Marketing Spark (The B2B SaaS Marketing Podcast)

How much content do you consume? Most of us probably overdose on reading, watching, and listening to content. There’s so much great content available that it’s hard to resist. I would argue that most of us need to be more structured, disciplined, and focused. Nemanja Zivkovic has an interesting approach. He’s on a “content diet”. Nemanja consumes content selectively and judiciously and relies on a few go-to resources but tries to stay above the fray. It allows him to be strategic about content consumption as opposed to gorging out at the content buffet.

Marketers love chasing, engaging, and nurturing prospects. Marketers love MQLs and revelling in sexy metrics how about well they are performing. But once a prospect turns into a customer, marketers move on to the next shiny prospect. A customer becomes the responsibility of customer success or customer service. Linda Komisak, CEO of Upturn Consultants, believes this is the wrong approach. Not marketing to customers, she says, means you're: - not making enough of an effort to keep them happy and loyal - not educating to get more value from your product - not creating opportunities to expand their business with you. In this Marketing Spark podcast, Linda talks about how marketing to customers matters and why "trusted advisors" play a key role in making sure customers are served properly. 

LinkedIn's 2020 was stunning; more than 60 million+ additional users and its emergence as a truly social platform featuring content, connections, and conversations. Like a lot of people, Liam Darmody jumped hard into LinkedIn last year. You only have to look at the 530+ posts that he published to understand his enthusiasm. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Liam and I talk about how and why LinkedIn changed last year, how he approaches the platform from a content and connection perspective, and how LinkedIn will develop in 2021. It's a high-level, strategic conversation about a platform that many people discovered or rediscovered and, in the process, saw amazing ROI. If you're on LinkedIn, check out Liam's recently launched LinkedInthusiasts! page.

At a time when conferences are not happening and salespeople can't meet with prospects, marketing has become a key revenue engine. A growing number of B2B and SaaS leaders are realizing that marketing can effectively attract, engage, and nurture prospects. Marketing is no longer supporting sales but driving sales. And, in the process, marketing is getting more respects and budget. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Shiv Narayanan gets into the different roles that marketing is playing. We explore the growing importance of content marketing and how CMOs and CFOs need to establish close working relationships.

As B2B and SaaS companies scramble to leverage virtual events, many people are looking to become better and more engaging virtual speakers. These are people who thrive at in-person events but now they have to present digitally. There's no stage and no audience sitting in front of them. Now, that's a huge challenge. Andrew Churchill has seen his consulting business explode as more people look to become better, more dynamic virtual speakers. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Andrew talks about the tricks and techniques that speakers need to deploy to keep people focused, interested, and interacting. One good piece of advice is to stand up when presenting virtually rather than sitting down. It's simple but, when you think about it, makes a lot of sense.  

It's one thing to do marketing; it's another thing to build a cohesive, collaborative, and productive marketing team. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Mitch Fanning provides insight into what it takes to build a team that drives marketing success. One of the things that Mitch likes in a marketing hire is "grit", which is the ability to get the job done even when things are challenging. Mitch also talks about how to create a partnership with a CEO to ensure that marketing gets the support it needs, as well as his marketing HR priorities.  

B2B and SaaS companies are scrambling to find ways to connect with prospects and customers at a time when in-person conferences aren't happening. Some companies are attempting to replicate the in-person experience but many of these efforts are, at best, mediocre. Clio, which offers software to law firms, however, appears to have discovered the recipe for success. Its recent virtual conference attracted 4,500 paid (yes, paid!) attendees from 46 countries. In this Marketing Spark episode, Clio's Alex Shipillo offers a behind-the-scenes look into: - why and how the event was so successful - why it charged people to attend, and - what one sponsor did to make an impact. 

Entrepreneurship is sexy and compelling. You call your own shots. You're the master/mistress of your own domain. It's an ideal way to make a living. Well, that's the perception. The reality is that entrepreneurship is stressful. It's a 24/7 activity that takes blood, sweat, and tears. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Luc Bohunicky and I explore the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, and what entrepreneurs must do to develop products and attract an audience.

In the B2B landscape, data dominates and, arguably, makes marketers less creative and interesting. Decisions are heavily (overly?) influenced by KPIs and metrics. The numbers don’t lie, right? But here’s something exciting (at least to me): B2B companies are starting to rediscover the value of brand and branding. In a noisy, ultra-competitive landscape, it is critical to stand out from the crowd. A brand has to be differentiated, compelling, memorable, and interesting. Otherwise, you’re just another company battling for attention, even if your product is amazing. Karen O’Mahoney says many B2B companies are starting to focus on the fundamentals and what really makes them different. They’re focusing on how they want customers, prospects, and employees to see the brand and what it offers. Karen, CEO of Brandlucent, says developing a brand strategy is not a one-and-done exercise. It’s about making sure that a brand evolves and changes as a company grows, pursues new opportunities and markets. Your brand should be your “North Star” that propels your company forward and allows you to boldly and distinctly stand out from the crowd.

2020 has been a big year for LinkedIn. The social media platform now has more than 720 million users globally. It has transformed into a platform dominated by content and connections rather than a place where HR professionals troll for talent and people look for new opportunities. In short order, many people have decided to embrace LinkedIn as the social platform to drive their personal profiles and careers. From doubling-down on the platform over the past seven months, I've seen first-hand the power of LinkedIn to drive my fractional CMO business. I've made new connections with people around the world and had dozens of conversations, including Camille Trent, a brand and digital marketing specialist with Texas Citizens Bank. I reached out to Camille because she has established an engaged following since jumping hard into LinkedIn in August. I want to learn first-hand about how someone leverages LinkedIn effectively.