Welcoming Amanda Reierson, Thumbtack’s New Head of Marketing
By: Jeff Grant
Tags: Hiring, Talent, Tech, Workplace, Marketing

Amanda is a 20-plus year marketing veteran who recently joined Thumbtack as our new Head of Marketing. She was most recently Chief Growth Officer for Farmers Insurance, where she led the company’s digital transformation, media strategy, and brought thousands of local insurance agents online. Before joining Farmers, Amanda oversaw Advertising Marketing at Yahoo! and has held other B2C and B2B Marketing roles at DIRECTV and the Los Angeles Times. She received her B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles and currently lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband and two boys.

One month into her new role, I sat down with Amanda to find out more about why she joined the team and what excites her most about the road ahead.

Jeff: What led you to join Thumbtack?

Amanda: It really came down to two reasons: the people and the mission. There’s such a warm environment at Thumbtack. Everyone I’ve met at this company is humble, driven, and committed. On top of that, the mission of helping local business owners thrive while also solving for how we continuously best care for our homes — a major customer pain point that I experience myself — was a huge draw.

Jeff: In some of our earliest conversations, you mentioned that the role was a “marketer’s dream.” What did you mean by that?

Amanda: Often companies will build a great brand and great messaging — but it doesn’t pay out from a customer experience standpoint. I love that we’ve put all our muscle behind building the product experience, the customer base, and the pro community before making a big splash. My biggest goal is to make Thumbtack a household name. All of the pieces are there, we just need to do more to tell the world about what Thumbtack has to offer. And the word is already getting out — this year over 4.5 million customers in every county in the country will use our platform alongside hundreds of thousands of skilled professionals across 500 occupations. I’m thrilled to be a part of a journey with so much momentum, and so much growth upside.

Jeff: Which Thumbtack value resonates most with you?

Amanda: Say what you mean. It was very apparent from day one that people here are honest, straightforward and want to win. There’s no time for beating around the bush or politics, we have too much to do! I thrive on relationships and understanding what motivates people, so I’ve been very pleased with people’s candor and willingness to open up, especially in a virtual environment that’s still somewhat new for all of us.

Jeff: On that note, what’s it been like joining a new company in a virtual work environment?

Amanda: The onboarding was incredibly organized, which helped a lot. One thing that’s really impressed me is Thumbtack’s culture of using documentation and collaborative work tools so that even if you’re not an extrovert, everyone has a seat at the table and can be heard. That culture also really lends itself to working remotely, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Thumbtack is looked back on as a market pioneer in defining the future of work.

Jeff: How has your past experience equipped you for this role?

Amanda: I’m definitely pulling from my past experiences in different companies and industries as I dive into this role. There are a lot of parallels from a tech culture perspective from my days at Yahoo!, and it’s exciting to be back in that environment. I’ve also learned from Farmers Insurance and DIRECTV that you have to be relentless about prioritizing your customer’s needs and preferences as you set business objectives. Finally, my experience across big companies has positioned me to build a world-class brand at Thumbtack on a national level while also helping small and mid-size businesses lean on digital channels to grow at a local level.

Jeff: How are you approaching your role in the first few months?

Amanda: Thumbtack has a really talented marketing team and it has been great to hear about all they have accomplished. Additionally, as a marketer I am learning the product, what differentiates us and what we know about the mindsets of our customers and professionals. This will equip me to help refine our value proposition and add more heart and emotion to our brand. Think about what Marie Kondo or The Home Edit have accomplished; there’s so much joy in moving your home and space forward, and I’m excited to tap into that emotion more directly — especially at a time when we have all bonded with our homes so much more than ever before!

Jeff: What invigorates you most about the particular challenges of marketing in today’s world?

Amanda: There’s so much clutter in everybody’s lives now. So being able to understand the customer mindset and break through to connect with them is really exciting to me. In order to do that, a marketer has to be relentless about testing in an omnichannel world, and reaching the right customer with the right message at the right time — whether it be through a website, advertisement or human touch. Marketers now have the technology to do that testing and learning at scale, more than ever before. On a personal level, I’ve always been really proud of all of the products and brands I’ve been a part of in my career, and chose them all with purpose. Having that personal connection really motivates me.

Jeff: You and your husband took a mid-career sabbatical to go backpacking around the world. How do you think that changed you?

Amanda: I could talk about this subject forever! Taking time off to travel was one of the best decisions, and leap of faith, that I have ever made. It taught me how little I really need to be happy (just a backpack’s worth!) but also gave me a real appreciation for coming home and creating roots. I’m so glad we took the leap and I do think it helped me settle more comfortably into the family and homeownership phase of my life.

Jeff: What’s an accomplishment outside of work you’re most proud of?

Amanda: My two boys. I learn new things as a parent every day, and raising my own family has been an adventure and very proud accomplishment. No two days are the same at work or at home, but that is all part of the fun.

Jeff: We’ve all had such varied experiences of the pandemic. What has the past year been like for you?

Amanda: While there has certainly been a lot of personal heartache for everyone, including my family, I take some comfort in appreciating the silver linings. We are defining a new way to work that may even be more productive in the end. I traded a commute for time with the family or getting out for that run. Companies are now willing to recruit talent from anywhere, which adds to diversity of thought and backgrounds, not limited by geography. And it has led me to Thumbtack. We have all encountered new chapters during this unprecedented time, and I couldn’t be more excited about this next one.