Andreas Pierrie’s Post

B2B marketing does not have to be boring B2B marketing does not have to be boring B2B marketing does not have to be boring B2B marketing does not have to be boring B2B marketing does not have to be boring Great example: Look at ClickUp and their recent "Cut the Slack" campaign They did 3 things differently than 99% of B2B companies: 𝟭. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸[𝗱𝗼𝘁]𝗰𝗼𝗺 Compare the old ways of working (Slack) to the new ways of working (ClickUp Chat). Also the "Owned by Salesforce" being a weakness is just hilarious. 𝟮. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 This is especially spicy as Dreamforce is owned by Salesforce which owns Slack. We will see if ClickUp gets banned from the conference for 2025 lol. 𝟯. 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘀 ClickUp discovered 2 hilarious Influencers that have been trending for their satirical HR content and have been leading this campaign. 𝟰. [𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀] 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘁 Not sure if this mascot is meant to be loved or feared (kinda scary looking) but people do love mascots (look at Duolingo). Plus, they are memorable and noticeable. 𝟱. [𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻] 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘇 The only thing I would add as the cherry on top for this campaign would have been to partner with tons of Creators on LinkedIn, posting about what they dislike about the current messaging tools (like Slack) and then the solution they found (ClickUp Chat). LinkedIn would be the perfect channel for this as we are talking B2B/SaaS. Takeaway: It's ok to pump some new lifeblood into your B2B/SaaS company. Don't be afraid to be different and ruffle some feathers with your marketing campaigns. Kudos to Chris Cunningham and team for this legendary campaign. Wish more B2B companies would follow... *** 🔔 If you found this helpful, you would love my other content - be sure to follow me AJ Eckstein 🧩

The B2B marketing funnel doesn’t exist. It seems simple: awareness → consideration → decision. In reality, B2B buyers are busy, distracted, and overwhelmed. They don't have a linear journey. They see your ad. Ignore it. (10x times) A month later, they Google your product. They come back to your site after a meeting. Three months later, they click on a retargeting ad. Then, someone shares the link on Slack. Suddenly, they open your website, submit a form, and say they found you on the "internet" It’s not a funnel. It’s a set of different touchpoints. And between those touchpoints? Life happens: Meetings, Slack messages, kids, deadlines. For paid ads, this means: - Run ads that educate and build trust. And ads for lead generation. Consistently. - Use retargeting to stay visible, reaching engaged prospects multiple times for less. - Don’t force segmentation between cold and retargeting audiences. Keep overlap. - Don’t assume someone’s ready to book a call just because they clicked on your content. There are some, but a small portion. Your job isn’t to push people down a funnel. It’s to stay on top of their mind. And provide solutions to solve their problems. What’s your approach to paid ads for B2B SaaS?

B2B sales funnel! a clear pathway of promotion to conversion

Short-term gains 📊 vs. 🏆 long-term growth in B2B marketing. Lead gen vs. brand building One-off promotions vs. always-on advertising Immediate ROI vs. dark funnel …And the list goes on 📋 There are so many ways to do B2B marketing, but if I had to cut it down to one, I’d say people often try to balance between the following two: 📈 Short-term results 🌱 Long-term growth Both are of course necessary, but since the short-term metrics are where you can draw a direct line from marketing to sales (e.g. hand over of leads) many companies tend to favour campaigns that drive those short-term KPIs instead of the strategic ones like: Reach, SoV, and Frequency. At worst this can lead into a situation where you are hyper focused on the short-term campaigns and are only optimising their performance causing the upstream (long-term) potential to dry up. So only focusing on the short-term KPIs is the same as trying to take a shortcut to glory where one doesn’t exist. A “hot lead” 🔥 requires a few more interactions than a single lead magnet download, as based on studies a B2B decision maker consumes around 13-16 content pieces through their buyer’s journey. So even though 80% of your sales potential is generated by the short-term campaigns (20% is hard to attribute) ...still, 80% of your long-term growth lives in “the future” and is influenced by brand building, continuous value delivery, repetition, ungated content, etc. This changes the dynamic of the 80/20 principle so that… 📊 Short-term campaigns drive: 80% of FAST revenue ⏳ Long-term campaigns drive: 80% of FUTURE revenue So are both needed? ✅ Absolutely! It’s even paramount that the long-term growth (the upstream) gets an equal amount of love ❤️ as the short-term activities, as you can only “make an impression” and influence someone’s thinking over the long term, and finally… realise the built demand into leads, pipeline, and revenue once your crop is ready for the harvest. TLDR: Revenue is the manifestation of multiple marketing actions (not just lead gen), and by nurturing your audience upstream (delivering value, branding, etc.), you’ll come to nurture that future potential of yours where 80% of harvestable revenue lives.

Full-funnel B2B marketing (7 stages explained in detail + book announcement). 0. GTM STRATEGY - FUNDAMENTAL LAYER. - Goals and targets - Focus market segments & clusters - ICP and account segmentation - Customer research and buyer journey patterns - Core programs to influence buyer journey and drive revenue - Metrics, KPIs and Reports - Messaging - Team alignment 1. Brand Awareness. Develop brand awareness strategy through: - Detailed guides - Organic thought leadership - Boosting top-performing content through ads - Guest posts and podcast interviews - Sponsorship & collaborations with communities, influencers, and creators - Events 2. DEMAND GENERATION. Demand generation = making your target accounts believe your product is one of the best possible solutions for their needs. Demand (or buy-in) is generated through: - Detailed case studies and customer use cases divided by verticals or jobs-to-be-done - Practical overview of typical buyer challenges and ways to solve them with native integration of your product 3. DEMAND CAPTURING. Retargeting became a synonym for demand capturing, but this is just a piece of the puzzle. Here are 6 other ways to capture the demand. - High-intent website page visits - Product-related content hubs - Product-related webinars - Product-related free email courses - Progressive profiling - Buyer interviews 4. ACTIVATION. Activation = personalized offers for target accounts. The best ways to deliver personalized offers and generate sales opportunities that have been working for us and our clients are: * 1-1 consultations & strategy sessions * Personalized content hubs * Social selling based on engagement and intent insights * Direct mails with personalized solutions 5. CLIENT SUCCESS. After winning a deal, the real relationship only starts. Make sure to accelerate time to value, onboard core users, and get a positive case study asap. Whenever you see they get results, invite them for a debriefing call. You can create a case study and get insights about key initiatives + validate upsell hypotheses. 6. EXPANSION. Most B2B companies never do it and just passively wait until the client requests more licenses. While expansion is a new retention as Jacco van der Kooij nicely describes it. --- The buying process is not linear, and you can't push buyers. But you can ensure that you maximize the chances to: - Create awareness and grab attention of the accounts that are not in market now - Generate demand for those who research and learn about different solutions - Capture the demand and activate engaged accounts - Expand & Retain --- We started to popularize the concept of Full-Funnel B2B marketing with Vladimir Blagojević 7 years ago. It all has started from the image you see right now 😃 This summer we decided to accumulate our 19 years in B2B marketing and write a book. If you'd like to be among the first readers and provide us feedback, leave a comment, and I'll add you to beta readers list.

Fantastic breakdown from Andrei Zinkevich of the full-funnel B2B marketing approach! Each stage is crucial, and it's clear that aligning strategies across the entire funnel can significantly enhance B2B success. One additional point I'd emphasize is the importance of leveraging data analytics at each stage. By continuously analyzing and refining strategies based on data-driven insights, you can more effectively tailor your marketing efforts to meet the evolving needs of your target accounts. Excited about the book announcement! Count me in as a beta reader. Looking forward to diving deeper into these strategies and learning from your extensive experience.

Full-Funnel B2B Marketing explained. 0. 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 = replicate your best deals. - Firmographics and technographics criteria - (Dis)qualification criteria that help you prioritize accounts with a need, and that you have a reasonable chance of winning and retaining over the long time  - Buying committee structure - Account segmentation criteria - Buyer journey: where and how they learn, discover and buy a solution like yours 1. 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 = consistent stream of high-quality expert content aligned with the buying journey, created for places where your buyers hang out and learn + clear messaging on how you're different and worth buying. 2. 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 on high-intent channels + retargeting. Buyers that are ready to buy will reach out to you. Work on making that process frictionless. Keep nurturing with relevant product marketing, social proof and relevant CTAs. In parallel, prioritize engaged, high value accounts for your ABM program. 3. 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 for Account-Based Marketing, based on: - Revenue potential. In ABM, we want to focus on high revenue potential clients (Tier 1 & Tier 2) - Level of vendor awareness and engagement with your brand and demand generation campaigns  - Product-need evidence  - Relationships that we have with the buying committee 4. 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 (𝟏:𝐅𝐞𝐰), where marketing and sales work together to nurture and develop relationships with multiple buyers, and qualify the need. 5. 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 (𝟏:𝟏). Here, we collect all the available information about the needs, goals, KPIs and challenges of the individual buyers, and map the value proposition and content to accounts and buyers. Based on these insights, we create and distribute personalized solutions, effectivelly creating 1:1 account-based marketing. 6. 𝐏𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, where marketing works with sales to accelerate the buyer journey of the stale deals, and re-engage the target buyers. 7-10. 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐜𝐲, 𝐞𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗹𝘀. If the deal is won, we'll move it to customer success, and after successful implementation, we can start working on expansion, and later renewals. 11. 𝗡𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗻𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 Even if you select the right accounts, and you run a perfect campaign, not all accounts are going to convert into a deal right away. But this doesn’t mean that you should stop marketing to them, as the opportunity might appear in the coming quarters. That’s why we move these accounts to nurturing & demand generation programs, so that you stay top of their mind until they're ready to buy. --- The era of a lead generation and siloed marketing and sales teams passed many years ago. To win today, you need #fullfunnel #b2bmarketing, including brand awareness, #demandgeneration and #ABM programs. 

Full-Funnel B2B Marketing explained. 0. 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 = replicate your best deals. - Firmographics and technographics criteria - (Dis)qualification criteria that help you prioritize accounts with a need, and that you have a reasonable chance of winning and retaining over the long time - Buying committee structure - Account segmentation criteria - Buyer journey: where and how they learn, discover and buy a solution like yours 1. 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 = consistent stream of high-quality expert content aligned with the buying journey, created for places where your buyers hang out and learn + clear messaging on how you're different and worth buying. 2. 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 on high-intent channels + retargeting. Buyers that are ready to buy will reach out to you. Work on making that process frictionless. Keep nurturing with relevant product marketing, social proof and relevant CTAs. In parallel, prioritize engaged, high value accounts for your ABM program. 3. 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 for Account-Based Marketing, based on: - Revenue potential. In ABM, we want to focus on high revenue potential clients (Tier 1 & Tier 2) - Level of vendor awareness and engagement with your brand and demand generation campaigns - Product-need evidence - Relationships that we have with the buying committee 4. 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 (𝟏:𝐅𝐞𝐰), where marketing and sales work together to nurture and develop relationships with multiple buyers, and qualify the need. 5. 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 (𝟏:𝟏). Here, we collect all the available information about the needs, goals, KPIs and challenges of the individual buyers, and map the value proposition and content to accounts and buyers. Based on these insights, we create and distribute personalized solutions, effectivelly creating 1:1 account-based marketing. 6. 𝐏𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, where marketing works with sales to accelerate the buyer journey of the stale deals, and re-engage the target buyers. 7-10. 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐜𝐲, 𝐞𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗹𝘀. If the deal is won, we'll move it to customer success, and after successful implementation, we can start working on expansion, and later renewals. 11. 𝗡𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗻𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 Even if you select the right accounts, and you run a perfect campaign, not all accounts are going to convert into a deal right away. But this doesn’t mean that you should stop marketing to them, as the opportunity might appear in the coming quarters. That’s why we move these accounts to nurturing & demand generation programs, so that you stay top of their mind until they're ready to buy. --- The era of a lead generation and siloed marketing and sales teams passed many years ago. To win today, you need #fullfunnel #b2bmarketing, including brand awareness, #demandgeneration and #ABM programs.

Recently I was in a discussion with friend about their B2B campaign failure where I noticed that still some marketers doesn’t know that B2B Marketing strategies significantly different than B2C, especially on digital platforms. Which dragged me back to talk about one of the classic marketing topics. Here are some key differences: 1. Content Strategy: - B2B: Content need to be more informative and detailed, focusing on product specifications, ROI, and case studies to support purchasing decisions. - B2C: Content is more likely to be emotional and storytelling-oriented, trendy aiming to engage consumers on a personal level and create an emotional connection. 2. Sales Cycle and Decision Making: - B2B: The sales cycle is longer, involving multiple stages of approval and a focus on building relationships. Marketing efforts often aim to nurture leads over time. - B2C: The decision-making process is shorter, with purchases often made on impulse or through fewer steps. 3. Channels and Tactics: - B2B: LinkedIn, ads on related platforms, blog posts, and email marketing are common channels, emphasizing professional networking and in-depth content. - B2C: Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, along with influencer partnerships and PPC campaigns, are more prevalent, aiming for broader reach and engagement. 4. Messaging and Communication: - B2B: Messaging is more focused on business value, efficiency, and how the product or service can solve specific problems or improve operations. - B2C: Communication is often centered around benefits, lifestyle enhancement, convenience, and entertainment value. 5. Customer Journey and Personalization: - B2B: Marketing efforts are tailored to different stages of a complex buying process, with personalized content for different stakeholders in the purchasing decision. - B2C: While still personalized, the focus is on creating a seamless and straightforward path to purchase, with personalized recommendations based on past behavior or preferences. 6. Data and Analytics: - B2B: Emphasizes tracking long-term engagement, lead generation, and conversion metrics, focusing on the effectiveness of lead nurturing and relationship-building efforts. - B2C: Focuses more on immediate sales metrics, website traffic, social media engagement, and conversion rates, with a strong emphasis on ROI from advertising spends

Some time ago I spoke with Ken Rutsky, author of Launching to Leading: How B2B Market Leaders Create Flashmobs, Marshal Parades, and Ignite Movements, about what what goes into successful B2B marketing. One of the biggest misconceptions people have, he said, is that all they need is the right tech. While tech does indeed play a role in data-driven marketing, Rutsky considers it only one third of the story. And getting the story right is actually the key thing in effectively connecting with B2B customers, just as it is for B2C customers. Who’s the hero in your marketing story?  From the tales of Homer to comic books and films like Star Wars,  and even Disney’s Moana, stories of a hero’s journey remain persistently popular. Rutsky credits Joseph Campbell’s 1949 book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, for breaking down the steps involved in such stories. Rutsky quotes Campbell’s summary of the journey story on p. 95 of his own book: “A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.” In his own words, Rutsky described it as the hero’s perilous journey far from home to bring “a magical gift” to improve his own world. Such stories are a great way for marketers to present a product or service that will solve a persistent problem for the business customer. And they often do so, but what they tend to get wrong is the casting of the hero.   “Don’t make the product the hero,” warns Rutsky. “Make the customer the hero.” He knows that it is very tempting to give the starring role to what we’re selling. It likened it to parents’ desire to show off the kids they are so proud of. But while you may be enamored with your literal or figurative babies, their many attributes are not what is of interest to your audience. What is of interest to the audience is how they can use your products and services to solve the problem. So they become the hero, thanks to the magical sword that will enable them to slay the dragon. Or they will be the CMO that is able to deliver targeted campaigns via the real time data updates that come through your tech solution. Another analogy for effective B2B marketing that Rutsky offers is that of a race car. He explained that it’s not enough to have the right engine and the right tires on the car; you also need to be sure it is powered by the right gas. “The right message and right story is putting the high class fuel into the car” that will allow it to perform properly. “You have to start with a good message,” Rutsky insists. It’s simply not possible to just “A/B test the way to the right solution.” He adds, “ I’m an engineer by training,” but that he knows tech alone is not the answer. Effective market involves both “art and science.”  #WriteWay