Q&A with Jeanne Hopkins, CMO at Lola.com

Q&A with Jeanne Hopkins, CMO at Lola.com
Jeanne Hopkins, CMO at Lola.com has profound expertise in data-driven, high-velocity customer acquisition and marketing organizations and inbound-based lead gen programs to support global demand for high-growth SaaS companies.

Jeanne is also the co-author of "Go Mobile"​, the #1 best-selling mobile marketing book. She has been named to Sales Lead Management Association "Top 50"​ 3 years in a row and "20 Women to Watch" in 2015/14/13 & 2011.

MEDIA 7: What inspired you to get into marketing?
JEANNE HOPKINS:
 After graduation, I took my first job in the accounting department at Baystate Medical Center. At my annual review, I was told that I was too “noisy” for an accounting department. I went on to work at Milton Bradley Company’s in-house advertising agency, MB Communications, as editor of their in-house newspaper, and later recruited to LEGO Systems to do marketing programs. I found myself at a self-funded start-up tech company in 2000, where I was running an inside sales team and building digital properties to generate leads. I moved into software, digital marketing, and lead generation at companies like MarketingSherpa, then HubSpot, SmartBear, Ipswitch (now Progress Software) – it’s all been a fantastic journey.

M7: How is agile technology transforming corporate travel around the globe?
JH:
Small and mid-sized businesses have to be fast and efficient amidst growth, and booking, re-booking, and managing business travel can seriously impede efficiency and productivity. Finance teams are trying to manage, control, and get visibility into expenditures. Travelers are trying to do their jobs and don’t have time for expense reports. And travel arrangers (executive assistants and office admins) have plenty on their plates. Finally, there are tools that are addressing these direct needs at small and mid-sized businesses. Consumers have had the ease of booking travel through sites like Kayak and big businesses can afford the services and fees associated with high-end travel agencies. But the middle segment has been left out. Now, agile tools like Lola.com are making it really easy for corporate travelers to book, re-book, and take the task of expense reports off the table. And finance teams are able to set up travel policies in minutes, and easily manage, control, and get visibility into expenditures. The corporate travel market is huge, and agile technology is making it much easier for travelers and companies all-around.


"The corporate travel market is huge, and agile technology is making it much easier for travelers and companies all-around."

M7: How does Lola.com ensure a hassle-free modern business travel experience with transparent spending for its customers / business travelers?
JH:
It’s a simple super app to use. For travelers, it has a large inventory of flights and hotels that allows users to avoid having to go between tabs or other sites to compare fares, and it saves preferences, loyalty programs, and payment options in the same place. Traveler profiles are automatically stored so users can book with one click, and the 24/7 support team ensures easy booking and re-booking due to delays and cancellations. Seriously, when someone is in the air, missing their connection due to a delay, many times, Lola.com support has them re-booked on another flight before they land.

For finance personnel, a corporate travel policy can be set up in five minutes for more control over spending, and employees automatically know what they are allowed to book. Takes the guesswork out of the booking process. All data resides in one place so there is complete visibility into travel spend. And we integrate with other tools like Expensify – receipts are automatically sent to Expensify for easy expense tracking and reporting. No messing with receipts (or missing receipts either).


"For finance personnel, a corporate travel policy can be set up in five minutes for more control over spending, and employees automatically know what they are allowed to book."

M7: What trends do you foresee in the ‘Travel & Expense Software Market’ in future?
JH:
Certainly, we are seeing “Bleisure” travel on the rise – those looking to combine business travel with leisure time. Busy people who travel with their jobs want to get the most out a business trip, and many times, even look to extend a business trip last minute to enjoy the area or do something in particular. So companies are looking for faster, agile tools that can respond to quick changes in plans. Companies are also focusing more on keeping their travelers happy and productive on the road, and don’t want them to get caught up in the red tape of corporate travel. So, the trend is simple, faster, more agile tools to make arranging and managing travel a great experience for all.

M7: As the co-author of ‘Go Mobile’, what tactics do you believe modern marketers must focus for successful mobile media marketing campaigns?
JH:  
That book was launched in 2012 and was probably ahead of its time. While at HubSpot seven years ago, I saw the growing influence of mobile search on our blog and website and wanted to make sure we recognized its impact. Today, marketers know that Google prioritizes mobile search and it is imperative to truly understand the need for content that can be delivered in a mobile setting. The ability to auto-fill a form is critical now. The ability to read your email and respond is imperative now. The ability to print from your phone is important - whether an eBook, a recipe or instructions. Your mobile device is your computer now. It wasn’t perceived as that urgent a requirement until 18-24 months ago.


"Companies are focusing more on keeping their travelers happy and productive on the road, and don’t want them to get caught up in the red tape of corporate travel. So, the trend is simple, faster, more agile tools to make arranging and managing travel a great experience for all."

M7: What is your favorite part of working at Lola.com?
JH:
The people. Transparently, everyone really values working alongside each other – all smart, motivated, driven, fun teammates who want to make Lola.com the best workplace ever.  I take a quote from Netflix on how I feel, “Loosely coupled yet tightly aligned.”

M7: What is your superpower or spirit animal?
JH:
 GSD. I just like to get stuff done. I use lists, reminders, notes, etc. to try and stay on top of all that needs to be done. More than anything, I want my team and the company to be successful. I enjoy working, and I enjoy success and - most of all - I enjoy making mistakes and sharing what I did so that others realize that you won’t die from a typo. It’s all fun and I enjoy laughing most of all (remember, I am a loud individual).

ABOUT LOLA.COM

Lola.com makes Agile Travel Management real by providing a super simple way to manage, book and report on business travel, saving employers and travelers time and money. Happy employee travel experiences within a policy can be set up in five minutes. Lola.com uses machine learning and 24/7 support to help travelers easily book trips, while empowering managers to create policies, view budgets and expenditures, and monitor their globetrotting team efficiently. Based in Boston, the company was founded in 2015 by Paul English, co-founder of the travel booking site KAYAK, and is led by CEO Mike Volpe, previously CMO at HubSpot. For more information, connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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Watermark’s Educational Impact Suite Unifies Disjointed Technologies in Higher Education

Business Wire | October 10, 2023

Watermark, a leading provider of software solutions for higher education, proudly unveils the Educational Impact Suite (EIS), a comprehensive and interconnected suite of tools that unifies organizational leadership, student success, and continuous improvement, serving as an institution's internal compass. Grounded in the ethos of Education Impact, the EIS will revolutionize operational strategies for leaders, administrators, and faculty to maximize engagement, impact, and institutional storytelling. While technological advancements have historically moved slowly in higher education, recent years have seen an unprecedented boom in education technology, forging an inescapable tension between tradition and innovation. The challenges of pandemic learning exemplified this, thrusting educational institutions into uncharted territories as they scrambled to facilitate remote learning amidst a global crisis. The urgency to adapt often overshadows strategic foresight, leading to disjointed and fragmented solutions. EIS seeks to transform institutions' overarching challenges into opportunities to adapt and evolve. “Higher education is at a pivotal juncture, where the fusion of tradition and innovation is essential,” said Erin Shy, CEO of Watermark. “The Educational Impact Suite is the bridge that connects data with process. That bridge simplifies internal operations to provide a clearer view for faculty, staff, and leaders. With this clarity, we're facilitating learning environments where insights drive action, ensuring that institutions' strategies are as impactful as they are intentional.” Digital sprawl leads institutions to spend most of their time collecting data rather than understanding it. By connecting all of Watermark’s solutions together and establishing strong integrations with top LMS and SIS systems, the EIS breaks down data silos to help institutions uncover actionable insights. At launch, the EIS is focused on: Comprehensive Integration & Efficiency: The EIS encompasses a range of tools, each honed to deliver distinct insights and optimize workflows. When harnessed collectively, institutions unlock exponential value, break down data silos, and bolster cross-functional coordination to amplify their impact. Data-Driven Insights in Context: With EIS, analytics are not just numbers on a screen. They're carefully curated, placed in the context of daily workflows, and designed to highlight areas for improvement, thereby supporting institutional effectiveness and student success. This distinguishes EIS from all point solutions in the market. Student-Centric Vision: From curriculum development to course performance assessment and faculty impact analysis, the student's experience remains at the forefront. EIS is built with the institution's influence on the student journey as its core focus. "The confluence of insights and impact becomes the backbone of transformation,” said Alex Leader, Chief Impact Officer at Watermark. “When insights are not just gleaned but acted upon, they become the very footprints of impact. By meticulously curating and connecting data across an institution, the EIS will build connective tissue between Institutional Effectiveness and Student Success teams to drive support structures that are informed and holistic. This ensures that every initiative contributes to an institution's lasting impact on its students and empowers that legacy to be meaningfully communicated.” For more information about the Watermark EIS, visit www.watermarkinsights.com/solutions. About Watermark Watermark gives higher education institutions the tools they need to easily track, manage, and examine their data. For over twenty years, colleges and universities have used Watermark solutions to complete assessment and accreditation requirements, capture and analyze student feedback, showcase faculty accomplishments, and improve student engagement. Watermark's Educational Impact Suite (EIS) puts data into context so faculty and staff can focus on what really matters: institutional and student success. Learn why Watermark is trusted by over 1,700 colleges and universities to support continuous improvement at www.watermarkinsights.com.

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Imagine Learning Expands Core Curriculum Offering with Launch of Traverse, A Groundbreaking Digital Social Studies Curriculum

Business Wire | October 17, 2023

Imagine Learning, the largest provider of digital curriculum solutions in the U.S., serving 15 million students in more than half of school districts nationwide, today announced the launch of Traverse, a groundbreaking, innovative, and digital-first social studies, living core curriculum solution for grades 6–12. Traverse, created by a team of Imagine Learning developers and educators, represents a significant milestone for the organization as it expands its comprehensive suite of dedicated and immersive digital core curriculum courses for teachers and students across the country. Gone are the days of large history books that cannot be easily updated. Traverse turns that paradigm on its head and provides an on-ramp to ensuring that our students are taught the most updated information, yet customized to meet the standards of local communities, said Jonathan Grayer, CEO of Imagine Learning. This launch is a significant step forward for Imagine Learning as we now provide thousands of school districts -- large and small -- a complete array of solutions, from supplemental to intervention to core. In today’s evolving world, the demand for teaching social studies appropriately has never been greater. Districts have been searching for a modern curriculum that can adapt to their needs and empower teachers to meet the required content and instructional standards while encouraging critical thinking and civic engagement for students. Pairing advanced technology and engaging media with inquiry-based learning, Imagine Learning developed Traverse to address this market demand with a highly adaptable and engaging curriculum. Mr. Grayer continued, “Traverse represents a real breakthrough in how social studies can and should be taught in this country. In a rapidly changing world where there is a greater urgency placed on teaching our students how to be responsible citizens contributing to the well-being of our society, Traverse solves an enormous problem facing our schools by equipping students with the knowledge and skills to navigate a complex and ever-changing global landscape. Like other Imagine Learning curricula, Traverse shares responsibility for this process with teachers, empowering them to cultivate the active, informed, and engaged citizens our society needs. We are very excited to bring Traverse to market.” For the first time, students will be engaged in a comprehensive learning experience that combines content, inquiry, and skills development. Students are exposed to a wide array of multimedia resources, primary and secondary sources, lessons designed to build their skills, collaborative learning activities, and assessments to deepen their engagement with the subject matter. Traverse will prepare students for civic engagement beyond their classrooms by using a standards-backed, inquiry-based approach to learning. It aligns with the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework and state standards, providing teachers with a cohesive instructional social studies program for grades 6-12. The Traverse Solution Traverse is authored by renowned educators Kathy Swan and Sam Wineburg, and designed by Imagine Learning’s development group, the same team that created the award-winning ELA program StudySync. Its digital-first instructional design allows districts to easily support changing curriculum standards with adaptable courses that are built with powerful media and interactives. Through a combination of video, activities, and tools, Traverse leverages interactive media to enhance engagement in instruction. Aligned to the C3 Framework, Traverse prepares students for college, career, and civic life by connecting the lessons to real-life social issues. Students are further supported through active learning and are encouraged to collaborate with their peers and find answers themselves through careful and critical study of the standards-based resources provided. As part of its modern, new approach to social studies, Traverse: Maximizes student learning by focusing only on the content standards teachers are expected to teach. Enables students to critically evaluate issues, both inside and outside the classroom. Blends technology and multimedia to empower learners. Supports teachers in facilitating an equitable learning environment by providing the necessary resources to create personalized learning experiences. Includes Imagine Learning’s exceptional digital and print implementation support and toolkits that work with districts according to their needs. Offers varied modalities for lessons and is compatible with multiple devices. Traverse is the latest digital-first curriculum to be added to Imagine Learning’s core product line, joining Imagine Learning Illustrative Mathematics, Twig Science, and Imagine Learning EL Education. It is available for U.S. History: Beginnings to the Civil War; U.S. History: Reconstruction to the Present; World History: Beginnings to the Reformation; World History: Emergence of the Modern World to the Present; World Geography; U.S. Government; and Economics. For more information on Traverse, visit www.imaginelearning.com/traverse. About Imagine Learning Every classroom, every student is bursting with potential. That’s why we pursue relentless innovation at the intersection of technology, people, and curricula. Imagine Learning creates K–12 digital-first solutions fueled by insights from educators, working alongside educators to support 15 million students in over half of the districts nationwide. Our core portfolio includes Twig Science®, Imagine Learning Illustrative Mathematics®, and Imagine Learning EL Education®. Our robust supplemental and intervention suite equips learners with personalized instruction for English and Spanish literacy, math, coding, and more. Imagine Edgenuity™ is our flagship courseware solution, complemented by Imagine School Services’ Certified Teachers. Imagine Learning. Empower potential. Learn more: imaginelearning.com.

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