RevGenius https://www.revgenius.com/ Thu, 18 Jul 2024 16:31:35 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 https://www.revgenius.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/favicon.png RevGenius https://www.revgenius.com/ 32 32 Taking Your Personal Brand to the Next Level With AI https://www.revgenius.com/mag/taking-your-personal-brand-to-the-next-level-with-ai/ https://www.revgenius.com/mag/taking-your-personal-brand-to-the-next-level-with-ai/#respond Thu, 18 Jul 2024 10:23:58 +0000 https://www.revgenius.com/mag/?p=9002 Discover how to build a strong personal brand on LinkedIn with AI. Learn from experts and leverage tools like Castmagic to create engaging content, boost your presence, and drive growth.

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Show up and stand out: How LinkedIn presence builds trust and drives growth

How do you build trust with your audience? By consistently showing up and adding value. Jared Robin, CEO of RevGenius, is a LinkedIn regular with a unique style, a compelling story, and a clear point of view. This has helped him build a strong personal brand and connect with over 45,000 followers.

For leaders, managers, solopreneurs, and individual contributors, building a powerful presence on LinkedIn is a game-changer.

A HardNumbers study shows a strong link between social media presence and financial success for unicorn companies with active founders.

“Our report reveals that unicorn companies whose founders have the most LinkedIn followers secured over £763 million in total investment on average. This is over 20% more than the average total raised – £632 million – across the UK’s entire unicorn cohort.

“This shows that investors want to align with leaders who have a clear, compelling story. When the story resonates, investor buy-in is more likely.” [Source]

The compelling story needs to be told. We know building your personal brand is needed, and we know it works. What’s next? 

Balancing act: How to start and stay consistent? 

We’ve all been there struggling with:

  • Finding time for consistent content creation
  • Generating fresh, cool, and engaging content regularly
  • Balancing personal authenticity with professional branding
  • Engaging in a meaningful way 
  • Using AI in more elaborate ways than simply chatting with Chat GPT 🙂 

Whether that’s a busy CEO, founder, manager, or IC, building a consistent and powerful personal brand is a full-time job. 

Strategies to build your personal brand 

That’s why we talked to four experts who shared their strategies for building a personal brand and engaging with their audience, all while using AI as a tool. Check out our session with Justin Simon, The Founder of the Distribution First podcast, Brianna Doe, the Founder and CEO of Verbatim, Chelsea Castle, The Head of Content and Brand at Close, and Blaine Bolus, the Co-Founder for Castmagic, or read the recap below.

Webinar

Start with a strong point of view

“Be willing to take a stand and repeat it until it becomes a recognizable theme.” – Justin Simon

Having a clear and recognizable POV is the starting point in building your personal brand. The consistency in messaging and defining your unique value proposition will guide all your efforts. As Justin explains, the more you talk about the topic, the more it becomes ingrained in your audience’s minds. This clarity helps in establishing your voice and makes your content memorable. 

How can AI help? 

AI-powered tools like sentiment analysis and market research platforms can provide insights into what your audience cares about. This data helps you craft messages that resonate and differentiate you from the competition.This not only sets you apart but also gives your brand a solid foundation. Use AI tools to analyze market trends and audience preferences to refine your value proposition.

Castmagic has an iOS app that turns your thoughts into content — you can share your thoughts, and let the app transform them into multiple posts. You can also use the Content Sample feature to style your content like the influencers you follow on social media. 

Having a clear “why” and an established POV helps in setting a clear direction and reducing content fatigue.

Be authentic. Always.

Authentic content is what truly resonates with your audience and builds trust. “Be clear on your ‘why’ and set boundaries to approach personal branding from a healthy perspective,” Chelsea Castle explains. Genuine engagement is key.

 

Balancing professional and personal brands helps with authenticity concerns.

Define the one word you want to be known for and focus on evoking the desired reaction from your audience.

How can AI help?

Personalization at scale: AI can help personalize your interactions at scale. Use it to analyze your audience’s behavior and preferences, allowing you to tailor your messages. This personalization helps build stronger connections and fosters trust. As Justin Simon points out, it’s about integrating your brand into everyday interactions without losing the personal touch.

Meaningful Engagement Avoid using AI for generic responses, especially in comments and direct interactions. Brianna Doe, the CEO and Founder of Verbatim stresses, “Creating content online and building a personal brand online doesn’t mean you can’t have boundaries.” Focus on meaningful, thoughtful engagements that reflect your genuine interest and expertise.

Store, Revisit, and Refine Your Ideas

Coming up with consistent content ideas can be challenging. Brianna Doe shares her approach: 

“I use Notion to store and organize content ideas, categorizing them based on my content pillars.” Having a system in place ensures that you always have a pool of ideas to draw from.

Blaine, co-founder of Castmagic, recommends creating a library of high-performing content from other creators. “Building a swipe file can serve as inspiration for what to post and when,” he explains. This file can serve as a valuable resource for generating new ideas and understanding trends in your niche.

Capture and document first, and then fit those into ideas later

 

How can AI help?

Repurposing: Tools like Castmagic can help repurpose content from various formats, ensuring you get the most out of every piece of content you create. This means transforming webinars, podcasts, and articles into bite-sized social media posts, blog entries, and more. Imagine taking your raw thoughts from sales calls, meetings, or recordings and transform them into a variety of content types: social posts, newsletters, blogs, etc. You can turn any conversation into insightful leadership content. 

Writing assistance: While there is a debate about using AI for direct content creation, it can be incredibly useful as a writing assistant. Chelsea Castle mentions using AI to “synthesize and analyze content” and improve the clarity and conciseness of your writing. Tools like ChatGPT can help refine your content, making it more engaging and easier to digest.

Automate to focus on connections

Automate to focus on connections. Identify where collaboration happens in your content workflow to optimize for both speed and authenticity.

Part of your job as a creator is being a curator of your own content

There’s no other way, we need to minimize manual effort but without losing the personal touch. Transcriptions, summarizing, scheduling, and content distribution can all be handled by tools but curation is key:

Curate and evaluate content before automating to avoid appearing inauthentic.

And by content we mean not only podcasts you were a guest at, your articles, the company’s webinars, and interviews but also: your calls, conversations with customers, community chats with your friends AND your own thoughts. 

“Recording thoughts and conversations can create a multimedia library that can be repurposed into different content types.” [Justin Simon]

TL: DR Best Practices Cheatsheet

  • Tap into your media library for evergreen ideas. Turn context into content.
  • Keep it simple. Know what you want to be known for, how often you want to show up, your point of view, and who you want to connect with. Building a personal brand is all about showing up authentically.
  • Record your thoughts and repurpose them as much as possible.
  • Embrace authenticity and use AI as your assistant and sparring partner.
  • Consider moving your audience from rented platforms to your own (like newsletters) and use AI for deep personalization.

How can Castmagic help in content creation? 

RevGenius webinar session was powered by our partner Castmagic. It’s an AI-powered tool that makes it easy to create content from your audio and video conversations. It transcribes and summarizes key points from webinars, podcasts, and meetings, allowing you to quickly turn them into blog posts, social media updates, and newsletters.

Imagine a CEO who regularly speaks at industry panels and webinars. With Castmagic, these sessions can be transcribed and key insights extracted to create LinkedIn posts, a blog, and content for a company newsletter.

To give you an actionable plan and help with building your personal brand with AI we sat down with the Castmagic team to share the multiple ways you can use it — dive into the use cases here or check out our breakdown:

Castmagic screen

  • Pages — Combine multiple recordings to extract and repurpose content into a 2000+ word article, newsletter, social post, and more.
  • Customer Discovery — Record your sales calls and push them through the Customer Discovery Profile. Learn more about companies to come up with authentic write-ups. 
  • Courses — You can take the webinars and run them through the Courses Profile, get worksheets and quizzes, summaries, and cheat sheets, and even build out a course program. 
  • Podcast — make sure to repurpose your podcast once recorded into various formats: articles, interviews, courses, and social posts. 
  • Meetings — Record your meeting and get quotes, key points, and ideas listed. Let the AI organize the agenda and action items. Use the shared link to send the recap to the team. Perfect for inspiration, content posts, and more.
  • iOS App — Start recording your thoughts. A 2-minute recording on your walk can turn into an endless supply of social content to build out your brand on Linkedin. 

Remember that you can create your own prompts to repurpose any audio or video recording in your writing style and brand voice.

Sign up for a free trial and experience the magic of Castmagic!

Your personal brand is a reflection of your professional journey 

As Jared Robin highlights:

“I get into dozens of conversations daily with community members, many of which are automatically recorded on Zoom. What comes out are so many thought-provoking ideas and concepts. Castmagic allows me to create content from that easily and repurpose it so the gems get captured and don’t die when the call ends. These conversations contribute to the brand I’m building.”

Your personal brand reflects your professional journey – make it impactful, authentic, and memorable. Don’t miss our upcoming webinars on marketing, sales, and GTM trends!

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Boost Sales With AI-Driven Automation https://www.revgenius.com/mag/boost-sales-with-ai-driven-automation/ https://www.revgenius.com/mag/boost-sales-with-ai-driven-automation/#respond Mon, 24 Jun 2024 11:08:26 +0000 https://www.revgenius.com/mag/?p=8724 Discover how AI in RevOps automates data entry, provides smart insights, and updates sales playbooks. Improve forecasting, streamline processes, and drive revenue growth with advanced AI solutions.

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Automating data entry, AI-driven actionable insights, and the creation of dynamic playbooks can improve sales efficiencies, provide clearer pipeline visibility for accurate forecasting, and accelerate revenue growth.

Revenue Operations—aka “RevOps”—is an emerging business function that’s proving invaluable to an organization’s goal of scaling revenue growth. It involves aligning sales, marketing, and customer success operations across the customer lifecycle to drive growth through cross-team alignment and operational efficiency. The RevOps function aims to break down silos between departments and empower sales and customer-facing teams with processes and tools to perform more effectively. Sales leaders look to RevOps to enable data-driven insights for strategic forecasting and refine sales processes to foster productivity and efficiency. RevOps teams also oversee the alignment between CRM workflows and sales strategies, shouldering responsibility for ensuring sales data hygiene and up-to-date CRM record-keeping. Ultimately, RevOps exists to increase revenue-generating teams’ capacity and shorten sales cycles. However, RevOps leaders and their teams have their share of challenges – which, when left unaddressed, can hinder an organization’s success and growth.

Challenge #1: Outdated, static sales playbooks 

Many sales playbooks are created by an experienced team leader for the company’s current needs. But as companies evolve and grow, their sales strategies must shift. Most RevOps teams lack the time and resources to continually assess what’s working and what’s not, and playbooks can become outdated and ineffective.

Challenge #2: Inefficient, manual data collection and updating 

Sales reps are notoriously bad at creating complete CRM records and keeping them updated. Poor CRM record-keeping leads to bad data hygiene, causing deficient pipeline visibility and inaccurate forecasting.

Challenge #3: Siloed data 

Because data is stored in disparate sources, RevOps teams spend time organizing the data before they can analyze it and implement new coaching strategies. Once data is collected, logging it in the company’s CRM is another hurdle.

In combination, these challenges can lead to sales inefficiencies, lost opportunities, and missed revenue targets. To address these issues, RevOps teams can look to AI-powered revenue intelligence technology to streamline processes, update playbooks, centralize disparate data, and improve sales efficiencies and performance.

Through automation of sales activity data capture that integrates with the CRM system, sales teams no longer carry the burden of manual data entry and sales activity updates. This improvement alone can give sales reps significant time back to focus on selling, rather than Updating.

Additionally, connecting various data sources enables accurate insights and forecasting, and enables AI-generated actionable insights that help sales team members easily spot at-risk deals, receive guidance on what actions to take for every deal in the pipeline, and increase customer adoption. AI-powered revenue intelligence also helps RevOps update and improve playbooks based on which communication methods lead to the best outcomes and effective strategies for sales team members to win more deals, faster. Let’s take a look.

Automated data capture speeds sales performance

Comprehensive, automated activity data capture that integrates with a company’s CRM system can track every interaction that takes place and update the CRM record accordingly. This saves sales team members hours of manual labor each week so they can focus on the activities that generate revenue. RevOps gains assurance that data is automatically updated, consistent, and accessible to anyone who needs it, whenever they need it. As a result, sales leaders gain clearer pipeline visibility and can make accurate sales forecasts and strategic decisions. As an example, a major hospitality brand’s commercial sales and support teams were responsible for manually inputting and updating records in Salesforce, which was time-consuming and inefficient. To relieve sales reps of this arduous task, group leaders searched for a connector that would integrate its Outlook email system with Salesforce and automatically update the customer record when any interaction took place. Through automated activity data capture, the team was able to track every interaction and every deal without manual effort, significantly improving their efficiency, productivity, and collaboration, and helping them bring in more deals.

Connect disparate data in a central location

Revenue intelligence technology connects all the systems and tools sales and revenue teams use, securing and centralizing data and making it accessible to those who need it, as determined by a company’s permissions structure. As a result, RevOps teams no longer spend many hours organizing data from different touch points and can more easily identify the most impactful communications methods and sales processes. When data is centralized and safeguarded as a single, shared source of truth, teams gain better visibility into the pipeline. AI can then absorb all the data and use it to build revenue signals that guide sales teams with data-driven insights through each step of the sales process.

AI revenue signals speed revenue velocity

By harnessing AI technology, companies also gain powerful, actionable insights that take industry benchmarks into consideration and help teams identify opportunities for improvement throughout the sales cycle. AI-powered revenue signals, an essential technological capability, are interactive, contextual alerts that help spur sales and customer success teams into action. These signals offer guided selling about what steps to take and when. They foster better communication, faster response times, improved collaboration – and ultimately, higher win rates.

For example, business consultancy Slalom’s RevOps team wanted to create processes to automate and advance deals through the pipeline and improve the sales team’s close rate. First, they implemented an automated activity data capture solution. When looking at the data and leveraging AI insights, RevOps realized that sales reps were not consistently sending pre- and post-meeting emails, which kept some deals from advancing. Additionally, they determined that ​involving product and industry experts ​in opportunity planning could increase the likelihood of deals closing. The team leveraged AI revenue signals to digitize sales coaching, create consistent workflows, and guide the team through the right actions to keep prospects advancing through the pipeline. As a result, their conversion rate grew one percent, generating an additional $60 million in Sales.

Blend AI and automation to create dynamic playbooks

Sales playbooks are a vital ingredient to the success of any sales team and sales strategy execution. Keeping them updated based on what’s working – and what’s not working – is critical. Without data-driven insights, however, RevOps teams rely on guesswork and intuition to determine what components or processes must change – or they simply don’t make needed changes due to a lack of time and resources.

Revenue intelligence technology connects AI insights and enables RevOps to create dynamic playbooks that can easily be updated and scaled for fast-growing companies or as market forces shift. AI helps teams quickly identify which communication strategies lead to better results and offers guidance on exactly what changes to make, while automation facilitates changes and updates in real-time.

With these insights and capabilities, playbooks are transformed into living sales guides based on the most effective best practices, keywords, or tactics. This enables sales teams to work in unity with the most up-to-date tactics to close more deals.Take VDA, an elevator and escalator consulting services provider. They wanted to create a playbook to build a superior digital customer engagement process, as there were lapses in communication, particularly among team members who were new to online customer engagement. To scale best practices and playbooks, VDA configured contextual, actionable notifications to guide consultants and support staff on the next best step when action is required on an existing lead, opportunity, or project.

As a result, VDA saw significant improvement in customer engagement, which resulted in stronger relationships and the sales team’s ability to offer additional services and value.

The bottom line on revenue intelligence

Revenue intelligence that leverages automation and AI can be a powerful tool in helping RevOps teams enable cross-team collaboration between sales, marketing, and CRM owners and ensure smooth, consistent processes and workflows. The results can be foundational to bottom-line growth: complete data integrity and visibility across systems, 360-degree pipeline visibility, data-driven decision-making, and accurate sales forecasts. Technology is not the answer to every challenge, but using it in thoughtful ways can help remove roadblocks, automate time-intensive, manual tasks, accelerate sales cycles, and give sales teams more time to focus on what they do best: sell.

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RevGenius Demo Days: Your Fast Track to Smarter Tech Buying — 5 Reasons to Attend https://www.revgenius.com/mag/revgenius-demo-days-your-fast-track-to-smarter-tech-buying-5-reasons-to-attend/ https://www.revgenius.com/mag/revgenius-demo-days-your-fast-track-to-smarter-tech-buying-5-reasons-to-attend/#respond Tue, 11 Jun 2024 10:53:50 +0000 https://www.revgenius.com/mag/?p=8630 Streamline your buying process, save time, and stay updated with the latest B2B solutions. No need for lengthy discovery calls. Join us monthly to connect with innovative startups.

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We know time is everything. You don’t have two hours for a discovery call. That’s why we’ve streamlined the demo process, focusing on solving your business challenges quickly and helping companies reach the right audience.

For our first RevGenius Demo Day in May, we had 14 startups, each with a 10-minute presentation. Our goal was to create a welcoming space for buyers and sellers to connect and learn from each other — and here’s what happened:

Metrics_Demo Day

5 Reasons You Should Join Our Monthly Demo Days

Buy Smart 

Execs and managers spend a lot of their time buying new software. It’s a big part of the executive job — we also know what’s happening on the market with new tools emerging all the time (we’ve just released the Next 50 GTM Startups list if you’re interested). Connecting buyers with sellers through a dynamic, entertaining, and effective format is our goal.

Save Time — No Discovery Calls & Information Overload 

The buying process is long and takes time, not to mention the information overload that comes with new tech research (imagine going through marketing materials to get to the actual product). At Demo Days, we distill the right info and ask founders to give you everything you need in 10 minutes, showing how they’re solving the biggest pain points. Plus, you can ask questions in the chat and get to know the team directly on the spot. “It shouldn’t take three calls to get the demo and pricing.”(Hi5 HockeyStack!).

Google It? How to Deal with Search Fatigue 

Googling the latest tech can give you a bigger picture of what’s out there, but curation is not the first thing that comes with it. How do we do it? We look for recommendations, ask around in the community, listen to our peers and friends, go through LinkedIn posts, see what’s out there, and what our competitors are using. Demo Day brings all this together in one place, at one time, so you can be in the right crowd — with peers ready to share their experiences and feedback, and teams happy to answer any questions on the spot.

Listen to Trusted People in a Trusted Space 

Skeptical towards sales pitches? A new piece of tech means a revolution for the organization, so it’s better to ask hard questions upfront rather than going through a series of meetings to get to the bottom of it. Proving the value and ROI to stakeholders is key, so addressing all concerns initially will save you time and energy. Ensuring new software integrates smoothly with existing systems and tackling issues about data migration and compatibility can be done straight away!

Keep Up with the Market 

If you’re buying and the companies presenting demos are the type of solutions you’re looking for, that’s a bargain. But if you’re also checking what’s new on the market and staying up to date with the latest solutions, here’s your 90-minute briefing of “what’s new and up and coming” in B2B go-to-market.

Listen to What Other B2B Leaders Are Saying

Here’s a snapshot of what was happening to give you a better understanding of how it was for our audience.

If you’re tired of:

  • Discovery calls
  • Lengthy conversations
  • Multi-step sales processes
  • Sales pitches
  • Googling new tech
  • Information overload

Join our Demo Days!

We feature 7 startups revolutionizing GTM every month. See you there!

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How Alysio Generated 12 Qualified Meetings From RevGenius Demo Day https://www.revgenius.com/mag/how-alysio-generated-12-qualified-meetings-from-revgenius-demo-day/ https://www.revgenius.com/mag/how-alysio-generated-12-qualified-meetings-from-revgenius-demo-day/#respond Wed, 05 Jun 2024 13:01:26 +0000 https://www.revgenius.com/mag/?p=8576 Learn how Alysio strategically leveraged RevGenius Demo Day to generate 12 qualified meetings. Learn their comprehensive approach, from pre-event promotion to post-event follow-up, and gain insights to boost your own event success.

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Demo Day — No Fluff, Just Products

We get it—time is money. You don’t have 2 hours for a discovery call. That’s why we’ve cut out the fluff and streamlined the demo process, so buyers get straight to solving your business challenges and companies can present their products to the right audience. 

That’s how we planned our first RevGenius Demo Day back in May. We had 14 startups presenting during 10-minute sessions. Our goal was to create safe spaces for buyers and sellers to connect and learn —and here’s what happened:

How Alysio Generated 12 Qualified Meetings from RevGenius Demo Day 

We sat down with Aaron McReynolds from Alysio, The AI GTM Performance Platform, to build a Demo Day playbook that covers the best practices that brought them these results.  Alysio aimed to leverage RevGenius Demo Day to gain brand exposure, connect with a broader audience, and generate high-quality leads. 

They approached Demo Day with a comprehensive strategy, here’s a snapshot of how they did it: 

  • Before the Event: They partnered with RevGenius to create buzz, and connect with potential attendees
  • During the Event: They focused on delivering a compelling, concise demo, ensuring they stood out.
  • After the Event: Follow-up was key, with personalized and timely outreach to attendees and other speakers.

Let’s dive in! 

Alysio Playbook: Key Takeaways For Your Next Event

Double down on promotion 

  • Work closely with the hosting team to co-promote the event. Leverage all the channels for visibility by liking, commenting, reposting and sharing event posts. The virality of the event translates into: brand exposure, building awareness and associations with other great companies and connecting with the right audience. 

“We felt the virality of LinkedIn pre-Demo Day alone justified the investment.”

Production: Get creative 

  • We’re all too used to our living rooms’ background setting on Zoom 😉 Think about something different: renting a co-working space can be a game changer. Make the setting work in your favor, grab attention, and make it a memorable experience for the audience. 
  • Invest in basic tech enhancements: an iPhone camera, ring light, wireless microphone, and a tracking device for dynamic movement. They DO make a difference. 

Content: Make it stand out 

  • Leverage familiar content: use a version of your pitch that you’re already comfortable with and that you can deliver smoothly. 
  • Focus on the core narrative: problem identification, solution, and “why” it matters.
  • Learn from the best: get inspired by Apple, TED speakers. 

Ask yourself: “What would Apple do?”

  • Create an engaging narrative rather than a feature-by-feature walk-through of your product.
  • Focus on storytelling and problem-solving before diving into the demo – dedicate minimal time for the product demo and make sure the story comes across first. 

Presentation: Make it memorable 

  • Present confidently, stay calm, good vibes only!
  • Have your team members manage the chat for real-time engagement, allowing you to focus on presenting only.
  • Pre-coordinate responsibilities to make sure you can deliver your demo without distractions.

Follow up: Have your game plan ready 

  • Meet with your team shortly after the event to finalize the game plan.
  • Follow up with the audience — always! 
  • Divide it into segments. E.g.: attendees, registrants who did not show up, active participants in the chat, other presenters. 

“The quality of companies presenting and the crowd brought in by RevGenius were outstanding.”

Tailor your outreach

  • Customize sequences for each segment for targeted communication.
  • Personally follow up on LinkedIn with other presenters and attendees for additional networking opportunities.
  • Ensure timely follow-ups within a day or two after the event to maintain momentum.

Feedback 

  • Review feedback and performance (e.g., the number of meetings booked, conversions) to refine future presentations. 

Shoutout to Alysio for sharing their playbook! If you want to get your brand in front of the buyers in a dynamic, enjoyable, and effective format, partner with us and make sure to register for the upcoming Demo Day on June 26th with Vimeo, Commsor, Coefficient, UserGems, Common Room, WinnAI and Fullcast presenting! 

 

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RevGenius Announces Next 50 GTM Startups List, Featuring Emerging Brands in SaaS GTM https://www.revgenius.com/mag/revgenius-announces-next-50-gtm-startups-list-featuring-emerging-brands-in-saas-gtm/ https://www.revgenius.com/mag/revgenius-announces-next-50-gtm-startups-list-featuring-emerging-brands-in-saas-gtm/#respond Thu, 30 May 2024 15:38:53 +0000 https://www.revgenius.com/mag/?p=8494 Next 50 GTM Startups is the second release of our Next campaign featuring emerging talent and brands in SaaS GTM. 

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Out with the old. In with the Next!

We’ve just dropped the list of the Next 50 GTM Startups List, sponsored by our partner Seamless.aicheck it out here!

The next generation of startups have a distinct advantage – they have the support of the RevGenius Community. 

We are tired of seeing all the big brands get all the love and attention. It’s time to shower the top emerging ones with love backed by a community of 45k revenue leaders.

Next is RevGenius’ curated list of emerging creators and startups in SaaS Go-to-Market.

Next 50 GTM Startups is the second release of our Next campaign featuring emerging talent and brands in SaaS GTM. 

Inspired by redundancy, lack of diversity and connection to the masses  in the demand-generation-hopeful lists created by SaaS brands, RevGenius went out to create something different.  Always ahead of the curve, RevGenius is dedicated to discovering what’s next.

Get in touch if you wanna support the movement and partner with us!

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The Rise of Hyper-Personalization in Marketing https://www.revgenius.com/mag/the-rise-of-hyper-personalization-in-marketing/ https://www.revgenius.com/mag/the-rise-of-hyper-personalization-in-marketing/#respond Mon, 20 May 2024 10:17:32 +0000 https://www.revgenius.com/mag/?p=7393 Create highly targeted and personalized marketing campaigns. Explore the shift from basic to hyper-personalization, boosting engagement and conversion rates to make your marketing efforts more effective than ever.

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As technology moves forward and consumer habits shift, our marketing strategies need to evolve to stay in step with the market. Personalized marketing, crafting messages and offers tailored to individual customers, has become a standard practice. 

Yet, we’re now seeing another shift in marketing, the rise of hyper-personalization. With advances in AI and data analytics, companies can now gather and analyze large amounts of customer data to create highly personalized and targeted marketing campaigns. For marketers, this means a deeper dive into data analysis and strategy to reach customers more personally and effectively than ever. 

The evolution of marketing personalization   

Before we dive into the benefits of hyper-personalization, let’s look at how personalized marketing has evolved over time.  

Traditional marketing personalization involved segmenting customers into broad categories based on factors such as age, gender, and location. This approach was effective in targeting large groups of people with similar characteristics, but it lacked the personal touch that today’s consumers crave. 

With the rise of social media and data-driven methods, marketers gained the ability to gather detailed insights about their customers. This opened the door to personalized marketing, where businesses could use insights from activities like web browsing and past purchases to create messages that resonate with audiences. 

And the evidence supports the effectiveness of personalization. McKinsey reports that 77% of B2B companies using personalized experiences see an increase in market share. Moreover, a recent SmarterHQ study reveals that 72% of consumers only interact with marketing materials customized to their unique interests.  

But, as our world becomes more digitally connected, consumers expect even more personal touches to their buying experience. And that’s where hyper-personalization comes in.  

Understanding hyper-personalization  

Hyper-personalization takes personalized marketing to the next level. With the power of predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and real-time data, we can finely tune marketing strategies to align with the preferences, behaviors, and needs of each individual. 

This marketing strategy goes beyond sorting customers into large groups. It zooms in on every individual, turning massive amounts of data from online activity into highly personalized interactions. By using advanced algorithms and AI, every click, search, and purchase is analyzed, uncovering unique patterns and preferences for each consumer.  

This careful, individualized approach enhances the customer experience, significantly boosting engagement and conversion rates. It marks a new era in personalized marketing. 

The role of technology in hyper-personalization    

The primary driver behind hyper-personalization’s rise is the advancement in technology. This makes it possible to sift through vast amounts of data quickly and accurately. Without this, it would be impossible for businesses to personalize their marketing strategies on such a granular level. 

1. Artificial intelligence and machine learning  

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are at the core of hyper-personalization. These technologies enable businesses to analyze huge volumes of data in real-time, identify patterns, and make predictions about individual consumer behavior. This allows businesses to create targeted and personalized messages across different channels. It’s one thing to know your audience is looking for solutions you can provide; it’s another to communicate this in a way that resonates. AI and machine learning step in here, enabling the creation of targeted messages that speak directly to the individual. This level of personal engagement boosts the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns, making every message count. The depth and agility provided by these technologies foster a marketing environment that is not just dynamic but also deeply connected to the individual needs and expectations of the customer. 

2. Real time data analytics 

Real-time data analytics allow marketers to track customer behavior and preferences in the moment. By monitoring customer interactions with a website or app, businesses can adjust their messaging and offers in real-time to create a more personalized experience. By leveraging real-time data analytics, companies can observe the immediate impact of their strategies and swiftly pivot to enhance customer engagement. This isn’t just about pushing out offers; it’s about nurturing a two-way conversation with customers, where their actions guide the business’s responses. Whether it’s adjusting email marketing campaigns, fine-tuning ad placements, or tweaking the user interface for better online experiences, the agility afforded by real-time insights can significantly boost marketing effectiveness.

3. Predictive analytics 

Predictive analytics use machine learning and statistical algorithms to forecast future outcomes based on historical data. In terms of hyper-personalization, this means that businesses can anticipate customer needs and preferences, allowing for highly targeted marketing campaigns that resonate with each individual. By leveraging predictive analytics, businesses can sift through vast amounts of data to identify potential future behaviors of their customers. This isn’t just about guessing what a customer might like based on past purchases; it’s an advanced, nuanced approach that considers a multitude of factors, including browsing patterns, interaction rates, and even social media activity.

4. Natural Language Processing (NLP)  

NLP is an AI-powered technology that allows computers to understand and interpret human language. This enables businesses to gather insights from customer feedback and interactions on social media, email, and other channels. By understanding the tone, sentiment, and context of customer communications, marketers can personalize messaging further. 

5. Big Data technologies  

Hyper-personalization relies on the analysis of large quantities of data. Big Data technologies, such as Apache Hadoop and MongoDB, make it possible to process and analyze this data quickly and efficiently. This allows marketers to create highly personalized campaigns based on real-time insights. 

Hyper-personalization in practice 

Here are five clear examples of how hyper-personalization improves marketing efforts: 

1. Recommendation engines  

E-commerce giants like Amazon and Netflix are known for their highly personalized recommendation engines. By analyzing customers’ past purchases, browsing history, and interactions with the platform, these companies can suggest products or content that aligns with each customer’s interests. But it’s not just e-commerce giants that can benefit from recommendation engines. With advances in technology and data analysis, businesses of all sizes can now harness the power of personalized recommendations to enhance their 

2. Dynamic content personalization 

Businesses can use dynamic content personalization to tailor website or app content based on a customer’s past interactions with the brand. For example, if a customer has shown interest in certain products or services, those items can be highlighted prominently on their next visit to the site.  

3. Personalized email marketing 

Using data from past purchases, website interactions, and demographic information, businesses can create highly personalized email campaigns that speak directly to each individual’s interests and needs. It’s also about timing. Sending these tailored messages at just the right moment can significantly boost engagement rates. Whether it’s a birthday discount, a seasonal offer that aligns with past buying behavior, or a gentle nudge to revisit an abandoned cart, the impact is profound.

To sum up, personalized email marketing is much more than a trend; it’s a robust strategy that can turbo-charge customer engagement and drive results. By focusing on the individual, businesses can craft email campaigns that are not only effective but also enjoyable for customers to receive.

4. Location-based marketing 

By using location data from a customer’s mobile device, businesses can create hyper-targeted marketing messages and offers based on their current location. For example, a retail store could send a personalized discount offer to customers close to their physical storefront. It opens up a dialogue between the brand and its customers, enabling richer, more personal engagement. By understanding where their customers are and how they move throughout the day, businesses can optimize their marketing strategies to align with the customer’s lifestyle and routine.

5. Personalized retargeting ads  

Retargeting ads use data from a customer’s online behavior to show them relevant ads as they browse the web. With hyper-personalization, these retargeting ads can be tailored even further based on individual preferences and interests. 

The future of hyper-personalization  

As technology continues to advance, we can expect hyper-personalization to become an even more dominant force in the marketing world. With consumers expecting personalized experiences at every touchpoint, businesses that don’t adopt this strategy risk falling behind their competitors.  

Moreover, hyper-personalization offers many benefits beyond increased engagement and conversion rates. It means businesses can craft marketing campaigns tailored not just to current customer preferences but also to foresee and meet their needs and desires in real-time. This predictive capability will allow companies to stay one step ahead, offering products and services that consumers may not yet realize they want. This enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty. 

With hyper-personalization becoming increasingly important in email campaigns, it’s essential to have a reliable and efficient tool to personalize your business emails. Exclaimer makes it easy for businesses to implement hyper-personalization in their email marketing efforts. 

This article was brought to you by Exclaimer 

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Navigating the World of Third-Party Cookies and Email Signatures https://www.revgenius.com/mag/navigating-the-world-of-third-party-cookies-and-email-signatures/ https://www.revgenius.com/mag/navigating-the-world-of-third-party-cookies-and-email-signatures/#respond Mon, 20 May 2024 09:56:44 +0000 https://www.revgenius.com/mag/?p=7388 Learn how phasing out third-party cookies changes tracking, personalization, and analytics, and explore alternative strategies like first-party data, contextual advertising, and AI-driven insights.

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For almost three decades, third-party cookies have played a crucial role in digital advertising. They’ve enabled marketers to track engagement, create targeted user audiences, and personalize ads based on user behavior. However, these cookies also allow websites to track users’ online activities without explicit consent and can be used to create detailed profiles of users’ interests and behaviors. This has raised concerns about data privacy, prompting major tech companies like Google to end support for third-party cookies.

In this blog, we’ll break down everything you need to know about third-party cookies, how their phase-out will affect your marketing strategy, and alternative tactics to continue reaching your target audience.

What are third-party cookies?

Third-party cookies are small text files created by websites other than the one a user is currently visiting. These cookies are stored in a user’s browser and track their online activities across different websites. They allow advertisers to collect information about users’ behavior, such as pages visited, products purchased, and ads clicked, to create targeted ad campaigns. 

For example, if you visit an online shopping site and browse for shoes, that information can be captured by third-party cookies and used to show you shoe ads on other websites you visit.

What’s happening to third-party cookies?

With the rise of data breaches and misuse of personal information, consumers have become wary and protective of their data. They demand greater control over their personal data, expect their consent to be respected, and want their online experiences to be more personalized and meaningful.

As a result, major web browsers have implemented measures to limit or block third-party cookies. In 2019, Apple’s Safari browser took the lead by blocking third-party cookies by default, followed by Mozilla Firefox. Google Chrome, currently dominating the web browser market, plans to phase out third-party cookies by the third quarter of 2024.

This phase-out will have major implications for marketers, affecting advertising, analytics, personalization, and privacy efforts. There will be challenges in tracking users across websites, limiting the precision of targeted ads. Additionally, tracking and attributing conversions will become more complex.

Data privacy considerations relating to third-party cookies

The topic of third-party cookies has gained significant attention in the field of data privacy, sparking discussions on user rights and corporate accountability. These tracking technologies, often embedded invisibly on websites, collect detailed information about users’ online behaviors, preferences, and activities, raising significant privacy concerns. Their widespread use has sparked a vigorous debate among stakeholders about the ethics of data collection and usage, emphasizing the need for a delicate balance between personalized user experiences and the protection of personal data. As a result, intense debates surrounding data ethics have emerged, leading to the implementation of stricter regulations to protect consumers’ personal information.

The role of GDPR

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) addresses the use of third-party cookies to safeguard individual privacy within the European Union. Under GDPR, organizations must obtain explicit, informed consent from users before processing their data, including the use of third-party cookies.

Imagine a scenario where an online bookstore uses third-party cookies to gather insights on a visitor’s reading interests and previous purchases. According to GDPR regulations, the bookstore must clearly explain how the visitor’s data is collected, its purpose, and who it’s shared with. Visitors then have the right to give or withhold consent, granting them autonomy over their digital footprint. Noncompliance with GDPR requirements can result in substantial fines and harm the company’s reputation.

Understanding PECR

The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) is a UK law that stands alongside GDPR. It sets specific rules for electronic communications, including email marketing and the use of third-party cookies. By mandate, PECR requires that users must not only be informed about the use of third-party cookies but also must provide their consent before these cookies can be placed on their devices.

The use of Google Analytics without third-party cookies

Google Analytics is one of the most widely used web analytics tools that rely on third-party cookies to track user behavior. As Google Chrome phases out support for third-party cookies, Google has announced its intentions to use alternative technologies such as machine learning algorithms and first-party data to fill in the gaps.

The launch of Google Analytics 4 (GA4) in July 2023 aims to uphold user privacy while still providing valuable insights. GA4 takes a privacy-first tracking approach, using machine learning to fill in data gaps instead of relying on third-party cookies. This ensures businesses can gain a comprehensive view of the customer journey across devices while complying with new privacy regulations.

Exploring the alternatives to third-party cookies in marketing

While phasing out third-party cookies may seem daunting, it opens up an opportunity for marketers to forge a new path in the digital landscape. Here are some alternative approaches to keep your marketing efforts resilient and privacy-compliant:

First-party data

First-party data refers to information obtained directly from your audience. It includes interactions on your website, purchase history, and email subscriptions. Unlike third-party cookies, this data requires transparency and incentives to obtain, using relevant and personalized touchpoints in your marketing strategies. However, the collection of such data doesn’t come by default. It necessitates a foundation of trust and transparency with your audience. Your customers share their data with the understanding that it elevates their experience, making each interaction more personalized and more meaningful.

Contextual advertising

Contextual advertising is the practice of placing ads based on the content of a webpage. Instead of tracking user behavior, contextual targeting relies on keywords, demographics, and website categories to display relevant ads. While it may seem less precise than third-party cookies, contextual advertising avoids privacy concerns and can still deliver effective results.

AI and machine learning 

Artificial intelligence and machine learning can identify patterns in consumer behavior and use that data to create targeted marketing campaigns. By leveraging predictive analytics and customer behavior models derived from on-site interactions, personalized experiences that were once dependent on cookies can be replicated without privacy concerns.

Content-driven strategies 

Content plays a vital role, not only in supporting your strategy to gather first-party data, but also in capturing zero-party data. This refers to data that customers willingly share with a business, encompassing their preferences, purchase intentions, and personal contexts. Interactive content, such as surveys and quizzes on your website or social platforms, serves as an effective means to collect zero-party data. These tools do more than just entertain; they’re strategic means to an end. By engaging users in a meaningful way, they encourage them to share information directly. This act of sharing isn’t just beneficial; it’s a clear indicator of trust and a willingness to engage with your brand on a deeper level. Interactive content isn’t just a means to collect data; it’s a way to enhance user experience, adding value and deepening engagement. Each quiz taken or survey completed is an opportunity for your audience to reflect on their preferences and see themselves in your products or services. In return, you gain authentic insights that can guide your content strategy, product development, and marketing campaigns, ensuring they are as effective and efficient as possible.

One-to-one communications

One-to-one communication is the best way to foster trust. By transforming every email your business sends into a targeted marketing campaign, you enable hyper-personalized one-to-one communication without compromising user privacy. Email signatures provide an opportunity to build brand loyalty, nurture relationships with your audience, and convey important information.

In a world where third-party cookies are becoming obsolete, Exclaimer emerges as the ultimate ally for marketers. It equips you with the necessary tools to effortlessly incorporate dynamic content such as promotions, social links, and legal disclaimers into your email signatures. This innovative approach not only enhances your marketing efforts but also ensures compliance with privacy regulations, instilling trust and dependability in your brand.

This article was brought to you by Exclaimer.

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Top 4 Content Marketing Trends for 2024 https://www.revgenius.com/mag/top-4-content-marketing-trends-for-2024/ https://www.revgenius.com/mag/top-4-content-marketing-trends-for-2024/#respond Wed, 15 May 2024 10:41:09 +0000 https://www.revgenius.com/mag/?p=7296 Discover the Top 4 Content Marketing Trends for 2024 in our latest webinar recap featuring insights from top content experts. Dive into customer advocacy, brand authenticity, and strategic differentiation to enhance your content marketing efforts.

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Some time ago, we hosted an amazing session featuring four leading content experts: Justin Simon, founder of Distribution First; Jess Cook, Head of Content & Comms at Island; Chelsea Castle, Head of Content and Brand at Close; and Ryan Baum, Content Leader and Consultant. 

Catch the full discussion here:

So what are the 4 things you need to double down on in 2024?

  1. Next-level Customer Advocacy 
  2. Brand Authenticity 
  3. Saying Less Things But Better (And More Often)
  4. Playing Offense in Marketing 

Let’s get into what these are about.

Trend #1: Next-level Customer Advocacy 

Idea: Transforming customers into your star promoters 

One of the 2024 trends is investing in customer relationships and amplifying their voices. This isn’t just about gathering testimonials or producing videos but building robust customer advocacy programs by proactively promoting customers. One of the ideas is to feature them in podcasts and publications that align with their industries and roles. It’s a shift towards integrating customers more dynamically within marketing strategies, positioning them at the forefront and making them the stars of the content efforts. 

Execution

Create a program around customer advocacy. Map out customers, industries, and use cases. Look for industry connections and use your network. Jess Cook, the Head of Comms & Content at Island started out with the notion of educating a broader audience about their product and letting the customers naturally advocate for it. They found it more effective to let customers speak about their experiences, which has helped Island connect with broader markets more authentically. How do you measure success? By looking at: branded search, long-tail search and attribution – checked during discovery calls and via the form. 

Trend #2 Cultivating Brand Authenticity 

2024 will be a pivotal year for brand building, especially within the B2B sector. Companies need to establish authentic, distinct identities more than ever. With ‘sea of sameness’, and decreasing trust in SaaS content, brands must differentiate themselves meaningfully. Only 12% of buyers consider software companies as trustworthy information sources, with many expressing that much of the content they encounter feels too similar and lacks credibility. Building brand trust is key to get ahead. 

There are two main factors driving this trend. 

  • First, the struggle for differentiation has led brands to experiment creatively, although this often results in copycat strategies so visible on Linkedin 
  • Second, the significant trust buyers place in independent reviews over company-produced content suggests a shift towards more authentic engagement strategies.

To overcome these challenges, brands need to focus on creating a strong brand identity that goes beyond just logos and colors. This means making sure that everything the company does is in line with its core values and the promises it makes to its customers. (Read more about Andy Raski’s “Promised Land” strategy here.)

Consistency across all areas, from customer service to sales, is key. It is about understanding why your company exists, whom it serves, and the unique value it promises to deliver.

It’s worth looking at companies like Drift, Gong, and HubSpot that have shown that focusing on these aspects can really make a company stand out. Building a brand requires revisiting your company’s core values and mission—essentially why you do what you do. This often involves internal workshops and discussions, led by marketing leaders. Creating content that’s consistent and “on brand” will amplify the efforts. 

Trend #3: Saying Less Things But Better (And More Often)

It’s interesting that companies find consistent messaging boring while they should probably look for strategic balance: advocating for saying fewer things more effectively while introducing new actions to reinforce these messages.

With Google seemingly rewarding high-quality, high-value content, it’s super important to have a clear and unique POV in both product development and marketing – which becomes even more crucial in the AI-dominated content reality.

Output becomes easier, volume becomes easier – the quality becomes more important

Trend #4: Playing Offense vs. Defense

Justin Simon focused on differentiation. From his experience at Metadata, Justin learned that even minor differentiations can significantly impact a company’s visibility and success. He advised companies to adopt a proactive approach, deliberately choosing to differ from the norm – even if just a little bit. 

Practical insights

Content mapping:  Build a master list of topic ideas and come back to them on a regular basis. Having that tracking in place helps you have conversations with leaders and decision-makers. It will be your go-to resource to check what worked and resonated. Plus it’s super helpful when you hire external contractors. 

No-content-treadmill policy: Focus on building one cornerstone piece of content that you can later turn into various content formats (e.g.  webinars / newsletters / social posts). Focus on the major POVs of your company — share specific ideas, use cases, and “how-tos”. Leverage your team’s network for distribution and then repurpose and recycle. Turn videos into articles and articles into video clips. 

Social proofing:  Instead of creating an article, post your idea on Linkedin and check if it resonates first. Measure the engagement but don’t get fixated on metrics. Sometimes few comments mean more than thousands of likes. Any kind of reaction – positive or negative – will tell you something. You don’t have to go viral to check what’s resonating with your audience. 

Distributing & Repurposing: How can we find more creative ways of repurposing? Remember to update old content, optimize what’s already out there, sprinkle old articles with new ideas. Repurposing is not just reskinning — you should be reusing the idea but create content native to the given platform. It has to be newsworthy to pop up on the feed.

You can never go wrong updating old content

Bonus: Essential Tech Tools for Content Marketers

Our speakers mentioned their favorite tools that make their (content) life easier. Check out the list, and make sure to try them! 

  • Otter, Fathom
  • Audiopen
  • Descript and Capsule for video editing
  • ChatGPT (build it with your use voice and tone of your brand) 
  • Notion
  • Asana
  • Lavender + Grammarly
  • Letterdrop 
  • Airtable 
  • Zapier
  • Miro or Whimsical
  • Copy.ai
  • Dovetail 
  • Snag it
  • We would also add: Castmagic to the mix! 

If you wanna learn more about content marketing, make sure to check out our RevCon session on Content Distribution

 

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RevGenius & The Collab: HockeyStack Labs Growth Playbook https://www.revgenius.com/mag/revgenius-the-collab-hockeystack-labs-growth-playbook/ https://www.revgenius.com/mag/revgenius-the-collab-hockeystack-labs-growth-playbook/#respond Wed, 24 Apr 2024 11:42:21 +0000 https://www.revgenius.com/mag/?p=7059 Check out HockeyStack Labs' growth playbook with insights from Canberk Beker, Head of Growth. Discover how content became their golden goose, the process behind building HockeyStack Labs, and the power of listening to audience feedback. Dive into their growth loop and learn how they generate organic pipeline while gaining inspiration from tech giants like Gong.

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Dive into the latest interview with Canberk Beker, the Head of Growth at HockeyStack to uncover HockeyStack Labs’ growth playbook, how content became their golden goose, the process behind building HockeyStack Labs, and the power of listening to audience feedback. 

Jared: Let’s jump right into it. HockeyStack is one of the coolest companies today for many reasons. You all have done a great job building the brand, but you also have highly relevant, highly engaging, highly important content. What is your most successful growth strategy right now? 

Canberk: Yeah, I think, as you said, it has been the content; HockeyStack Labs in particular. Every company has a golden goose, or they need to find a golden goose to grow. And I’m so lucky that we found that golden goose in my first month. It seems like the golden goose ends up being the lab support.

HockeyStack Growth Strategy

Jared: What’s your process for finding the golden goose and experimenting? 

Canberk: I had been a B2B marketer for years. I had been working with all of the CMOs for years, and all of them had one problem: we have these numbers, but we have no idea what average numbers look like. What are the benchmarks? And I was, okay, we need to create some kind of similar web.  But Emir had a different idea. His idea was about creating a content hub.

Once I started working at HockeyStack, we really worked on building that engine. And now the process is actually really simple:

  1. Chris (my right hand) basically scrolls all of our database to understand what data points we can be using. 
  2. We analyze the data.
  3. I write the content on the data, and the designer creates the creatives. 

But I think I’m lucky because I am my own ICP. Like, I know what I would like and I’m basically writing the stuff that I need to know. Therefore, like, if I was selling to a CSP person or if I was selling to a legal person, I wouldn’t probably be able to write this good content, but now I’m lucky

HockeyStack Labs in One Sentence

Jared: What is HockeyStack Labs in a sentence?

Canberk: A benchmark library for B2B companies. So now we have about 100 customers which have been using the code stack for over a year now. So, we had been collecting data. Obviously, we anonymize all of the data, and basically we have access to everything. 

Jared: What’s your playbook for building out HockeyStack labs and creating the right reports that your audience wants? 

Canberk: So actually, again, I got lucky a bit with that before we started. Obviously, we need to make sure that it is going to be scalable. We just didn’t want to create three reports and then complete it. And for like, for the first five reports, we listed down what we were going to be writing about. Okay, the first one was going to be the recap for 2023. The second one was about touch points. And, we actually knew that after five reports, if we were on the right track, that we would have readers, and our readers would be coming to us and asking for additional data. And it happened, like, literally right after the first report, we started to get questions from the readers, and they were like, can you please analyze that? Can you please analyze that? Now it is all about getting the customer feedback, getting the user feedback, getting the reader feedback. And we look at the question, we’re like, okay, this makes sense. And this is actually something that I also am curious about. 

So now the thought process is basically like, okay, what do the readers want and is it exciting?

And in the beginning of the month, we set up, like, four different topics. So, now we know what we are going to be writing about for the entire month. And at the end of the month, we are going to be writing about. We are going to be listing down what we are going to be writing about in June.

We have, like, maybe 1011 different topics that we are literally picking and choosing. And once we choose the topic, it is more like, I go to Chris and I tell him, look, I’m going to be writing on this report. Therefore, I will need these data points. So he goes back to the database, and he finds out all of those data points. Then he sends me the file. I analyze the file, and voila.

Jared: So the collaborative part here is really listening to your audience and making them active participants, instead of just saying, this is my point of view. 

Canberk: We need to be listening to our audience. It just doesn’t need to be my POV. It needs to come from you. It needs to come from other people. For example, we released a report about interactive demos, like how interactive demos impact conversions. It wasn’t in our list and I would have never thought about it. Then there were like five people asking about that. And after we launched this report, it actually ended up becoming one of our basic reports, because not only when people ask about the report, not only they read that report once we launched, but they share it with their audiences.

Actually, it increases our exposure even more.

HockeyStack Labs Growth Loop

  1. HockeyStack Labs came out with a data report they thought was interesting and people liked it. 
  2. They told HockeyStack what else they wanted to hear, because they were getting a lot of value from it (and they weren’t getting it from anywhere else). They needed more to help them make smart business decisions.
  3. HockeyStack encouraged them to start requesting topics they wanted data on and that they thought they could get even more value from.
  4. HockeyStack listened to them and created reports based on a combo of most requested + what they thought would be most interesting internally.
  5. Their audience got even more value and shared it on social media with their followers and gave feedback for the next reports.  

The loop just keeps going. 

It’s about giving people what they actually need vs just sharing your POV and making your content one-sided.

Jared: What are some of the results that you could share from this? What  KPIs are most important to you?

Canberk: When we started we didn’t have KPIs, we were just like, okay, let’s start releasing these reports and see what will happen. 

But I had one KPI that I didn’t tell Emir or anyone:

We will come to this point where we won’t be asking people to share reports, we won’t give to influencers to share the reports, but they will do it organically. 

And after the fourth, maybe fifth report, it started happening. 

And now as soon as we launch a report, we don’t need to tell anyone. Like, I keep seeing it online. My LinkedIn homepage is full of the report I just published. I’m like — people are actually sharing it without us even asking for it.

This was my personal KPI and we did achieve it. 

But in terms of the company side, we are generating like 50% of our pipeline from left supports organically.

We are actually talking about millions. And the interesting thing is that the pipeline comes from organic traffic. The website traffic increased by a lot. And we don’t have any technical SEO strategy (yet). Like literally just before this call, I had a call with a technical SEO consultant. We are going to be focusing on SEO literally this week. And so it all became organic.

Everything is organic.

Jared: What are some of the brands that you get inspiration from? 

Canberk:  When we say ‘labs’, Gong was the first company who came up with that idea, and they were the first company to use their own data. So Gong gave me that first inspiration. 

 

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RevGenius & The Collab: Common Room’s GTM Creator Playbook https://www.revgenius.com/mag/revgenius-the-collab-common-rooms-gtm-creator-playbook/ https://www.revgenius.com/mag/revgenius-the-collab-common-rooms-gtm-creator-playbook/#respond Tue, 23 Apr 2024 09:12:52 +0000 https://www.revgenius.com/mag/?p=7041 Learn how Common Room identifies the right fit for their program and measures success, with a focus on creator engagement and ROI. Discover insights from Rebecca Marshburn, Head of Community at Common Room, as she shares about their new GTM Creator Playbook.

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Introducing our brand new series featuring exclusive content from Jared Robin, Founder of RevGenius and The Collab. Dive into revenue generation with actionable tips, real success stories, and expert advice from the B2B world. 

Kicking off with an interview with Rebecca Marshburn, Head of Community at Common Room.

(Interested in community? Check out our 101 playbook or the article on the Community-Led Growth)

Dive in!

Rebecca Marshburn is the Head of Community at Common Room. She stewards and hosts channels and interactions wherever their customers, champions, prospects, creators, fans, or anyone interested in GTM strategy and community strategy intersect and engage, whether it’s in their digital channels like their Slack, LinkedIn, or Twitter, or at IRL events, meetups, and conferences.I had the opportunity to chat with her and asked her about their new GTM Creator Playbook.

Common Room GTM Creator Playbook

Rebecca: [Common Room] works with individuals who are making incredible contributions to their own communities and audiences in the GTM space.

They know their audiences best and they know their communities best. When we work together with them, we see those creators as our GTM Partners, and as conduits and advocates to their own communities.

When I think about the playbook for our GTM Partners—its foundational tenet is really very basic. How do we tell the truth? How do we make this a win-win-win—a win for our creator, a win for their audience, and a win for Common Room. How do we keep it authentic to our creator and their audience, and be relevant to the work they’re doing?

We give them autonomy to create as they choose based on what they’re learning at the time and what the right content is for their community at the time. We don’t give them scripts.

What I give to them is feedback and transparency about where our thinking is as a company—where our positioning is, where we’re going next as a product and our product vision, what’s launching and when…but that info is not meant to supersede the authenticity of the creator and their audience.

Finding the Right Fit for the Program

Jared: How do you go to find the right fit for this program?

Rebecca: So there’s two things:

  1. Creators within the persona we are trying to reach –  We’re all about intelligent GTM. We’re all about building our customer intelligence platform and helping others understand the defining pillars of a customer intelligence platform. And so, from there, there are personas that specifically would get the most value out of a tool like Common Room. And that’s going to be that full GTM squad, right? So it’s going to be marketing people, sales people, ops people, marketing ops people, revops people, success people, obviously community and DevRel people. And so with all of those personas together, that’s where we start.
  2. Creators that are genuinely excited about Common Room.  I want to find creators that want to work with Common Room and dive into the product. They’ve got to believe in Common Room. They’ve got to have wanted to spend the time and be like, “oh, oh, yes”, I see how the people that are interacting with me would get value out of this. That totally changes the relationship not only between us and our creators, but between creators and the product, and then how creators are able to show up when their audience and community members ask real questions—they can be like, “oh, I actually know this”, or “this is how I would use it”, or “this is why I would recommend it in this moment”.

Something I love about the creators we work with is how actionable and straightforward their posts are. Like, here’s the 1-2-3 of how I craft my first cold outreach.

Measuring ROI

Jared: How do you measure the success of the program and how is ROI?

Rebecca: Measuring success:

  1. We measure it by having creators that love being a part of the program and want to keep creating unique content for us. If they continue to opt in, that’s a great sign.
  2. Outcomes-wise, we look at number of comments, engagements, and ICP showing up in the posts (if they’re posts on social), as well as—
  3. How well our SDRs can outbound off comments and generate a higher conversion rate to meetings (we see a lift in sequences that reference creator posts and engagement), and
  4. Number of inbounds that drop specific creators by name as referrals or list LinkedIn or other social channels as how they heard about us.

ROI:

  • Been super positive – we piloted the program as an experiment to see if it made sense for everyone and decided to keep going based on outcomes
  • We started with 5 creators in December (including me, Nick Bennett, Mark Huber, Mark Kilens, Peter Ahn) and have expanded to 9 consistently and around 13 total on a month-to-month basis in the last 4 months
  • More than 2-3x’d referrals mentioning LinkedIn since we started the program—that’s a testament to work of our creators/partners and the credibility they’ve built with their audiences

What’s also pretty amazing is that a lot of these GTM creators have huge devoted audiences, but there’s actually not a ton of overlap between their readers.

Everyone speaks to their own community and has a natural niche. No two people are exactly the same—we don’t want to fatigue audiences so our creators and I have ongoing conversations around protecting their people from that.

B2B Companies That Inspire

Jared: What companies out there are you getting inspiration from? And the question I said last time is, good artists borrow. Great artists steal. Who are you borrowing or stealing plays from that you really love and want to shout out?

Rebecca: I always get inspiration from Airbnb, but let’s focus on some of the B2B companies that I’m super proud to share a vision with in terms of intelligent GTM, and the role and importance of signals as the new standard in how to go-to-market intelligently, folks like: Warmly, Champify, Koala, Cabal, Discourse, Gradual, Aligned, Hightouch, Toplyne, Bevy, Discourse, DEV…so many!

I was also extremely inspired by Clay from your issue of the Collab last week! And then there’s the OG’s we can always learn from, like Asana and Salesforce—their communities and ambassador programs pretty much set the bar for peer-to-peer learning and growth, and I think today’s Creator programs borrow (or steal!) a lot from their playbooks.

The post RevGenius & The Collab: Common Room’s GTM Creator Playbook appeared first on RevGenius.

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