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Strategic Communications Advisory For Visionary Founders
Conversation
Highlights
In this episode of The Marketing Front Lines, we speak with Jaimi Klein, Head of Marketing at STAX Engineering. STAX is an emissions capture and control company that treats exhaust emissions from cargo vessels when they’re docked at ports worldwide. Operating in an emerging market where air quality regulations are driving demand, STAX faces the unique challenge of building credibility in an industry scarred by previous companies that made promises but failed to deliver. Through a “seeing is believing” marketing philosophy, strategic content development, and founder-led thought leadership, STAX is establishing itself as the real deal in maritime emission control technology.
Topics Discussed:
- Overcoming industry skepticism in emerging cleantech markets
- Building credibility through proof-of-concept demonstrations and third-party validation
- Transitioning from paid advertising to organic content and PR strategies
- Developing educational content for highly technical B2B audiences
- Strategic founder positioning and thought leadership development
- Growing LinkedIn presence from zero to significant engagement in 12 months
- Working as a solo marketing team with agency and freelancer support
Actionable
Takeaways
Lead with Proof Points When Trust Is Broken:
In industries where previous players have failed to deliver, traditional marketing tactics fall flat. STAX abandoned paid advertising early because it couldn't overcome the credibility gap. Instead, they focused on demonstrating actual results through photos, stories, and third-party press coverage. When entering a market with trust issues, your marketing budget is better spent on creating and documenting proof points than on promotional messaging.
Transform Technical Complexity into Educational Authority:
Rather than simplifying their complex emissions technology, STAX uses their technical depth as a competitive advantage. Their content strategy includes detailed educational pieces, white papers, and a quarterly newsletter that position them as industry educators. For B2B tech companies, becoming the go-to source for industry education builds stronger relationships than promotional content alone.
Strategic Founder Positioning Based on Strengths:
STAX made a deliberate choice about which founder to put forward as the face of the brand. While their technical founder Bob Sharp invented the technology, CEO Mike Walker became the public face because of his communication skills and personability. They also strategically kept another well-known founding partner out of the spotlight to avoid distractions. Map your founder positioning to actual strengths and strategic objectives, not just hierarchy.
Consistency Beats Perfection in Content Marketing:
STAX's LinkedIn growth from under 100 to significant engagement came from posting twice weekly "religiously, whether we had news or not." This consistency paid off when their first newsletter launch generated 400 signups within an hour. For B2B marketers, establishing and maintaining a consistent content cadence creates compound returns even when individual posts don't feel groundbreaking.
Leverage Video for Technical Demonstrations:
STAX's most successful LinkedIn post featured their first zero-emission vessel visit in video format, adopting TikTok-style video for LinkedIn. For technical B2B companies, video documentation of actual processes and results can be more powerful than any written content. Show don't just tell, especially when proving capability is crucial for trust-building.
Build Marketing Teams Through Strategic Partnerships:
As a solo marketing team, Jaimi leverages outside agencies and long-term freelancer relationships built across multiple companies. This approach provides specialized expertise and scalability without the overhead of full-time hires. For resource-constrained B2B marketing teams, building a network of trusted external partners can be more effective than trying to hire for every skill internally.
Third-Party Validation Amplifies Internal Content:
STAX's strategy involves creating original content through their brand channels, then having their CEO add personal commentary and thought leadership to amplify reach. This dual-channel approach maximizes the value of each piece of content while building both brand and personal authority simultaneously.
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