Emily Binder

When I started out in marketing I was really sensitive. Really thin-skinned. I was wounded by feedback (especially late feedback) that was anything less than a pat on the head for being great. I was incapable of hearing criticism of any work I had done as anything but a damning of my character. I realize I don't come out very well in this story. That's ok. This isn't really about feedback. It's about learning to collaborate. Because somewhere - I honestly don't know where or when - I learned to listen (a bit). I don't think I'm perfect at it (who is?) but I stopped bristling at an alternative approach and started to rule it in. Is that idea valid? Is it better than my original idea? I've heard some things about how some really successful companies operate on a 'best idea wins' approach. In other words, it's not hierarchical, anyone with a good suggestion can put it forward. Sometimes the people that cause the most friction are the ones that get the most done because they spark us all into action. If you want to dive into better collaboration without the huge emotional journey I highly rate Neil Stoneman's post tagged below. Also tagging Hilton Barbour as someone who (dare I say relentlessly?) challenged me back in the day and made me stand on my own feet to better defend my views but also accept an outside view. #b2bmarketing #b2bstrategy

8

4 Comments

Blogging ain’t dead. The best blogs today bring together different types of content into one nice experience. And they don’t stand alone. They’re part of a bigger media and content experience. YouTube Shorts, clips, and audio snips, plus original imagery, make for a killer blog. It’s why Nick and I decided to start a blog on the TACK ⛵️ Network. The Moden Go-to-Market blog. Here’s a peek at the first article I just published. “Once upon a time, brands thrived using go-to-market (GTM) strategies like Inbound Marketing or Predictable Revenue while also gating every single piece of content they could. These playbooks were reliable, driving growth and success for many businesses. However, as the world continues to evolve, the efficacy of these strategies has begun to wane. The problem isn't the playbooks themselves; rather, they often focus more on the company's needs than the people they serve. Buyers' expectations and behaviors have changed, and brands must adapt to stay relevant and competitive. The solution lies in embracing a people-first approach to go-to-market strategies. By putting the customer at the center of every decision and interaction, brands can foster deeper connections, build trust, and ultimately drive more sustainable growth. In this post, we'll give you a go-to-market strategy framework that’ll help transform your organization's focus to be people-first” Check out the entire article here: https://lnkd.in/e-3xiimB Images and videos are coming this week. Head over to the TACK Network YouTube page if you want an early taste. p.s. It’s been just about six months since the launch of the TACK Network and Nick and I have learned a lot. We got some pretty sweet changes coming. This being one. The goal is more subscribers powered by an owned media strategy. Big shoutout and thanks to AudiencePlus. Pulling people into our free and paid memberships experiences in ClubPF presented by TACK. An owned community. A shoutout to Mighty Networks and Slack

22

3 Comments

I ditched keyword stuffing for storytelling. My SEO rankings skyrocketed. Here's the secret sauce: 1. Start with your audience's pain points Understanding their struggles sparks engagement 2. Craft a compelling narrative arc Hook → Challenge → Solution → Transformation 3. Weave in strategic keywords naturally Like breadcrumbs guiding readers (and search engines) 4. Use emotional triggers Fear, hope, curiosity – they all drive action 5. Back up claims with data Numbers add credibility and shareability 6. End with a clear call-to-action Guide readers to the next step Remember: Great SEO isn't about gaming algorithms. It's about creating content people actually want to read. What's your best tip for SEO-friendly storytelling? #ContentMarketing #SEOTips #SEO #Storytelling #Entrepreneurship #Revenue

9

Tim Davidson - I won't play the "assess the current tech stack and team" card -- but I'll play the need to assess the current state of the GTM and uncover why the ACV is only 30K and how we can increase the deal size. Before investing in tech, we need to see if we need to change.... How the business thinks about the business. How we communicate the value prop How sales, marketing and customer success teams engage with buyers How the teams work together to land and expand deals We need to see where problems lie, where buyers are leaving the buyer's journey and/or customer lifecycle and how we need to change interactions and the account experience. The tech I'd invest in would support the "changed" GTM strategy and the desired account experience. Even in a hypothetical situation like the one you propose -- we can't just pick the sales and marketing tech and have the tech stack drive the strategy. We'd just be placing band-aids on the "cuts" in the business vs. fixing the real issues. To my #LinkedIn network, how would you answer Tim's question in the post below?

5

4 Comments

There's a critical distinction between positioning early-stage and growth-stage B2B tech products that I worry people don't understand. In the early days, positioning a product on capabilities alone is enough. You align your product to what buyers want, dig in, and get your business off the ground. But once you hit scale, the rules change. Having differentiated capabilities is great, but capabilities alone rarely lift a company to the top of its category. Here's what I think does: -Differentiated product capabilities ...plus a combination of some or all of these: -Differentiated credibility -Differentiated convenience -Differentiated cost A product that is easier to trust, easier to buy, and delivers more value for the dollar is far better positioned than a product that only has differentiated capabilities. Category leaders know this. It's how they build formidable moats. But I absolutely think challengers can win this way, too. I witness it daily.

23

8 Comments

Should our top of funnel blog content just be micro social posts instead? I'm thinking specifically of "thought leadership" topics with little to no search intent. And little to no conversion attached to them. The ideas could be great. They could drive demand around the larger “why” of your company. But it’s not worth writing a 1500 word post that gets no traffic. Social is a content platform. Not a distribution channel for links back to your site. Companies desperately need to start using it like one. PS. Not everything has to be a blog :)

65

27 Comments

▶ Easy copywriting trick... Helping your audience understand if your offer is right for them can increase conversions, and I love the verbiage Monica Badiu shared in this clip. Hear our full conversation, "6 Ethical Ways To Get Your Audience To Buy Now” (link in comments), and let me know what you think. 😀

6

1 Comment

Snag grew their DTC from $0 - Over $30m+ in 3 years. Here’s how they did it: ➤ Problem-Focused Conception While out shopping, Brie realized her tights were slipping down. Growing frustrated, she asked some friends of hers if they experienced something similar. Turns out every single one of her friends had the same issue. This was natural fuel for her to look into things further. ➤ Data = Unfair Advantage Brie didn't have a background in marketing. Instead, her data-oriented mind gave her an advantage by looking at things a little differently. She ran a Google Survey of 3000 women to find out who else struggled to find a pair of tights that fit. The answer? 90% of 3000 people. Bingo. Opportunity validated. The data also showed how: → The market was commoditized → Men made most of the product purchases (Crazy right?) → Most women accepted poor fitting tights as the norm This inspired her to really look into solving this problem, and her search for suppliers began. ➤ Knew the numbers Before launch, Brie’s focus to really get a grip on her numbers really paid off. Since the sales were through DTC, she knew she needed: → 25% of revenue back into marketing → First-order profit → Small seed round to fund initial stock order Armed with the validation from the survey and some strong number-crunching, Snag launched. They cleared £300k/mo in under a year. The emphasis of being profitable from the first order was key to allow her to scale forward and further invest in marketing. ➤ Applied Zero-Party Data & Customer Service This is where Brie’s data-oriented approach really shone a light on how Snag scaled rapidly. The pandemic caused havoc for many brands, including Snag. Over 60% of the business disappeared overnight, and they went into negative. They had Facebook debt that had to be paid. Fast. Or Snag would die. That’s when Brie turned to her customers for answers. Her customers suggested a brilliant offer: 2 tights for the price of one, but the second pair gets sent in 6 months. The offer worked - Snag survived. And eventually thrived. This was a genius idea to help relate to her customers. ➤  Applied the ‘3-Piece’ DTC Law Finally, Brie understood the fundamental law of DTC. → Commitment to customer service → Great product experience → Solve a big problem Since all 3 were checked, the rest was down to semantics, unit economics, and following marketing fundamentals. ➤  Final Thoughts As a data analyst, Brie’s final words of advice were super impactful and really hit home. Yes, data is important, but it’s even more important that each data point is an actual human being, not just a number on a spreadsheet. Combining the importance of data with the understanding that each data point is a human is a brilliant formula for growth. What else would you add?

10

12 Comments

“It’s between you and one other vendor.” After years in MarTech Intelligence, I know nothing fuels as much anxiety for vendors as a potential client uttering these words… So when you’re neck and neck for the contract, how do you edge out the competition? I recently sat down with the Operations Director at a $500M apparel and accessories retailer making this exact decision on a new CDP for one of their brands. Here are the factors he’s considering:  (Hint – save these insights to ace your next RFP!) >> CDP Option 1 << He likes how: - Easy to use - Straightforward - And effective it is And he loves its functionality: “It tags all the site stuff to help record customer interactions even if they’re anonymous. Then it works to de-anonymize them!” All in all, “it’s a great product for tracking and pushing data to the data warehouse,” he says. “Plus it’s at a great price.” But while he loves Option 1, the brand’s team is leaning toward a second option… >> CDP Option 2 << The brand’s team likes its: - Ability to test content across their site, - Collect effective data on consumer behavior, - And create a cohesive and compelling site experience. Because this brand is 100% D2C, the team cares less about de-anonymizing data and more about creating a compelling site experience with testing and customer insights. >> Bonus Considerations << Most of the retailer’s other brands are just 5-10% D2C and could all leverage CDP Option 1. Plus, one of his top goals for 2024 is to identify and quantify customer data in offline channels. So he naturally prefers Option 1. But Option 2 might be a better match for this brand’s unique CDP needs.  ___ How will this buyer decide? Ultimately, it’ll come down to the priority that takes first place for the brand and the overarching company. Tl;dr — Make sure you invest time in truly understanding your prospect's goals. Then use those insights to frame your MarTech’s value prop so it’s personally relevant to them. After working with 100s of buyers, I can tell you firsthand this is one of the best ways to win their RFP.

7

3 Comments

What I used to do vs. What I do now... How I used to tackle marketing: - Focused on broad strategies - Neglected niche platforms - Underestimated content value How I do it now: - Craft tailored strategies for utilities and infrastructure - Leverage niche platforms for my target industry - Create valuable content for industry-specific audiences Real value comes from understanding your unique market. Let's chat about crafting marketing that resonates with your core audience. Share your thoughts or visit balsom.co #UtilityMarketing #InfrastructureGrowth #water #infrastructure #wastewater #marketing #digitalmarketing

3

1 Comment

Niching down means solving an entire problem for one group. When you don’t niche down you get sky high churn, snail paced growth, nonexistent product-market fit, and endless pivots. You could ship more features, get more sales talent, create more content on your product, and still wonder why isn’t anything sticking. Who experienced both sides of the coin? Plaid, the company that connects apps to users' bank accounts. When Plaid started in business they had 8 pivots because nothing stuck. They wanted to “Make Money Easier For Everyone.” They started getting traction when they focused on integrating with corporate American Express card users for expense management. This laser-focused approach solved 1 problem in its entirety. This built strong customer loyalty and set the stage for their massive growth. What single problem is most interesting that isn't solved today? Subscribe to my newsletter to learn more: https://lnkd.in/d7WGB8fi

2

B2B has a 𝘣𝘪𝘨 lead generation problem. They've been relying on: • Paid media/direct response • Lead "capture" instead of content creation • Measuring arbitrary actions instead of signals The organic lead-gen problem has less to do with grumpy CEOs and more to do with posting anything except the results their clients are getting. Most B2B companies simply do not understand buyer psychology. So B2B - I'm suggesting you go back to the basics. Interview your clients to come back to the reason it was successful in the first place. Talk to them, discuss, and ask questions. In the full episode, I share our B2B inbound playbook for 30+ leads per month with no fancy software. Organic content is built, not bought. Start today. 📌 My comment below has the links! _________________ #B2B #podcastprinciples #podcastcoach #brandstrategy PS: What are other problems you're seeing with B2B organic content?

59

80 Comments

Two questions: A) What are you doing differently this year to create non-replicable content? B) Have you read about the content gap yet? We talked to 400+ marketers (of all stripes) to understand how the role of content is changing within GTM. 👀 https://lnkd.in/eNKjaN-Z

20

2 Comments

Diversify your portfolio of demand gen tactics 📚 Effective demand generation isn’t about using one method alone to create interest in your product/services. You need to implement multiple tactics that work together in tandem. Take social media, for example - You might be seeing great results from Facebook, but then a few months later, the algorithm changes, what previously worked stops working altogether, and suddenly, your inbound inquiries and sales pipeline start to dry up. So, if LinkedIn is your primary channel, expand it by getting employees involved in content creation and distribution or consider adding influencers into the mix. It humbles me to be able to write alongside such talented peopel for Forbes Communications Council. 15 of whom contributed to this piece and offered their insights on their most successful demand gen initiatives. A few of my favourites include: 1️⃣ Create free online challenges. This will tap into your audience's competitive spirit while upping demand for your product or service. - Melissa Kandel 2️⃣ An allbound strategy. Outbound is not dead. An allbound strategy is a mix of inbound and outbound. Encouraging sales and marketing to align on target accounts. - Jayashree Rajan 3️⃣ Interactive quizzes. Present a series of questions that address known pain points, and provide them with their solution based on their answers. The customer gains value, while providing you with insights into their environment for sales to leverage in follow-ups. - Doug Vinson Check out the other 11 tactics in the article: https://lnkd.in/ejzG2rX7 #DemandGeneration #DemnadGen #EmployeeAdvocacy

20

2 Comments

Life’s too short to introduce shit AI products into your company so you can scale. So often questions are posed on here such as ‘have you considered how AI can influence eVeRyThInG?’ but barely reference a very specific action = outcome. ‼️ Indy agencies & marketers & seed stage founders: got an online demo webinar feat. Upflowy founder Guillaume Ang tmrw, you’re invited to see what good AI looks like. As a marketer, the main constraint often is time. Time to execute. Content doesn’t just *snap fingers, happens* It requires hands, for the most menial and mundane of tasks to do ‘marketing ops’ which to be frank, is a painful and highly bang-head-against-the-wall task for a marketer who is asked to ‘fill the funnel, make it go viral!’ Within marketing agencies who have clients they need to serve with campaigns, but are constrained by being able to provide the actual assets they require to deploy said game-changing campaign. Within seed+ tech companies who have lean marketing teams with marketing operators only able to do so much with the limited time they have in a day while they do 20 other jobs. Within service providers who seek to have an online bespoke presence in geographies and specific positioning Within consumer goods providers who want to ship a landing page for every SKU and inventory item they could possibly think of I am running this demo gathering tomorrow noon (AEDT) with Guillaume, as he showcases ‘Psyke’ - Upflowy’s next play in market; a neuroscience+AI platform helping marketing ship campaign creation at scale, in hours not days/weeks. I cannot reiterate how much Psyke is NOT SHIT. It is a magical beast, and it has been awesome getting involved in this team who are creating something that will redefine marketing ops, and show how every keyword you hold dear, can be turned into something that is on-brand, on-site, shipped, and *doing the SEO thing you need it to do* I barely run events anymore. This one, as we showcase and invite any and all feedback, will be something I believe will be a huge mental unlock for people thinking about how they can scale in 2025 onwards, but just need the top-of-the-funnel aiding tool to get them there. Tagging marketers and founders (most from Tractor days) I think would get a kick out of this- tell someone who gives a shit about knowing what 2025 should look like in growing their challenger brand. And DM me if interested. Don’t love selling, and since this is demo phase, I’m not. But I do love telling a fucking great story, and this is a good one. (*presses post at 2.37*) Adam Grocke, Adrian Edwards, Alexandria Garlan, Ally Watson OAM, Ami Bateman, ⍙ Amy Springer, Annie Liao 🇦🇺, Anthony Curtin, Ash Kirvan, axel sukianto, Ben Colley, Carolyn Stebbing, Chanel Clark, Cherie Clonan, Christopher Bartlett 🔸, Chris Hoffmann, Chris Nasr, Claire B., 🌞 Dan Brockwell, Daniel Lyas, Dan Siepen, Daniel Kagan, Daniel Ouliaris, Daniele Tanner, Danny Phillips, Dave King, David Tu-Hoa cont.

19

6 Comments

How do you KNOW if your podcast is generating revenue 👀 👇 TL;DR it's the offer 🤯 Want to snoop as I work with Parthi Loganathan to refine Letterdrop's podcast strategy? Check out episode 74 of the Scrappy ABM podcast wherever you listen to your favorite shows 🧡 💚

17

1 Comment