events. These channels are carefully selected to maximize reach and engagement within their target markets.

Notable Quote:

[16:39] Holly Xiao: "Right now we're activating replacement bets on four of them which are paid social, account based marketing, webinars and field events."

She highlights the effectiveness of in-person events and webinars, noting that interactive and unique activations, such as creating AI avatars at booths, significantly enhance brand presence and engagement.

Notable Quote:

[17:44] Holly Xiao: "People have reacted really, really well to that interactive component of the avatar piece."

6. Impact of AI on Marketing at Heygen

AI plays a pivotal role in Heygen's marketing operations, both as a product and a tool. Holly emphasizes the use of AI to drive efficiency, allowing the team to achieve more with fewer resources by leveraging AI tools alongside human creativity.

Notable Quote:

[29:59] Holly Xiao: "It's more so around efficiency, like AI in the sense of efficiency. How do we be more efficient?"

She also discusses the integration of sprint cycles, aligning marketing efforts closely with product and engineering teams to ensure agility and rapid response to market changes.

Notable Quote:

[30:00] Holly Xiao: "The shorter cycles mean quicker feedback loops. So we can test our hypotheses, measure what's working and fast if we need to."

7. Challenges: SEO in the Age of AI

Holly addresses the declining effectiveness of SEO due to advancements in Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, which are altering search behaviors and reducing click-through rates. She acknowledges the uncertainty in adapting to these changes, exploring supplementary strategies such as leveraging YouTube for SEO benefits.

Notable Quote:

[26:51] Holly Xiao: "SEO is a hot topic. Every marketing leader I've spoken with has shared some form of like a drop in their SEO traffic because of LLMs."

8. Use Cases for Heygen’s AI Video Tools

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around diverse applications of Heygen's AI video capabilities. From marketing-related uses like product explainers, social media ads, and personalized event promotions to creative applications such as music videos and horoscopes, Heygen's versatility is showcased.

Notable Quote:

[36:10] Holly Xiao: "People actually use us for these like rap music videos and fortune telling... like horoscopes."

Holly emphasizes the importance of authenticity, ensuring that AI-generated videos maintain a natural and genuine feel to engage audiences effectively.

Notable Quote:

[37:05] Holly Xiao: "Most people who are using Heygen to create their videos, their audience is not going to know what's real and what's not."

9. Tools and Technological Integration

Holly highlights her reliance on AI tools such as ChatGPT and Perplexity for content creation, idea generation, and enhancing marketing strategies. She advocates for using AI as a supportive tool rather than a complete replacement for human creativity.

Notable Quote:

[32:54] Holly Xiao: "ChatGPT, Perplexity. Those are my best friends. I use ChatGPT every single day."

10. Team Dynamics and Operational Alignment

The alignment between marketing, product, and engineering teams is crucial for Heygen. Holly underscores the benefits of synchronized sprint cycles, which foster a cohesive operating rhythm and facilitate swift adjustments to marketing strategies in response to product developments.

Notable Quote:

[31:02] Holly Xiao: "We are matching the way product and engineering works on the marketing side. And it's been working pretty well... allowing us to be really flexible and move fast."

11. Future Outlook and Optimism

Concluding the conversation, Holly expresses optimism about the role of AI in enhancing human creativity. She believes that AI tools like Heygen's platform empower marketers to focus more on strategic and creative endeavors, reducing the time spent on repetitive tasks.

Notable Quote:

[42:00] Holly Xiao: "AI helps humans unleash their creativity... the future is a world where everybody can spend more time doing the creative and strategic work and less time actually making the content."

12. Closing Remarks

Dave and Holly wrap up the episode by encouraging listeners to connect with Holly on LinkedIn and explore Heygen's offerings. They also briefly discuss the merits of their respective tools and communities, emphasizing continuous learning and adaptation in the evolving marketing landscape.

Key Takeaways:

• Adaptability in Marketing: Holly emphasizes the necessity of adapting marketing strategies to align with rapid technological advancements, particularly in AI.
• Efficiency through AI: Leveraging AI tools can significantly enhance marketing efficiency, allowing teams to achieve more with limited resources.
• Engaging and Interactive Marketing: Utilizing interactive elements, such as AI avatars at events, can substantially improve audience engagement and brand presence.
• Navigating SEO Challenges: The rise of AI-driven search behaviors necessitates innovative approaches to SEO, with platforms like YouTube serving as potential supplements.
• Empowering Creativity: AI tools are positioned as enablers of human creativity, allowing marketers to focus on strategic initiatives while automating repetitive tasks.

This detailed conversation between Dave Gerhardt and Holly Xiao provides valuable insights into scaling B2B marketing within an AI-driven startup, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges presented by emerging technologies.