In this episode of B2B Better , I sit down with Emir, the co-founder and CEO of HockeyStack, to explore the strategies that fueled the company's meteoric rise from zero to 150 customers, including industry giants like ActiveCampaign. Emir shares how HockeyStack transitioned from a product analytics tool to a powerhouse in B2B marketing, embracing pipeline generation as a company-wide mission. We discuss the evolution from inbound-led growth to the strategic introduction of outbound tactics, the ...
Nov 27, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 100
In this episode of B2B Better , I sit down with Alina Vandenberghe, co-founder of Chili Piper, to dive deep into the world of B2B marketing, company culture, and how to strategically align your team for maximum impact. Alina shares her unique approach to building a thriving company culture, harnessing employee advocacy on social media, and the bold tactics that set Chili Piper apart—like displaying real-time ROI at events. We also explore Alina’s data-driven methods for generating qualified lead...
Oct 31, 2024•29 min•Season 1Ep. 99
In this episode of B2B Better , I’m joined by Billy Hamilton-Stent, Chief Strategy Officer at Publicis Pro, to discuss assumptions in B2B marketing. We discuss how unchecked assumptions can derail even the best marketing strategies and why balancing data, intuition, and critical thinking is the key to long-term success. Billy shares insights from Publicis Pro’s latest report on SMB marketing challenges and myths, while we explore real-world examples of how businesses can overcome misguided assum...
Oct 09, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 98
In this episode, I’m excited to be joined by Yiuwin Tsang, CEO of Disruptive Thinking. I was really interested in speaking with Yiuwin to unpack his journey in finding differentiation in an incredibly saturated sector - B2B marketing services. During this interview, he took us through his journey from a blank slate to a thriving agency, sharing his blueprint around three core pillars of growth - building the right team, implementing discipline around business development, and getting to grips wi...
Apr 23, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 97
In this episode, I speak with Frans Swarttouw, Founder of GETTING THE MARKET I was really interested in speaking to Frans as a fellow owner of a creative services business - and one that is so niche in its target market to boot. How does the company differentiate from more generic, we do all things for all people, type agencies? What are the advantages and disadvantages of being so laser-focused on a specific niche? And when you have become the big fish in a small pond - what comes next? How do ...
Apr 11, 2024•31 min•Season 1Ep. 96
In this episode, I speak with Xanthe Vaughan Williams, Co-founder of Fourth Day. I started my marketing career working in PR and have always been involved in it in some way or another, working both in-house and agency-side. What has struck me over the last decade is that - particularly in B2B - there are some pretty fundamental misconceptions about what PR actually is AND how to build a programme that drives real results. During this conversation, Xanthe and I dissect the blurring lines between ...
Mar 26, 2024•40 min•Season 1Ep. 95
In this episode, I speak with Callum McGranaghan, Director & Head of Paid Social at Social for Good. We had a great conversation on the power of niching down in service-led businesses and its impact on their prospecting campaigns - especially when combined with low-ticket, high-impact projects to get their foot in the door with new clients. Callum also shared the importance of multi-channel outreach, and how segmenting your audience profiles is crucial for standing out in crowded markets. He...
Mar 12, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 94
In this episode, I speak with Joel Klettke, Founder of Case Study Buddy. We had a great conversation on B2B case studies - namely, how to create ones that stand out from the usual legal-has-killed-all-joy-from-this-piece-of-content crap that fills our feeds. We also covered a topic near and dear to my heart - what can I do to convince a sceptical customer to sign off a case study? There are a bunch of different methods Joel shared, but the one that stood out to me was creating an 'anonymous' cas...
Mar 06, 2024•39 min•Season 1Ep. 93
In this episode, I speak with Nick Patterson, Co-CEO of Storm & Shelter. We had a great conversation on how marketers in niche, service-led businesses can evolve beyond relying solely on referrals and word-of-mouth to generate new business opportunities. Nick shares how Storm & Shelter successfully developed and launched a 1:few email outreach strategy that complimented their existing marketing efforts. This was in response to the tough economic climate we find ourselves in and tougher c...
Feb 27, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 92
Got something special for you this week - a podcast swap! I always say that running a successful podcast is 40% creation and 60% distribution. And if there's someone who knows anything about effectively distributing content - it's Justin Simon. Host of the Distribution First Podcast and Founder of a consulting firm that specialises in helping B2B brands build content strategies with distribution at their core, Justin is someone I deeply respect. So, when I listened to his recent episode on ranki...
Dec 05, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 91
Me and Neil Weaver - Content Creator and Editor at Modo Energy - dive into the challenges and strategies of modernising marketing in industries traditionally resistant to change. We talk about Modo's approach to content marketing, specifically its play into building a media brand. Key discussions include: The intersection of sales and marketing at Modo and the collaborative effort to produce customer-centric content. The effectiveness of video content and podcasts in storytelling and audience en...
Nov 28, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 90
In this episode, I speak with Meghan Keaney Anderson, VP of Marketing at Jasper. We met on stage at SaaStock in Dublin and had a fascinating conversation on the application of AI in marketing strategy. Sure, we all know how to whip up a blog post or create an image of a duck playing the trumpet. But can artificial intelligence help us with budgeting, competitive analysis, developing strategic insights, and journey mapping? That's what we set out to answer. What I love about this interview is the...
Nov 21, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 89
In this episode, I speak with Nathan Latka, CEO of FounderPath. We met on stage at SaaStock in Dublin and had a fascinating conversation on his journey to create a podcast that is listened to by tens of thousands of SaaS professionals each and every month. Nathan's show - SaaS Interviews with CEOs, Startups and Founders - recently hit the 25 MILLION download mark over 3,300 total episodes. It's a masterclass in consistent, high-quality execution. We also talked at length about why getting people...
Nov 14, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 88
**Thanks to Hubspot for sponsoring this episode.** Today, I spoke with Leslie Venetz, Founder of Sales Team Builder. It's budgeting season, and you know what that means! Marketers across the globe are sitting down to try and figure out whether spending a six-figure sum on a booth at a trade show is still a good idea. Especially when that booth has historically yielded little to no ROI. There has to be a better way, right? That's what Leslie and I try to answer. We sat down to discuss why a lot o...
Nov 07, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 87
In this episode, I speak with Lauren Lynch, who previously was Director of Marketing at Set Solutions, a Trace 3 company. We had a really interesting conversation on a strategy she deployed to both fund and grow a popular podcast with IT professionals by leveraging 'Marketing Development Funds' - i.e. budget she was awarded through reseller agreements to run promotional campaigns. Lauren went right back to the start of the initiative, from how she got started, won buy-in from the C-suite, looked...
Aug 31, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 86
In this episode, I talk to Georgiana Laudi, Co-founder of Forget the Funnel. We talk about why the conventional marketing funnel is fundamentally broken (so stop using it) and what needs to take its place - actually talking to customers to figure out what they need and how to build a strategic plan that moves the needle. Gia also shares a step-by-step breakdown of her Customer-led Growth Framework, developed alongside Co-founder Claire Suellentrop, how to gather insights when actually getting a ...
Aug 16, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 85
In this episode, I talk to Amanda Natividad, VP of Marketing at SparkToro. We talked about how to think about modern-day content marketing in B2B - from figuring out what your audience cares about (even without talking to them) to scaling a content programme on a shoestring. Amanda also shared her thoughts on whether ChatGPT will soon drive us all out of a job. (Hint - it won't) This is a must-listen for anyone who cares about creating unique, differentiated content that customers actually care ...
Jul 06, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 84
In this episode, I talk to Andrew Davies, CMO of Paddle. We talked about the recent launch of Paddle Studios - the premier new media platform for SaaS leaders - and why it exists, how the team develops, tests and ships new ideas using a 5-step framework, and how much Netflix inspired the final product. This is a must-listen for any B2B brands who have ever asked themselves "Should we build a media company?" Thanks to my friends at Sopro for sponsoring this episode. You can download their State o...
Jun 20, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 83
In this episode, I talk to John Rougeux, Partner at Category Design Advisors. We talked about what category design ACTUALLY means in B2B, the eight levers to pull to build a business that is radically different, and how to think about category design against company positioning. You can learn more about John at www.categorydesignadvisors.com And the Christopher Lochhead article we referenced can be found here: https://categorypirates.substack.com/p/8-category-levers-how-to-build-a *** Have you t...
Jun 13, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 82
In this episode, I talk to Lucy Heskins, Founder of Oh Blimey. We talked about the components of an early-stage marketing strategy, how to acquire your first paying users and whether your first hire should be in-house or outsourced. This is a must-listen for startup founders or first marketing hires stuck on where to focus time, energy and resources. *** Have you thought about launching a podcast for your brand but aren’t sure where to start? Book 60 minutes with me to brainstorm some ideas and ...
May 24, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 81
Raw, authentic, slightly tired... no, this is not the description of my upcoming country album. In this episode, I take the microphone solo for an (almost) non-stop brain dump on a bunch of questions that have been asked by my podcast clients over the last few months. What's covered: How do I overcome my fear of hosting a podcast? What metrics should I measure when producing a podcast? Do you have a favourite podcast? What is it? How do I generate customer insights from my podcast series? What d...
May 17, 2023•32 min•Season 1Ep. 80
In this episode, I talk to Danielle Messler, Head of Marketing at Founderpath. She recently produced SaaSOpen - a 500+ person conference in New York that brought together the best and brightest from the world of software. We talked about why a brand would decide to host their own conference, how to develop (and protect!) a killer content programme, and what it means to deliver a 'defining moment'. This is a must-listen for marketers responsible for putting on owned events for their company - whe...
Apr 13, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 79
In this episode, I talk to Mark Kilens, CMO of Airmeet. We broke down how to create a webinar programme that doesn't make your mother want to cry with boredom. From how to structure a series to knowing what characteristics a killer host should exhibit - this is a blueprint on how to stand out from the 1,000s of terrible live video shows out there. *** I’m developing a packaged service to help B2B brands create, produce and distribute their own podcast in under 8 weeks. Includes full end-to-end s...
Apr 04, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 78
In this episode, I talk to Maria Erikslund and Andrew Athias - two B2B marketers who collectively create content for over 110,000 construction and manufacturing enthusiasts across their brand TikTok accounts. We talk about why companies in 'traditional' sectors stand to gain big on the social network, the kind of content that resonates, and how to win over leadership on the idea of revealing all that goes on behind the scenes. Plus, no episode of B2B Better is complete without insights on how a ...
Mar 13, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 77
In this episode, I talk to April Dunford, Positioning Expert. April has written one of my favourite business books - Obviously Awesome - which distils down the five core components of effective product positioning. I've always wondered though - how does her methodology translate to selling services or solutions? Well, I got the answer (and then some!) on this episode of B2B Better. We also covered why positioning is not a marketing activity and how often a company should revisit their current po...
Feb 27, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 76
In this episode, I talk to Ramli John, Content Director at AppCues. We discussed how he launched a series of educational courses to build demand with his target ICP. This episode of a new micro-series under the B2B Better umbrella, Breaking B2B, showcases creative marketing and sales campaigns executed by people in the trenches, actually doing the work - all in 10 minutes or less. Also - why not check out my weekly newsletter, The B2B Bite, where I break down marketing strategy and tactics for B...
Feb 15, 2023•10 min•Season 1Ep. 75
I sit down with Kyle Lacy, CMO of Jellyfish. We talk about how to build a balanced marketing strategy against revenue and brand targets, why investing in experiences is so important - even in this macroeconomic climate - and how a tiny Golden Llama statue generated thousands in revenue for his company. Also - why not check out my weekly newsletter, The B2B Bite, where I break down marketing strategy and tactics for B2B leaders into fun-size, actionable chunks? Head over here: b2bbite.substack.co...
Feb 10, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 74
In this episode, I talk to Jeffrey Mack, VP of Marketing at Agility. We talked about a creative direct mail ABM campaign he ran during his time at LinkedIn to 250 targeted accounts to drive new business - all inspired by Taylor Swift. This is an episode of a new micro-series under the B2B Better umbrella called Breaking B2B, which showcases creative marketing and sales campaigns executed by people in the trenches, actually doing the work - all in 10 minutes or less. Also - why not check out my w...
Feb 01, 2023•10 min•Season 1Ep. 73
In this very first episode of a new LinkedIn Live series-turned-audio-podcast, I talk to Josh Krakauer, CEO of Sculpt. We dive into everything you need to know about social selling - what it is, why it matters, and how marketers can help BDRs excel at it. Plus, we give away some actionable tips on how to start using social media to bring in new business right away. Also - why not check out my weekly newsletter, The B2B Bite, where I break down marketing strategy and tactics for B2B leaders into ...
Jan 25, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 72
In this episode, I spoke to 7 early-stage marketers to at SaaStock in Dublin. I asked each of them the same three questions. What is the scrappiest marketing activity you've ever done? How did you acquire your first 100 customers? And if you're budget got tripled tomorrow, how would you spend it? Every answer was different, highlighting just how important it is to not take generic, one-size-fits-all marketing advice you see on social media at face value. ;) This episode is a must-listen for star...
Jan 17, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 71
