The Marketing Mix: Thought-starters for B2B Business Leaders

If you’re a founder or CEO of a growing business, you've probably been told that you have to focus your marketing around Google. Whether that’s ranking highly for a specific phrase or a set of keywords; or investing in ads to get more people to your website. Both of which can get expensive quickly!

And there's a good chance that all this effort has left you frustrated. The game has changed drastically over the la...

If you’re running a B2B tech company, you want your website to generate leads, and convert interest. Yet so many websites are built for vanity, not revenue.  And that’s Sam Dunning’s goal with Breaking B2B - to change the way that tech companies and SaaS providers think about their web design.

 The website should be the hub to which you drive all of your marketing programs. And yet many of them are designed around good looks and fun...

I was on my way to the New Jersey Digital Marketing Conference recently. And it occurred to me that the way we keep up with the latest in marketing strategy and techniques has changed significantly.

A few years ago, it was all about in-person events, networking, and reading a few books.

Now - post-covid - much of our marketing education is digital. TikTok, webinars, social media and, yes, podcasts. And as AI becom...

I’m talking with Chris Delany, the CEO of Semgeeks, about how the world of B2B digital marketing is changing. We look at the transition from basic SEO tactics and website design, to a full-bore strategy focused on creating a community across multiple channels.

Chris explains how he’s shifted to a more integrated, multi-touch approach that focuses on a complex customer journey instead of the more traditional sales funnel. T...

Responsible Marketing; Sustainability; Eco-friendly business practices. Whatever you call it, companies are increasingly exploring how to “do better.” And on this episode, we explore how businesses can embed Responsibility directly into their marketing strategies.

Chad Hickey, CEO of Givsly; and Lauren Burke of Ljs Advisory, share their experience in integrating these practices into B2B events and campaigns. Reducing unnec...

If you’re worried about how “search” is going to be impacted by AI…then you’ve clearly been paying attention! But beyond all the hype, what are the most likely outcomes in the next year or so. Should your SEO strategy be changing? Should your marketing investment be going in different places?

Greg Brooks and his team at SearchTides spend their time thinking through these exact issues – based on data and their own experienc...

Are we ready to take advantage of AI in Marketing yet?

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, is quoted as saying that AI could automate 95% of tasks currently performed by marketing agencies. I don’t agree with the number, but it’s a bold enough statement to pay attention to. And, for sure, AI is going to have a significant impact on how we “do” marketing over the next few years.

So in this episode, I talk through the option...

In this episode, we talk with Chris Heffernan, the co-founder and CEO of Dlivrd. Think DoorDash, but for restaurant catering and same-day food delivery. Chris shares his insights on marketing as a founder, and how it has helped him scale his business. 

He discusses Dlivrd's unique positioning in the delivery ecosystem, at the intersection of technology, logistics and customer experience. They’ve created a business culture aroun...

Positioning is a fundamental part of marketing strategy. But it’s not always explicitly defined, particularly in small, fast-growing companies. In many cases, it’s based purely on the original intent of the founder, and reflects early-adopters. But as a business scales, it’s worth taking time to think through the Why/Who/How of your product or service, so you can develop the messaging and the Go-To-Market strategy that’s going to h...

To kick off Season Two, Steve talks about marketing topics that have been top of mind since the last episode. He talks about the current state of the LinkedIn algorithm, (not great, but better than the alternative!); the need to productize your offering, whether it’s an actual product or a service; and the importance of positioning and defining your niche.

Steve also introduces his Marketing Mentor program, working with small busine...

Search Engine Optimization; Demand Generation; and Content Marketing.
Most of the conversations in this first season of the podcast have delved into one (or more) of these three key areas of marketing.

In this final episode of Season 1, Steve selects a sound bite or two from each of his interviews,  to remind everyone how smart his guests are! And to zero in on the #1 takeaway from each episode. He recaps his discussi...

The term Account Based Marketing, or ABM. has been hijacked by companies promoting platforms and tech solutions. But in essence, it's a methodology for reaching strategic accounts more effectively.

In this episode, Mason Cosby discusses the true definition of account-based marketing  and how it can be a viable strategy for smaller organizations. He emphasizes the importance of focusing on the strategy rather than the ...

Every marketing book tells you to get closer to your customer. And honestly, we don't really need to be told that! But it's not always so easy to do that as part of your day-to-day - particularly if "customer research" means in-person focus groups or Voice of the Customer projects.

Fortunately, getting customer insights is now much easier, with online platforms making it accessible to businesses with li...

A recent Linkedin post got some traction by suggesting that not all businesses need a website.

Which honestly, is a bit of a headscratcher.  As my friend Tim Peter wrote in a counterpoint, that's like saying you don't need a phone number or an email address to run a business.

On this week's episode, I talk through why you DO need a website, even if it's just a simple one. I discuss the types of...

In this episode of The Marketing Mix, we’re talking to Nikki Fabrizio about the power of using customer success stories - otherwise known as case studies - in content marketing. 

Nikki shares her experience in producing both written and video testimonials for a range of companies. She stresses the importance of finding the right clients for case studies - ensuring you have a diverse set of customers featured - and showcasing realist...

Marketing attribution sounds like a great idea. And in theory, it is. Particularly if you’re selling directly to customers via an ecommerce page on your website.

In many B2B scenarios, though, you’re selling through distributors, channel partners or third party websites. It’s not easy to track a buyer from the moment they first interact with your brand, all the way until they buy a product. When you encourage your customers to purch...

You’re spending money on PPC ads, on improving SEO performance, and attending multiple events. How do you know which of these investments is paying off? That’s what Marketing Attribution is all about.

In this episode of The Marketing Mix, we’re talking to Steffen Hedebrandt, CMO and co-founder of Dreamdata, about the importance of marketing attribution for small and mid-sized B2B companies. 

We discuss the challenges of tra...

Too many start-ups and small businesses waste their precious resources running Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns without linking them to activity that drives new business. It’s easy to get dazzled by vanity metrics, instead of targeting prospects who are ready to make a decision. 

So on this episode, we’re talking about the best way to approach Google Ads and PPC advertising, with Katie Kingsbery, Senior Account Manager at RevKey.  

If you know that SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, but aren’t sure where to get started, then this episode is for you.

Charley’s experience at Conde Nast, Google, and a number of start-ups has given him an insight into how SEO can be used to fuel the growth for brands and businesses. And in this conversation, he explains the four pillars of SEO that he considers whenbuilding a strategy, and how he approaches each one.
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