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We’re continuing our journey with the Conifr SaaS Interview Series, where we sit down with some of the sharpest minds in B2B SaaS to dig into what’s really working in marketing today.
For our second interview, we had the chance to speak with Scott Nadzan, VP of Product Marketing at Panopto - a leading video management platform for businesses and higher ed. Scott brought a refreshingly candid take on the reality of today’s marketing landscape. We talked about the flood of AI-generated content, the challenges of converting traffic into results, and why younger audiences are skipping Google entirely and searching on social instead.
Scott also shared how Panopto is using video to scale content creation, build engagement, and support pipeline growth - all while staying grounded in the human side of marketing.
This conversation is packed with real-world insight and practical takeaways. Whether you’re in SaaS, product marketing, or just trying to keep up with where search and content are heading, this one’s worth your time.
Dive in for the full interview with Scott!
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT:
Michael: Today, I’m joined by Scott Nadzan, VP of Product Marketing at Panopto. Scott, welcome! Can you tell us a bit more about yourself and your role?
Scott: Thanks for having me, Michael. I work in Product Marketing and Communications—but don’t let the title fool you. I wear a lot of hats, mainly around evangelizing our product, showcasing the value it brings to customers, and making sure our messaging really connects with what people need in their day-to-day work.
Panopto is a video management platform used by both higher education and enterprise clients. In education, it’s often seen as a lecture capture tool. In corporate environments, it’s used to manage everything from meeting recordings to training content. Ultimately, our goal is to help people do their jobs more effectively by making video easy to create, manage, and share.
Michael: I noticed a lot of buzz around Elai. Is that a new part of Panopto?
Scott: Yes. it’s an exciting development. Panopto recently acquired Elai, a generative AI tool that turns text into video using AI avatars. If you can write it, Elai can turn it into a video.
What makes Elai so compelling is its ability to go beyond passive video. It includes interactive elements like branching, quizzes, and clickable buttons—so you’re not just watching a video, you’re engaging with it. That’s powerful for product marketing, enablement, learning and development—you name it.
And of course, it speeds everything up. I love making videos, but lights, camera, action takes time. Elai eliminates a lot of that. I can create high-quality, personalized videos faster, with fewer resources.
Michael: Are you seeing video play a bigger role in your overall marketing?
Scott: Definitely. Video is in Panopto’s DNA—it’s the core of what we do. We’ve gone through phases where we produced more or less content, but today we’re investing heavily again.
What’s great is that video doesn’t just live in isolation—it fuels everything else. We’re experimenting with different formats, tools, and styles to see what resonates. Then we’re using AI to pull transcriptions, summaries, and highlights to extract as much value from each video as possible. This creates long-tail content that’s SEO-friendly and incredibly useful downstream.
Michael: How do you define success for your content? What metrics matter most?
Scott: For us, it all comes down to pipeline generation. We’re creating content to support our sales team—whether that’s blogs, ads, or videos. So we’re constantly asking: is this helping us get qualified leads?
We also focus a lot on conversion rates. That’s where the real business impact happens. If we can improve conversion math—even slightly—it affects everything: revenue, profit, team morale, you name it. And of course, we’re looking at website traffic, close rates, click-throughs, and impressions. But the big shift is moving beyond just creating content to making sure it converts.
Michael: What tools are you using to measure and optimize content performance?
Scott: We use a mix, like most teams. SEMrush is a go-to for SEO—it gives us insights on keywords, competitors, backlinks, and more. We also rely heavily on Google Analytics, YouTube’s analytics, and native platform dashboards for social and paid.
For social scheduling, we recently started using Oktopost, which helps manage posting across platforms. But the truth is, we don’t have a single, unified dashboard. It’s still very manual—jumping between tools. That’s a big area for improvement, and I imagine a lot of teams feel the same.
Michael: How is AI changing the way you approach search and content?
Scott: AI has changed everything—especially the speed of production. The challenge now isn’t creating content, it’s standing out. Search summaries powered by AI are shifting how users engage with search results. Sometimes, people don’t even scroll past the AI summary—they get what they need and move on.
On top of that, there’s just so much more content now. Not all of it is good, and most of it looks and feels the same. So we’re focused on how to make our content more human. We want to use AI for support—headlines, structure, SEO—but not lose the personal touch that makes people connect with a brand.
Michael: That’s fascinating. Are you seeing shifts in how people find content?
Scott: Absolutely. One of the biggest things I’ve seen—especially through teaching at Syracuse University—is that younger audiences don’t use Google the way we do. They’re searching on social media platforms, full stop.
That changes the game. If we’re only thinking about SEO in the traditional sense, we’re missing where attention is actually going. So yes, we’re adjusting our channel mix, creating more video content, and focusing on platforms where younger users are already discovering products and information.
Michael: With all this AI content out there, how do you stay authentic?
Scott: That’s what I’m thinking about constantly. People buy from people—it’s always been true. So even though we’re using AI to move faster, we’re also doubling down on humanizing our brand. That means real voices, real faces, real stories. It’s not about overproducing or over-automating—it’s about building relationships.
So yes, I’ll use AI to help with scripts or structure, but we’re still showing up as ourselves. That’s what people respond to. Otherwise, you just become another piece of algorithm-fodder.
Michael: To wrap up—who are your go-to thinkers or sources of inspiration?
Scott: I lean into the fundamentals. I love Guy Kawasaki—he’s always pushing boundaries and thinking differently. His book Rules for Revolutionaries is something I go back to all the time. I also really respect Peter Drucker—his work on finding new sources of opportunity still shapes how I think about business.
But honestly, I consume a ton of short-form content—LinkedIn posts, blog snippets, little tips here and there. It’s not about having one guru. It’s about staying curious and learning something new every day.
Scott Nadzan’s perspective offers a sharp, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to market effectively in today’s SaaS world. He shows how teams can move fast with tools like video and AI, without losing the human element that makes content resonate. It’s a reminder that being efficient and staying authentic aren’t at odds—they actually go further together.
Stay tuned for more expert interviews in our Conifr SaaS Interview Series as we continue exploring how today’s marketing leaders are adapting to tomorrow’s challenges.
Michael is a Partner at Conifr and oversees operations. Michael has been in web development, digital marketing, and analytics for nearly two decades, with experience running agencies and leading in-house marketing teams. He has led integrated digital marketing teams for both paid search and SEO across household name brands, such as Norwegian Cruise Line and 1-800-Pack-Rat. Michael specializes in strategy, business development, and analytics. Before Conifr, Michael was the Chief Marketing Officer at a sustainability focused online gaming startup.
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