Marketing Spark (The B2B SaaS Marketing Podcast)

It goes without saying the marketing landscape has dramatically changed over the past year.  The disappearance of conferences (a go-to channel for B2B companies) has been a game-changer, forcing marketers to embrace virtual events, high-quality content, newsletters, and social media. Who better to provide perspective on marketing today and where it’s heading (as well as how business is transforming) than Mitch Joel, an entrepreneur, investor, author, and trusted advisor. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Mitch and I discuss: - The domination of the advertising landscape by Google and Facebook - The growing importance of storytelling - How and when in-person conferences will return - The future of LinkedIn and Clubhouse.

The subscription economy is expected to grow from $15-billion this year to $475 billion by 2025. That's 68% year-over-year growth. Adam Levinter operates in the eye of the hurricane as a subscription economy consultant, podcaster, and author. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Adam and I explore why the subscription economy is growing so fast, the sectors seeing the most momentum, and how companies can embrace a subscription business.  We also take a look at how the subscription economy will impact marketing, which will focus on customer acquisition and, as important, customer nurturing.

I have been working with B2B SaaS companies since 2008. I can honestly say that few of them have struck as truly innovative. Many of them were cool but they didn't blow me away. Lately is an exception to the rule. When I learned what it can do, it resonated as a game-changer. The company turns content (blog posts, eBooks, video) into social media posts. It takes the painful, time-consuming work out of creating updates for multiple social media networks. Imagine the ROI from being able to create social media content at scale effortlessly. In this episode of Marketing Spark, I spoke with Lately co-founder and CEO Kate Chernis about her journey from popular DJ to marketing to SaaS entrepreneur. We explored the personal struggles that Kate endured in the music industry, why she backed away from raising money because she believed the VCs weren't treating her in the same way as male entrepreneurs, and how to operate a business remotely. 

In some respects, newsletters are the Rodney Dangerfield of the digital marketing world; they get no respect. They’re widely used by B2B companies to engage and convert customers but they’re not seen as sexy.  To get some insight into the world of newsletters, I saw down with Ashley Guttuso, Director of Marketing at Simple Focus Software and the author of the Opt-in Weekly newsletter.  We talked about: - Best practices and mistakes to avoid - HubSpot's acquisition of The Hustle - How and when to use curated content within newsletters.

LinkedIn is a mysterious creature. The algorithm is a well-kept secret and there are rules that should be followed to stay onside and attract engagement on the platform. In other words, it's not as simple as writing a post and clicking "publish". Moritz Lang is a Swedish digital marketer who has emerged as a LinkedIn "guru".  On LinkedIn, he posts frequently on best practices and how to do the right things to create engaging content but also establish a strong presence. For anyone looking to raise their LinkedIn game, this podcast is a must-listen.

In marketing, nothing is guaranteed. Sometimes, it’s about taking risks and leaps of faith. In a data-driven world, data doesn’t deliver all the answers. Marketing is an unpredictable and often surprising creature. Last year, a lot of B2B wanted to de-risk marketing. They pulled back on spending, chopped staff, and counted every dollar. But that approach only works for so long. At some point, you need to get back in the game and take risks to succeed. On the Marketing Spark podcast, Mano Guiragossian talks about how he has navigated the risk journey with clients.

For people who spend a lot of time focused on a particular topic or area of interest, the idea of writing a book is appealing. It's a great way to demonstrate thought leadership, attract a bigger audience, and get speaking gigs. But Juliet Clark says writing a business book isn't for everyone, particularly if you don't have a large audience. Clark, who helps authors self-publish their books, says writing a book isn't for everyone. It takes a lot of work, not only to write a book but, as important, promote it. From personal experience, writing a book is a labor of love. The ROI is being able to differentiate yourself in a crowded marketplace.

It used to be that marketing and sales meant jumping on airplanes to meet prospects and clients. Many people didn't think twice about flying hundreds of miles to a meeting and returning the same day. At one time, Andrew Deutsch was a hard-core road warrior. He flew as much as 300,000 miles a year. Andrew visited a lot of places but eventually decided it was an unsustainable lifestyle. Today, Andrew does most of its selling and from home via Zoom or virtual conferences. On the Marketing Spark podcast, Andrew and I talk about the new age of sales and marketing, and how new in-person business activities could emerge post-COVID.

How’s Clubhouse going to make money? Given the platform’s growth, it’s a fascinating question. Of course, Clubhouse has time given it just raised more VC. But, at some point, Clubhouse will embrace monetization. Mallory Lee says the possibilities are endless. She believes the options include: - Advertising - Sponsored rooms - Private rooms for companies looking to connect employees via audio rather than video Personally, I think podcasting a huge opportunity for Clubhouse.

Every company wants its marketing to drive leads, sales, and ROI. But marketing can be an up and down situation. Sometimes, marketing works. Sometimes, it doesn't. On this episode of the podcast, Yaag Ganesh talks about why revenue marketing is an approach that ROI and predictability.  It's about focusing on marketing that works and then developing structures and workflows to "shampoo, rinse, and repeat." Yaag and I also talked about: - The rise of Clubhouse and why he's been spending a lot of time on the audio-only platform - Building a personal brand as an international marketer.