Boosting B2B SaaS Engagement

Demand Capture 101. This is actual data from a $60MM ARR SaaS company. Let’s break it down 👇   How a lead/account enters your pipeline is the biggest predictor of sales velocity metrics - win rates, sales cycle lengths, even ACVs.    Because how they enter your pipeline is a surrogate for buying intent & indicator of how far they are complete in the buying process.    Here’s how to measure it & use it to drive your revenue strategy:   1. Measure the Opportunity Source in Salesforce on the opportunity record.    Campaign Source = What campaign type did they convert on to move this opportunity into pipeline? (e.g. demo request, e-book download, cold call, trade show, etc.)   Source / Channel = What source or channel did they come from in order to convert? (e.g. LinkedIn ad, organic search, account intent data, ZoomInfo, etc.)    Using both of these data points combined will literally guide your strategy.    This shows you the optimal paths to *capture demand* and is easily measurable using software-based attribution.   2. Separate conversion sources between *Declared Intent* and *Low Intent*.    Declared Intent = The buyer declares intent to buy from you (e.g. Demo Request, Contact Sales) Low Intent = You assume the buyer has intent based on their digital behavior (e.g. ebook download, webinar attendee, trade show badge scan, intent data, etc.)    3. Calculate core sales analytics between the two sources.    Calculate conversion rates, lead-to-win rate, net new ARR, sales velocity, and more.    4. Visualize how much conversion intent matters to sales velocity and sales productivity.    149X higher lead-to-win rates for declared intent conversions   Declared intent = 26 “leads” to win 1 deal for $54k ARR Low Intent = 3,868 “leads” to win 1 deal for $130k ARR   18X greater sales velocity for declared intent conversions   Declared intent = $14.2MM annual sales velocity Low intent = $781k annual sales velocity 5. Recognize not all MQLs are created equal Measuring on MQLs incentivizes teams to get the most volume of MQLs for the lowest cost (low intent conversions), which is entirely misaligned with sales productivity and sales goals. Separate these into two Pipeline Sources (Declared Intent, Low Intent). Plan and build your goals for these two sources separately.   __   Now you know exactly HOW you want buyers to enter pipeline (capture demand) for maximum sales velocity & sales team efficiency. You also know exactly WHY buyers choose to take those paths to enter pipeline & WHAT triggers / channels / tactics move them to conversion. And with all of these insights, you can re-architect your strategy that optimizes for REVENUE. #revenue #sales #marketing #b2b #gtm p.s. Every SaaS company’s data looks like this, because it’s universal to how buyers buy. Most just don’t take the 3 hours of time to analyze their own data and see it for themselves.

Last week Retention.com booked 50+ demos for our new beta in a single day. We didn't use tools like ZoomInfo, Hubspot or Salesloft to generate these leads. Here's the new playbook for B2B Demand Gen: BACKSTORY: On Saturday our CEO Adam Robinson published a LinkedIn post announcing our new  “person-level identity” product for B2B SaaS companies. It drove over 50 booked demos & 200 inquiries (and counting). If we had followed the conventional B2B Demand Gen wisdom, it would have taken a team of 3-4 SDRs, buying lists, sending 4,000 personalized emails, 200 phone calls & months in opportunity cost to generate the same volume of interest & demos that we intentionally generated with a single LinkedIn post. And this wasn't a one-off or an accident... We have run this play multiple times. I do not like the term social selling. We are creating relationships and identifying a fit, not selling... But I think this playbook may be the future of B2B Demand Gen. Here are 5 keys to replicating this success: 1. Creating demand is the job of C-Level folks not SDRs: We have been asking inexperienced SDRs to create demand with experienced decision makers. How does this make sense? Decision makers love talking to other Decision makers not to SDRs (no offense SDRs!). C-Level execs need to stop being lazy and start engaging with prospects directly to generate demand. 2. Build An Engaged Audience: Have you ever wondered why DTC companies don’t run into issues like spam rates as much as B2B companies do, despite sending a lot more emails?? That’s because DTC marketers always work with an engaged audience - something B2B marketers and execs skip. Without an engaged audience, Demand Gen becomes tactical and not helpful in creating a lasting business.  3. Run out of leads? Use your Megaphone: The new way of generating leads very quickly is to leverage one's community. Execs need to personally lead this initiative with content creation and audience building. 4. Qualify and Follow Up: Qualify engagements within your ICP and Follow up on email or Linkedin with absurdly high response rates. 5. Realize Not only Execs have the Megaphone: Social media enables any Sales Rep, SDRs, Demand Gen or Sales Leaders to create an engaged audience in their domain. Focus on providing upfront value with no expectations. Don’t just provide "thought leadership" - offer free consulting and genuine assistance. Future AEs will be influencers in their own regards. They will be the trusted advisor to thousands of potential buyers and will take their entire community to their new job. TAKEAWAY: Sales and marketing is at an inflection point. You can ride this wave and benefit from the change or get left behind. I've never been interested in maintaining the status quo. I wish the same for you. P.S. Want to read the Linkedin post that led to 50+ demos? Link in the comments.

This isn’t a post about whether dopamine culture is good or bad. (I have plenty to say on that…) However, it is about marketing because, fundamentally, marketing is about meeting your audience where they are. And, today's audience is in their dopamine-culture era. For too long, B2B companies have relied on the same old content marketing playbook: churn out whitepapers (often gated behind forms!) and blog posts, rinse and repeat. But in the world of dopamine culture, plus the rise of AI, that alone is not enough. To win at content marketing today, B2B brands need to step up their game in several key ways: ↳ Develop a Strong, Authentic POV. In a sea of generic content, having a unique, authentic perspective is more critical than ever. What does your brand stand for? What insights and opinions can you bring that no one else is? Your POV is your secret weapon. ↳ Cultivate a Consistent Brand Voice. Is your content instantly recognizable as coming from your brand? Do you have a cohesive voice, personality, and style that shines in everything you publish? If not, it's time for a refresh. A distinct brand identity fosters trust and memorability. ↳ Get Creative With Formats. Blogs and whitepapers are great, but don't stop there. Diversify with engaging formats like video, interactive tools, data visualizations, podcasts, and more. Give your audience exciting ways to learn. ↳ Optimize for Recommendation Engines. It's no longer just about ranking in search (though that's still important). You must also optimize for recommendation engines on social media, audio/video platforms, and more. How "shareable" and algorithms-friendly is your content? ↳ Leverage AI-Powered Tools. Use AI strategically to streamline your content operations, personalize content experiences, extract deeper audience insights, and experiment with new AI-generated formats. Be proactive. When I started Zen Media almost 16 years ago, content marketing was 90% content and 10% marketing. Today, it's the reverse. Before we create an article for a client, we develop their POV, have a brand voice document at the ready, and have a distribution plan in place because we know the truth: for every one person who reads the article, ten other people will read the summary on social platforms. Image Credit: Ted Gioia, The Honest Broker,

The old way to create content as a B2B content marketer: ---> A keyword-and-topic-first approach • Do keyword research and pick a keyword. • You base your topic on that keyword (extra points if it's not a generic topic and you come from a unique angle). • You write up a blog post on that topic so you can rank for that keyword and drive site traffic. • You repurpose that blog post into a YouTube video and chop up that video into smaller clips to post on social platforms. • You start a podcast and interview experts on their topics and use video clips of it for social. A better way to create content as a B2B content marketer: ---> A purpose-and-concept-first approach • Understand you need to create content around your product, content around your narrative, and entertaining/edutaining content that associates your product with specific outcomes. • Instead of picking a keyword to start off a new content asset, pick one of those purposes. • Grab a topic from your strategic narrative. • Think of a concept that allows you to create content on that topic in a way that the person reading, watching, or listening will find insightful, interesting, entertaining, or all three. • Distribute the content where your audience hangs out (organic and paid). • Rinse and repeat for different purposes and objectives. Content marketing should no longer be limited to one or two content assets (blog posts, ebooks), be only seen as a way to increase organic search traffic, or be done aimlessly without specific purposes and your business objectives in mind.

3 simple ways to increase demo requests for early/growth stage companies: 1/ Add a calendar booking option It doesn’t have to be fancy — just a simple calendar booking integration that lets prospects automatically book a demo on your sales teams’ calendar is great! If your objection for not doing this is your sales team might get unqualified leads or they would end up wasting time, I’d say take a bet. Run a pilot program. Do it for 30 days and analyze the time/resources it took your time to implement it. When I work with growth stage startups and get pushback on this idea, I immediately do the math & communicate how it’s significantly more profitable to let sales team waste a couple hours/week than not running any demo requests at all. 2/ Add social proof on your product demo page 90% of the B2B SaaS websites I see aren’t doing this. There’s an old rusty blank page of a product demo booking where the prospect is asked to fill multiple fields in an unnecessarily long form. There’s a stock library image at the left/right hand side of the form and maybe text-based testimonials at the bottom or something along the lines of “We have worked with 3647+ brands and helped them drive $80M in pipeline”. The reason why having social proof on your product demo page works is because your champion buyers are more or less uncertain about your product. They have objections around tech stack integrations, use-cases, results, wins, losses, onboarding and implementation. Instead of letting this uncertainity continue till the demo process (and probably lose their interest/trust), use your product demo request page as an opportunity to educate your champion buyer on your product’s differentiator and value. Highlight real customer stories, share specific numbers, show (don’t tell), and most importantly, share real, raw feedback. 3/ Add a “what to do next before our call” page You’ve got the calendar integration. You’ve got the social proof. Great! Now, think about the post-demo request experience. It’s like the post-gate experience of when someone downloads your ebook/whitepaper. Most marketers send MQLs to sales without educating their prospects on what’s next — sales “looks” pushy when they reach out to the customer, their interests are not aligned, there’s a BIG gap of knowledge around your product which puts extra pressure on sales to deliver. But, let’s stick to the post-demo request experience for this post. Instead of a simple “Thank you for requesting a demo”, do this: ✅ Give them option to explore your content library ✅ Add a What’s next section that walks them through your pre- & post-demo process ✅ Give exclusive access to your community, newsletter, or podcast ---- What more do you want to add? Share it in the comments! Want to hear more from me? Subscribe to my newsletter (link in comments).

WARNING: If you're targeting your entire TAM on LinkedIn, you're wasting 90% of your effort. Here's the data that changed how we think about B2B prospecting: The Opportunity: B2B companies are missing out on brand engagement, meetings, and revenue on LinkedIn. Most teams use LinkedIn for research, InMails, and content creation, but very few intentionally build an audience of active decision-makers within their Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). Teams that focus on this strategy book more meetings, accelerate deal velocity, and close more revenue across the entire business (not just prospects sourced from LinkedIn). Here's the blueprint: (1) TARGET THE ACTIVE 20% • Filter for "Posted on LinkedIn in last 30 days" • Focus only on decision-maker titles • Use company size & industry filters • Exclude anyone messaged in last 90 days This one change can take you from 2% to 30% response rates. (2) BUILD YOUR ECOSYSTEM • Send 200 blank connection requests weekly • Don't include a message (data proves it kills acceptance rates) • Focus on growing new 1st-degree connections Build a hand-picked audience you own forever. An audience to send messages, share content, and form a real relationship with. (3) MESSAGE WITH INTENT • Focus on problems, not solutions • Keep messages under 300 characters • Don't try to close in the DMs • Move to calls immediately after replies Our best clients see 70%+ meeting conversion from positive replies using this approach. (4) LEVERAGE CONTENT PROPERLY ➝ Post 5x per week (non-negotiable) ➝ Follow the 80/20 principle: • 80% educational • 20% social proof/promotional ➝ Document real customer problems ➝ Never try to go viral The result? One "boring" B2B founder just crossed $210K in revenue from LinkedIn. Without a single viral post. Most LinkedIn "gurus" won't tell you this: You don't need to reach everyone. You need to reach the right 20%. And you need to reach them consistently. Rather jam on this 1-on-1? Message me and we'll chat about your specific strategy.

Imagine you're a founder standing at the edge of the marketplace, product in hand. Its your brainchild. Your sleepless nights – ready to make waves. But then comes the daunting question "How do I make my mark in just 90 days?" Outbound isnt what it used to be. It's not just about hiring a sales rep and praying for the best anymore The game has changed and so must we In the next 90 days it's all about strategic moves and smart plays Heres a glimpse into the playbook I'd lay out for you 👇 Month 1: Foundation building ✔ Deep dive into your ICP: Understand who you're selling to. Not just surface level but deep dive their pain points, desires and day-to-day realities ✔ Crafting your message: Tailor your narrative so it resonates. Not just inform. We're talking about messaging that sticks! That makes your prospects nod in agreement ✔ Tech stack setup: Equip yourself with the right tools. CRM, sales engagement platform and data enrichment tools – the essentials to streamline and automate your outreach Month 2: Engagement and optimization ✔ Launch targeted campaigns: With your ICP and messaging nailed down it's time to hit send. But this isn't spray and pray. It's targeted, it's measured & it's refined ✔ Analyze and adjust: Live by the data. What's working? What's not? Adapt in real-time. Tweak your campaigns and always be optimizing ✔ Content that converts: Start posting. Sharing insights, stories and value through your content. Let your expertise build trust and draw your audience closer Month 3: Scaling and closing ✔ Refine and expand: By now you know what works. Its time to double down on those strategies! Expand your outreach and keep the momentum ✔ Focus on the pipeline: Dive deep into qualification and follow ups. Every interaction should move the needle inching closer to that 'Yes' ✔ Close and learn: Start closing those deals but remember every close or loss is a lesson. Gather the insights, refine your approach and prepare for the next cycle This isn't just about outbound calls or emails Its about building a go-to-market machine that learns, adapts and grows Its about seeing your product through the eyes of your customers and meeting them there with open arms and a solution they can't resist So to the founder asking "What now?" it's time to roll up our sleeves There's work to do and trust me the next 90 days could just be the beginning of something awesome! Lets make it happen 🤘

If only I could get a nickel for everytime I have told someone that SaaS growth is not just about spray & pray! This whole document which I have dropped below consists of 100+ hours of consultation calls I have taken with B2B brand owners. 1. Hypersonalisation And it all starts with triggers & relevancy. You gonna cold pitch? Sorry fam, but you gotta tell why. You can't write articles about what you do. It's all about service <<< results. Personalize with first liner as the trigger + mid liner as why the pitch is relevant for the reciever. 2. Mapping Map your customer journey. Learn about customer experience. • Why they chose your service? • Their span of activity • What made them choose you over your competitor? 3. Multi-channel outreach system IG gurus tell you to focus on one channel. And hey, I am not saying no to that. But the approach to multi-channel is to test & find where your ICP resides. Fan out slowly & steadily. Your never know where your next lead is coming from. 4. Sales cycle Many of the SaaS owners I have worked with did not track their sales cycle. This is one of the most important pointer where you can increase the conversion rate + LTV of a user. 5. Automation >> Manual Will save you a lot of time. Plus, elevate the power of AI & increase your conversions + retention. 6. Systems & processes As I said, DO NOT go for the spray & pray method. Have a strategic move. A system in place will help you track if you are at the right track. Also, with A/B tests combined, I know exactly which strategy can work in 90 days or less. 7. Research Research your ICP. Have their pointers in place. Know the triggers & outcome. With the right research, you will have the foot in the door (or be on the better side of the door) before your competitor! Damn! I did not know I will write this much. But, a lot has still not been poured over here. Let me know if I can help you in any way.🫶🏻

🚀 Revolutionizing B2B Sales: Beyond Names and Titles to Genuine Personalization 🚀 1️⃣ True Personalization: It's not just about using names and titles. To truly connect and stand out, delve deeper into understanding your clients' unique challenges and goals. 2️⃣ Avoid the Generic Trap: Sending emails that only use surface-level info like names or titles is often seen as self-serving. It's crucial to position yourself distinctively and avoid being just another sales pitch. 3️⃣ Lesson from a Lost Opportunity: A sales team's transactional approach failed because they lacked personalization. They treated their client like any other, missing the chance to connect on a deeper level. 4️⃣ The Power of Preparation: Do your homework! Reading a client's annual report, industry news, and understanding their challenges can transform your approach from generic to genuinely engaging. 5️⃣ High-Stakes Email Strategy: One company's bold move of emailing the C-suite with researched, relevant content paid off. This shows the value of understanding and addressing the client's specific needs and challenges. 6️⃣ Why Your Emails Get Ignored: If your emails are all about you and your product, they're likely getting deleted. Shift the focus to your clients - their goals, their company, their needs. 7️⃣ Enter ValueMail: Instead of standard sales emails, use insights to create emails that offer real value to your clients. Show that you understand and can contribute to their goals. 8️⃣ Be the Expert: In the evolving world of sales, being informed and authoritative is key. Know more than your clients and competitors. Let your knowledge and personalized approach be your edge. 🔍 Research is Key: Dive into your client's world - read their reports, understand their industry, and know their competitors. Show them you're not just selling - you're a partner in their success. 🌟 Elevate your sales game by embracing true personalization. It's not just about winning a sale; it's about building lasting, meaningful relationships. 🌟

Here's the exact strategy that we use to host bi-weekly LinkedIn lives with 900+ attendees per event without any social promo or ad spend. Step 1: Build an owned audience across your teams LinkedIn accounts We have 11 accounts sending 8,800 connection requests a month (800 per account) to Director, VP's, and CMO's in marketing. We only target active people on LinkedIn and see between 30-40% of people accept our connection requests and become a 1st degree connection. Step 2: Host 2 LinkedIn Live's a month We bring in other thought leaders, marketing experts, and software partners to co-host with us. Step 3: Send 22,000+ targeted invites to our owned audience to attend our lives, for free Since we've built an owned audience of 1st degree connections we can invite them to attend our live events. LinkedIn allows any event attendee to invite 1000 people per week. We mark all 11 of our team members as attending and send 1000 targeted invites per week per account Step 4: Send messages to all event attendees with a recording, unique offer, or book a call LinkedIn allows you to send unlimited messages to your first degree connections, another massive benefit to building an owned audience, especially for your BD team Step 5: We pull a lead list and add all of the attendees to a sequence with emails and cold calls This one strategy is growing our social presence, building brand authority for ZeroTo1, warming up our leads, and building an owned audience of decision makers in our ICP with out spending any money on ads. We're all in on a LinkedIn first approach and are loving the results. Let me know in the comments if you've tried hosting a LinkedIn Live 👇 #b2b #SAAS #marketingsaas #martech #agency