How to Stop The Busywork in B2B Marketing (with Dmitry Shamis)
Apr 17, 2025
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Dmitry Shamis, former Head of Brand at HubSpot and founder of Oh Snap, shares his expertise in B2B marketing. He discusses the true essence of brand identity and how many teams become overwhelmed by busywork rather than focusing on impactful marketing. Dmitry emphasizes the importance of having a unique point of view and aligning marketing with product strategies for genuine differentiation. The conversation also explores how AI can streamline processes and enhance creativity, while reminding marketers of the value of human ingenuity.
Marketing teams often get bogged down by busy work, which detracts from productivity and leads to burnout and frustration.
A strong brand identity in B2B encompasses more than visuals, focusing on a cohesive narrative that aligns with the company's mission.
AI is a valuable tool in B2B marketing, designed to automate mundane tasks and enable marketers to focus on strategic initiatives.
Deep dives
The Challenge of Busy Work in Marketing
Marketing teams often find themselves overwhelmed by busy work, spending significant amounts of time on routine communications instead of focusing on core marketing tasks. The episode highlights that, on average, marketing professionals dedicate around 28 hours a week managing communications, which leads to frustration and burnout. This busy work detracts from productivity and effectiveness, preventing teams from achieving their goals. It is emphasized that while teams are busy, they must gain clarity on their priorities to avoid getting sidetracked by tasks that do not drive results.
AI's Role in Marketing
The impact of AI on marketing is explored, particularly its potential to reduce busy work and improve efficiency. While some believe that AI might disrupt creativity, the discussion reveals that AI's true function is to automate mundane tasks and enable marketers to focus on strategic initiatives. It's suggested that organizations should leverage AI to eliminate repetitive tasks, streamline content research, and optimize reporting. Ultimately, AI is positioned as a valuable tool for marketers, allowing them to redirect their efforts towards more impactful activities.
Understanding Brand Identity
A strong brand identity is essential for B2B organizations, and it encompasses much more than just visual elements like logos and colors. The episode discusses the importance of a brand's narrative and point of view as integral to establishing a cohesive message across all channels and interactions. Effective branding should resonate internally and externally, aligning with the company's mission and values. This holistic approach to brand identity is presented as crucial for differentiating from competitors in a crowded marketplace.
Prioritization and Clarity in Marketing Goals
The conversation emphasizes the importance of clear goal-setting in marketing to reduce the chaos created by competing priorities. Without defined objectives, teams may struggle to prioritize tasks, leading to confusion about what deserves focus. It is stressed that leadership should actively set and communicate key company goals to guide team efforts effectively. The ultimate takeaway is that prioritization enables marketing teams to focus on high-impact activities that align with overarching business objectives.
The Future of Creative Agencies
The emergence of a new agency, Osnap, is introduced, co-founded by Dimitri, which aims to revolutionize the way creative branding is approached. This agency is positioned to help businesses develop their brands in a manner that is adaptable and future-proof, accounting for both aesthetic and functional needs. The goal is to create scalable branding solutions that evolve with the client, moving beyond traditional agency practices of delivering static branding elements. The vision highlights the integration of design systems and modularity to ensure that branding efforts are coherent and enduring across various marketing efforts.
#238: Brand | In this episode, Dave sits down with Dmitry Shamis, former Head of Brand at HubSpot and now founder of Oh Snap, to talk about what brand really means in B2B and why so many teams are stuck doing busy work instead of meaningful marketing. After leading a team of 150+ creatives and scaling HubSpot’s brand across multiple products, Dmitry shares lessons on building brands that actually stand out.
Dave and Dmitry cover:
How to stand out in a crowded market
How to develop and refine your point of view
Why marketers get lost in busy work and how to stop it
What to look for when hiring great designers
The role of AI in B2B marketing today (and what it won’t replace)
Timestamps
(00:00) - – Intro to Dmitry
(05:11) - – What brand actually means in B2B
(07:31) - – Why your POV is the foundation of your brand
(09:41) - – How to uncover a real, differentiated POV
(13:40) - – How to stand out in a crowded, same-sounding market
(16:15) - – Why differentiation requires alignment between product and marketing
(19:05) - – Building trust with product teams
(19:54) - – Busy work in marketing: how to spot it and stop it
(22:36) - – Why marketers burn out and how poor prioritization is killing teams
(26:44) - – Making the case for brand work when it’s hard to measure
(28:19) - – The “fishing” analogy: performance vs brand marketing
(32:50) - – The real opportunity with AI in B2B marketing
(36:49) - – How AI can eliminate bottlenecks and speed up creative execution
(38:19) - – Why Dmitry’s starting a creative agency (Oh Snap) and how it’s different
(41:27) - – How to hire great designers: what to look for beyond the portfolio
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