Does your marketing strategy have what it takes to hit $1M ARR this year? Your competitors are already making moves; are you ready to catch up? 

We’ve worked with businesses just like yours to help them hit $1M ARR in just 12 months, and now we’re sharing that exact strategy. It’s a comprehensive blueprint covering everything from PPC campaigns to channel analysis, breaking down the journey into actionable quarterly milestones. 

This approach ensures steady and sustainable growth, and it’s all laid out in one reusable dashboard. If you want to optimize your marketing spend and track performance effectively, this blueprint will show you how to do so.

Get Your $1M ARR Blueprint Now!

Weekly Digest: We’ve Got More for You Today!

While the blueprint sets you up with strategies to hit $1M ARR, it’s crucial to stay on top of industry trends to stay competitive. This week, we’re diving into the latest developments that could impact your marketing efforts. Check them out:

1. Can AI Really Save Time in PPC?

Absolutely! AI speeds up keyword segmentation, churns out ad copy in minutes, streamlines communication, automates reporting, and even predicts future trends. It’s like having an extra set of hands to handle the busy work while you focus on strategy.

2. Do Guest Posts Still Get Indexed by Google?

It turns out not all guest posts are created equal! If you're buying links from content farms or low-quality marketplaces, chances are Google isn’t even indexing them. But if they’re from thoroughly vetted, reputable websites, you might stand a chance. Quality still matters, especially with guest posting—Google’s watching closely!

3. OpenAI’s o1 Model: Smarter Than Us?

OpenAI claims their o1 model can outperform humans in complex reasoning, tackling math, coding, and science like a pro. It’s even said to beat PhD-level experts on a benchmark test! Impressive, but let’s wait for independent verification before jumping to conclusions.

4. Can Google’s New Tech Transform Data Privacy for Advertisers?

Google just launched “confidential matching,” a tech that lets advertisers use their data securely with advanced privacy controls. It uses Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) to keep data isolated and safe even from Google. Could this be the future of data privacy in advertising?

5. Will YouTube’s First Position Ads Maximize Your Visibility?

YouTube’s First Position Ads now let advertisers grab the prime spot across all content on Display & Video 360, no longer limited to YouTube Select. This guarantees your ad is the first viewers see, perfect for product launches or big events. With dynamic CPM rates, it’s a chance to maximize visibility during key moments. Ready to make your ad the first thing viewers see?

Interesting Reads for This Week

1. Disha Shukla on How LinkedIn Can Boost Your B2B Success
   LinkedIn gives access to 12% of global business decision-makers—are you fully using it? Disha Shukla shares tips on how to maximize LinkedIn for B2B marketing.

2. Swati Paliwal Predicts the B2B Job Market of 2025
   Curious about the future of B2B marketing roles? Swati Paliwal reveals surprising trends, like the rise in leadership roles and a dip in Content and Demand Gen.

That’s all for this week! Do you have any thoughts or questions about what we shared? Drop us a message; we’d love to hear from you.

Stay tuned for more exciting updates and strategies coming your way next week!

We’re back with all the updates you didn’t know you needed! From new podcasts to exciting tech features, we’ve got plenty to catch you up on.

Exclusive Scoop:

LinkedIn Launches Gen Z-Focused Podcast

LinkedIn teamed up with iHeartRadio for “Let’s Talk Offline,” a podcast aimed at Gen Z. It’s all about how this generation is navigating careers and life, adding to LinkedIn’s growing podcast lineup that’s helping young professionals sharpen their skills.

Google’s Power Plays

It’s been a busy week for Google! 

Is Google Unfairly Dominating Local Search?

Yelp has filed a major antitrust lawsuit against Google, accusing it of tilting search results in its favour and harming local businesses. Yelp claims this has degraded search quality and stifled competition, leaving fewer opportunities for rivals. Could this legal challenge reshape local search?

New YouTube Targeting Tool: What’s the Big Deal?

Google Ads just introduced a cool feature: You can now create remarketing audiences based on other YouTube creators’ videos, not just your own! This opens up new ways to reach viewers who’ve already engaged with similar content, giving advertisers more power to get specific with their campaigns. 

Get Ahead: Google’s New Shopping Trends Tracker 

Google’s just made holiday prep easier! Their new feature lets retailers track what’s hot in shopping searches, so you know exactly what customers are eyeing. Think of it as your personal trend detective, helping you stay one step ahead of what everyone’s adding to their carts. Stock up, tweak your marketing, and get ready to crush those holiday sales!

This Week in Tech: The Hits and Misses

Apple AI Faces Pushback from Big Publishers

Top publishers are pushing back, refusing to let Apple use their data to train its AI models. The concern? They want tighter control over their content and how it’s used. This could shake up Apple’s plans to boost its AI capabilities. It looks like not everyone’s jumping on the AI bandwagon just yet!

Brazil Bans X: What’s Elon Musk’s Next Move?

Brazil’s Supreme Court has upheld the ban on Elon Musk’s X platform, citing its failure to remove illegal content. Musk isn’t backing down, though he’s in a legal standoff and now even faces threats of sanctions on Starlink. With tensions rising, it’s clear this fight is far from over.

WordPress Alert: Over 1 Million Sites at Risk

Two popular WordPress contact form plugins have major security flaws, leaving more than 1.1 million websites vulnerable. Hackers could exploit these gaps to take control of affected sites, making it crucial for users to update their plugins ASAP. If your site uses these tools, now’s the time to check for updates and stay secure.

Canva’s AI Features: Worth the Price Hike?

Canva’s upping its prices by a whopping 300%, but they’re saying it’s all about the AI. The new tools, like AI-powered design and image generation, aim to make the creative process faster and smarter. But is that massive price increase justified? Canva’s betting big that the new features will change the game for designers.

What Do We Have for You?

1. Trying to keep up with all the latest Digital Trends in B2B Marketing? Check out Adesh Jalatkar’s take on what’s changing in the industry and how you can stay ahead. Read more here.

2. Wondering how to get people to smash that ‘see more’ button? Nick Broekema shares how sub-hooks can make your posts irresistible. Get the scoop here.

That’s a wrap for this week!
Hope you enjoyed the scoop. Got any thoughts? Hit us up! We’ll be back with more updates soon. Until then, keep exploring and stay curious!

Newsletters aren't just emails. They help you:

• Reach your audience directly

• Build better relationships with customers

• Grow your business

But don't worry if you haven't started yet. We're here to help.

We'll show you how to:

• Avoid boring content

• Create newsletters people want to read

• Use strategies that really work

Let's make your newsletters so good that people look forward to reading them!

Personalization Matters 

Generic Newsletters Fall Flat:

Generic emails? Yawn 🥱

They’re the digital equivalent of junk mail, easy to overlook and even easier to ignore. But take a page from HubSpot’s book with their "The Hustle" newsletter. HubSpot doesn’t just blast the same old content to everyone; they segment their audience by industry and past interactions. 

The result? Every subscriber feels like the content was tailor-made just for them. No wonder their open rates skyrocket, and their readers become loyal fans.

AI to the Rescue: Making Personalization Easy

Personalization doesn’t have to be rocket science.

Salesforce’s "Marketing Cloud" newsletter proves that AI can make your life much easier. By sifting through user data and past behavior, AI crafts content that feels like it was written just for each reader. 

Imagine having a newsletter that practically reads your audience’s mind thanks to AI, you can do just that, all with minimal effort on your part.

Make Your Newsletter Unforgettable

Segment Like a Pro:

Think segmentation is tricky? Nah, it’s easier than you think. 

Adobe’s "CMO.com" newsletter gets it right by segmenting its audience based on roles like marketers, creatives, and IT professionals. Each reader receives content tailored to their interests and challenges, making the newsletter more relevant and engaging. 

No wonder their engagement rates are consistently high.

First-Party Data is Your Best Friend:

Using your data smartly can feel like a superpower.

Take Spotify’s "For the Record" newsletter, for example. They don’t just send random updates—they craft each email based on what their listeners are vibing to. It’s like having a DJ who knows exactly what you want to hear. 

The result? Emails that feel personally relevant and keep your audience coming back for an encore.

Boost Your Newsletter’s Reach and Engagement

Repurpose with Purpose:

Wondering how to squeeze more juice out of your content?

Buffer’s "Social Media for Business" has it down to a science. They take their best blog posts and give them a second life as bite-sized newsletter content. It’s like getting two for the price of one, ensuring their top insights reach more eyeballs without breaking a sweat. 

Talk about working smarter, not harder!

Foster a Community:

Want to keep your audience coming back for more? Create a space where they feel they belong.

The "Moz Top 10" newsletter curates the most valuable SEO content every two weeks. But they don’t stop there—they invite readers to jump into discussions and connect with the broader SEO crowd. 

It’s more than just a newsletter; it’s a community where learning never stops, and everyone’s in on the conversation.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Ditch the Generic Titles:

Boring subject lines? That’s a one-way ticket to the trash bin. 

Make your titles catchy and specific to grab attention and boost your open rates.

2. Let Analytics Lead:

Why guess when you can know? 

Use analytics to track what works and what doesn’t. Let data guide you in refining your newsletters to keep your audience engaged.

3. Go Beyond the Name:

Personalizing just the name isn’t enough anymore. 

Dive deeper by tailoring content based on user behavior, like past purchases or browsing history. This makes your newsletters feel relevant and keeps readers coming back.

Let’s make your newsletters something people look forward to! 

Whether you’re just diving in or fine-tuning, it’s all about making those connections. And don’t worry; we’ve got your back if you need help!

Why do we need to be a little crazy? Because B2B often gets a bad rap for being too serious, too technical, and, let’s face it, a bit boring! 

Think about it. We’re all humans at the end of the day, and whether you’re selling software or services, your audience craves connection.  

When you induce a bit of fun into your B2B marketing, you’re not just making your brand more likeable, but you’re making it more effective. 

Don’t worry; I’m not here to bore you with generic advice. Instead, I’ll show you some real-life examples of how to turn up the fun in your B2B strategy and make a lasting impact.

Tip 1: How LinkedIn Nailed It with Relatable and Humorous Content

Who doesn’t love a good laugh, especially in the often serious B2B world? 

LinkedIn knew this and hit the mark with its Hyper-relatable GIF Roundup. They cleverly tapped into everyday marketer struggles, making their audience feel seen and understood. It wasn’t just about humour; it was about building a community where everyone could say, “I’ve been there too.” This content doesn’t just entertain; it strengthens connections. 

The takeaway? Keep it light. A little humour, whether in memes, videos, or posts, can make your brand relatable and brighten your audience’s day.

Tip 2: How Adobe Brought Acrobat to Life with Real-World Scenarios

We’ve all been there trying to juggle work and life, and then life throws a curveball. Adobe Acrobat’s “Baby Proof” commercial hits the nail on the head with a scenario we can all relate to a financial advisor scrambling to save his report from a curious toddler. He repairs, converts, secures, and sends the document in a few quick moves, all thanks to Acrobat.

So, why does this ad stick? Adobe didn’t just tell us what Acrobat can do; they showed it in a real and urgent way. It’s not just software; it’s your go-to in those everyday “uh-oh” moments. And let’s not forget that catchy tune that keeps it light and memorable. 

The big lesson? Show your product in action, and let your audience see its value in real-world situations.

Tip 3: How Slack’s Musical Ad Hit All the Right Notes

Ever think a work meeting could be fun? Slack did, and they turned it into a musical with “The Big Meeting.” Instead of stressing over a surprise client meeting, the team breaks into a catchy, comedic performance, making the ad anything but typical.

What’s brilliant here is the creativity. Slack doesn’t bore you with a feature list. They weave their tools for file sharing and task management into a fun, memorable, and relatable storyline. It’s a masterclass in showing, not telling.

The takeaway? When you present your product in a unique, entertaining way, you capture attention and leave a lasting impression.

Tip 4: How Mailchimp Turned a Slip-Up into a Marketing Masterpiece

We’ve all had those “oops” moments, but Mailchimp turned one into marketing gold with their “Did You Mean Mailchimp?” campaign. It all started when their name was mispronounced as “Mailkimp” in the Serial podcast credits. Instead of cringing, Mailchimp saw an opportunity and ran with it.

They launched a quirky campaign that played off the mispronunciation, introducing the brand to a new audience. They didn’t stop there; they expanded the campaign with clever collaborations and creative twists that kept people talking.

The brilliance? Mailchimp turned a simple mistake into a buzz-worthy, memorable campaign. The lesson? Don’t shy away from slip-ups; they might be your next big idea.

Tip 5: How Salesforce Made AI Feel Like a Real Adventure

Ever feel lost in AI buzzwords? Salesforce knew the feeling, so they made AI exciting with their “Gold Rush” commercial. They turned a complex topic into a thrilling adventure by comparing AI to the Wild West and data to gold.

The genius of this ad lies in its simplicity. Salesforce asks, “If AI is the Wild West, does that make data the new gold?” It’s a clever way to make AI feel less intimidating and more like an exciting frontier. And with Matthew McConaughey’s smooth delivery, the message sticks.

The takeaway? Use strong metaphors and relatable narratives to make complex ideas exciting for everyone.

See? B2B can be fun! Whether it’s cracking jokes, turning mistakes into gold, or making AI an adventure, a little creativity goes a long way.

Now it’s your turn. Take these ideas and give them your twist. Who knows? Your next big idea might be a bit crazy, but that’s what will make it unforgettable.

The long weekend is just around the corner, but before you kick back, here’s some exciting news: your employees could be the next big influencers! And we’ve got marketing campaigns that are reaching Olympic levels of brilliance.

Ready to explore some fresh ideas and get inspired? Let’s kick things off!

Exclusive Scoop

In-House Celebrities: How Your Team’s Taking Over Social Media?

Why look outside when your next social media star might sit next to you? Employee-generated content (EGC) is the latest trend, with your colleagues becoming the new brand ambassadors. Think less Kardashian and more Karen-from-Accounting with a twist.

It’s authentic and engaging, but here’s the real question: How many hidden influencers are ready to shine in your company? It's time to find out!

Olympics 2024 X Marketing Campaigns  

Apple’s Olympic Gambit: Art Over Ads

Apple skipped the official Olympic partnership and went for something more creative—23 vibrant illustrations by Simon Landrein splashed across Paris and Marseilles. The ads don’t directly shout ‘Olympics’ but subtly capture the event's energy with scenes like metro rugby and grocery weightlifting. This clever approach highlights the iPad’s creative power, proving that sometimes, a splash of color and a dash of humor can make a campaign gold medal-worthy.

Microsoft’s AI Magic: From Super Bowl to Olympic Stage

Microsoft’s back at it, bringing their AI-powered magic to the Olympics with the ‘Microsoft They Say’ campaign. Building on the success of their Super Bowl hit, this spot, directed by Panay Films, shows how Copilot can help people crush everything from catching waves to boxing dreams. The real genius? This campaign works because it taps into people's everyday aspirations, making AI feel smart and personal, like it’s there to help you win, whatever your game may be.

Amazon Prime’s Sibling Rivalry: A Winning Play

Amazon Prime’s ‘The Best’ ad, which premiered during the Olympics, brilliantly captures the intensity of sibling rivalry within the context of women’s soccer. By highlighting the competitive spirit of twin sisters, the campaign goes beyond just promoting Prime’s services. It connects deeply with viewers by showcasing how Prime supports real-life passions and challenges. This relatable approach reinforces how seamlessly Prime fits into everyday life, making it more than just a service.

Behind the Curtain: B2B and B2C Campaigns You Can’t Ignore

Tapping into Tradition: Archies’ Festive Marketing:

Archies’ Rishte Jazbaton Ke campaign is a masterclass in festive marketing. By focusing on the deep emotional ties of Raksha Bandhan, they’ve strategically positioned their brand as a go-to for personalized gifts that resonate. This campaign isn’t just about selling products; it’s about tapping into the nostalgia and sentiment that drive consumer behavior during festivals. It’s festive marketing done right—short, sweet, and emotionally resonant.

ClickUp’s Bold Bet: Making B2B Fun on Instagram

Who said B2B has to be boring? ClickUp is flipping the script on Instagram with its brand-focused content, leaving traditional product posts behind. Their hilarious ‘When HR Meetings Go Too Hard’ series hit 10+ million views, proving that even B2B brands can—and should—have fun. The takeaway? Break the mold, embrace authenticity, and connect with the new generation of decision-makers. Time to get creative, B2B!

Wishing you a fantastic long weekend! Take some time to recharge, and we’ll catch you with more marketing insights next week!

Meet ‘Friend,’ the $99 AI-powered necklace designed to combat loneliness! Created by Harvard dropout Avi Schiffmann, known for his COVID-19 tracker, this quirky neck-worn companion is set to ship by January 2025. How awesome is that?

But while we're on quirky innovations, let's dive into something equally crucial for your business...

Exclusive Scoop!

Substack says the recent dip in newsletter open rates is due to an iCloud Private Relay glitch affecting Apple Mail users. But don't worry, click-through rates are still strong, proving readers are engaged. Substack's advice? Focus on those clicks for better engagement insights.

P.S. This newsletter is also on Substack; fingers crossed it reaches you safely🤞

This Week’s Buzz

1. How often does Google sneak in ads?

Feel like ads are everywhere? On Google, they're quite rare. Recent data shows Google mixes ads into organic search results in just 0.31% of desktop searches and 0.01% of mobile searches. Advertisers take note: when these rare ads appear, they’re strategically placed to maximize impact on click-through rates and ROI.

2. What's trending on X during the Olympics?

X is riding the 2024 Paris Games wave to attract advertisers amidst declining revenue. Despite slow growth, X reports record-high engagement for Olympic content, with 87% of users following the event. The "Portal to Paris" feature centralizes trends and clips, offering prime ad spots. Looks like the Olympics are giving X a much-needed boost!

3. Is YouTube’s new ad blocker strategy working?

YouTube’s playing cat-and-mouse with ad blockers! Now, users with ad blockers face a 6-second black screen before videos play, pushing them towards the $13.99/month Premium subscription. Despite these efforts, ad blockers like uBlock Origin keep adapting. Will YouTube's tactics convince more users to subscribe?

4. What's new on Instagram?

Say hello to your AI twin! Meta’s AI Studio lets US users create AI versions of themselves for Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. These AI profiles chat with followers and respond to comments effortlessly, keeping engagement high. Perfect for busy creators and businesses. Start via AI Studio's website or Instagram chat!

5. Will Google Chrome stop supporting your favourite extensions?

Chrome is shaking things up! Warnings are popping up about extensions losing support due to the shift from Manifest V2 to V3, impacting privacy and content blockers. Some, like uBlock Origin, might be less effective. Could your go-to extensions be on their way out?

Don’t miss👇!

1. Build a Winning CEO Email List by Premanand Arumugam

Learn to create a targeted Chief Executive Officer email list to communicate directly with key decision-makers in B2B marketing. Read more here.

2. Is hiring a Product Marketer the only way? by Karthick Raajha

B2B SaaS Founders often ask why hiring a Product Marketer is so expensive. Is it the only option for your product? This topic is discussed in the 13th episode of our podcast with Pulkit Narang, Founder of Flip Funnel. Listen here.

Stay tuned for more such insights and quirky innovations; there’s always something new to look out for!

We’re halfway through the week, and it’s a great time to catch up on some intriguing developments.

Did you know Reddit has just launched new lead-generation ads? This move could significantly boost marketers' ability to reach broader audiences and capture high-quality leads. You can read more about it here.

Now, onto our exclusive scoop!

Exclusive Scoop:

AI Stocks Plunge: US and Asia Markets React

Shares have plummeted in the US and Asia as AI stocks suffer, reflecting growing investor concerns about volatility and future profitability.

Is this a temporary setback or a sign of deeper issues?

For now, let's turn our attention to some of the latest developments in the AI world

The AI Rollercoaster: What’s Happening?

1. Meta’s AI: Innovation or Privacy Nightmare?

Meta’s new AI model uses data from Facebook and Instagram for training, raising concerns about privacy and consent. Public posts and interactions contribute to AI development, but without user consent, this practice could lead to data misuse and misinformation spread.

Are we ready for these risks?

2. OpenAI also launches SearchGPT, its AI-powered search engine

In a bold move to challenge Google, OpenAI has introduced SearchGPT. This AI-powered search engine delivers real-time, up-to-date responses with clear sources. This prototype, available to 10,000 users, could redefine AI search technology.

3. Mistral AI and NVIDIA Launch Powerful 12B NeMo Model

Mistral AI and NVIDIA have teamed up to launch the 12B NeMo model, which excels in reasoning and coding accuracy with a 128,000-token context window. Supporting over 100 languages, this model is available on HuggingFace and as an NVIDIA NIM microservice for seamless deployment.

4. Polish AI Startup Secures $3.8 Million for Marketing Innovation

Big news from Poland! Digital First AI has raised $3.8 million to enhance its AI-driven marketing platform. Backed by 4Growth VC, this funding will fuel global expansion and refine their automated marketing tools.

5. Meta’s Llama 3.1: A Game Changer in Open-Source AI

Meta's Llama 3.1 features models like the 405B, designed to rival top closed AI systems at a fraction of the cost. These open-source models offer customisation, improved data security, and reduced expenses, marking a new era in accessible AI.

Before we wrap up, here are some interesting reads to keep you informed and inspired.

Interesting Reads:

1. Beyond the Booth: Strategic Approach to Supercharging Your B2B Conference Participation Impact

With Mansi Chopra's expert tips, discover how to turn B2B conferences into strategic powerhouses for brand visibility and lead generation. Dive into the strategy here.

2. Step-by-Step Guide: How LinkedIn's 'Accelerate' Simplifies Ad Creation

Discover how LinkedIn's new AI tool, Accelerate, can streamline the ad creation process for B2B marketers with Neeraj Dudani's insights. Learn more about it here.

3. Sales and Marketing Are at War!

Michael Pedersen explores the disconnect between sales and marketing in many businesses and how aligning these teams can improve customer experience. Learn how to bridge the gap here.

Stay tuned for more insights and strategies to supercharge your B2B marketing efforts.

We’d love to hear your feedback. Let us know what topics you’d like us to cover next. See you next week!

Did your Microsoft system crash too, or are you a Google user quietly giggling in the corner?

Last Friday, on July 19th, 2024, Microsoft took "crash day" to a new level. During the massive Microsoft outage, a bungled update from CrowdStrike caused chaos, disrupting about 8.5 million Windows devices worldwide.

Flights were delayed, banking came to a halt, and business leaders everywhere were tearing their hair out​.

What would you do if your business was thrown into disarray by a tech glitch?

Exclusive Scoop:

Lusha's New Flex Search: Revolutionising Advanced B2B Prospecting

Lusha has launched its innovative Flex Search tool, transforming how sales professionals find and engage high-quality leads. This tool offers advanced filtering options, enhancing precision and efficiency in B2B prospecting. Your sales team should check it out!

Top 5 Campaigns of the month:

1. Coca-Cola's AI Ad | Beverage Industry

Coca-Cola's AI ad uniquely brings classic art to life, turning creative blocks into bursts of inspiration. It highlights the importance of making customers happy and reminds us that B2B buyers, who are also consumers, have higher expectations from their suppliers. Watch it here.

2. Refrens' First Offline Marketing Campaign | SaaS Industry

Refrens' offline strategy at the ICAI conference included custom-made envelopes, free coupons, fun stickers, and a standout booth. They even branded washroom tissue boxes and invested in billboards to maximize visibility. Check it out here.

3. Make Health Equal's 'Britain's Youngest Protest' | Public Health Industry

The 'Britain's Youngest Protest' campaign uses impactful images of babies to highlight shocking health inequalities in the UK. Each baby represents local life expectancy, making these disparities strikingly real and urging the new government to act. This poignant messaging compels action to Make Health Equal. Learn more here.

4. Now You Can't Unsee It | Entertainment Industry

With the upcoming release of Deadpool & Wolverine, Marvel's fun collaboration with Heinz is making waves. The campaign by Creapills places the anti-heroes in everyday product ads, creating a unique and playful strategy that boosts visibility for both the movie and Heinz, making it a standout marketing effort. Watch it here.

5. Canva's 'Dil Se Design Tak' Ad | SaaS Industry

Canva's latest ad, 'Dil Se Design Tak,' creatively showcases its versatility, highlighting how anyone can use it for various design needs, from posters to videos. The ad's emotional storytelling and humorous elements engage viewers, demonstrating how B2B marketers can leverage emotions and creativity in their campaigns. Watch it here.

Reads to not miss:

1. B2B Marketing & Dating by Arun Gopalaswami

Explore how the dating world mirrors B2B marketing funnels with TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU stages. A fun analogy that ties dating apps to lead generation! Read more here.

2. Founder-led Marketing Playbook for B2B SaaS Startups by Prajwal J

Discover how Simon Høiberg turned from a software sales guy into a serial SaaS entrepreneur, generating $2M ARR with zero full-time employees. Learn from his no-code MVP strategy, growth flywheel, and founder-led content approach. Read more here.

3. Top 5 Hidden Biases in B2B Decision-Making and How to Overcome Them by Nemanja Živković

Discover the hidden biases in B2B decision-making and strategies to overcome them in Nemanja Živković's latest Funky Marketing podcast episode. Tune in to understand why content execution in B2B often fails. Listen to the episode here.

Stay tuned for more insights in next week's newsletter. Don't forget to check out the recommended reads and let us know your thoughts!

Imagine waking up to find your competitors way ahead because you missed an update. Not on our watch!

Grab your coffee, settle in, and explore the must-know insights this week. Let's make sure you're always in the lead!

Exclusive Scoop

WhatsApp Business Pricing Changes Starting August 4

WhatsApp shifts from a flat rate to category-specific charges for the first time. How will this impact your business? Read More

Weekly Digest

1. LinkedIn’s Latest Power Move; Sponsored Newsletters

Notice more sponsored posts on LinkedIn? Now, they’re adding sponsored newsletters! With engagement up by 47%, LinkedIn is helping brands turn newsletters into lead-generation tools. Check out the “Content Library” in Campaign Manager. If you don’t have access yet, it’s coming soon. Just hang tight!

2. Most Customers Don’t Want AI for Customer Service

A survey by Gartner found that 64% of customers prefer talking to real people over AI. In fact, 53% would switch companies if they had to deal with AI. Customers just want to reach a real person easily. Make sure your AI supports your team without replacing them. How will this change your customer service?

3. Threads Reaches 175 Million Users: What’s Next?

Threads has reached 175 million users! It’s slower than X (formerly Twitter), but users love its positive vibe. Features like Topic Tags are helping build strong communities. Threads is now popular for the latest in music, food, and fashion. What’s next? 

4. No Deal: Alphabet Won’t Acquire HubSpot

Alphabet won’t be acquiring HubSpot. Rumors began in April and gained steam by May, but now in July, it’s clear the deal is off. Do you think HubSpot's independence will impact the industry?

Instagram Won’t Do Long Videos – Here’s Why

Adam Mosseri confirmed Instagram won’t focus on long videos. They’ll keep it short to boost interactions. Long videos don’t engage users as much. Meanwhile, TikTok is going for longer videos marking a clear divergence in strategy. Stay tuned for more updates!

Don't Miss

Your weekly dose of awesome reads and resources:

• 7 Learnings from a First-time Head of Marketing - Katie Mitchell shares valuable insights from her journey as a new head of marketing. This is a must-read for anyone stepping into a marketing leadership role. Read here

• SEO after Google’s AI overviews - Neil Patel explains what's happening with SEO traffic since Google introduced AI Overviews. He looked at search data from small business clients in e-commerce and local services to see the impact.

  Check here. How do you think AI will change your SEO strategy?

• Gaining a career edge- Want to get ahead in your career? Start building your network from day one. Mitch Solway shares how meeting people early on has made a massive difference. Learn more here.

We know you’re crushing it, so keep up the great work, and don’t miss out on getting the scoop weekly! See you next week 🤝

Being a tech enthusiast, I decided to dive deeper into leaked source codes of the world’s fourth-largest search engine with the hope of getting some actionable insights into the ranking factors. .  

How did this leak happen with a company like Google?

On March 13, 2024, a huge cache of internal Google documents was leaked online. This included emails, memos, and strategy documents dating back to 2018, totaling over 2500 pages with 2596 modules and 14014 attributes.

The incident was noticed & explored by Rand Fishkin, Co-founder of SparkToro who revealed that Google’s internal Content API Warehouse had been accidentally released on GitHub by an automated bot called Yoshi-code-bot on March 27th which was removed on May 7th. But it was too late as this was indexed by a third-party service that brought this major incident before the world

The leaked document offers critical insights into how you can revamp your SEO strategy to get desired outcomes for your website or content rankings. So, I just thought to express what I have learned from this incident.

How Does it Work? (The Insights)

Let me come straight to the point and unveil some critical insights into Google’s mysterious approach toward ranking content and factors responsible for it. 

1. The first thing I always felt is we don’t need to pay too much heed to Google’s official announcements and rather focus on our target audience.  

2. The next big thing is that website owners must focus on building good quality links as these are still significant to ranking your content. However, we were always told by Google folks that links don’t matter anymore when it comes to ranking content. But surprisingly, it’s not the truth. 

3. Optimizing meta descriptions was always considered an old-school SEO obsession. However, I agree that it is not a direct ranking factor but I have witnessed many instances where polished meta descriptions have helped website owners improve their visibility. 

4. SEO experts have always speculated about the Google “sandbox”. Despite Google’s strong denial, there is a metric in Google named “hostAge” that symbolizes a sandbox used by Google. This simply means that some established and trusted websites gain ranking faster on Google. 

5. The data collected by Chrome is also used as a ranking factor. However, I wasn’t surprised to know this as I always speculated this. Google has always been adamant about this. 

6. As far as I know, Google has always been adamant that domain authority doesn’t play any role in ranking a website or assessing its quality.  This proved to be Google’s obfuscation as the internal documents explicitly showcase that it is a major factor in ranking websites.  

7. I also speculated that Google uses “click data” as a ranking factor but Google professionals have always denied this. Despite these dubious statements, thanks to Rand Fishkin who experimented on this and surprisingly found that clicks do account for SERP rankings. Not only this, but the “types” of clicks also account for rankings.

What Does This Mean for You?

As a marketer, this leak is a reminder to stay ahead of the game. Here are some things you can do:

1. Keep Your Content Fresh: Make sure your website has new and relevant content to keep Google interested.

2. Focus on Quality: Make sure your content is good and provides value to your audience.

3. Diversify Your Strategy: Don't rely on just one way to promote your website. Try different things to see what works best.

4. Monitor Your Rankings: Keep an eye on how your website is doing in search engine rankings and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Want to nail your SEO game?  Connect with us!

The advent of AI overview is posing us with new set of challenges.

Content should do more than just fill your website – it should attract and convert visitors into loyal customers.

Join our free webinar, "How to Use Content to Fuel Your Demand Gen Engine", and learn how to turn your content into a powerful lead-generating tool.

Register now

Here’s how you can overcome these challenges and boost your demand generation with effective content strategies:

1. Build trust with long-form content

Detailed articles: Write in-depth guides that solve your audience’s problems and establish your brand as an authority.

SEO benefits: Using the right keywords to help people find your content through search engines can significantly boost organic traffic, as 49% of marketers report that organic search offers the best ROI of any marketing channel.

Gated content: Offer valuable content like eBooks in exchange for contact details to gather high-quality leads.

2. Grab attention with short-form content

Social media: Share quick tips and highlights to get people interested and drive them to your site.

Email campaigns: Send short, compelling emails with clear actions for readers to take, keeping your leads engaged.

Blog summaries: Write brief posts that summarize longer content and link to the full articles for more in-depth information.

3. Stay connected with newsletters

Regular updates: Keep your audience in the loop with consistent newsletters about industry news and updates.

Personalization: Tailor the content to what your subscribers care about most, increasing their engagement.

Mix it up: Employing articles, videos, and infographics to maintain engagement, and always incorporating a clear call to action can enhance effectiveness. 

This is particularly significant as 59% of digital marketers acknowledge that email surpasses channels like paid social media and pay-per-click advertising in lead generation by more than double.

4. Attract leads with irresistible lead magnets

High-value offers: Give away useful tools like checklists or free trials that solve your audience's problems.

Easy access: Make it simple for people to get your lead magnets with easy-to-fill forms.

Promotion: Share your lead magnets on your website, social media, and through emails to reach more people.

5. Convert leads with a clear funnel approach

Top of the funnel (TOFU): Attract a wide audience with helpful content like blog posts and social media updates.

Middle of the funnel (MOFU): Provide more detailed content like case studies and webinars to nurture leads.

Bottom of the funnel (BOFU): Offer personalized demos and free trials to turn leads into customers.

6.  Join our webinar!

Yes ;)

Just join us on "How to Use Content to Fuel Your Demand Gen Engine.".

Why? To gain expert insights, actionable tips, real-world case studies, personalized Q&A sessions, networking opportunities, and access to valuable resources.

Date: 6th June, 2024  

Time: 7PM - 8PM

Register Now

Don’t miss out on this webinar. This might be the changeover you need to fuel your demand generation machine!

Cheers,  

Karthick

Emails have been my life saver more than my wife. 

My wife helped me come out of a difficult situation.  But emails, they are and will always remain my longest love. It’s been 20 years since I have fallen in love.

I have emailed my way out of trouble so many times. At first it was to get a replacement from a brand and then got my major job change in 2005. Cold emailed the entire leadership team and got a job in KPIT Cummins. 

Then when I first started my solopreneur journey, I cold emails a bunch of CEOs from the Industry I worked in and converted almost 60% of them into customers.

During peak Covid, in 2020 March I got fired as VP Marketing. I then cold DMed and emailed Founders and CEOs of SaaS companies. Built an 8 figure consulting business. 

One of my favorite types of emails is cold emails (which is a hard nut to crack) so what is it exactly? These are emails sent to people who might not know about a product or service.

I get these emails to my inbox and most of us get it, right? but we generally don't even read it, you know why? It has no personalization. For example, look at this email which I received couple of weeks ago:

Let me tell you why this doesn’t work. It’s about you. Everything in marketing should be about the other person. 

Personalized emails are a great way to engage or book meetings with prospects. I will be speaking more about this on our webinar next week, click the button below to learn more or to register.

Register Now

Data and emails have become a commodity now. Every single company in the world has access to data and email and everyone uses email marketing now. 

As a marketer or an SDR, the best way to stand out from the crowd is personalization. 

You need a little bit of human connection. A well researched personalised email can go a long way in finding your next big customer. 

Join me and Sujan Patel, Founder of Mailshake, for an exclusive webinar where we delve into the art and science of personalized email marketing. Here's why you shouldn't miss it:

1️⃣ Stand Out from the Crowd: In today's competitive landscape, generic emails just won't cut it. Learn how to break through the noise and capture your audience's attention with tailored messaging.

2️⃣ Forge Genuine Connections: People crave authenticity. Discover how to infuse your emails with a personal touch that resonates with your prospects on a human level.

3️⃣ Unlock Untapped Potential: A well-researched and personalized email isn't just about engagement—it's about unlocking opportunities. Learn how to leverage personalization to uncover your next big customer.

📅 Save the Date:
Date: 25th April, Thursday
Time: 9:00 - 10:30 PM IST

Don't let this opportunity slip away. Reserve your spot now and take your email marketing game to new heights!

Register Now

See you there!

Karthick

This is Karthick with a ‘c’

I’m back again!

With more actionable tips, let’s get down to business!

As a marketer, I found one thing that is common across all campaigns.

Can you guess what that is?

Yes, It is Landing pages. You need it for SEO, Ads, Webinars, events, practically everything that needs a landing page.

We spend a lot of money on campaigns but I have observed 90% of the time marketers don’t spend enough time on creating a great landing page.

So, what does it take for a landing page to be great?

This is how we created a landing page for Docsumo, an AI document platform which significantly boosted their conversions: 

1. Establishing the Value Proposition: We crafted a message highlighting how Docsumo's automated document processing solution could save time, reduce errors, and improve productivity for businesses of all sizes. 

2. Developing an Information Hierarchy: We prioritized key features and benefits of Docsumo, such as its ability to extract data from unstructured documents quickly and accurately, ensuring it was prominently displayed and easy for visitors to find. 

3. Crafting Headlines That Capture Attention: Our headlines addressed common pain points faced by businesses, such as "Minimize manual efforts processing docs. Maximize data accuracy.." These headlines immediately conveyed the value proposition of Docsumo and encouraged visitors to learn more.

4. Writing Persuasive Body Copy: We highlighted the benefits of using Docsumo, such as increased efficiency, reduced errors, and improved data accuracy, using persuasive language to emphasize how Docsumo could solve specific challenges faced by our target audience.

5. Identifying Social Proof: We included testimonials from satisfied customers and showcased industry awards or recognition Docsumo had received, providing evidence of its effectiveness and reliability.

6. Driving Conversions with a Call to Action: Finally, we crafted a clear and compelling call to action that encouraged visitors to start a 14-day free trial of Docsumo. By offering a free trial, we provided visitors with the opportunity to experience the benefits of Docsumo firsthand, without any risk or commitment.

Here what the founder at Docsumo had to say:

11 SaaS Landing Page Best Practices For Higher Conversion 

Alright, folks, we've discussed the strategies, but now it's time to turn our attention to the real heroes of the marketing world - the tools!

We all love free tools? Right?

Here's my top 3 free tools that can help you build awesome landing pages: 

1. Landingi: This user-friendly builder allows you to drag-and-drop your way to high-converting landing pages, even with minimal technical experience. Just in 2024, over 1,443 companies around the world have chosen Landingi as their trusted campaign management tool, showcasing its effectiveness in driving results. 

2. Carrd: When you need a landing page up and running quickly, Carrd's minimalist approach is perfect. Create clean and focused pages ideal for specific campaigns or projects. With over 800,000 users and a staggering 1.2 million websites built on their platform, Carrd demonstrates its power in creating impactful landing pages without unnecessary complexity.

3. Versa: Looking for an all-in-one marketing solution? Versa offers a comprehensive suite of tools, including a landing page builder, to manage your entire strategy. 

I trust you found this week's actionable tips on landing pages both insightful and empowering.

What's coming for next week? We're getting ready for something really really exciting for y'all. Stay tuned!

But wait, there's more! Did you know that we regularly share valuable tips and tricks on marketing over on my LinkedIn account?

Simply hit that "Follow" button on my LinkedIn profile to stay updated with the latest insights and trends.

Love and Peace,

Karthick.

This week, I noticed an alarming stat by Tomasz Tunguz, a venture capitalist at Theory.

He says “The average startup saw a 24% increase in sales cycle from early 2022 to 2023. 60 day sales cycles are now 75 days.”

It isn’t an unnatural economic cycle.

After the hyped years of 2021 and 2022 when everybody was flush with funds, things are more muted in 2023.

Last year, even my grandma was so keen on buying three pairs of glasses - one for reading, one for watching TV, and one for general stuff!

But, she is strangely quiet this year. She says she can manage with her old pair of glasses.

(Although I’m not sure how she’s able to see better with them).

But, a lot of sales deals aren’t happening because CFOs aren’t convinced about them yet.

Two months ago, we had written about how to sell to CFOs.

We had also shared Outreach CEO Manny Medina’s post about his CFO’s tips for sales reps to sell better.

Things have not changed much since then.

That’s why Devin Reed’s post about what to keep in mind while selling to CFOs is so relevant.

If you’re a marketer trying to help your sales reps win, print this and stick it on your wall.

P.S. If you’re dead serious about getting past the CFO obstacle, get their CFO Approval Guide here.

The best marketing tips on LinkedIn this week 📝

1. I’m a big fan of low-volume keywords simply because they have higher intent. Sam Dunning seems to agree with me. He says high-volume keywords rely on historical data and that’s why you should avoid that SEO trap.

2. Tyler Fyfe has put out 17 solid lessons you need to create YouTube videos. Don’t miss the comments in this post, there’s so much value in there.

3. “What does that mean?” When you hear that question from a customer, it means your messaging isn’t correct. That’s why you need to sit on calls with your sales teams, says Harish Peri.

4. Camille Trent and the team at PeerSignal regularly put out mind-blowing amounts of original research. This time, they researched 687 B2B SaaS demo pages. Read her post to know what you need to put out in your demo page.

5. You’ve made the “Buy Now” as big as you could, sent countless reminder emails and given the juiciest discounts. Yet, people aren’t buying your product. It’s because of cognitive dissonance - learn what Wes Kao says about how to deal with it.

6. If people aren’t connecting with you on LinkedIn, then blame the banner. Iqra Khan says has picked the best LinkedIn profiles to inspire yours.

The Best Sales Tips On LinkedIn This Week 😎

1. The CFO is at the decision-making table. So, your value prop has to convince the the CFO more than anybody, says Sam Jacobs.

2. In your cold outbound, don’t send video messages in your first touch, says Steve Richard. Instead, connect with prospects first and then send a video message.

What’s cooking in SaaS and startups this week? 🍪

1. Startup ideas are galore. Only you need to observe closely. That’s what Jack Dorsey did. When he was fired from Twitter in 2008, he worked on making payments easy with Square. Read 's take on how he launched not one but two enormously successful products.

Until next time folks! Missed our earlier coverage? Binge read it now:

1. 12 Proven (yet ignored) reasons why your startup can fail

2. A farmer's 148-year-old prediction came true 🤯

3. 5 Lessons that cost $44 billion to learn

4. Stop making this huge mistake in your sales outreach 😲

5. Nobody tells you this truth about scaling 👀

6. How YETI built a $1.4 Billion brand 💥

7. Sell ugly carrots and bruised bananas for $386M

8. One-man army 🥷

Peace and Love 🙏

Why are you receiving this email?

Quite simple! You were probably blown away by how much we want you to know about SaaS marketing. So, you signed up for it via our social posts (or you asked us to add you).

Now, do us a favour please. Share this with the world around you. ♥️

P.S. It’ll take you only 15 seconds to share. It takes us an entire week to curate this.

Share Call To Action by SaaSMarketing.in

Banner image by Runrevenue.pro’s CFO Approval Guide.

I could have easily used a more attractive subject line: Insane ChatGPT prompts to <topic name>.

But, it isn’t about open rates, rather it is about the value you get. (Although I do talk about useful ChatGPT prompts down below).

On that note, let’s surf in. 🏄🏻‍♂️

*******************

Human beings are the most intelligent species on the planet.

No doubt about that.

But, when it comes to learning from past mistakes, we’re probably dumb.

In January 2023, CB Insights published a post-mortem on why 442 startups failed.

They’d published an infographic on the top 12 reasons why startups stutter in an earlier article. 👇

The topmost reason? 38% of them ran out of cash which is reminiscent of today’s situation.

And that happens when they focus on ‘growth at all costs’ and not on long-term profitability.

Focusing on top-line is good but don't take off your eyes on the bottom-line too.

The most incredible thing? Every startup founder knows this. These reasons have existed for many years.

Yet, it is ironical that every year we see startups fold up.

Thanks to Daniel Horak for publishing this massive report on LinkedIn.

The best marketing tips on LinkedIn this week 📝

1. Subpar pricing pages don’t help anybody. That’s why Harry Maule gives out 5 evergreen principles (with examples) of putting out the right pricing pages.

2. Feeling weary after creating wrong content? Filipa Canelas tells us 4 ways to create content that makes you happy + builds your brand.

3. Buyer journeys are misunderstood. Gaetano Nino DiNardi breaks down how he bought an automatic cappuccino machine. [Lesson: Narrow down your video content strategy].

4. Remember that email that screamed “Welcome to the family!” right after you bought a product? Really?? My family doesn’t charge me for products. Venkata Subramanian Ravi picks 11 most-hated email marketing tactics you shouldn’t try.

5. One of my favourite posts - Tim Hanson teaches us how to convert your blogs into social media posts. This one is really detailed and you’ll hate to miss this.

6. Maxim Poulsen highlights 9 tools you need to create videos 10X faster. I personally vouch for Descript although I guess ChatGPT can do it equally well.

7. For those of us like me who obsess over CTAs, Dominik Jedro gives out incredible lessons in one single post.

8. Did you know that you can include carousels on your LinkedIn ‘Experience’ section? Read Mat Lehnhoff’s post on how to do it.

9. Shameless plugin: Learn how to get thousands of company names for cold outreach in 5 mins?

The best sales tip on LinkedIn this week 😎

1. Writing a cold email? Josh Braun says don’t write, instead find words your customers use.

Until next time folks! Missed our earlier coverage? Binge read it now:

1. A farmer's 148-year-old prediction came true 🤯

2. 5 Lessons that cost $44 billion to learn

3. Stop making this huge mistake in your sales outreach 😲

4. Nobody tells you this truth about scaling 👀

5. How YETI built a $1.4 Billion brand 💥

6. Sell ugly carrots and bruised bananas for $386M

7. One-man army 🥷

Peace and Love 🙏

Why are you receiving this email?

Quite simple! You were probably blown away by how much we want you to know about SaaS marketing. So, you signed up for it via our social posts (or you asked us to add you).

Now, do us a favour please. Share this with the world around you. ♥️

P.S. It’ll take you only 15 seconds to share. It takes us an entire week to curate this.

Share Call To Action by SaaSMarketing.in

Banner image (and infographic) by CBInsights’ The Top 12 Reasons Startups Fail.

This week, schools reopened in Chennai for new academic sessions after a mini break. (I wonder how kids play at school in this sweltering 35 degrees Celsius!)

It is now customary for my 13-year-old daughter to narrate her daily adventures at school.

Sitting on the kitchen platform and watching me make coffee for her, she’d tell me about her teachers, her friends, the goofy stuff they did at school.

During one of these sessions, she told me about a lesson she was studying at school. It was “The Fun They Had,” a science fictional story written by Isaac Asimov.

Set in the year 2155, it shows how children learn from machines that are referred to as ‘teachers’ from the confines of their homes.

Margie, the main character, loathes these machines. She discusses with her neighbor Tommy, about the times her grandfather lived in - when kids gathered at schools to study together.

Asimov depicts the ‘teacher’ as large and black and ugly with a big screen - meaning a computer.

It set me thinking - would the future really look like what he’s depicted?

Will our future generations know what it means to go to school?

That brings me to the biggest thing people are talking about - ChatGPT.

It has been 140 days since it was launched.

People have been using it to cough up marketing campaigns, appeal to traffic police to wriggle out of parking fines, write passively aggressive and firm email to airlines for delayed flights - the list seems endless.

It sure is a wonderful product and makes people work less.

But, what if it makes you think less?

Or, more importantly, what if it makes people talk to other people less?

That brings us to the post of the week.

The best LinkedIn post this week 🪶

If you’re not a coder, you’ve probably not used Stack Overflow. It is a great place for coders to query and get great answers to their code-related problems.

The thing that works for them is not the answer alone but also the human behind the answer.

I know a lot of coders who swear by Stack Overflow because it has rescued them from precarious situations.

But, with the rise of ChatGPT, coders may stop using Stack Overflow. Instead, they may use ChatGPT to get all the codes.

That’s why you should read what Peter Nixey says about the importance of human-to-human connections. And how it could be lost because we are pouring all our collective knowledge into a machine.

Because programmers won't be asking many questions on Stack Overflow. GPT4 will have answered them in private. Which means less demand for platforms like it.

Less demand for a product = less employees working for it.

Last week, GitHub, a platform similar to Stack Overflow, laid off their entire engineering team in India.

What if it happens to other Q&A platforms like Quora, Reddit - places where people help other?

Or, will it push us to the brink that we are forced us to meet each other face-to-face (like what Peep Laja says)?

Things are evolving at breakneck speed.

And usually when that happens, things break.

It is food for thought for all of us.

The best marketing tips on LinkedIn this week 📝

1. If you’re looking for growth opportunities, then speak to customers who have churned. Joshua Fryszer explains who you should speak with depends on what you’re trying to achieve.

2. Speaking of ChatGPT, Alex Velinov gives out an entire directory of prompts by experts on topics like e-commerce product descriptions, cold email, LinkedIn carousels, etc. Alex has been curating such ChatGPT artefacts for weeks now.

3. If you’re still using product videos to get people sign up to your tool, you’re missing out 5X. Instead, A/B test an interactive demo, says Anna Furmanov. (Simple psychology lesson: make them try the product).

4. How do you know which marketing idea needs more digging? Jess Cook says social is her favourite “proving ground” before she decides to pursue it.

The best sales tips on LinkedIn this week 😎

1. Show your prospects that you have a brain. Show them that your brain can research about them, says Will Allred. Don’t mistake personalisation for slapping a cooked-up story on a template.

2. In sales, there’s nothing called objections. Instead, you come across resistance and it is different from objection, explains Josh Braun. Find out why you need to join the resistance.

What’s cooking in SaaS and startups this week? 🍳

1. If your product is not good enough to self-onboard in a few seconds, then don’t bother giving out free trials. Besides, it may get you a lot of low-end users who won't pay $50K/$100K for it, says .

2. Gagan Biyani explains how they solved the chicken and egg problem at Udemy. (Hint: staying frugal initially gave them the idea).

Until next time folks! Missed our earlier coverage? Binge read it now:

1. A farmer's 148-year-old prediction came true 🤯

2. 5 Lessons that cost $44 billion to learn

3. Stop making this huge mistake in your sales outreach 😲

4. Nobody tells you this truth about scaling 👀

5. How YETI built a $1.4 Billion brand 💥

6. Sell ugly carrots and bruised bananas for $386M

7. One-man army 🥷

Peace and Love 🙏

Why are you receiving this email?

Quite simple! You were probably blown away by how much we want you to know about SaaS marketing. So, you signed up for it via our social posts (or you asked us to add you).

Now, do us a favour please. Share this with the world around you. ♥️

P.S. It’ll take you only 15 seconds to share. It takes us an entire week to curate this.

Share Call To Action by SaaSMarketing.in

Banner image by ThankYouFantasyPictures from Pixabay.

Most SaaS companies do not think of themselves as content creators.

In fact, they use content as an aid to sell.

But, that’s where they sound selfish and risk losing potential prospects.

Instead, what if you could create and distribute content that’s useful to buyers?

Like How-Tos, guides, and templates and publishing them on Gumroad. Stick in your email id there, and get subscribers to your newsletter.

Imagine the amount of content that SaaS companies can help their buyers with. The good thing is you don’t need any fancy graphics or presentations.

Even simple Google Docs or Spreadsheets would do.

Sam Browne explains how to generate income + getting email subscribers via this simple technique.

Go test it for yourself.

On that note, let’s dive in to all the awesome marketing stuff that I curated for you 👇

Reading time: ~5 minutes

The Best Marketing Tips On LinkedIn This Week 📝

1. MQLs are dead. Because sales teams inherently focus on $$$. That’s why Chip House explains how to make the transition from MQL to SQL way of thinking.

2. If you’re looking for customer research, use these 96 questions that ABM expert Vladimir Blagojević put together. You’ll probably end up discovering an entire goldmine in there.

3. If you’re creating content clusters, focus on the conversion not traffic. By doing that, you know what your audience is looking for, says Trish Seidel.

4. Koalapalooza AI came up with a list of 20 tools that could transform how we live and work. I liked Ideacadabra - it helps you find hot trends for your audience on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.

The Best Sales Tips On LinkedIn This Week 😎

1. Pierre Herubel breaks down the cold emailing process into 6 steps. I doubt if I have seen a simpler guide than this one before.

2. Sales guru Josh Braun came up with a list of unignorable (geez! That’s a solid word! ) subject lines. Steal these to get your first prospects through the door.

3. All of us face objections. But what you do after the objection will determine whether you’ll open the closed doors or not. Charlotte Johnson has a list of really simple structure to handle objections. And, it hardly sounds sales-y. (Pro tip: Call as soon as you receive the objection email.)

What’s cooking in Tech this week? 🍳

1. Kevin Chu highlights the State of Software Spend report from Battery, a top VC firm who backed Amplitude, Marketo, & Coinbase. Looks like buyer sentiment is down to 50.2 in Q1 2022 versus 55.4 in Q3 2022 (the higher the number higher the likelihood of companies spending more).
   
   But, all is not doom and gloom in the report. Companies with revenues of $500 million are accounting for bigger spends. Moreover, fintech, technology, and healthcare companies prefer spending more on tech tools than on people.
   
   So you know who to target.
   

2. Launching a new B2B SaaS? Don’t do PLG straight off the bat. Because it is still quite difficult to erase the friction that business teams will go through while adapting to your new product.
   
   Moreover, getting them to realise the Aha! value will take a lot out of you. Andrew Verboncouer cautions you on this one and I think he’s got a great point.

Until next time folks! Missed our earlier coverage? Binge read it now:

1. A farmer’s 148-year-old prediction came true 🤯

2. 5 Lessons that cost $44 billion to learn

3. Stop Making This Huge Mistake In Your Sales Outreach 😲

4. Nobody Tells You This Truth About Scaling 👀

5. What to do if your deal is stuck with the CFO? ✌️

6. How YETI built a $1.4 Billion brand 💥

7. Sell ugly carrots and bruised bananas for $386M

8. One-man army 🥷

Peace and Love 🙏

Why are you receiving this email?

Quite simple! You were probably blown away by how much we want you to know about SaaS marketing. So, you signed up for it via our social posts (or you asked us to add you).

Now, do us a favour please. Share this with the world around you. ♥️

P.S. It’ll take you only 15 seconds to share. It takes us an entire week to curate this.

Share Call To Action by SaaSMarketing.in

Picture credit: Gumroad

Disclaimer: This newsletter is not about stocks.

But, I HAD to share a 150-year-old prediction with you - one that foresaw today’s sombre economic mood.

Samuel Benner, an Ohio farmer, had suffered losses in the 1873 financial crisis.

Later in 1875, he began studying crop cycles and published a book on business and commodity prices.

Benner found that pig iron prices peaked in intervals of 8, 9, and 10 years and repeat.
Troughs occurred in intervals of 7, 11, and 9 years and repeat.

He even concluded that prices of these commodities were impacted by 11-year solar cycles.

In the picture below, he’s marked the years of ‘panic’, ‘good times,’ and ‘hard times.’

So, what’s astonishing about it?

Benner got his prediction nearly right: 2007 was a ‘good time’ to sell stocks. The market crashed in 2008.

He was almost correct with the prediction in 2019 (2020 was a ‘panic’ year - we all know why).

And so far, 2023 looks like a period of ‘hard times.’

P.S. For those of us interested in reading it, here’s the link to Benner’s book.

Conclusion

Benner’s cycle shouldn’t used to make investments because there’s no evidence of planetary influence on financial markets (unless you believe in astrology).

But, markets and economic mood impact everybody. If markets are down, spending is probably down. That means marketers need to be cautious about budgets and spend.

The Best Marketing Tips On LinkedIn This Week 📝

1. Ben Goodey spoke to Monday.com insiders to know how their 8-year ad spend fuelled their SEO strategy. (Hint: prioritization is key in SEO, and ship new content before it's fully edited).

2. The top B2B homepages have ~11% conversion rates. So, if you’re not there, Emily Kramer suggests making these 16 changes to your website.

3. Everybody tells you to create ICPs. But nobody tells you how to do it. Robert Kaminski shows exactly that with Asana’s example of Head of Marketing persona. It can’t be any more simpler.

4. Andrei Zinkevich is back with his sage-like ABM advice. He explains the 9 steps to implement an ABM program from scratch.

5. Overcoming objections near your CTA buttons can help in conversions. Theo Ohene explains it with a simple picture.

6. If you’re a podcaster, you can make your podcast into an email-spinning machine. Matt Ragland shows you how do it.

7. James Camp says 90% of LinkedIn posts on AI are nonsense. But, knowing how to use these tools could land you a job or help grow your business.

What’s cooking in SaaS and startups this week? 🍳

1. If you think cutting back on customer success is a good way to reduce spending, Jason Lemkin explains how to enable them to work for themselves and your business. (Caution: Get them to start thinking about revenues).

2. Using revenue to measure LTV is a grave mistake. Instead, use gross profit to know if your customers are viable in the long run or not, says Ryan Rouse.

Events you should be attending this week 🤝

1. If you’re in B2B fighting long sales cycles, then you should sign up for Fullfunnel.io’s Annual Summit. The kind of speakers Andrei and Vlad have lined up at the event is just mind-boggling.

Until next time folks! Missed our earlier coverage? Binge read it now:

1. 5 Lessons that cost $44 billion to learn

2. Stop Making This Huge Mistake In Your Sales Outreach 😲

3. Nobody Tells You This Truth About Scaling 👀

4. What to do if your deal is stuck with the CFO? ✌️

5. How YETI built a $1.4 Billion brand 💥

6. Sell ugly carrots and bruised bananas for $386M

7. One-man army 🥷

Peace and Love 🙏

Why are you receiving this email?

Quite simple! You were probably blown away by how much we want you to know about SaaS marketing. So, you signed up for it via our social posts (or you asked us to add you).

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This week, I came across a 7545-word ABM strategy guide that most ABM experts will not suggest you to read.

Because if you do, they’ll not have anything to do 😂

Jokes apart, Andrei Zinkevich, an ABM maestro who lives and breathes ABM, gives you a step-by-step framework that that helped Fullfunnel.io generate $5 Million in revenues for their clients.

This week, T-Mobile announced it is buying Ryan Reynolds’ Mint Mobile for $1.35 Billion. Here’s why Nathan Barry thinks Reynolds is the greatest marketer alive today.

That and more SaaS marketing and sales tips below, let’s go! 💪

Reading time: ~4 minutes

The best marketing tips on LinkedIn this week 👊

1. Email open rates dropping? Blog read time going down? Chances are you don’t use enough emotions in your copy. Chase Dimond gives you 150+ emotion-triggering words your copy will be poor without.

2. Words like “Easy,” “fast”, “all-in-one” are killing your copy. Instead, use “Now you can” and watch your copy take wings. Thank you, Matt Lerner for this masterpiece from the legendary Joanna Wiebe.

3. Every marketer must do two things, says Mayur Gupta: 1. Work at a startup and 2. Work at a D2C business - the sooner the better.

4. Daniel Zsolt Rényi says sales-led buying journey is out, Marketing-led buying journey is the future. Because 80% of the process is completed self-serve by buyers thanks to rich content, communities/peers, and thoughtful outbound campaigns.

5. Know anybody who sells spaceships, flamethrowers, and electric cars? No points for guessing. Alex Banks lists down Elon Musk’s 10 storytelling tips he uses to sell them.

6. Shameless plug: I sat down with three battle-hardened marketers to know why our marketing plans often failed. My favourite: CEOs barging in without any data or reasoning.

The best sales tips on LinkedIn this week 😎

1. “I can’t talk. I’m in a meeting.” - As a sales rep, don’t get tongue-tied when you hear that. Instead, ask “I’m sincerely sorry to barge in. It sounds like I called at the worst possible time.” Josh Braun says there’s no script for being empathetic. It's less about what you say and more about listening without having an agenda.

2. Sometimes, one-liners work much better than long outreach emails. Will Cannon says 8-words like “How much traffic is your blog bringing in?” could get you more calls than 50+.

What’s cooking in SaaS and startups this week? 🍳

1. It’s fun to build products at startups. But, Marcus Exall says don’t get hooked on to your product. Instead, enjoy the problem it solves.

2. Jason Lemkin, the original SaaS guru, has uncovered a LinkedIn just for doctors that makes $450 million ARR, is worth $6.5 Billion, and growing at 18%.

3. Sam Blond tells you two GTM mistakes you’re making without acknowledging it: 1. Expanding beyond your original target market without factoring in diminishing returns 2. Hiring Ads without expecting dip in productivity.

Until next time folks! Missed our earlier coverage? Binge read it now:

1. 5 Lessons that cost $44 billion to learn

2. Stop Making This Huge Mistake In Your Sales Outreach 😲

3. Nobody Tells You This Truth About Scaling 👀

4. What to do if your deal is stuck with the CFO? ✌️

5. How YETI built a $1.4 Billion brand 💥

6. Sell ugly carrots and bruised bananas for $386M

7. One-man army 🥷

Peace and Love 🙏

Why are you receiving this email?

Quite simple! You were probably blown away by how much we want you to know about SaaS marketing. So, you signed up for it via our social posts (or you asked us to add you).

Now, do us a favour please. Share this with the world around you. ♥️

P.S. It’ll take you only 15 seconds to share. It takes us an entire week to curate this.

Share Call To Action by SaaSMarketing.in

Banner picture credits goes to The Coach Space.

This week, I’ll begin with 5 things product managers shouldn’t do. After all, Elon Musk spent $44 billion to teach you that.

Aakash Gupta makes it so simple for us in this post:

1. Don’t prioritise features by user likes because users don’t know what’s best

2. Don’t please the VP with their pet projects

3. Don’t set aspirational dates to ship features - it can cause stock markets to crash

4. Don’t ignore what’s already selling

5. Don’t launch without testing/experimenting

Some lessons are learnt the hard way.

Moving on, bringing you the insane marketing and sales tips from leaders who’ve tried, failed and succeeded at it. 👇

Reading time: ~4 minutes

The Best Content Marketing Tips On LinkedIn This Week 📝

1. Not many people tell you the science behind content distribution. Jacalyn Beales gives you 4 simple things to ponder before you type “DISTRIBUTE CONTENT.”

2. Writing copy for landing pages? Try this: Old Way/New Way. Because that’s what is working for most SaaS companies. Kevin Elliott analysed 2,042 B2B SaaS homepage to dig that gold information.

3. Big ticket B2B products can be so complex that you need highly-relevant content. But, what if you don’t have the expertise to do it? Stapho T says reach out to experts like sales reps, founders, customer success reps and do the hard yards.

4. Everybody tells you storytelling works. But, when Nick Kyrgios asks fans in the stands to tell him where to serve, he wasn’t storytelling. He was making stories. I explain why storytelling is outdated but story making is the future.

The Best SEO Tips On LinkedIn This Week 👊

1. Jake Ward, the SEO legend, has helped blogs generate millions in revenue and traffic. Follow his 9-step framework on how to create content from scratch.

The Best Sales Tips On LinkedIn This Week 😎

1. Personalisation in sales emails is great. But, too much of it can give you diminishing returns. Kévin Moënne-Loccoz says make personalisation a process you can outsource.

2. 3 subject lines that always get more open rates: “Quick question, Jessica”
   “Want your thoughts on this, Tom” and “Is this on your radar, Jeff?” Will Cannon says that’s the quickest way to send cold emails to hit $10k-$100k+/mo.

3. Yuri Veremchuk tells you how to write simple cold emails that reduce friction while reading. I think he could have sold this masterclass for $199.

The best stories this week 🍪

1. Maurizio Leo is a software engineer-turned-baker who's baked sourdough bread for 10+ years. His business, The Perfect Loaf, has ~100,000 email subscribers with an incredible 72% open rate and he has ~300,000 Instagram followers. Jay Clouse’s podcast digs deeper on what makes Maurizio tick.

2. Can you use hay to protect eggs from damage? Carlos Terol lists down 6 brands that actually did something about saving the world instead of just talking.

Until next time folks! Missed our earlier coverage? Binge read it now:

1. Stop Making This Huge Mistake In Your Sales Outreach 😲

2. Nobody Tells You This Truth About Scaling 👀

3. What to do if your deal is stuck with the CFO? ✌️

4. How YETI built a $1.4 Billion brand 💥

5. Sell ugly carrots and bruised bananas for $386M

6. One-man army 🥷

Peace and Love 🙏

Why are you receiving this email?

Quite simple! You were probably blown away by how much we want you to know about SaaS marketing. So, you signed up for it via our social posts (or you asked us to add you).

Now, do us a favour please. Share this with the world around you. ♥️

P.S. It’ll take you only 15 seconds to share. It takes us an entire week to curate this.

Share Call To Action by SaaSMarketing.in

Image sourced from The New York Times. Illustration by Erik Carter, Photo Mike Blake/reuters.