#01: James Praise—From Biochemistry to Growth Marketing
James Praise builds and scales marketing and growth operations for B2B and SaaS startups with strategies, tactics, and channels for acquisition, activation, monetization, and retention.
This is the African Growth Marketers Spotlight series for the Marketing In Action Newsletter where we interview diverse marketing practitioners who are putting marketing into action. Share it with your network! ~James
Can you tell us a bit about your background, education, and how you got into marketing?
I used to be an all-around student in high school (equal parts creative and analytical). My initial interests in visual arts were discouraged but I always wanted to solve big problems with science. This is how I ended up getting a first degree in Biochemistry (not Marketing) at the University of Lagos. I actually got in for Physics in my first year, but that’s a story for another day.
I stumbled into digital marketing gigs at the university because I was able to grow social media followers for my pages, and small businesses at the time needed such services. I also ran a Research & Data Analyst service, working on BSc, MSc & PhD projects, using Excel VBA and SPSS syntax for data analysis and reporting.
The week after I completed my final year project, I got my first corporate job as a Content Strategist at an Education Marketing Agency. I’ve moved around a lot since then.
I don’t think Biochemistry was a misguided pursuit, as I use the scientific method in many areas of work and life — research, data, experiments, insights, learnings, and optimization. The whole shebang.
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How do you define growth marketing?
Growth is how businesses make more money, acquire more customers, or both. Growth marketing combines the principles of traditional marketing with rapid experimentation across various channels and product features to drive revenue growth.
What are your key areas of expertise within marketing?
My expertise centers on strategies, tactics, and channels for acquisition, activation, monetization, and retention.
Acquisition Channels: SEM, SEO, Paid Social, Landing Pages & Lead Gen Forms.
Activation & Retention Tactics: Product Marketing, Lifecycle Marketing, Marketing Automation.
Growth & Revenue Optimization: Growth Marketing, Demand Generation, Conversion Optimization (CRO), A/B Testing, Growth Loops.
Which marketing channels do you prioritize, and have you found to be effective?
I’ve seen great results from SEO, Content, Community, Events, Partnerships, and Paid Acquisition.
What roles have you held in your growth and marketing career?
I’ve been Chief Revenue Officer, Head of Inbound, Demand Gen Manager, Head of Growth & Marketing, Growth Marketing Manager, Product Marketing Manager, Marketing Manager, Marketing Project Manager, Sales Manager, and Partnerships Manager.
It’s been quite a ride.
Which companies have you worked with?
FunnelEnvy: A Growth Marketing service provider for B2B and SaaS companies in the US and Europe.
Reform: A form builder app for non-technical Growth Marketers anywhere to deploy multi-step, interactive forms for lead gen, capture, qualification, nurture, and routing.
Distrobird: A platform for sales, ops, marketing, and CS teams in North America, the UK, and Canada, to manage their entire sales process in one place, with sequences, cloud call center, shared inbox, and form tracking capabilities.
Bujeti: A financial management platform for finance and operations teams in Africa to manage expenses, accounting, budgeting, corporate cards, and reimbursements.
Bento: A payroll and HRM platform for HR teams in Africa to manage payroll and provide credit, insurance, savings, and investment solutions to employees.
Cecure Intelligence: A product development and technical training service provider for individuals, enterprises, and governments in EMEA, building modern digital products and training teams on Cloud, AI, IoT, and Blockchain.
Can you share a fun or interesting fact about yourself that most people don’t know?
My dad is Ghanaian, my mum is Nigerian (Edo state). I identify as an African Giant raised in the streets of Lagos.
I take endless notes on many things so I have a backlog on every platform that has a bookmark, save, or watch later feature.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I write (obviously) and do other things with my hands — video games, the piano, and cooking.
Can you share a resource or template that has been particularly valuable in your work?
I create and share hundreds of resources and templates that you can find here. You’re welcome.
What advice would you give to someone starting their career in growth marketing?
Be a T, M or π-shaped marketer. Get the base knowledge, and marketing foundations, and then dive deep into specific channels.
Where can we connect with you?
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jamespraise
Website: https://jamespraise.xyz/
Give us two marketers that you would like us to interview in this newsletter.
If you have a recommendation for who we should be speaking to, or who you would like to see in this interview series, reply with their names, marketing specialty, and how we can reach them (LinkedIn, Email, Phone, Home address 🙂).