Navigating Cloud Innovation for Mid-Market Success | Jay Zubatyy from Cloud Tech

Ernesto Quezada: Pathmonk is the intelligent tool for website lead generation. With increasing online competition, over 98% of website visitors don’t convert. The ability to successfully show your value proposition and support visitors in their buying journey separates you from the competition online. Pathmonk qualifies and converts leads on your website by figuring out where they are in the buying journey and influencing them in key decision moments. With relevant micro experiences like case studies, intro videos, and much more, stay relevant to your visitors and increase conversions by 50%. Add Pathmonk to your website in seconds. Let the AI do all the work and get access to 50% more qualified leads while you keep doing marketing and sales as usual. Check us on pathmonk.com. Welcome to today’s episode. Let’s talk about today’s guest. We have Jay, CMO with Cloud Tech. How are you doing today, Jay?

Jay Zubatyy: I’m doing well. Excited to be here and love what you guys are doing. I’ve seen a bunch of your episodes and am very excited to be here today.

Ernesto: Likewise, it’s good to have you on, especially with your work at Cloud Tech and AWS serverless solutions. Definitely a good provider that you guys have there. So, excited to learn more, and I’m sure our listeners are tuning in wondering what Cloud Tech is all about. Let’s kick it off with that. Jay, in your own words, can you tell us a little bit more?

Jay: Sure. Cloud Tech is a professional services company. We are an AWS-exclusive service provider. Essentially, we focus on mid-market companies with data analytics needs. We do everything from setting up data lakes and data warehouses to visualization, and getting companies prepared for using generative AI models, which are obviously a hot topic in the market right now. Pretty much everything end-to-end when it relates to data management and analytics.

What sets us apart is how we do it. Our team comprises experts, mostly former AWS solutions architects and leadership, including myself. We primarily focus on the serverless solutions AWS offers, such as API Gateway, Lambda, and other managed services. Our goal is to help companies extract insights from their data to improve decision-making without any infrastructure management. AWS and Cloud Tech enable businesses to focus on their core operations, whether in financial services, healthcare, or manufacturing—our three primary areas of focus right now.

Ernesto: Awesome to hear that. So that everyone listening can get a better understanding of your company, Jay, what are some problems you solve for clients?

Jay: The problems we solve are pretty broad. Many of our clients, especially mid-market ones, have recently migrated from on-premises infrastructure to AWS Cloud. Often, they’re not fully prepared for what comes next. Their engineering teams might lack expertise in cloud architecture, which is quite different from traditional setups.

Clients might expect cost savings but later realize costs can spiral as their data grows—exceeding their expectations. This is where Cloud Tech comes in. We modernize their infrastructure and help their teams become cloud-ready. We emphasize that the shift isn’t just technological; it’s operational and people-centric. We train engineering teams and leaders to adapt to the cloud environment, leading to reduced costs, higher productivity, better scalability, and faster go-to-market solutions.

Ernesto: Great insights! What would you say is your ideal ICP? Is there a specific vertical or niche you focus on?

Jay: Our ideal ICP is mid-market companies. While we’ve worked with enterprises and smaller businesses, our sweet spot is mid-market organizations, particularly in financial services, healthcare, and manufacturing. We’ve also done projects in telecom, but those three industries are where we excel.

Ernesto: Perfect. How do companies typically find Cloud Tech? What’s your top client acquisition channel?

Jay: Great question. As a professional services company, Marketing is quite different from SaaS. Around 70% of consulting engagements stem from word-of-mouth and referrals. That’s why we focus on building a strong reputation within targeted industries. Once you gain trust in a specific segment, referrals naturally follow.

For Marketing, we use LinkedIn, Google Ads, content, SEO, and even YouTube to engage senior engineering leaders in our target industries. We also create use-case-driven content to address pain points and share it across paid and organic channels, including LinkedIn and Stack Overflow. Recently, we’ve been testing AI tools for demand generation too.

Ernesto: That’s fantastic. For listeners tuning in, you can visit Cloud Tech at cloudtech.com. What role does your website play in client acquisition?

Jay: As a relatively new company, the role of our website is evolving. It serves as a mid-funnel resource. Most visitors hear about us through ads or referrals, and the website helps them understand our unique delivery approach and solutions. It’s a mix of informational and lead-capturing, aimed at showcasing our expertise and driving engagement.

Ernesto: Would you recommend any tools or methods for lead generation?

Jay: Yes! My biggest advice is to define your audience. Avoid trying to appeal to everyone—that often results in appealing to no one. Start with a focused ICP and adopt what I call a “building block strategy.” Master one segment, then expand. For tools, we use LinkedIn, Google, Clearbit, VWO for A/B testing, and HubSpot for Marketing automation.

Ernesto: Great recommendations. Let’s switch gears and talk about you as the CMO. What are your key day-to-day tasks?

Jay: My tasks vary. My main focus is aligning the entire team—Marketing, Sales, and Product—to our mission and ICP. In a startup, you wear many hats. Some days I’m setting up CRMs or writing content; other days, I’m strategizing for the next two to three years. It’s all about balance.

Ernesto: Awesome! Now, let’s jump into our rapid-fire questions. Ready?

Jay: Absolutely, let’s do it!

Ernesto: What’s the last book you read?

Jay: No Rules Rules about Netflix culture. It highlights how their culture contributed to their success.

Ernesto: What’s one thing your company is focused on the most?

Jay: Staying true to what we do best and avoiding distractions like chasing trends.

Ernesto: If there were no technological boundaries, what would you fix for your role as a marketer?

Jay: I’d elevate the perception of Marketing as a strategic driver rather than just an execution team.

Ernesto: What’s one repetitive task you’d automate?

Jay: Email workflows—still too manual despite all the automation tools available.

Ernesto: Finally, what advice would you give your younger self starting in Marketing?

Jay: Focus on writing. Being able to communicate effectively and engage audiences is crucial and will differentiate you, especially in the AI-driven future.

Ernesto: Amazing advice. Thank you, Jay, for being on the show. If someone forgets everything about today’s episode, what’s the one thing they should remember about Cloud Tech?

Jay: We’re a people-first consulting company. Everything we do centers around empowering people—our team, clients, and their engineering leaders.

Ernesto: You heard it, folks. Visit cloudtech.com to fuel innovation and boost productivity. Thanks for joining us, Jay, and to our listeners, see you next time on Pathmonk Presents!

Jay: Thanks, Ernesto. It was a pleasure!