Stacking Growth | The B2B Go-to-Market Podcast: Recent Episodes
Refine Labs
(Formerly The Marketing Movement) It’s not enough to start a category or even a community. You need to start a movement. Hosted by Refine Labs, our mission with the Stacking Growth podcast is to help you create an unfair competitive advantage by breaking down how B2B companies dominate categories and unlock growth through a go-to-market strategy built for the way customers buy today. Together, we will build your brand, grow your business, delight your customers, and crush your competition.
Ragen Dodson joins Steph Crugnola on Stacking Growth Snacks to cover Data Democratization. In this episode, she talks about the important tools to refresh and rely on when building a Data Democracy. She covers how to make sure your self serve data tools and CRM are user friendly and accessible, aligning measurement and metrics between sales and marketing, and when to bring in an objective, third party agency to help kickstart the process.
See the video on our YouTube Channel
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In our July Expert Session, Chris Walker was joined by Tom Wentworth, CMO @ Recorded Future, to talk about GTM programs and Marketing ROI. Their discussion focused on guiding marketers aspiring to senior roles, offering rich insights into account selection, demand creation, and the relationship between marketing and finance.
Tom emphasizes the importance of narrowing down account focus, even for large enterprises, suggesting that a smaller, targeted set of accounts can yield better results. They dig into practical challenges and solutions in demand creation, attributing their lower cost per opportunity to a more strategic allocation of marketing spend. Tom’s advocacy for direct mail as a unique, effective tactic highlights an often-overlooked channel. Moreover, the value of robust financial relationships, notably with the CFO, and the innovative use of a news organization to drive engagement and brand authority are discussed in depth.
Then, they spent time on listener questions, going into the specifics of Direct Mail tactics and messaging.
Ragen Dodson joins Steph Crugnola on Stacking Growth Snacks to cover Data Democratization. In this episode, she talks about what Data Democratization is, what it looks like within a company, and the benefits it can bring for your teams.
See the video on our YouTube Channel
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Evan Hughes joined Stacey Danheiser and Sarah Breathnach on a live Rev Genius event focused on delivering effective strategies for scaling companies. They address how to stand out in competitive markets, define ideal customer profiles, leverage content creation, and harness AI in marketing.
Packed with actionable advice on aligning sales and marketing teams, optimizing marketing metrics, and fostering effective communication with executives, this episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating the fast-paced world of demand generation and startup growth.
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Libby Schell and Malin Wijenayake join Steph Crugnola on Stacking Growth Snacks to deliver a masterclass on remarketing and retargeting. In this episode, they cover Experimentation - how to stay ahead of the game, create new campaigns with existing content, playing with format and where they see things heading in the future.
See the video on our YouTube Channel
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From the Founder-Led Marketing Show:
“Megan Bowen is the CEO at Refine Labs. Refine Labs allows you to launch, optimize, and scale digital strategies to improve key metrics: pipeline, revenue, and reduced customer acquisition costs.
In this episode we are talking about:
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The Biggest Challenge from COO to CEO
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The CEO LinkedIn Playbook
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How to Convince Executives to Post on LinkedIn
-The Impact of Founder-Led Marketing on Brand Awareness
- Selling to Different Market Segments”
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Libby Schell and Malin Wijenayake join Steph Crugnola on Stacking Growth Snacks to deliver a masterclass on remarketing and retargeting. In this episode, they cover Measurement - how to keep an eye on analytics and what trends to learn from, Budget allocation - what percentage to typically invest in each ad type, and Experimentation - different test formats that have started to show positive signals.See the video on our YouTube Channel
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From Breaking B2B:
► Is it really possible to start paid ads too soon as a b2b company?
Sam talks to Megan Bowen, CEO @ Refine Labs. They cover:
👉 5 milestones to nail before investing in paid ads
👉 How to nail each with a step-by-step
👉 Setting yourself up for success with b2b paid ads
See full videos and more on our YouTube channel
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Libby Schell and Malin Wijenayake join Steph Crugnola on Stacking Growth Snacks to talk about Remarketing campaigns. They cover the main objectives to consider when launching a campaign, and how to tailor your audiences most effectively. They also cover the basic process on building the campaign.
See the video on our YouTube Channel
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From Becoming a Hiring Machine
“In this episode, Sam is joined by Megan Bowen, CEO at Refine Labs, to talk about the power of founder-led marketing and sales. Refine Labs is the definition of a founder-led company, with founder and former CEO Chris Walker's persona being the building block.
Throughout the conversation, Sam and Megan discuss founder-led sales and founder-led marketing, and the importance of acquiring customers and creating content that speaks to the problem you solve — so that customers come to you already having context for what you do and how you do it, rather than having to build trust from the ground up.
In short: Founder-led marketing and sales can help your company build trust, credibility, and expertise — which can have a major impact on the sales process. And it wouldn't be a BAHM episode with practical tips for getting started today — so you can count on Megan to bring you actionable steps for getting started with founder-led marketing and employee advocacy.
This conversation is part of our month-long series on business development for recruiters. Enjoy this episode and want to learn more about how to incorporate winning BD strategies into your workflow? Check out the rest of this month's episodes!”
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Senior Copywriter Erik Sena joins Steph Crugnola on Stacking Growth Snacks to talk about Establishing a Unique Brand Voice. In this episode Erik digs into the do's and don'ts of copywriting, how to approach a style guide, and staying ahead of the competition without sacrificing your why.
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From Unpolished MBA Podcast:
Megan Bowen, CEO of Refine Labs, joined us to discuss innovative marketing strategies. Megan, a recognized figure in the marketing industry with a 17-year career in B2B SaaS companies, shares insights on common marketing leadership mistakes under pressure for revenue targets, the necessity of organizational alignment, and the importance of high-quality lead acquisition. The conversation touches on organic social strategies, collaborative forecasting for realistic goal setting, and the utilization of data for improved marketing decisions.
The episode is filled with practical advice for business owners, marketing leaders, and those looking to optimize their company’s growth strategies within budget constraints.
Senior Copywriter Erik Sena joins Steph Crugnola on Stacking Growth Snacks to talk about Establishing a Unique Brand Voice. In this episode Erik covers how to stay consistent with your brand's voice while finding ways to stand out and break through the noise in saturated markets.
See the video on our YouTube Channel
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In our June Expert Session, Chris Walker was joined by Kyle Coleman, as they talk about Marketing in competitive categories. Chris and Kyle explore the vital strategies companies need to adopt to stand out in saturated markets, focusing on the power of differentiation, effective positioning, and leveraging novel technologies like generative AI.
They discuss Kyle's rich experience in hyper-competitive industries, from his days at Looker and Clari to his current role at Copy AI. They emphasize the importance of having a unique message and strategy to compel potential customers and drive business success. Kyle shares invaluable insights into the balance between speed and perfection in go-to-market strategies, practical tips on utilizing AI for SEO and content creation, and how to enable smaller marketing teams to punch above their weight with limited resources.
Thanks to our friends at Hatch for producing this episode. Get unlimited podcast editing at www.hatch.fm
Senior Copywriter Erik Sena joins Steph Crugnola on this episode of Stacking Growth Snacks to talk about Establishing a Unique Brand Voice. In the episode Erik covers how to find your voice as a brand - the factors to consider, strategies to employ, the importance of finding your 'why', and the research that will help support your journey.
See the video on our YouTube Channel
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Chris was joined by Peep Laja for an in-depth conversation on messaging. Dedicated to unraveling the significance of target customer insights, the discussion digs into the tangible impact that effective messaging and validation can have on demand generation strategies and sales velocity. This session is a deep dive into the processes and methodologies used in message testing and the resulting ability to sharpen go-to-market approaches.
The dialogue initially sets the stage with a high-level overview of the necessity of message testing, followed by a practical guide on conducting this qualitative research. Peep provides a compelling rationale on why messaging should be clear, relevant, compelling, and differentiated. The conversation moves on to discuss symptoms unique to companies that lack such feedback from their target demographics and how it can stealthily affect their business capabilities. Chris and Peep both stress that real-time customer insights are crucial and should be an ongoing activity to dynamically inform business strategies
If you want to have a conversation with Chris and present your current questions, roadblocks, or projects you’re working through, make sure to attend this weekly event every Tuesday at 12 central. Register here.
Can’t make the event but have a question for Chris? Submit it here.
Thanks to our friends at Hatch for producing this episode. Get unlimited podcast editing at www.hatch.fm
Our host, Steph Crugnola, is joined again this week by Sidney Waterfall to talk about The Inbound Buying Experience!
In this episode they focus on working with sales to increase conversion rates, including nailing the first meeting, making your research count, and making your CRM the source of all truth.
See the video on our YouTube Channel
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On the April Expert Session, Chris Walker was joined by CS2’s Crissy and Charlie Saunders to do a deep dive into Marketing Operations to support measurement of Demand Strategies and Programs.
They discuss key requirements to set up a measurement framework to measure the effectiveness of demand programs including pipeline sources and how to think about funnel tracking. They also answer audience questions.
Thanks to our friends at Hatch for producing this episode. Get unlimited podcast editing at www.hatch.fm
Our host, Steph Crugnola, is joined again this week by Sidney Waterfall to talk about The Inbound Buying Experience!
In this episode they walk through how to refine your website conversion process, how to leverage the people involved on all sides, and use technology to streamline the customer experience.
See the video on our YouTube Channel
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In our March Expert Session, Chris Walker was joined by Navattic’s Natalie Marcotullio to explore the nuanced strategies around leveraging influencers and advisors within marketing strategies. As a topical issue amidst the dynamic terrain of B2B marketing, particularly within LinkedIn circles, their conversation sheds light on the practical implementation and tangible benefits of such programs.
Natalie explains the conception and execution of Navattic’s Advisor Program, and discusses the unique balance between strategic advisement and influencer advocacy, stressing the importance of aligning such programs with a company's ICP. She succinctly clarifies the program's structure that not only encompasses promotional endeavors but also heavily relies on strategies that guide the product's market trajectory. Further, she lays out their compensation structure and the significant role that direct revenue sharing, alongside monthly payments, plays in cultivating a robust, engaged advisory board.
Key insights are revealed into the essential elements of nurturing these advisor relationships. This includes maintaining a manageable number of advisors, gauging direct business referrals, appreciating the value of these advisors' strategic insights as much as their promotional influence, and the critical need for multifaceted measurement to capture true ROI.
Thanks to our friends at Hatch for producing this episode. Get unlimited podcast editing at www.hatch.fm
Our host, Steph Crugnola, is joined again this week by Sidney Waterfall to talk about The Inbound Buying Experience!
In this episode they define the inbound buying experience, talk about ways to optimize the process for your buyers, and cover core KPIs and measurement tools.
See the video on our YouTube Channel
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In our February Expert Session, Chris Walker was joined by Cognism’s Alice De Courcy to talk about the transformative journey of marketing strategies from lead generation to demand generation. The dialogue revolves around the pivotal shifts in B2B Go-to-Market and digital demand tactics, revealing the forward-thinking practices leading today's marketplace.
Alice unfolds the rationale behind moving from a lead gen to a demand gen strategy and emphasizes the importance of evaluating revenue-driving factors within marketing initiatives. By analyzing the revenue models and aligning with organizational targets, she expresses how Cognism made significant strides in efficiency. The episode further explores metrics and KPIs vital in gaining executive alignment during marketing transformations, demonstrating the practical aspect of transitioning strategies without overwhelming the organization.
Thanks to our friends at Hatch for producing this episode. Get unlimited podcast editing at www.hatch.fm
Our host, Steph Crugnola, is joined this week by Ryan Olestro, Senior Performance Marketing Manager, to talk about Paid Search Audits.
In this episode they talk about how to craft your headlines and images to stand out, how to effectively manage budget, and how to balance other programs to make the most of your paid search.
See the video on our YouTube Channel
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For our first Expert Session of 2024, Chris Walker was joined by Exit Five’s Dave Gerhadt to talk about how Social and Community can help create demand. The conversation kicks off with an overview of how companies can leverage communities and influencer partnerships to diversify their marketing strategies beyond LinkedIn and Google paid budgets. This episode promises to arm listeners with unconventional yet practical tips to take their digital strategies to new heights.
Chris and Dave explore the nuances of creating and nurturing owned company communities. They discuss the success metrics that truly matter and the distinctions between communities as stand-alone entities versus those adjunct to SaaS companies. The second part of the episode pivots to unpack the emerging roles of influencers, or key opinion leaders, in the B2B sector. They shed light on the symbiotic nature of these partnerships and the importance of authenticity and strategic alignment. Insights into LinkedIn's algorithm changes and content distribution strategies pepper the conversation, providing a grounded perspective for B2B marketers aiming to make their mark in an increasingly crowded digital space.
Thanks to our friends at Hatch for producing this episode. Get unlimited podcast editing at www.hatch.fm
Our host, Steph Crugnola, is joined this week by Ryan Olestro, Senior Performance Marketing Manager, to talk about Paid Search Audits.
In this episode they talk about the results typically seen in an audit, what to do with those insights, and next steps to take to make sure your data stays clean and efficient.
See the video on our YouTube Channel
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Our host, Steph Crugnola, is joined this week by Ryan Olestro, Senior Performance Marketing Manager, to talk about Paid Search Audits.
In this episode they talk about the foundations of a paid search audit, the steps of the process, and who should be involved.
See the video on our YouTube Channel
Stay on top of all Refine Labs news and events by subscribing to our newsletter.
Megan Bowen joined Jennifer Mancusi, CEO of Growgetter, on the Marketing, Demystified podcast to explore the dynamics of adapting to change in marketing strategies for B2B SaaS companies. With the rapid evolution of business environments, Megan explains why traditional lead generation strategies might be holding companies back, and how shifting towards a demand generation approach can pave the way for sustained success.
Jen and Megan delve into the core differences between lead gen and demand gen, and Megan shares her insightful analysis on how companies can navigate this transition. They discuss the importance of aligning marketing strategies with broader business goals and the necessity of having a data-backed business case to foster change.
See the full video and more on our YouTube channel
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Our host, Steph Crugnola, is joined this week by Miles Campbell, our man behind the camera who is jumping out in front just for y'all!
In this episode they talk about editing and distribution - how can you communicate with your editing team (or learn the tools yourself!) to follow through with your initial goals and vision. Also, once you have a final episode and many short clips to repurpose, how do you get them to your audience?
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At Skale’s 2024 Demand Conf, Megan Bowen hosted a presentation and Q&A onthe evolution of buyer behavior and the key pillars of modern demand generation strategy. Megan traces the transformation of buying processes over the last few decades, moving from the analog era of the 1990s to what she calls the "dark social era" of today. She provides a roadmap for B2B marketers to adapt their strategies, emphasizing the importance of aligning with how buyers conduct their research and make purchasing decisions in the current digital landscape.
The episode breaks down the shift from traditional lead generation tactics to modern demand gen strategies, highlighting the importance of quality over quantity. Megan articulates how companies can optimize their marketing efforts by focusing on demand creation, capture, and conversion. Using a data-driven approach, she encourages marketers to adopt high-intent strategies and offers practical advice on setting budgets and prioritizing channels. Megan also discusses the significance of having clear and specific CTAs on websites and the role of personalized messaging in successful campaigns.
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Our host, Steph Crugnola, is joined this week by Miles Campbell, our man behind the camera who is jumping out in front just for y'all!
In this episode they talk about tech - how can you set up your space to capture the best video and audio quality for your experience level and budget?
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On today’s episode of Stacking Growth, Megan Bowen hosts Max Maurier, VP of Growth Marketing at Trellix, to talk about alignment. The central theme is the evolving necessity for marketing alignment beyond the traditional sales focus, especially emphasizing financial alignment. Max brings a fresh perspective to the table, highlighting the importance of aligning marketing with finance to understand how they measure success, which can often differ from what sales wants.
Max shares insights from his extensive career, revealing that true alignment is multifaceted and involves understanding current state models, goals, and definitions before suggesting changes. He emphasizes the critical nature of building a business case rooted in financial metrics to achieve buy-in across various organizational levels. This episode is a must-listen for B2B marketers looking to shift their alignment strategies to include financial goals and overcome common challenges related to data quality and cross-functional collaboration.
See the full video and more on our YouTube channel
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Our host, Steph Crugnola, is joined this week by Miles Campbell, our man behind the camera who is jumping out in front just for y'all!
In this episode they talk about how to set constructive and purposeful goals for content and video strategy.
See the video on our YouTube Channel
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On today’s episode of Stacking Growth, MJ Smith walks Matthew Sciannella through the detailed process of updating a company's strategic narrative. As the CMO at CoLab, MJ shares insights on how to reshape a company's narrative to keep up with changes in the market and internal innovations.
Together with other leaders, MJ analyzed the reasons to re-work their strategic narrative, and in the episode she points out the step-by-step process they used to develop a narrative that both the sales team and top prospects could relate to. MJ made changes mainly because product design has become more complex, and teams have grown more specialized. She clarified how old systems harm enterprise workflows and showed the link between top-notch engineering and successful manufacturing. The updated narrative is a practical example of integrating leadership ideas with detailed feedback from customers, merging various points of view into a unified and effective message.
See the full video and more on our YouTube channel
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The next Expert Session, featuring Kyle Coleman will take place on June 6 at 12pm central. Register Here.
Our host, Steph Crugnola, is joined this week by our truly magical Lead Designer, Monica Beesting.
In this episode they talk about giving feedback to get to the most collaborative final draft in an effective and positive way.
See the video on our YouTube Channel
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From RevOps Corner:
In this episode of The RevOps Corner, our host Eddie Reynolds sits down with Megan Bowen, CEO at Refine Labs – one of the top marketing agencies for B2B SaaS scale ups.
You'll learn about:
- Hybrid marketing attribution (blending the attribution between software and self-reporting)
- Measuring the effectiveness of marketing all the way through to revenue
- And breaking it down by each channel within marketing that contributes to that revenue
- As well as the most common mistakes made in B2B SaaS marketing and how to fix them
Refine Labs has some exciting content updates coming soon with their product, The Vault, where you can get access to everything you need to know to implement their strategies at your own company. Be sure to check it out!
Our host, Steph Crugnola, is joined this week by our truly magical Lead Designer, Monica Beesting.
In this episode they talk about how to maintain brand identity while pushing boundaries, effectively entertaining your audience, and creating scroll stopping ads.
See the video on our YouTube Channel
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Megan joined Justin Norris In a recent Revops FM episode to discuss her professional experiences and development. Megan talks about the difficulties and successes in growing an agency that has become a B2B marketing standard-bearer. She offers insights into the strategies that spurred their remarkable expansion.
From RevOps FM:
Refine Labs has had a seismic impact on B2B marketing.
Whether you agree with their philosophy or not, it's hard to deny its influence. They've set the agenda, defined the terms of the debate, and challenged many aspects of the status quo.
Former CEO Chris Walker catapulted the agency to prominence with his LinkedIn thought leadership. But behind the scenes, there's also been an intricate operational odyssey to scale Refine Labs from scratch to nearly 100 employees.
Today's guest, Megan Bowen, partnered with Chris from the beginning as COO before taking over as CEO in January of 2024. In this no-holds-barred episode, she shares an operational perspective on building Refine Labs, with candid stories and insights about scaling a service-based business, riding the hyper-growth rollercoaster, and weathering economic storms.
See the full video and more on our YouTube channel
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The next Expert Session, featuring Kyle Coleman will take place on June 6 at 12pm central. Register Here.
Check out our new partnership with Aspireship
Our host, Steph Crugnola, is joined this week by our truly magical Lead Designer, Monica Beesting. They talk about getting everyone on the same page when you begin to tackle designing (or re-designing) your company's creative strategy.See the video on our YouTube Channel
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Megan joined Chris DuBois on the Agency Forward Podcast to talk about how changing buyer behavior has affected and impacted agencies. Megan talks through the contradicting truths that people hold, how they know they should change their agency playbook with the evolution in buying behavior, but don’t follow through on changing their processes. She goes through the components that make a strong, stand out agency, and highlights the importance of highlighting your team’s experience as the product customers are getting. Megan gives tactical advice to CEOs on building a core strategy that works.
See the full video and more on our YouTube channel
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The next Expert Session, featuring Peep Laja will be on Thursday May 16 at 12pm central. Register here.
Megan joined Timy to chat about the facets of her life and career that led her to be the leader she is today. Their discussion encompasses Megan’s initial aspirations, followed by critical decisions that were instrumental in her success. Her story offers both motivation and practical advice for aspiring professionals.
Megan elaborates on her significant life experiences, highlighting the distinct concepts of self-assurance and self-worth. Her professional trajectory is distinguished by notable accomplishments, especially in the areas of customer retention and relationship management. Megan engages in a nuanced exploration of leadership from a female vantage point. She offers striking observations on the prejudices and obstacles encountered by women in a professional setting, providing a frank examination of her progression through a challenging and noteworthy career.
See the full video and more on our YouTube channel
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The next Expert Session, featuring Peep Laja will be on Thursday May 16 at 12pm central. Register here.
Check out our new partnership with Aspireship
Sidney Waterfall, SVP of Go-To-Market Strategy at Passetto, joins Steph Crugnola to talk about Attribution and Funnel Tracking.
In this episode, Sidney goes into Hybrid Attribution - the do's and don'ts, and how to get leadership buy-in. See the video on our YouTube Channel
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From The Social Pulse Podcast:
A statistic shared by Harvard Business Review suggested that within three years, only 50% of venture founders would still be leading their companies as CEO. And as the years go by, more and more founders transition to other roles and projects, leaving vacancies that must be filled.
But stepping into the shoes of the company founder is a daunting task, to say the least. And while you’d think tapping an insider CEO - someone who potentially has been trained and groomed for years to take over, would be smooth sailing. In fact, their challenges are often of the same scope, if slightly different, than someone coming in from outside.
What are some of those challenges, and what should agencies and executives preparing to transition be mindful of?
That’s what Megan Bowen is here to help us with.
Megan Bowen has spent 20 years working in B2B tech startups leading customer success, account management, sales, marketing and operations teams. Currently Megan is the CEO at Refine Labs, a Digital Marketing and Demand Generation Agency, after having worked there for years as the COO.
Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton asked Megan Bowen about:
⭐ What it was like to become the CEO of an existing agency
⭐ Why such transitions can be challenging in any agency
⭐ How she overcame those challenges to become a successful agency CEO
Check out our new partnership with Aspireship
Sidney Waterfall, SVP of Go-To-Market Strategy at Passetto, joins Steph Crugnola to talk about Attribution and Funnel Tracking.
In this episode, Sidney goes into Self Reported Attribution - why it's valuable and how it can be utilized most effectively.See the video on our YouTube Channel
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Refine Labs’ next Expert Session, featuring Chris Walker and Crissy and Charlie Saunders of CS2 Marketing, will be Wednesday April 24 at 12pm central. Register here.
In this episode of Paris Talks Marketing, host Paris dives into the world of SaaS marketing strategies with guest Megan Bowen, CEO of Refine Labs, a leading B2B demand generation agency that helps B2B companies transform their marketing strategies to generate revenue.
Paris and Megan discuss the importance of balancing organic and paid content distribution, Megan's journey from account manager to CEO, and the evolution of Refine Labs under her leadership. The conversation covers key insights on B2B marketing, leveraging AI, and adapting to changing buying behaviors in the digital landscape.
See the full video and more on our YouTube channel
Stay on top of all Refine Labs news and events by subscribing to our newsletter.
Refine Labs’ next Expert Session, featuring Chris Walker and Crissy and Charlie Saunders of CS2 Marketing, will be Wednesday April 24 at 12pm central. Register here.
Check out our new partnership with Aspireship
Sidney Waterfall, SVP of Go-To-Market Strategy at Passetto, joins Steph Crugnola to talk about Attribution and Funnel Tracking.
In this episode, Sidney covers the foundations of Attribution in a Demand Generation strategy, how the evolution of buyer behavior has affected the way we monitor attribution, and the mindset shift you need to make to set yourself up for success. See the video on our YouTube Channel
Megan joined Tanner Green on the RevSpot podcast to detail her career journey. She discusses her background in sales and account management and her influence on the growth of various companies, and then explains how she transitioned into marketing with Refine Labs.
Along with her own, Megan shares Refine Labs’ journey from her partnership with Chris, the growth of the company, and the work that’s been done to streamline their tools, operations, and positioning. At the end, she answers Tanner’s rapid fire questions on must-have tools and tactical advice for listeners on their own career journeys.
See the video on our YouTube channel
Refine Labs’ next Expert Session, featuring Chris Walker and Crissy and Charlie Saunders of CS2 Marketing, will be Wednesday April 24 at 12pm central. Register here.
Ashley Lewin, Senior Director of Demand Generation, joins Steph Crugnola to talk about Demand Gen Dashboards and KPIs.
In this episode, Ashley tackles one of the hardest parts in the journey towards a Demand Gen strategy: convincing leadership to make the change. She talks about the breadcrumbs you should leave, the pitch you should put together, and the data you should collect.See the video on our YouTube Channel
Megan Bowen was invited to speak at the Full Funnel Summit to make the case for change and present what’s required for your business to win. She starts at the time of realization that your Customer Acquisition Costs become too unsustainable to continue with a current strategy, and lays out the path to transition from Lead Generation to Demand Generation.
Megan talks through the way the team at Refine Labs helps to shift mindset away from generating thousands of empty leads and MQLs which rarely convert to relative amounts of revenue into creating demand so when customers are ready to buy, they are empowered to choose and convert with your company. She suggests running a Split the Funnel Analysis for every single company every six to twelve months to show how the data mitigates some of the risk associated with making such a drastic change in strategy.
Through the rest of the presentation, Megan digs deeper into metrics, attribution, a case study, and more, and takes time at the end to answer audience questions
Refine Labs is excited to announce a strategic partnership with Aspireship, offering a robust learning program that teaches the core principles and practical applications of the Refine Labs B2B Marketing Strategy. Aspireship, known for its innovative approach to skill advancement, will be launching the B2B Marketing Intensivemodule, leveraging Refine Labs' library of Vault Intellectual Property.
Megan and Corey sat down together on Refine Labs’ Stacking Growth podcast to discuss theories behind the resurgence of partnership-based go-to-market strategies, their intrinsic challenges, and how to follow a formula for success.
The Revival of Partnership Strategies in B2B Marketing
To cut through the volume of digital noise, companies are starting to gravitate back towards co-marketing strategies. This resurgence correlates with the search for strategies that drive word-of-mouth referrals which are, according to Megan, the most authentic form of marketing.
Corey expands on this shift, indicating economic changes as a catalyst: "It's financially motivated...Capital became expensive...companies have to be a lot more efficient." By successfully leveraging partnerships, companies aim to scale without incurring heavy upfront costs and ensure a return on every invested dollar.
However, the excitement around partnerships doesn't guarantee success. Megan sheds light on the operational reality where many eager attempts at partnerships lead to a dead-end due to lack of genuine referral exchange or substantial financial motivation.
They both agree that for partnerships to work, companies need to be strategic in campaigning for agreements that go above and beyond cross-posting on LinkedIn.
The Three Pillars of Effective Partnership Formation
Megan outlines three distinct requirements for successful partnerships:
- Enhance Customer Experience and Outcome
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At the core of any partnership should lie an improvement to the customer's experience or outcome that neither company could provide singly.
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Financial Benefits for All Parties
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Partnerships must offer clear financial advantages to both companies involved and, importantly, the customer; these financial gains must be substantial enough to incentivize action from all parties.
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Justification of the Investment
- A partnership's worth hinges on the sustained investment of time and resources, so aligning the partnership with company priorities is crucial. When partners can see the potential for significant revenue and have authentic mutual buy-in, their dedication to the partnership's success naturally escalates.
As Corey’s enthusiasm for taking the Vault course himself attests, creating a partnership with shared excitement and belief in each other’s services can lead to profound implications, broadening market access while bolstering credibility and reach for both companies.
“Everyone wants to be good at marketing”, Corey plainly states, and this partnership between Refine Labs and Aspireship will ensure access and opportunities for everyone to start or enhance their journey to be a good marketer.
Ashley Lewin, Senior Director of Demand Generation, joins Steph Crugnola to talk about Demand Gen Dashboards and KPIs.
In this episode, Ashley walks us through the Leading Indicators to measure when you're building a Demand Gen Dashboard. She encourages paying attention to qualitative insights like website traffic on high intent pages, tracking repeat engagement on content, and reinforcing marketing fundamentals to measure success.See the video on our YouTube Channel
Megan joined Steven Schmidt on the Magnetic Podcast to discuss Megan's transition into her CEO title role and how personal branding affects identity in the corporate world.
Megan shares her perspective on operational excellence, scaling services, and fostering innovation within the agency. With the resurgence of newsletters as a central theme, Megan provides insight into the value of long-form content and building an audience independent of social media platforms. As the dialogue progresses, Megan unpacks the strategic decisions that shaped Refine Labs’ focus, the importance of clarity in market messaging, and her own personal development goals.
The episode reveals Megan's enthusiasm for scuba diving, offering a refreshing glimpse into her pursuits outside the company. Aligned with Steven’s focus on humanizing business leaders, Megan's story resonates with anyone aspiring to grow professionally without losing sight of personal aspirations and well-being.
Ashley Lewin, Senior Director of Demand Generation, joins Steph Crugnola to talk about Demand Gen Dashboards and KPIs.
In this episode, Ashley walks us through the metrics needed to create an efficient and comprehensive Demand Gen Dashboard. She gives an overview of the monthly and quarterly metrics to keep an eye on, and how to keep all of that information organized.See the video on our YouTube Channel
Ashley Lewin, Senior Director of Demand Generation, joins Steph Crugnola to talk about Demand Gen Dashboards and KPIs.
In this episode, Ashley talks through the philosophical standpoint of zooming out to look at Demand Gen as a holistic business outcome vs a highly segmented channel specific outcome. She also covers the differences between a traditional lead gen reporting and Refine Lab's unique approachSee the video on our YouTube Channel
Evan Hughes, VP of Marketing, joins Steph Crugnola to talk about the Refine Labs Demand Philosophy.
In this episode, Evan talks through the Refine Labs Paid Media Strategy, and how it uses Create, Capture, and Convert Demand to make a smooth transition. He also discusses budgeting and how to implement the change in real time.
See the video on our YouTube Channel
Evan Hughes, VP of Marketing, joins Steph Crugnola to talk about the Refine Labs Demand Philosophy.
In this third episode, he covers results he has observed in companies that make the shift from Lead to Demand Gen and the fasibility of a mixed approach.
See the video on our YouTube Channel
Refine Labs CEO Megan Bowen hosts Adam Robinson, CEO of Retention.com, to discuss R! B2B: a revolutionary new tool that's changing the game for outbound marketing.
R! B2B goes beyond the typical account-level data provided by competitors and delivers personal-level website visitor identification. The tool captures invaluable intent signals by reporting which key decision-makers are visiting your site. Megan discusses how this cutting-edge technology aligns with Refine Labs' own philosophies and strategies, sharing her firsthand experience with the tool after just a few days of implementation.
The episode dives into practical strategies on how to leverage these intent signals to foster genuine connections and drive effective sales outreach. With Adam's insights and Megan's keen interest in integrating the tool into Refine Labs' go-to-market strategy, listeners will gain a deep understanding of how to transform medium-intent website visits into high-intent business opportunities.
Evan Hughes, VP of Marketing, joins Steph Crugnola to talk about the Refine Labs Demand Philosophy.
In the second episode, Evan talks about the way the buyer journey has evolved into a more independent process, and defines Dark Social.
See the video on our YouTube channel
Evan Hughes, VP of Marketing, joins Steph Crugnola to talk about the Refine Labs Demand Philosophy.
In this first episode, he covers Demand Generation as it's defined right now, including Create, Capture, and Convert Demand.
See the video on our YouTube channel
Sidney Waterfall hosts today, joined by Sydney Sloan, CMO of Drata, to talk about timing in your career - how to know the right time to step away and finding the next right opportunity. She discusses her own experience of taking time off to recharge and reflect before starting her new role at Drata. Sydney also talks about her favorite stage of growth and the importance of finding a company with a strong product-market fit. She emphasizes the need for balance in life and the value of building relationships and connections. Sydney shares her approach to measuring the impact of marketing and the importance of focusing on revenue and efficiency. She also discusses the changing landscape of marketing, including the role of AI and the need for digital sophistication.
Kaylee is back in the host seat today, joined by Lane Scott Jones, Head of Content at Zapier to follow her journey from agency to in-house content marketing roles. She discusses the importance of understanding the mechanics behind the business and mapping content to business goals. Lane also talks about the challenges she faced in transitioning from an agency to an in-house role and how she navigated those waters. She emphasizes the need for content to be seen as a strategic function and the importance of collaboration between content and other marketing teams. Lane also shares insights into Zapier's content team structure and the impact of content on the company's ROI.
Link to the Corporate Jargon Translator
Cassidy and Carl are joined by Nate Nasralla, co-founder of Fluint, to discuss the shift in the sales process and the need for a new approach to sales enablement. He explains that in the new world of sales, buyers are already well-educated and are looking for help in building the case for change within their organization. Nate emphasizes the importance of creating account-based content that resonates with the buyer's language and context. He also shares insights on the power of narrative-based business cases and the value of concise and clear writing in sales communication.
“If you don’t know more than them about the decision they’re making, they don’t need you at all”
Cassidy and Carl were joined by Anthony Iannarino to follow him through the development of his innovative sales process. He details the inspiration and first experience with this style of selling, and then how he used it to move his and other careers forward. He stresses the four most important things that this strategy establishes:
- Creating Value Immediately
- Positioning Yourself as an Expert/Authority
- Answering: Why Change
- Making it Easy to Get a Second Meeting
He also suggests that SDRs should be involved in the total sales process to learn the language of the client, making the whole team more effective in communication. Finally, he previews his upcoming book Negativity Fast, and the top lesson everyone can learn from it.
Cassidy and Carl were joined by MJ Smith, CMO @ CoLab, to chat about her transition into a CMO role, giving all of the advice she wishes she would’ve had access to before her move.
She starts at the very beginning, diving deep into the way she sought out companies to apply for, and how to make sure to achieve alignment in company and culture. Then, she covers the first 90 days in the role to talk about what worked, what didn’t, and what she learned. She also covers best practices for getting your product in front of the right eyes, and how to track and dissect that data. Overall, this deep dive into creating a demand engine from scratch is a must-listen for every marketer, especially if you have a goal to transition into a leadership role on your horizon.
Carl and Cassidy were joined today by Refine Labs’ Stephanie Crugnola, Content Strategist, and Miles Campbell, Video Ops Manager to get you started on your organic content journey!
They start from the beginning and cover tools on how and where to launch your content, the team and tech you’ll need to get started, and where to get content inspiration. They drop tips for writing and recording, and deliver an action plan for effective post-production. Make sure to check out the video on the Refine Labs YouTube channel to see the slides when they’re up!
Kaylee takes the reins today, joined by Robin Daniels to discuss his vast experience and wisdom on evaluating go to market, job opportunities, career growth, mentorship, and leadership. They discuss the importance of tailoring content to the needs of the audience, evaluating job opportunities, and building a successful career. Robin shares his insights on evaluating company culture, finding a mission worth fighting for, and working with great people. He also emphasizes the importance of energy, initiative, and building a chorus of support in order to succeed in your career.
Cassidy is back joining Carl and Lavender’s Will Aitken to unpack how to build an organic growth strategy from scratch. Will discusses the importance of understanding the target audience and creating diverse content across platform, topic, style, and audience goals. He also emphasizes the value of research and learning from successful influencers in the industry and stresses the need for subject matter expertise, highlighting the role it plays in creating effective content. And finally, Cassidy asks what to do about Carl.
Kaylee and Carl were joined by Tyler Lessard, VP Marketing and Chief Video Strategist @ Vidyard to chat all things video marketing. With almost a decade of experience at Vidyard, Tyler has witnessed the incredible evolution of video in the tech and SaaS industries. He shares his insights on staying motivated and navigating the ever-changing landscape.
All three hosts emphasize the immense value of video in sales and marketing, urging professionals to adapt and innovate to stay ahead in the industry. The rise of using video as a tool for authenticity and transparency is also discussed, along with the exciting possibilities for future video use cases.
You’re likely to find yourself presenting a QBR soon. What are you going to share? And more importantly, how are you crafting your story? That’s what Cassidy and Ashley have covered for you on today’s episode of Stacking Growth Live!
They cover:
- Crafting a narrative
- Structuring a deck
- Nailing an Executive Summary
- Avoiding common missteps in the details of data
They walk through examples of not-so-great slides and what to do instead to communicate performance effectively, and give general tips you can implement for your next QBR, report, or presentation.
“Marketers like to differentiate, people like to compare”
While Cassidy is away, Carl takes the wheel, joined by Kaylee Edmondson - VP of Revenue R&D at Refine Labs! They go head to head about paid versus organic media - they cover myths, uncover truths, and dig into the ways to leverage each strategy to build the best brand presence. Then they switch gears to customer research, providing 6 insightful questions to ask customers while interviewing.
“Showing someone that you’re better does not mean that you win.”
Cassidy and Carl were joined by Jen Allen-Knuth, Community Growth @ Lavender, to chat about the need to shift mindset as a creator and community leader. She dives into the way Lavender uses LinkedIn as an informal listening mechanism to get into the heads of buyers on a larger scale and steps that revenue professionals can take to start evolving beyond their “why us” messaging to “why change”.
Then, she covers the way she works to shift perception about cold emails. She focuses on the larger story around earning customer attention, and encouraging people to embrace the emotional response to what they don’t enjoy. This shift allows for honest and productive conversation as a baseline to find the beliefs and assumptions behind the emotions.
Stay tuned through the end for a challenge and a promise from Carl.
In our premiere video episode, Courtney Vermette, Associate Creative Director at Refine Labs, walks Cassidy and Carl through a teardown of toast’s website, email, and paid social strategies.
On the website, Courtney assesses the use of video, copy (including the effectiveness, necessity, and consistency of puns), and calls to action across several different pages. Then, she moves to email in order to point out some similar strengths and weaknesses in line with and contrast to the website. Finally, she pulled up three of toast’s paid social ads and the team chatted through different ways to use design elements that could boost engagement and conversion rates.
This walkthrough is an incredible opportunity to ask yourself the same questions and analyze your own materials for the same qualities.
In this episode of Stacking Growth, Carl and Cassidy reflect on how business has been changing, and how to stay on top of the rapidly shifting landscape.
They talk about the shift in buyer behavior that has brought about the need to shift marketing from “why us” to “why change?”, and how to align your team to be focused on the same (and most effective) strategies. They look at the differences between sales teams and marketing teams, their strengths and weaknesses in response to change, and how executive teams can make the difference in pushing everyone forward.
Cassidy puts Carl on the spot in asking him about business acumen and the ways people can accelerate the improvement of their own, and Carl returns the favor by committing them both to delivering a ‘why change’ narrative framework.
In this episode of Stacking Growth, Carl spills his hot takes to Cassidy on Product-Led Growth and Account Based Marketing.
They expand on the idea that PLG, often billed as the future of enterprise software, is typically just a repackaged version of old school lead generation, diving into some common misconceptions surrounding Go-To-Market strategies of unicorn products that can make these arguments irrelevant.
Then, they dig into the confusion around ABM and how in most instances it’s just another way for marketing to execute lead gen. They also cover the idea that, instead of ABM being viewed as just good marketing fundamentals, it’s been separated from General Marketing strategies, the foundational confusion in treating it as a separate concept, and how the impact of technology has started to lead strategy instead of strategy leading technology.
Today Cassidy and Carl are joined by Devin Reed, Head of Content at Clari to chat about transformational leadership in Content Strategy and beyond. Devin spills his secrets on how to make a splash in a new role at a successful organization by leveraging strategic priorities.
He also digs into getting buy-in on an employee LinkedIn posting strategy and how to affect change internally. He walks Cassidy and Carl through the personal monetization, consulting, and gated content strategies he has adopted through his career.
Today’s episode was recorded live, featuring Dan Case, Creative Director at Refine Labs. Dan leads Cassidy and Carl through a Creative Teardown of Dashlane, looking at their design choices across branding, website, and paid social.
He assesses their prioritization of programs and the differentiation between them that can cause confusion and conflict in message. With questions from Carl, Cassidy, and the audience, Dan explores reasons behind this rift between programs and how companies can achieve clarity.
They also discuss in depth the idea of rebranding: how and why might a company come to the conclusion of needing a rebrand, and how do you go about doing it in the most effective way.
This walk through is an incredible opportunity to ask yourself the same questions and analyze your own materials for the same qualities.
Today Cassidy and Carl are joined by Dan Sanchez, Director of Inbound Marketing at Element451 to chat about audience growth, among other podcast and personal brand insight and advice!
He starts by tracing his journey through shifting industry, why he moved into Higher Education, and how to align experience with passion when making a move. He then dives into the importance of vertical systems in SaaS, the impact of vocabulary change from “Marketing” to “Audience Growth”, the biggest problem companies face when trying to grow their reach, and more!
This week’s episode features a keynote speech by Sidney Waterfall, Senior Vice President of Growth at Refine Labs. She presented at the Full Funnel Summit on How to Measure Demand for the Entire Funnel.
She explains why it’s time for measurement to change, gives an overview of key terms including Dark Social, Pipe Framework, and Hybrid Attribution before presenting actionable steps for setting up your own Framework. Sidney approaches the topic from a philosophical and data-backed perspective, digging into the root cause of measurement issues and how to improve results in a practical and meaningful way.
Cassidy and Carl sat down with Kate Hammitt, CMO of Splash, to chat all things Event Marketing. She covers how the field has grown and evolved over the past couple of years, tracing the history of expectations from in-person trade shows and flagship events into virtual and hybrid events, and the impact they have on marketing strategy. She also discusses how companies like Splash are streamlining the process for companies, what the focus of goals and data should realistically be, and more!
Today’s episode was recorded live, featuring Refine Labs’ VP of Creative: Triana Mills. Triana leads Cassidy and Carl through a Creative Teardown of Recurly, looking at their design choices in three programs: website, email, and paid social.
She assesses the use, effectiveness, and consistency of color, graphics, messaging, and more, sparking productive discussions on possible reasons behind each choice and suggestions for improvement. This walk through is an incredible opportunity to ask yourself the same questions and analyze your own materials for the same qualities.
Cassidy and Carl got to sit down and chat with Talin Koutnouyan, VP of Strategy & Analytics at Influential, about the past, present, and future of Influencer Marketing.
She outlines some main differences between strategy in B2C versus B2B, and what each could stand to learn from the other. Finally, she outlines a plan for “Carl’s Friend” who wants to get into Influencer Marketing – what to expect and how to approach brands!
Cassidy and Carl got to sit down and chat with Peter Walker, head of Insights at Carta, about building insights and leveraging them to boost both marketing and sales functions. The cover collaboration with marketing, knowing what insights to look for and which hold the most resonance, surprises Peter has encountered along his journey, and a hint at what’s coming next for the insights strategy at Carta!
Make sure to listen to the end to hear Peter break down his “Lattice” Approach to an insights framework!
Cassidy and Carl chat today with Grant Duncan (VP of Marketing) and Omar Hamoda (Senior Brand Designer) at Zingtree about the role of AI - in particular, generative AI - and its impact on marketing & sales. They address the decision to jump into AI, individual workflows, different tools and their benefits/drawbacks, implications and ethics, and more.
For reference, here are some of the posts and ads discussed through the episode:
Post that kicked this off - here.
Zingtree Ads - here.
MidJourney - here.
We're kicking things off in Season 3 with a brand deep dive featuring our Chief Growth Officer, Cassidy Shield, and CMO of Zappi, Yvonne O'Brien. Key questions to ask yourself: Do your prospects have an emotional connection to your brand, and how do you build that connection in a space with huge competitors? A few more topics include brand activation, foundation, how to consistently test & learn, and what you can translate from B2C to B2B. Take a listen and make your brand more valuable and distinctive after absorbing this marque episode.
Welcome back! Cassidy, Carl, and the rest of the Refine Labs crew have returned for Season 3 of Stacking Growth. This "State of the Union" episode features Cassidy Shield, Chief Growth Officer, and Carl Ferreira, Director of Sales, setting the table for whats to come this season. Brand, creative, differentiation in B2B, coaching, alignment are just a handful of the topics we'll chop up for this third season. We're excited to be back and hope you are, too!
There’s no better way to start the year than by setting intentions and resolutions for the year ahead. Most people do this in their personal lives, but we find it pretty affirming for work as well. Today, we’re excited to chat through just a few of the actionable things you can do to refocus and reset priorities for the year ahead.
Companies today don’t have a process for executing research and development (R&D) within their revenue system. There’s a lack of structure and internal common ground between teams on defining and understanding what programs are working for new business acquisition. It results in chaos.
Today we’re going to chat through 3 things you can start working on today, to make a meaningful impact on structuring your revenue programs to nail your 2023 goals.
Cassidy has gone on record stating that marketing-sales alignment is largely a marketing problem. However, let's not drop all the blame on marketing. In this episode, Cassidy and Carl go over 5 ways sales leaders can demonstrate leadership in aligning marketing with sales.
1 - Quality over quantity
If the leads "suck" - it's as much on sales as marketing. Stop insisting on lead volume when the leads don't convert to pipeline and revenue. Instead, empower marketing to focus on high-quality leads.
2 - Encourage building awareness
It's not news to anyone that it's easier to sell when prospects know who you are and what you stand for as a company. The best sellers I know are huge advocates for building awareness and are pushing marketing to be more innovative.
3 - Invite marketing into the sales process
There is no better place to learn about what works/doesn't work than in the sales process. Explain the sales process and how deals are done. Get your marketing team licenses to your call recording software. Invite product marketing to sales calls. Take time to structure your learnings so they are actionable.
4 - Align outbound sales with inbound marketing
There is a good chance that your outbound sales efforts are fishing in the same pond as your marketing efforts. Therefore, spend time sharing learnings and aligning campaign efforts, so the positioning and messaging are consistent with prospects.
5 - Lead by example & don't let sales off the hook
Leaders don't make excuses. If marketing isn't carrying its weight, get in the game and help. If your sales team isn't following through, take your team to task. When you show that your goal is the company's success and not the success of one organization over another, you are a leader others will respect.
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
"How in the world are you getting rockin' and rollin' building a new category here?"
Carl Ferreira doesn't waste any time kicking off this conversation with Jenn Davis, Co-Founder and Head of Marketing at Gradient Works. Jenn has been instrumental in designing and building the Dynamic Books category, a new way to handle sales territories. In this episode, Jenn takes Carl and Cassidy through:
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Identifying when/if a new category is needed
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Doing research to get "message-market-fit" prior to building out a product
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Creating a strategic narrative around that new category and building it out
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and much more.
"What would the first 90 days look like if you were tasked with implementing a demand gen and content strategy in an effort to move beyond the traditional lead gen approach?"
So you want to move beyond traditional lead generation and start creating demand in 2023…But you don’t know how to kick off those efforts?
The first 90 days are critical because if you’re not able to show some early signs of success, there’s a good chance your program will get axed before it ever has a chance to get going. In this episode, Sidney and Sam talk about the 3-step process they recommend to companies that are switching from lead gen to demand gen for the first time.
The three steps they go over include:
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Knowing your historical data
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Laying out a foundation
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Building a content engine to support the framework
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
It’s that time of year when 2023 planning is in full swing and part of planning for a successful start to the next year is doing a Revenue Performance Analysis. But first, what is an RPA?
Simply put, a Revenue Performance Analysis allows you to identify and amplify key sources of HIRO pipeline and revenue.
We’ve become experts at these analyses and have identified the top four mistakes teams make when executing them independently and that’s exactly what we’re going to go through today.
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
Trying to market to multiple ICPs can be a huge mistake for many companies, especially those on a budget. When you try to be everything to everyone, you water down your message across the board and confuse the audience. That’s why niching down with your ICP is so important. In this episode, Tory and Allison talk about a new framework to decide which ICP you should niche down on first.
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
On this episode of Stack Growth, our very own Tory Kindlick and Victoria Sakal were joined by two of our friends from Centerline Digital (Greg Harbinson, Creative Director & Fabian Marquex, Creative Director), to discuss 5 Trends to Improve Brand Engagement:
- How to Create Authentic Content
- How to Deliver Account-Based Experiences
- Leveraging Third-Party Experts
- How to Drive Better Brand Awareness
- Exploring the Metaverse
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
The way we carve up sales territories has been around for over a century, an arbitrary geographic location. But the way we sell has changed drastically, especially in the last decade. So why in today’s age of selling are leaders still splitting up territories this way? And is there a better way? We asked Hayes Davis, Co-Founder and CEO at Gradient Works, and he says there is. In fact, he’s so convinced there is, he and Co-Founder Jenn Davis built an automation platform that increases rep attainment by helping new business sales teams transition from underperforming territory models to dynamic book management.
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
We've all been trained to create once and distribute forever. But is that really the best way to create content? Each platform is different, meaning that for your content to be as effective as it can be, you need to optimize each piece of content being put out for the channel it's intended for. In this episode, Tory and Matt talked to Sam Balter, Director of Media Content at Zoominfo and he shares key insights about some of the trends that he and his team are seeing around content. He also talks about his strategy for creating content specifically for each channel and how that affects how you need to think about your distribution strategy.
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
“Facts Tell. Stories Sell” - Tory Kindlick
You need to find a way to tell a story that your audience can resonate with. Stories are memorable and raw data is not. That’s why it is so important to be able to craft a narrative through the data you are presenting.
So what do good stories contain and how can you incorporate those elements into your data storytelling?
- A good story starts with a hook
- A good story has an arc
- A good story evokes emotion
But how do you incorporate these things into B2B reporting?
In this episode Tory and Allison take you through the steps you can take in your own reporting to tell a compelling story that elicits action.
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
In this episode, we dive deep into some of the most common questions we see on paid media. Sam Kuehnle talks with some of our expert performance marketing managers here at Refine Labs including Bob Kahns, Ryan Olestro, and Kyle Taylor to address:
- Optimizing for down funnel performance vs conversions
- Should we be investing in branded search?
- Should you be following Google Recommendations?
- How much should you focus on quality score?
- Should you be running competitor campaigns?
- Prioritizing campaigns with limited budget
- The difference between Google Analytics audiences and Google Ads Audiences
- And more…
In this episode, our panel of DDGs and PMMs includes Matt Willbanks, Matthew Sciannella, Jonathan Unger, and Bob Kahns. We took questions from the audience which included:
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How would you create demand for a new category as a marketing team of one?
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If starting from scratch, what's the recommended strategy for LinkedIn Ads?
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How do you make the jump from performance marketing to demand gen?
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and more!
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
Most marketing teams know that building a successful podcast involves more than just building an audience: that podcast and the audience it serves need to, eventually, contribute to actual revenue dollars. But a lot of podcasters fall into the trap where they get wrapped up in vanity metrics or don't have a mapped-out strategy to turn a podcast into a revenue-driving marketing tool. In this episode Tory and Matt welcome Lindsay Tjepkema, Co-Founder and CEO of Casted. They discuss the 5 stages of building a revenue-driving podcast with what Lindsay calls The Amplified Marketing Maturity Curve.
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
You know the situation: Q4 hits. You're under paced to goal because everyone likes to forecast up and to the right, so Q4 has some pretty steep goals. The only problem is, Q4 is also the shortest quarter of the year; holidays, people using PTO, everyone is burned out, and a general slowdown in spending. So the question begs to be answered, "what can I do to achieve those hefty goals?"
In this episode, Ashley and Evan talk about the levers you can pull and the tactics they use with clients to ensure the best possible outcomes from your marketing efforts in Q4 (and how to make sure you're not sandbagging future gains for short-term wins).
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
In this episode, Carl and Cassidy are talking to Jessica Watts, Co-Founder at Mud City about everything outbound.
Some of the topics they cover include:
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Destigmatizing Outbound Sales
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List Building
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Value Props and Messaging
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Commonalities Between Sales and Marketing
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And More...
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
Launching a successful demand gen program is something that a lot of marketing leaders strive for. But it's easier said than done. Common hurdles include:
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Crafting a compelling point of view
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Outlining a strategy
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Getting buy-in from the C-Suite
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Executing on both paid media spend and organic channels
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And more...
These are all the things that Grant Duncan has done successfully in his time as VP of marketing at Zingtree. In this episode, he talks with Sam and Sidney to discuss exactly how he did that.
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
Marketing and Customer Success are frequently viewed as separate parts of the organization. Marketing is typically categorized as a pre-sales role, while customer success is generally viewed as a post-sales function. Sure, there are the occasional asks where marketing needs a customer testimonial or case study, but those are not typically high priorities from either side.
But what if that changed? What if marketing and customer success worked together to craft better stories that answered customer questions, decreased churn, and increased upsets and cross-sells?
In this episode, Tory and Matt welcome Madelyn DePrey, Head Of Customer Success at Aircall to talk about why marketing/customer success alignment is so important.
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
Listening to customers to continuously improve your product is key for any company. But it's a step that many new SaaS founders skip in the initial stages of their go-to-market. Often, a founder will discover a gap in the market and go straight into building the product. In this episode, Sidney talks to Dave Rigotti, Co-founder, and CEO at Inflection.io. Dave has put on a masterclass in using extensive customer research to build the product. In addition to conducting hundreds of customer interviews, Dave dives into how they use community to continuously innovate and ensure the product is built 100% to customer needs.
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
Pipeline Velocity is an often confused, misunderstood metric. Every time we bring it up we get several questions. That's why we wanted to dedicate an episode of Stacking Growth Live entirely to the subject and:
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How to Calculate Pipeline Velocity
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How to visualize that data
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Why it's important
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When to use it
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And more
This was a live presentation that included slides. If you'd like to see those slides, you can view them here.
You can also watch the full presentation with the slide deck on YouTube, here.
The Stacking Growth Podcast aims to answer real questions that our audience is having trouble with. That's why we took a poll of our LinkedIn audience to see what problems they were facing coming into Q4. One of the recurring questions that we saw come up had to do with how to create an ICP (Ideal Customer Profile). What's is the right way to do it? Is there a wrong way? How can we go deeper than target firmographics and job titles? These are all questions that Tory and Allison are answering in today's episode.
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
If you've been following Refine Labs for any period of time, you know we like to categorize demand into two main buckets, capturing and creating. But there is a third bucket that we don't talk about quite as much called damming demand. In a nutshell, damming demand is taking existing demand for a product or category and redirecting it over to yours. In this episode, Tory and Garret talk about what damming demand is, when it should be used, and how you can effectively start a program to do it.
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
If you scroll through LinkedIn for a few days you would think that everyone is running demand gen and lead gen is a thing of the past—it's not. We've talked to several hundred companies this year and 99% are still running lead gen. An entire generation of marketers believes that an email address is the most important thing you can get from your audience. It’s why we see gated ebooks and reports as the primary content source for entire companies. But why are so many companies still doing this? It's not an effective go-to-market strategy and sales teams can get the same leads (and more) cheaper using tools like Zoominfo and Cognism.
The end goal of marketing is to drive high-quality hand raisers that WANT to talk to sales. And that is exactly what Carl and Cassidy are going to talk about in this episode.
In fact, as the title alludes to, Carl is putting his money where his mouth is if you can prove (with data) that you're running a profitable lead gen strategy that wouldn't be better served being allocated elsewhere.
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
You pitched leadership, finally got buy-in, and just launched your program; now what? It's inevitable that you get questioned on the effectiveness of your new strategy early on, but creating demand takes time. So what are some early metrics and KPIs that you can report on to show leadership that it's working? In this episode, Ashley and Evan go through some of the early metrics that they report on with clients to do just that.
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We get a lot of questions from customers and community members this time of year on how to finish the year off strong and plan to have a successful Q1.
"What are some of the biggest mistakes you see marketing teams make as the fiscal year wraps up?"
"Are there any frameworks you use to build a marketing plan?"
"Where are you allocating your budget moving into 2023 and where do you think the biggest dividends will be paid in the year ahead?"
Q3 is coming to an end, and as you approach Q4 planning season, these are all important answers that need to be answered. Luckily, we have a little experience helping companies finish off the year strong and planning for 2023, and that's what we're doing in this episode. In addition to these questions, we also took live questions from the audience about 2023 planning, lessons learned in 2022, and more.
On today's Stacking Growth, Refine Labs' very own Sam Kuehnle and Sidney Waterfall breakdown an intriguing question sent in by a listener: "How do you deal with the paradox of wanting immediate results but needing to preach patience to your executive team?" From setting expectations to finding the right customer insights... believe it or not, good marketing takes time.
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At this point you all know our stance on talking to customers and extracting insights through those conversations. But some of the common questions we still get all the time are:
"what is the best way to conduct a customer interview?"
"What questions should I ask?"
"How do I take insights gleaned from a customer interview and inject them into my marketing strategy?"
In this episode, Tory and Matt talk with Michael Ashford, Director of Marketing at The Receptionist, about how they were able to achieve exponential growth without an outbound sales team by creating a demand strategy around the insights they learned from talking with customers regularly.
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It's that time of year—leaves are changing, football is back, and it's time for ANNUAL PLANNING! It's time to look back at the previous year, figure out what's been working and start to think about the campaigns and revenue targets for 2023.
In this episode, Tory and Allison go through the framework they use with clients for year-end demand planning.
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Events in the past were all about getting a booth, flying in all your salespeople, scanning badges, and having conversations on the show floor. But that’s not how the best marketing teams are approaching event strategy anymore. The best strategies involve building relationships, creating content, and leaving a lasting impression. So how do you do that through your event strategy in 2022 and beyond? In this episode, Sam and Sidney dive into just that.
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One of the most informative things you can do as a demand gen marketer is do a win/loss analysis. A win/loss analysis can do many things including validating messaging, help refine your ICP, inform your content strategy, and more. Some teams are already looking into why deals are lost, but it’s rare to see companies analyzing and comparing the reasons you won deals. Looking into both of these items are key to unlocking key insights to power a successful go-to-market strategy. In this episode, Tory welcomes Director of Demand Gen, Matthew Sciannella to talk about the incredible insights he is uncovering by doing this analysis.
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When asked about marketing innovation teams are quick to reference customer insights, category creation, and creating demand. And these are all very important things (that we preach at Refine Labs often). But there's one thing that is often overlooked and is a critical part of making all of these other strategies successful—Creative! Without an innovative creative strategy to deliver the message of your newly found customer insights or new category, you're shooting yourself in the foot. But what do we mean by "innovative creative"?
In this episode, Triana, Devon, and Brianna of the Refine Labs creative team talk about how they define innovative creative and how they go about executing it for clients.
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Imagine being part of a sales-led organization where the SALES team is asking marketing to stop running lead gen and start creating demand. It's a role reversal that we don't often hear, but it's the exact situation that an audience member came to us with. "What steps can I take to get my marketing team to stop running gated lead gen and start creating real demand for our brand?" In this episode, Sidney and Sam tackle that exact question.
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An economic downturn can bring a lot of difficulties for a marketing team. Decreased media spend and decreased budget for tech from customers both lead to lower overall demand in the marketplace. When demand is lower, marketing teams have to focus on the levers they can influence, independent of those variables. In this episode, Sam and Sidney talk about the 4 levers that every marketer can pull to help better capture the demand in the market.
Many companies that run an enterprise, sales-led motion are now using some form of product-led growth to move down market. This poses a lot of problems for some demand-gen marketers, as it requires a different approach in both strategy and tactics to be successful. In this episode, Allison and Tory dive into the framework that we've been implementing with clients facing this here at Refine Labs.
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
In the second part of our series on variable comp vs salary for salespeople Carl and Cassidy are taking questions from LinkedIn. Variable comp vs salary is a heated topic and salespeople had a lot of really good questions including:
- How to you test salary if you’re already using 50/50 comp?
- How does it affect the buyer experience?
- How do you measure performance?
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
Relying on people to click your ad's CTA is destroying its effectiveness. Providing the full value in the feed will win out every time and we're here to prove that to you. Curious how you can do the same internally?
People don't want to leave the platform they're already engaged with. 99% of the time, even if someone is engaged with your ad, they're not clicking. So if your strategy is to use your social content to drive ebook downloads, blog traffic, email signups, or anything else that isn't native to the channel you're posting on, you are playing a losing game.
Amanda Natividad calls this "Zero Click Content" and she joined Tory Kindlick and Sidney Waterfall to talk about why delivering your message in the feed is so important, the tactics you can use to create effective content that doesn't require a "click", and how to measure marketing's impact.
Sales almost always work on a base salary + commission or 100% commission. Most companies don't offer salespeople guaranteed salaries for many reasons. But the question is why? There's no other function in the business that is paid the same way sales are. Some companies will say that they can't attract top talent without the ability to crush quota and earn uncapped commission. In this episode, Cassidy and Carl dive into this, as well as several other myths around the topic, and break them down.
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Does paid media influence how well a company’s marketing performs? It's a question that most marketers can relate to, but one that nobody is willing to test, because turning off paid media to see isn't an option. Well, in this episode we did just that—we tested the impact of paid marketing's correlation with organic marketing. Join Sam Kuehle and Ashley Lewin as they break down the test and results that may surprise you.
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
As marketers, it's very common to become overwhelmed with data. It's important to use data to tell a story, but when doing that, you have to know which pieces to use and what is just noise. In this episode, Ashley Lewin and Evan Hughes talk about how to choose the right data to tell your story, how to structure your data story, and avoid overwhelming your audience when presenting that data.
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
In this episode our General Manager, Sidney Waterfall, dishes out the best ways to create demand for your target accounts. She goes over Demand 101, Reach, and Tactics as a basic strategy to get your demand creation flowing and demand capture going. Keep an eye out for more Stacking Growth Live in the near future.
Whether you want benchmark data or you're trying to convince your leadership that you need to be investing more time and resources into demand creation, this Stacking Growth Live is for you.
We analyzed pipeline source data from six B2B SaaS companies running the Refine Labs demand playbook.
We looked at:
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Pipe conversions (declared intent website conversions)
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Enterprise Outbound/”ABX”/Engaged Accounts
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Lead Gen
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Partner
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Events/Field
The results are astounding. In almost every case Pipe conversions significantly outperform every other pipeline source in win rate %, sales cycle length, number of opps, and pipeline velocity. But we didn't cherry-pick the best of the best just to prove a point. We also show some examples where Pipe conversions were not the top performer and dive into why that is the case. This new data paints a very clear picture of why you need to be creating demand as part of your go-to-market strategy.
Join Stacking Growth Live every other Wednesday at 1:00 PM ET by Registering here.
You're a marketer who is totally bought into creating demand. You presented to your leadership and they agree and you're now just getting started on your demand gen journey. The common question that comes up is, "when can we expect to start seeing results?"
In this episode, Allison and Tory dive into that question exactly, but they go even further. They will touch on expectation setting to make sure your program doesn't get cut off before it ever has a chance to work and early indicators that tell you that you're making progress towards your end goal.
Subscribe to our Bi-Weekly Stacking Growth Live HERE.
This episode is summed up with a simple question: What is marketing at your org trying to accomplish and what is necessary from a tech stack perspective to simplify and make that process as efficient and effective as possible?
Marketing is not the promotion department, or at least it isn't in companies doing marketing correctly. Good marketing should be aligned with business metrics, so in essence, good marketing is good business. In this episode, Cassidy talks with Darrell Alfonso, Marketing Operations at Amazon and Author of “The Martech Handbook”.
Over the past few years, B2B SaaS marketing teams have embraced the fact that they need to invest more in demand creation functions. In order to do that, budget has to be taken from current demand capture spend. The question is, what deserves to stay and what should be reallocated to demand creation? In this episode, Tory Kindlick talks with Sam Kuehle about the formula he has used to determine just that: what demand capture budget should stay and what should go.
Download the template from this episode here.
This is the first episode in a new series we are calling "Lab Experiments", where we talk to client-facing members of our team about the tests that they are currently running and the results that they are getting. In this episode, Tory Kindlick is talking with Ashley Lewin about a test she ran around messaging and positioning and how it led to a 40% increase in conversion rates.
Marketing and sales have a...colorful past to say the least. Marketing complains that sales doesn't follow up on their leads. Sales complains that the leads that marketing gives are not worth following up with. In many cases, both are true.
But when marketing switches their strategy from generating high quantities of leads at any cost, which is the reason for the poor quality, it's no wonder that sales doesn't want to follow up with them. They're the ones in the trenches and they know better than anyone what types of leads close and which ones are a waste of time.
However, when marketing switches from collecting leads to creating demand, the result in the quality of "lead" that comes through gets drastically better and sales need to prioritize them.
The question becomes, how can sales and marketing work together to ensure that the people coming inbound and asking for a demo are the right people and are being followed up with in the right way?
In this episode, Carl Ferreira, Allison Loehman, Sidney Waterfall, and Cassidy Shield talk about how we do that at Refine Labs and how we help customers do the same.
Tory Kindlick hosted today's Stacking Growth episode with Darren Perucci to share tips about marketing with a reduced budget. We are seeing budgets being cut especially across the SaaS space due to the economic downturn, and as marketers we are being asked to do more with less.
This episode consists of a recording from Sidney Waterfall's appearance on the Demand Gen Chat podcast, hosted by Chili Piper. They talked through leading indicators, measuring the impact of dark social, and the importance of gathering feedback directly from your customers.
On last week's Stacking Growth Live, we covered a timely topic - how to shift your marketing strategy to match what's happening in the market. It's clear we are headed into a recession. Budgets are being slashed and therefore, there isn't as much demand to capture. In last week's event, we talked through manufacturing demand, customer insights and marketing's role in the shift, and budget & team management in a downturn.
Tory Kindlick (VP of Demand Gen) hosted a solo episode today where he broke down the 5 most common traits he's observed in the B2B SaaS companies that are most successful with creating demand.
Carl Ferreira and Cassidy Shield recorded a Friday afternoon conversation about the lack of innovation in outbound sales compared to that of marketing. They talk through why that is, how to bridge the gap, providing value and data as part of your outbound motion, and the four key components to outbound sales. By the end of the episode, you should have a handful of ideas for experimenting with innovation in your outbound motion. Stay tuned for a part 2 with results of Carl's outbound demand creation experiment.
Today's episode consists of a recording from last week's Stacking Growth LIVE event, where Cassidy Shield, Tory Kindlick and Darren Perucci talked through whether or not brand and demand should be on the same team. They talked through definitions, org structure, roles and responsibilities, the nuances between brand marketing and demand marketing, and the similarities between the two.
Today's episode consists of a recorded conversation between Sam Kuehnle (VP of Demand Gen) and Tom Hunt (Founder at Fame) where Sam talks through how B2B buying has changed and how marketing orgs should be shifting their go-to-market strategies accordingly.
Today's episode features a casual conversation between Carl Ferreira and Cassidy Shield about the state of outbound sales today.
Nick Bennett (Director of Evangelism and Customer Marketing @ Alyce) and Arthur Castillo (Senior Manager, Field Marketing & Community @ Chili Piper) joined Stacking Growth LIVE last week as guests to discuss how to leverage content and community in both B2B SaaS and their personal brands.
Snippets of this episode are spotty due to poor internet connection
Cassidy Shield (CGO), Victoria Sakal (The Vault), Daniel Pinkston (Performance Marketing Manager) and Myles Madden (Performance Marketing Manager) hosted today's Stacking Growth episode to talk about measuring brand and demand creation. They cover leading and lagging indicators, adopting a long-term mindset, how and where to create demand, and which qualitative and quantitative metrics you should be tracking.
Whether you know it or not, most of the decisions you make throughout your day (especially purchasing decisions) are driven by cognitive biases. Everyone views the world, brands and products differently based on their experiences and unique worldview. So what does that mean for you as a marketer? Tory Kindlick (VP of Demand) and Braeden Matson-Jones (Performance Marketing Manager) dive into cognitive biases in today's episode of Stacking Growth. They talk about communities and other non-attributable touchpoints, as these are great examples of social influence and cognitive biases that influence purchasing decisions. Tory and Braeden also touch on negative social influence and how that can adversely affect your marketing efforts.
Tory Kindlick (VP of Demand Gen) and Tylor Jones (Director of Demand Gen) hosted this Stacking Growth episode on the topic of: how to overcome the internal obstacles that come with switching from a solely demand capture model to a demand creation model. Tylor carried out this change in phases at his previous organization and brings his experience to the table for this episode.
A successful GTM strategy starts with a strong foundation. A strong foundation starts with an understanding of the customer/market & being able to uniquely position yourself vs. others. This episode consists of a recording from our most recent Stacking Growth LIVE event. This installment was hosted by Cassidy Shield (Chief Growth Officer), Victoria Sakal (The Vault), and Tony Flores (Senior Director, Demand Generation). After listening to this episode, you'll be equipped with a framework that will empower you to assess and improve your current GTM Foundation in terms of customer insights, competitive intelligence, and positioning/messaging.
Register for the Stacking Growth LIVE event series here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkde6upzMjGN2BIuhVJXj73cZNk2KuO3yn
Judy Sheriff (General Manager) hosted today's Stacking Growth episode with Myles Madden (Performance Marketing Manager) and Lex Winship (Senior Copywriter). They talked about the importance of sharing data, insights, and feedback with your creative team, the difference between content creation and distribution (as well as how they work together) and why the creative team needs a seat at the table.
Tory Kindlick (VP of Demand Gen) and Matt Sciannella (Director of Demand Gen) talk about breaking into SaaS marketing on today's episode of Stacking Growth. They share tips for anyone looking to get into this space in additional to dropping insights for those already in SaaS marketing. Hot take: you don’t need to have extensive experience in SaaS to be an effective SaaS marketer. However, Tory and Matt walk through differences between SaaS marketing and marketing in other types of companies, as well as which traditional marketing principles span across industries.
Cassidy Shield (Chief Growth Officer) hosted today's episode of Stacking Growth with Matthew Bramson (Director of Strategic Accounts at MANTA) to talk through the mindset shift needed to sell into large enterprises at organizations that are disrupting the status quo, but don't have strong brand recognition. They cover selling with an abundance detached mindset, selling up to senior leadership, measuring brand, and what sales teams need from their marketing organization to have a well-functioning relationship.
Today's episode consists of a recording from last week's Stacking Growth LIVE where Sidney Waterfall (VP of Demand) and Cassidy Shield (Chief Growth Officer) discussed Refine Labs' proprietary PIPE™ Framework - specifically the HIRO (High Intent Revenue Opportunity) stage and why marketers need to start measuring this instead of MQLs.
Register for the Stacking Growth LIVE event series here.
Tory Kindlick (VP of Demand Gen) hosted this episode with Matt Wilbanks (Director of Demand Gen) and Jonathan Unger (Director of Demand Gen). The main topic of this episode is how to talk to VCs, investors, and boards of directors about demand gen. Tory, Matt, and Jonathan cover how to navigate funding, QBRs, and results as well as their top recommendations on how to prepare for these conversations.
Today's episode of Stacking Growth consists of a recording from Clearbit's recent webinar, "Paid Advertising in a World of Rising Costs," hosted by Colin White (Head of Demand Generation at Clearbit) and Sidney Waterfall (VP of Demand at Refine Labs). In this episode, they cover rising CAC and what you can do about it as a marketer.
After listening to this episode, you can expect to learn:
- Why demand for digital ads is outpacing available inventory,
- How to respond to worsening targeting power on ad platforms, and
- Where to focus your go-to-market efforts for efficient spend
Sidney Waterfall (VP of Demand) and Judy Sheriff (General Manager) hosted today's Stacking Growth episode to break down hybrid attribution - what it is (and is not), how to put it into practice, and some common questions and scenarios they see when implementing and analyzing hybrid attribution in the B2B space. After listening to this episode, you'll have a better understanding of how to mesh self-reported attribution with existing technology & attribution software to get a more comprehensive, contextual picture of your buyers' journeys.
Today's episode consists of a recording from last week's Stacking Growth LIVE event. Our hosts took the audience through the top 5 GTM mistakes they see in B2B, and how to correct them. In a nutshell, the top 5 themes they covered were: over-reliance on demand capture, lack of messaging & positioning, gaps in measurement frameworks, marketing & sales alignment, and the changing role of sales.
Our next Stacking Growth LIVE event will be on Wednesday May 25 at 10am PST. Sidney Waterfall (VP of Demand) and Cassidy Shield (Chief Growth Officer) will be outlining our HIRO (High Intent Revenue Opportunity) pipeline framework and sharing how to implement this in your organization.
Register here for the event series.
Cassidy Shield (Chief Growth Officer) and Victoria Sakal (Senior Director, Research - The Vault) hosted this episode of Stacking Growth to cover all things Go-to-Market. They covered: The why what and how of building a strong GTM foundation, Unlocking meaningful customer insights, Creating strong positioning and messaging, and Using feedback loops to improve, innovate, and scale.
Join The Vault waitlist here: https://www.refinelabs.com/waitlist
A couple of our Refine Labs Performance Marketing Managers, Chris Denno and Payton Christopher, took over the Stacking Growth podcast to talk about building brand awareness campaigns with niche audiences via paid media. They cover the why and the how behind this topic, provide concrete examples of how to structure campaigns of this nature, and share insights from putting this strategy into practice in the B2B space.
Tory Kindlick (VP of Demand), Liz Spektor (Director of Demand), and Myles Madden (Performance Marketing Manager) hosted this episode of Stacking Growth to break down the difference between Demand Creation and Demand Capture. They tackled everything including: the right way to allocate your budget between the two, the impact of attribution, what leading KPIs to measure to ensure the balance between the two is correct, and which channels and tactics would fall into each bucket.
Welcome to Season 2! We're kicking off this Go-to-Market focused season with an episode about influencing and driving change throughout your organization, led by Cassidy Shield (Chief Growth Officer) and Carl Ferreira (Director of Sales). After listening to this episode, you can expect to walk away with 4 frameworks to apply when approaching a change you'd like to make to your go-to-market strategy.
We have an exciting update for Marking Movement listeners. Starting next week, we'll be transforming into Stacking Growth: The B2B Go-To-Market podcast. It’s not enough to start a category or even a community. You need to start a movement. Hosted by Refine Labs, our mission with the Stacking Growth podcast is to help you create an unfair competitive advantage by breaking down how B2B companies dominate categories and unlock growth through a go-to-market strategy built for the way customers buy today. Together, we will build your brand, grow your business, delight your customers, and crush your competition.
On this episode of The Marketing Movement, Refine Labs' Director of Demand Gen Silvia Valencia sits down with Kristy Sadler, CRO of Synapse to talk all things alignment. Even though sales and marketing "alignment" has become a nebulous term, our hosts break down which activities each should own, and what's the best way to simplify that process to waste less time and increase efficiency.
The job market is hot, but not as hot as this episode breaking down what it's like to try to hire the best Demand Gen talent. Our VP's of Demand, Tory and Evan, go through their 3-step interview process and give actionable tips to crush it. There's more than just your resume; soft skills and intangibles will put you over the top for that Director job you want. Come listen and find out what "figure-it-out-ability" is.
On this episode of the Marketing Movement, our talented trio of creatives (Maria, Courtney, and Devon) guide is ways to augment the client/customer relationship through actionable, beneficial, and constructive feedback. No longer will you have to deal with vague terms like "make it pop!" or "could this be more dynamic?". Listen up and make your feedback sessions more positive and productive!
We are back for PART TWO of our self-reported attribution breakdown. Ashley (Director of Demand Gen), Silvia (Director of Demand Gen), Tory (VP of Demand), and Dan (Performance Marketing Manager) are back with a vengeance. They came back for two things: to uncover actionable insights that will fuel your future growth and to chew bubble gum... and they're all out of bubble gum.
In Part One of this series, a star-studded cast of demand gen experts dissect what makes a great attribution strategy. Ashley (Director of Demand Gen), Silvia (Director of Demand Gen), Tory (VP of Demand), and Dan (Performance Marketing Manager) discuss how to find that memorable moment that potentially moved your prospect into the process of becoming a customer. It's not a fix-it-all button, but it can augment your data with qualitative insights. Keep an eye out for Part Two coming soon!
Jessica Williams (VP of People), Jordan Anderson (People Operations Manager) and Hope Wood (People Operations Coordinator) from our People team hosted an episode all about whether Unlimited PTO is a sham or a value add. They discussed how leadership strongly influences whether or not unlimited PTO is successful, and individual experiences that shed light on when it does and does not make sense in an organization.
Myles Madden, Chris Denno, and Keegan Slattery (Performance Marketing Managers at Refine Labs) got tactical on the most effective B2B paid search strategies that we put into place for our customers at Refine Labs. They talked through setting parameters so Google can’t waste your spend, high intent keywords and indicators, the importance of NOT setting it and forgetting it, our paid search philosophy at Refine Labs, conversion actions, and setting expectations internally.
Angelica Taylor (Senior Manager, Brand Marketing @ Refine Labs) recorded a follow-up conversation she had with a friend Mason Cosby (Marketing Director @ Mojo Media Labs & Host of The Marketing Ladder podcast). They talked about getting executive buy-in to experiment with organic brand & content marketing, specifically a podcast, and how Mason leveraged his own podcast to demonstrate the value of organic content to others at his organization.
Mason has hosted Chris Walker (CEO at Refine Labs) and Sam Kuehnle (VP of Demand Gen @ Refine Labs) on his podcast - check out The Marketing Ladder to listen to their episodes.
Myles Madden, Blake Strozyk, and Daniel Pinkston (Performance Marketing Managers at Refine Labs) hosted a tactical episode on running paid media. Get your notebook out and get ready to learn how we are approaching paid ads, and some tips to help you stay organized and prepare for future platform changes.
Jessica Williams (VP of People) and Rebecca Hart (Talent Advisor) hosted another episode of The Marketing Movement to talk about transitioning from a traditional workforce to a distributed workforce, like we have here at Refine Labs. They cover the difference between remote and fully distributed, pros and cons, and how we approach team building and employee morale as a fully distributed workforce.
This episode was repurposed from an episode Sam Kuehnle (VP of Demand Gen) recorded for the Mastering B2B Marketing podcast. He discussed common challenges he notices when working with B2B SaaS companies and how to fix them as well as the importance of customer research in determining how your market likes consuming information. He shared insights on content mediums and topics as well as lead gen vs. demand gen and how we differentiate the two at Refine Labs.
The role of the SDR has been unchanged for years—using cold outreach to book meetings with account executives. And for years we’ve associated the role with annoying cold calls, invasive emails, and pitch slap DMs disguised as genuine connection requests. But with native digital, Gen Z’ers now entering the workforce there’s an opportunity for companies to leverage SDRs in a whole new way. In this episode Todd Clouser, Senior Brand Marketer at Refine Labs, and Mateo Elvira, Founder at Elvira Media, discuss how the SDR role is evolving into a content creation role to build brand affinity.
Welcome back to another episode of the Marketing Movement where our very own Sidney Waterfall, VP of Demand at Refine Labs, chops it up with Hana Jacover, Chief Hype Officer at Hype House Consulting, to talk all things in the life of a "lead". You can save your team time and headaches by tuning up your lead life cycle process. From prospect to customer, lead management is more than just attribution and passing them off to sales.
Today's episode features a panel on the topic of imposter syndrome. Sam Kuehnle (VP of Demand Gen), Scott Schilling (Director of Demand Gen), Kevin Jaquith (Director of Demand Gen), Liz Spektor (Director of Demand Gen), and Steve Voith (Director of Demand Gen) break down what imposter syndrome is and why it happens. They share their stories facing imposter syndrome throughout their careers and what they've learned to help overcome it and shift their mindset.
Michael Bright (Lead Copywriter) and Brianna Pennella (Senior Copywriter) hosted today's episode of The Marketing Movement to talk about good copy and why it matters. They cover WHAT good copy is and go through a handful of copy do's and don'ts, along with specific examples.
Jessica Williams (VP of People) and Kim Schell (Talent Advisor) hosted an episode dedicated to being a candidate in today's hot job market that is valuable for individuals at every stage of their career. They talk through pet peeves from their recruiting perspective, how to come prepared to interviews with both recruiters and hiring managers, and common mistakes you should avoid throughout the entire process.
Blake Strozyk (Performance Marketing Manager @ Refine Labs) and Matthew Sciannella (Thinker & Strategy Director @ Gorilla 76) hosted an episode solely on paid social. They dove into the following topics:
- How to build your paid social foundation,
- Setting strategy,
- Getting executive alignment,
- Which platforms to use and for which purposes,
- Targeting and building audiences,
- Going through tactical campaigns,
- What content to run,
- How to measure performance, and
- How to assign attribution to all of it
Sidney Waterfall (VP of Demand Gen), Ashley Lewin (Director of Demand Gen), and Tory Kindlick (Director of Demand Gen) hosted an episode dedicated solely to splitting the funnel - a hot topic amongst marketers and our community on LinkedIn. They broke down what it means to split the funnel, why you should, and how you can put it into practice at your company. This topic applies heavily to the shift from lead gen to demand gen and will empower you to make strategic recommendations and decisions at your organization using the data it will provide you.
Megan Bowen (COO @ Refine Labs) is a time management machine. Everyone who has worked with her knows she’s insanely organized despite how busy she may be. She has a system for ensuring you prioritize the things that matter the most along with taking accountability for how you choose to spend your time. Megan has shared her renowned time management training to thousands of employees over the course of her career from ZocDoc, Grubhub, Managed by Q and Refine Labs. This is a live recording of the training last week. In the first half of the episode, Megan drops tactical, straight-forward strategies so that you can rule your time. The second half is an insightful Q&A with some of the audience members.
Obaid Durrani (Associate Creative Director @ Refine Labs) interviewed Johnathan Dane (Founder @ KlientBoost) on what may be our longest episode of The Marketing Movement podcast. They talked about the lemonade stand analogy - you've set up your lemonade stand on a street with several other lemonade stands lined up. How do you get someone to stop at YOUR lemonade stand? Obaid and Jonathan lean into the idea of allowing creativity and design to be a part of your business, as a means of standing out in the B2B space. Because if you look the same as everyone else, and you're doing the same things as everyone else, how do you stand out? Obaid and Jonathan talk about leaning into design, humor, and entertainment.
What are you waiting for? The best B2B marketers are already experimenting and learning on TikTok. Todd Clouser (Sr. Manager, Brand Marketing @ Refine Labs), Ashley Lewin (Director of Demand Gen @ Refine Labs), and Allison Loehman (Director of Demand Gen @ Refine Labs) kept things honest in this episode while discussing why it's challenging for marketers to adopt casual video platforms such as TikTok as part of their strategy. They shared how to get started as an employer brand and why you shouldn't be copying what other B2B marketers are doing on this platform, but actually learning from creators from different niches. TikTok isn't easy for B2B marketers to tackle, especially because it requires a significant mindset shift, and relies on leaning hard into organic. But don't worry, these three have got you covered.
Steve Voith (Director of Demand Gen @ Refine Labs), appeared as a guest on the Ideally Content Consulting podcast to talk about dark social. The majority of the B2B buying journey happens via word of mouth and in places where attribution software can't track, such as in communities and on social platforms. Steve breaks down what defines dark social and how he sees it playing out both at Refine Labs and at the SaaS companies he works with there, as well as how to determine where to allocate your marketing spend and resources based on where your customers are.
Angelica Taylor (Sr. Manager, Brand Marketing @ Refine Labs) hosted a short solo episode on why and how you should be repurposing your content. Too often, marketers create one amazing piece of content and leave it at that. There is so much more juice you can get out of each piece of content.
Todd Clouser (Sr. Manager, Brand Marketing @ Refine Labs) had a conversation with Stephen Pope (Founder & CEO @ SGP Labs) on the Digital Masters Podcast about all things content creation and distribution. They talked about the importance of being early to experiment on channels before they're "proven" to work in the way you're intending and letting go of instant gratification in an effort to lean into blind experimentation. Todd and Stephen get into depth in this episode about their experiences testing out TikTok for B2B, as well as growing YouTube channels and distributing content at scale.
This episode contains a recording from a Customer Research session MJ Peters (VP of Growth, Refine Labs) hosted internally. She shared how to seek out opportunities to do customer listening, a step-by-step framework for customer research that you can implement in your business, and a handful of use cases for customer listening. If you find yourself needing to conduct market research for any reason (which every marketer should be doing), you'll find value in this episode.
Courtney Vermette (Lead Graphic Designer), Devon Rose (Sr. Graphic Designer), and Maria Finelli (Sr. Graphic Designer) hosted an episode of The Marketing Movement to talk about how similar B2C design is to B2B, and what B2B should be taking notes on from B2C. They pivoted to common misconceptions and challenges they hear from B2B marketing leaders when it comes to designing cutting-edge B2B ads. Throughout the entire conversation, they shared inspiration on getting creative with B2B, including specific examples of eye-catching design and copy that will help you stand out amongst your competitors. Every B2B marketer needs to listen to this one.
Maya Grossman (Founder, Maya Grossman Consulting and Author of Invaluable) joined Sidney Waterfall (VP of Demand, Refine Labs) on the podcast to talk about career pathing and taking your career into your own hands. They broke down how to decipher what you enjoy doing day-in and day-out, keeping your mind open to new opportunities, and 3 things you need to do to level up your career. They also talked about their personal experiences with expanding their skillsets outside of the scope of their job descriptions. This is a must-listen episode, regardless of where you're at in your career.
Sam Kuehnle (VP of Demand Gen, Refine Labs) had an impromptu conversation with Casey Graham (CEO, Gravy) that was focused solely on marketing recruiting and career growth. Sam and Casey spent 20 minutes breaking down the differentiators between the roles and responsibilities of Directors and VPs of Marketing, how marketers who are embracing the power shift from seller to buyer are in the most demand by hiring managers, and modern recruitment strategies to attract the best marketing talent. This episode provides value for marketers who are looking to attract the top talent to their team, as well as marketers who want to put their best foot forward in their job search.
Interested in joining our team at Refine Labs? Check out our open roles here.
Tory Kindlick (Director of Demand Gen @ Refine Labs) hosted a solo episode about gated content. He started out with the two reasons people are still gating their content, as well as the shortcomings of those mindsets and viable alternatives. The episode centered around considerations to take into account before ungating your content. Tory gave a step-by-step on monitoring performance data and communicating downstream change to other stakeholders. Putting your buyers first is imperative, and blocking their access to your content is not the best way to educate the market and earn trust with your buyers. You may ask how your team can gauge the success of their content if not on leads. Don't worry - Tory's got you covered.
Judy Sheriff (VP of Demand, Refine Labs) and Sidney Waterfall (VP of Demand, Refine Labs) teamed up to bring you the first, and definitely not the last, marketing ops power session. They covered:
- Team and organizational alignment,
- Lead sources,
- Attribution - and how to not overcomplicate it,
- Google analytics and implementing set up (another episode on this to come), and
- Lead scoring.
They shared a ton of impact in 20 minutes - be on the look out for more episodes breaking down marketing ops!
MJ Peters (VP of Growth, Refine Labs) hosted a debate on something many people have been unsure of whether or not to reintroduce to their marketing stack - Conferences & Trade Shows. The panelists included: Kyle Lacy (SVP of Marketing, Seismic), Gaetano DiNardi (VP of Growth, Aura), Mark Jung (VP of Marketing, Dooly) and Nick Bennett (Director of Field, Community, & Partner Marketing, Alyce).
This event was recorded a few months back, so please note - a couple of our panelists' titles and companies have changed
MJ Peters (VP of Growth at Refine Labs) joined Nick Bennett (Director of Field, Community, & Partner Marketing, Alyce) on the Rep Your Brand podcast to break down the benefits of employees building their own personal brand through organic social. Employees posting on LinkedIn on company time is a semi-controversial topic. Is it appropriate, is it not? There's a lot of gray area in regards to this topic, but MJ and Nick shared their two cents on how to navigate this both as an employer and an employee. In addition, they discussed how to develop your personal brand voice, as well as other specifics in regards to posting on LinkedIn, different writing styles, multimedia posts, and keeping your content fresh.