#002 Jake Stainer: on growing Typeform, starting your own agency and why SEO isn't free.
May 14, 2024
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In this discussion, Jake Stainer, Co-Founder and CEO of Skale, shares insights from his journey, including his role in Typeform's rapid growth. He emphasizes the often-overlooked importance of growth engineers in marketing success and reveals why SEO isn't free. Jake reflects on his decision to start an agency rather than merely advance a career. He offers valuable lessons on entrepreneurship, the pitfalls of traditional blogging, and the necessity of aligning marketing with real customer data.
Jake Stainer highlighted the vital role of marketing adaptability during rapid growth phases, showcasing successful strategies from his time at Typeform.
Transitioning from Typeform to TravelPerk allowed Jake to gain insights into B2B marketing, focusing on quality lead generation over sheer volume.
Jake emphasized that effective SEO requires significant investment and resources, debunking the myth of SEO as a free marketing channel.
Deep dives
Jake Steiner's Journey into Marketing
Jake Steiner's interest in marketing began at a young age, stemming from an early fascination with building websites. Starting with programs like Microsoft Front Page, he transitioned to coding in Notepad and quickly self-taught himself HTML and SEO principles. By the age of 15, he was already experimenting with online marketing strategies, navigating early challenges with expense and complexity in Google Ads. This foundation paved the way for a career that would eventually include pivotal roles at well-known companies like Typeform and TravelPerk.
The Evolution of Typeform's Growth
During Jake's time at Typeform, he witnessed rapid growth that was characterized by innovative marketing strategies and a strong viral loop. A standout tactic was the enhancement of the ‘thank you’ screen, which significantly increased brand visibility and helped facilitate user acquisition through word-of-mouth. As the company expanded from a small team to over 300 employees, Jake faced the challenges typical of scaling a startup, including navigating the complexities of product and marketing alignment. His experience underscored the importance of adaptable marketing strategies, especially as the company's audience and goals evolved.
Transitioning from Typeform to TravelPerk
Shifting gears from Typeform to TravelPerk introduced Jake to the intricacies of B2B marketing, providing a contrasting experience focused on lead generation and sales. This required a paradigm shift from a consumer-centric approach to understanding the nuances of enterprise sales cycles and customer relationships. Jake's role involved collaborating with a dedicated sales team, where he had to grasp the metrics that mattered for larger organizations, moving away from measuring success through sheer volume to evaluating the quality of leads. This transition not only broadened his expertise but also reinforced the value of focusing marketing strategies to fit specific business models.
The Birth of Scale and Its Focus
After years of navigating the marketing landscape, Jake decided to co-found Scale, an SEO-focused agency tailored specifically for B2B SaaS companies. The agency aims to address common pain points in SEO, such as ineffective link building and poor integration with business metrics, by providing tailored solutions rather than generic services. Jake's experience in data-driven decision-making informs the agency’s offerings, emphasizing quality links and measurable impacts on clients' growth. This specialized approach not only differentiates Scale in a crowded market but also aligns with the needs of SaaS businesses looking to leverage SEO effectively.
Insights into SEO and Marketing Strategies
One of Jake's key insights is the misconception that SEO is a 'free' marketing channel, similar to how paid ads operate financially. He emphasizes that effective SEO requires a substantial investment in resources, whether that means hiring experts, creating high-quality content, or engaging in proper link-building practices. This perspective challenges businesses to rethink their budgets and commitments towards SEO, framing it as a long-term channel that compounds value over time, unlike quick-win models. Encouraging marketers to take a proactive and educated approach toward SEO is a central theme in his advice to avoid common pitfalls many businesses encounter.
In this episode of Grow with the Flow, we speak to Jake Stainer, Co-Founder and CEO of Skale, a leading SEO agency specializing in b2b SaaS companies. Jake was previously the Head of Growth and Demand Generation at Typeform and the Head of Growth at Travelperk in addition to adivising several companies, including Hotjar.
Jake shared his story and we talked about a range of topics, including:
* What it was like to join Typeform early on and contribute to their hyper growth
* Why a lack of growth engineers is a major blocker to marketing success
* Building his own team at Typeform vs. “inheriting” a team at Travelperk
* How big keys to growth often lie in the smaller things
* Deciding to start a business over climbing the career ladder
* Learnings from starting his own agency, Skale.
* Why SEO isn’t free and why companies should kill their blog
And as always, we shared a “kudos” and a “facepalm” of the week and Jake answered some rapid-fire questions.
Follow Jake on LinkedIn and check out Skale if you need help with your SEO: https://skale.so/
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