Outbound isn't dead, but generic mass emails are - successful B2B companies are shifting to intent-based prospecting that targets companies already showing buying signals.
Here's a tactical step-by-step playbook to follow.
👉 Map intent signals to buyer journey stages. Classify first-party signals (product usage, website visits) and third-party data (social engagement, review sites) into awareness, consideration, and decision stages to determine targeting and messaging.
👉 Build an intent classification system. Weight different signals based on their strength (pricing page = high, blog = low) and create a scoring framework in your CRM that combines multiple interactions into a single buyer journey stage.
👉 Connect your GTM tech stack. Integrate your intent data provider with your CRM and data orchestrator, then sync with campaign sequencers to automatically trigger personalized outreach based on intent signals and scoring.
B2B marketing trends are reshaping how businesses connect and sell. Here's what's emerging.
👉 B2B VLOGs are gaining traction. Agencies, marketers, solopreneurs, and coaches are leading this trend, showing real operations and behind-the-scenes content to connect with professional audiences.
👉 B2S emerges as a distinct category. This hybrid between B2B and B2C targets the growing freelancer market, characterized by ROI-focused messaging but with faster decision cycles and more emotional buying processes.
👉 Intent signals are replacing cold outreach. As email volumes increase from GenAI tools, B2B marketers are investing in technology like Apollo.io and ZoomInfo to detect buying intent and focus on prospects showing interest.
Mutiny grew outbound from 15% to 45% of pipeline by transforming their ICP targeting from gut-based decisions to a data-driven program. Here's how they did it.
👉 Build a dynamic ICP model. Move beyond basic TAM filters by scoring accounts using multiple signals (firmographics, technographics, intent), then validate against closed-won deals.
👉 Scale personalization through automation. Use tools like Keyplay and Clay to turn account data into personalized outreach, but reserve BDR efforts for warm accounts showing engagement.
👉 Take a unified GTM approach. Target the top 2,500 with one-to-few tactics, and concentrate BDRs on ~700 accounts showing the strongest signals through ads, events, and personalized microsites.
B2B influencer marketing is entering its golden age, with even paid ad managers embracing it as a key brand strategy. Here's why it's gaining traction.
👉 Influencer partnerships outshine fading traditional ads. They offer fresh customer channels while building brand credibility.
👉 Precision targeting through curated followings. Influencers' highly specific audiences allow for pinpoint reach to core personas.
👉 People trust faces, not logos. Industry-respected influencers lend authenticity and credibility to brands, outperforming corporate accounts.
Subject matter experts (SMEs) are becoming the cornerstone of effective B2B influencer marketing.
These are industry practitioners who are credible in their field and have built an audience. Here's how to leverage their impact.
👉 Build a multi-tiered influencer program. Leverage brand ambassadors for awareness, influencers for content creation, and SMEs for high-impact activities like webinars and workshops.
👉 Integrate SMEs into your content flywheel. Have subject matter experts host your podcast, create in-depth content, and lead customer-facing workshops to drive credibility and sales.
Once you've implemented your strategy and launched your initial campaigns, it's crucial to measure their impact. Here's how to quantify your B2B influencer marketing success.
👉 Measure ROI with Earned Media Value (EMV). Calculate EMV by multiplying total impressions by your Cost Per Mille (CPM) to gauge the value of influencer-generated content against traditional paid advertising.
👉 Measure brand sentiment shifts. Use sentiment analysis tools before and after campaigns to capture qualitative improvements in brand perception, providing a holistic view of campaign success.
What the heck is User-led growth? It’s when existing users champion your product and generate leads within your funnel.
This growth model doesn’t fit all B2B SaaS companies; however, when done right, it can create a flywheel that reduces your CAC.
One of the most famous examples is Dropbox’s referral program, which rewards users with more storage if they invite another user.
Here are a few tips to consider when creating your user-leg growth strategy.
👉 Build a content marketplace. Balance supply (users who create content) and demand (prospects who consume it) metrics and nudge the sides to kickstart your UGC flywheel.
👉 Integrate UGC into user journeys. Embed templates in activation and creation flows to boost engagement and retention.
👉 Create a creator spotlight program. Showcase contributors to fuel intrinsic motivation and word-of-mouth growth.
UGC is a powerful growth lever, but you need to ask for it proactively, and email outreach is one of the most effective methods. Here’s a tactical guide on how to collect emails.
👉 Follow a 5-step email process, which includes crafting catchy subject lines, personalizing messages, and being clear about expectations.
👉 Then, tailor email templates for different types of UGC (reviews, testimonials, social proof, success stories) – this can dramatically increase your content collection efforts.
GTM gurus have spoken. Across 350+ CROs and CMOs of software brands, four themes emerged to drive pipeline growth in 2024.
👉Events aren't dead. Virtual conferences and intimate dinners are producing 28x returns and 40% conversion rates to opportunities.
👉Prioritize cross-team collaboration. Aligning product, marketing, and sales teams around target accounts using a common propensity score.
👉Personalization at scale. Creative outbound tactics, like SDR personal pages, are generating a significant pipeline ($340,000 from 80 meetings).
👉Experiment with entry-level pricing. Consider removing legacy pricing floors in self-serve offerings while tightening freemium paywalls to accelerate conversions.
As the sales tech landscape consolidates and evolves, AI is reshaping how SaaS companies execute their go-to-market strategies. Here are the layers of the stack you need to know about.
👉AI-powered prospecting. Tools like Clay and Unify are enabling hyper-personalized outreach at scale, dramatically improving conversion rates.
👉Autonomous SDRs. AI agents are augmenting or replacing traditional SDR functions, working 24/7 to generate and qualify leads more efficiently.
👉Data-driven sales coaching. Real-time AI coaching tools, like Rilla, are improving rep performance for both inside and outside sales teams.
Double-clicking into the AI SDRs point. There is a growing wave of using GenAI to write copy for multi-touchpoint sequences.
But regardless of whether you purchase a single vendor or use your own LLM orchestrator to generate content, here are a few things to try.
👉Experiment with AI-powered sequence execution. Use AI tools to automate your entire outreach process, from initial research to personalized follow-ups.
👉Test AI-generated creative content. Implement AI-crafted unconventional strategies like memes or GIFs in follow-up emails to boost response rates.
👉Build an AI-enhanced growth flywheel. Use AI to continuously improve your sales process based on real-world data and customer interactions.
Most B2B marketing plans fail due to a lack of clarity and misalignment with revenue goals.
To avoid friction in the funnel, design a marketing plan (template linked inside) that balances these two execution pillars – 1) regular operations (80%) and one-time programs or experiments (20%).
This 80/20 split strikes a balance between stability and innovation, allowing you to maintain consistent growth while exploring new bets.
Once you have a clear marketing plan, the next step is build campaigns to support the execution of your strategy. Usually centered around a theme, these initiatives span multiple weeks and move the needle on a growth metric.
Here are key questions to ask when planning your next campaign.
👉 1. What's your campaign goal? Define success criteria using the GACCS brief (Goals, Audience, Creative, Channels, Stakeholders).
👉 2. Who's your target audience? Identify specific segments or accounts you're aiming to reach and influence.
👉 3. What's your campaign fuel? Determine the content, messaging, or creative that will resonate with your audience.
👉 4. Which channels will you use? Select the right mix of channels to reach and engage your target audience effectively.
👉 5. Who's the DRI? Assign a single directly responsible individual to coordinate across marketing functions.
This campaign playbook is a cheat sheet for running quality marketing campaigns. It breaks down the entire process from pre-planning to post-launch analysis, giving you a step-by-step guide to keep your team aligned and your campaigns on track. No fluff, just the essentials to execute campaigns that drive real growth.
