Brendan Hufford

Director of SEO

Growth Sprints

We Help Take SaaS Companies From $10M to $100M ARR. Using our SaaS Growth Sprint Framework, we help Saas companies increase revenue from Google through short, focused marketing sprints.

Founder

ALL IN (allinhouse.co)

The #1 community for career-focused in house SaaS marketers.

Founder & Community Lead

Growing Up

A weekly SaaS marketing newsletter curing CMO FOMO for current and future marketing leaders.

Navattic

Advisor

SEO for the Rest of Us

Banzai

Strategic Advisor

Copy.ai

Adobe

This diverse group includes top executives, industry experts, major media correspondents, contributing journalists and pioneers in technology.

Adobe Insider

SparkToro

Interim Head of Marketing

The Blueprint Training

Head of Agency Coaching

Exploring how SaaS companies *actually* get customers

Getting results via my 4-part SaaS growth framework is what I do.

Having led and scaled growth teams at two agencies, most of the clients I worked with didn’t want (or need) 6-12 month marketing engagements. I knew there was a better way, so I created this service.

My best clients could be incredibly successful if only they just had a little help guiding them along the path of making sure they had a strong website and were perfectly positioned to rank in Google.

It’s why so many of them double, or even triple leads and MQLs after working together:

📈  +2,750% MQLs for ETL Software company

📈  Launched content marketing campaign that brought in 100k site visitors, 1,000 new backlinks and  $130,000 in monthly traffic value for Cloud Operations software company

📈  Led strategy for a multi-pronged SEO and content marketing campaign for an established software company resulting in +100% website traffic in only 3 months.

Sam Altman just asked for enough money to buy Japan.
He wants...

$7 trillion (more than Japan's GDP).

The biggest financial ask in human history.

And we don't even know... why?

Here's what's breaking my brain:

Kennedy's moon money? Gotta beat the Soviets.

The Manhattan Project? End the war.

Bank bailouts in '08? Prevent collapse.

$7 trillion. For what enemy? What crisis? What future are we building?

"AGI will change everything."

Cool story, bro. Change it how? For who?

And when Altman gets pressed on it in interviews?

He defends it with the arrogance of a Gringotts goblin.

This is me handing my kid 13 bucks for allowance and him holding out his other hand for 7,000.

Stone-faced. Like it’s normal.

Also a 13X multiple (Google is only 6x).

But we're not united around... anything.

Not a mission. Not a villain. Not even a clear promise.

Apple said "1,000 songs in your pocket."

Google said "organize the world's information."

OpenAI says "give us $7 trillion or get left behind."

Venture capital fanfiction.

At this scale, real marketing HAS to do one thing: unite us.

⚡️

PS - What's the Content IP (named problem) for OpenAI?

I genuinely can't think of it without drifting into Theranos/WeWork/FTX territory.

For those of us bad at math (me), 7 trillions would end world hunger for the next 175 years.

So the problem's gotta be bigger than that?

SaaS Marketing - Content, AEO & SEO | Newsletter: How SaaS companies *actually* get customers

Middle school. Elementary. Preschool. 4 kids. 3 schools. 1 dad slowly losing his mind.

7:42am - Drop off oldest at middle school. He forgot his project. Again.

8:20am - Preschool drop-off. Different school. Different side of town. "Dad, you're going the wrong way."

8:46am - Elementary. Third school. Third parking lot. Third sign-in process. I've written the wrong kid's name twice this week.

9:23am - Finally at my desk. Call in 7 minutes. Would've loved more prep time.

Here's what you see on LinkedIn:

Me at conferences. Speaking on stages. "SaaS marketing" in my bio.

48K followers watching me share frameworks and hot takes.

What you don't see:

My wife, Liz, does the above routine 99.999% of the time.

Liz handling the 12:30pm classroom party I didn't even know existed.

Liz managing three different school calendars while I'm "building my brand."

The 47 text messages she sends daily coordinating our chaos while I worry about clients.

Last week at Adobe Max, someone said: "Must be nice having that flexibility."

I laughed.

Because at that exact moment, Liz was simultaneously:

- At a parent-teacher conference
- Coordinating tomorrow's early dismissal  
- Explaining to our 5-year-old why dad's in LA again

Behind every thought leader is someone actually leading the thoughts at home.

I talk about work-life balance.

While my partner actually creates it.

Perspective is a hell of a drug.

Bad news: I don't have a framework for this.

Just a partner who makes my "flexibility" possible.

Who never gets the credit she deserves.

Who somehow makes three schools, four boys, and one chaotic business look manageable.

While I get the LinkedIn likes for talking about it.

⚡️

PS - Liz doesn't have LinkedIn. Probably because she's too busy actually running things while I'm here talking about running things. If you see her, tell her she's the real MVP. She already knows, but still.

I turned down 3 clients last month. Not because I don't need the revenue (I do).

But because they failed my 3-question test.

(note: your entire marketing team should also know the answers to these - make sure they do)

Here's the framework that saves me (and clients) from checkbox marketing doom every single time:

1. Do you know your ICP?

What did they do at work yesterday?

If you can't picture their actual workday, you're guessing at their problems.

2. Do you know their pain?

Can you tell me what keeps them stuck at work at 5pm when they wish they were with their kids?

The problem they can't quite articulate but know is slowly ruining their work

Last week a founder told me their customers need "better ROI."

That's not a pain. That's a checkbox.

The pain? Their CFO just cut their budget by 40% and they're trying to hit the same targets.

See the difference?

3. Are you willing to own one problem?

This is where 90% bail.

"But we solve 17 different problems!"

Cool. So does everyone else.

Content IP isn't about being everything to everyone. It's about being THE solution to one specific problem.

Sendoso owns digital fatigue.

UserEvidence owns the evidence gap.

One problem. Deeply owned.

Honestly, these aren't just client qualification questions.

They're the difference between content that changes businesses and content that just... exists.

Between building actual authority and playing checkbox marketing games.

So before you hire anyone (including me), ask yourself these 3 questions.

Because if you can't answer them clearly, no amount of content strategy will save you.

⚡️

PS - Marketers: Bookmark this. 

Next time someone asks you to "just create more content," run them through these questions first. 

Watch what happens.

Boomers got pensions.
Gen X got stability.
Millennials got gaslit.
Gen Z went, “lol never again.”

We labeled an entire generation "entitled" without asking the one question that matters.

And that question is: Where did that come from?

I worked my butt off, then asked for a job - or a raise.

Their generation asks for the raise upfront.

And we're shocked.

But here's what the boomers missed:

Gen Z watched their parents get laid off from profitable companies.

Not for screwing up. 

Because they only grew +28% that quarter, missing projections by 2%.

Gen Z saw "shareholder value" become the only value.

Gen Z learned loyalty was a one-way street.

Company demands it. Offers none.

The gold watch became a pink slip.

Job security? Never heard of him.

So when they say "pay me first, then I'll show you what I can do"...

They're not entitled.

They're adapting.

To the world we built.

So do I love it?

No. But i can sure empathize with it and realize whose fault it is.

I get being cynical - thinking working hard guarantees nothing and Excel decides your fate.

Corporate execs burned the social contract and wonder why they won't sign the ashes.

So they're playing by the new rules.

And I gotta be honest...

I respect that.

⚡️

PS - I really hope this helps marketing leaders navigating hiring young talent right now.

They aren't entitled.

It's just my job, your job, OUR job... to make sure we attract and retain them better than anybody else.

The debate about SEO vs AEO is missing the point entirely.

For software buyers, Google search starts are UP from 42% to 79% year-over-year.

Meanwhile, AI tool usage sits at 58%.

You know what that math tells me?

People are using both.

Not either/or. Both.

Yet every week I see another "SEO is dead" post or "AI search will kill Google" prediction.

Here's what's actually happening:

Your buyers aren't choosing sides. They're doubling up.

They ask ChatGPT for recommendations.

Then verify on Google.

They Google for options.

Then ask AI for comparisons.

They find you through SEO.

Then ask AI about your competitors.

I use Ahrefs Brand Radar to measure AI discovery and visibility.

It shows you how your brand (and your competitors) appear in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Copilot… right alongside the Google data you already track.

The smart play isn't picking a lane.

It's owning both highways.

YOU HAVE TO OWN BOTH, PEOPLE.

Because while everyone's debating which one wins, your buyers are already using both to make decisions.

And if you're only optimizing for one?

You're invisible to half your market.

The brands winning tomorrow aren't choosing between SEO or AEO.

They're dominating both.

Simple as that.

⚡️

PS - If you haven’t checked how AI already describes your brand, Brand Radar will probably surprise you.

Alex M.

Dotdash Meredith

Head of Marketing for Dotdash's first consumer SaaS.

Head of Marketing MyRecipes

The Remarkable

I am a growth advisor to consumer, SaaS and Subscription companies wanting to scale fast.  Average growth rates of firms that engage on my full model is 30% YoY.   Advisory/project work is open.

Founder | Growth Advisor

BENlabs

Lead a 40 person marketing team for BENlabs. A 400 person B2B/B2C scale up providing martech and creator economy solutions and owned by Bill Gates. Promoted from Head of Growth to SVP to EVP of Marketing.

Executive Vice President Marketing

Senior Vice President Marketing

led growth marketing for Tubebuddy.  Helped it grow 50% YoY during our first year.

Vice President Growth Marketing

Bloomberg

In charge of all performance marketing and partnerships for Bloomberg’s first direct-to-consumer business.  In a period of two years, we grew sales from $2M to $100M while reducing the cost of acquiring new subscribers by 300%

📈 Increased paid media subscribers by 400% through the management of budget allocations, creating audience growth experiments and working with product teams to improve our onsite experience 
📈 Hired and managed all performance marketing internal and external staff 
📈 Helped launch and design our first customer data platform and built high intent audiences to be used on paid, email and on-site

Global Head of Performance Marketing and Strategic Partnerships

Verizon

Verizon media established go90 as a mobile competitor to Hulu and Netflix in late 2015.  As the head of sports marketing, I managed teams across organic social, email, push notifications,  PR, creative and paid media.   In a year we grew the app to a 1M monthly active users the great majority of them coming from my channels. 

Along the way I did the following: 

📈 Grew the audience of go90, an entertainment app, by creating marketing plans and overseeing paid media budgets that led to the acquisition of over 1 million monthly active users
📈 Worked with customer retention team to create push notification and e-mail strategy for all campaigns
📈 Signed and approved digital marketing sponsorship agreements worth over $20M with external partners such as NFL, BEIN Sports and FC Barcelona
📈 Managed and approved creative and content and scheduling of social media posts and appearances by external influencer talent such as Lebron James and Rob Gronkowsky 
📈 Served as the main marketing point of contact for the NBA and NFL as well as entertainment companies such as VICE, Buzzfeed and Funny or Die

Director Product Marketing and Content - go90 Sports

Verizon Digital Media Services

📈 Managed a 10-person editorial team that included curation experts, graphic designers, partner outreach, and quality control analysts and led to the creation of over 5,000 headlines and doubled our platform's user engagement
📈 Oversaw high-level content strategy, including channel tone and voice and 52 week calendar
📈 Monitored daily, weekly and monthly viewership performance and adjusted editorial strategy and tactics accordingly
📈 Promoted to acting director

Senior Content & Product Marketing Manager

Verizon Wireless

I was tasked with creating Verizon's strategy for acquiring Hispanics, African American and Asian American customers.  I piloted and launched our national Asian American student program.  Created a call the Caribbean plan and within a year increased our multicultural market share 10% YoY. 

📈 Led multicultural marketing for Verizon's Northeast by overseeing marketing across 24 people, 5 regions, 4 agencies and 6 regional marketing analysts/consultants
📈 Created marketing plans that included in-store events, B2B business luncheons and pop-up store which resulted in over 270K cross cultural gross adds during 2015
📈 Increased customer utilization of the device payment product from 50% to 75% by applying customer feedback, working with training teams and changing product features
📈 Created business cases and collected data that resulted in the creation of promotions for basic phones and connected devices that resulted in YOY lifts of 17% and 400% respectively
📈 Promoted from go-to-market manager

Head of Multicultural Northeast - Branding and New Product 

CABRERA'S DELI GROCERY INC

I owned a grocery store!   Revenue increased by 4X from 2007-2013.

I did all accounting, taxation and inventory decisions and hired all employees.

Grocery Store Owner

Lean Startup Machine

📈 Created e-mail marketing and customer referral campaigns that increased sales and prospective customers by more than 300%.
📈 Identified and created media partnerships with influential bloggers, entrepreneurship websites and vital news portals to create positive PR and increase sales of LSM products
📈 Developed sponsorship opportunities with companies interested in lean startup methodologies and the LSM brand

Digital Marketing Manager

Mars

📈 Identified portfolio opportunities for $12M in extra revenues for brands such as Dove and M&Ms
📈 Reviewed data from advertising agencies, compared it to internal consumer insight reports and created a media budget that increased ROI by more than $3M in the last quarter of 2013
📈 Led research on value proposition and messaging for M&M 2014 superbowl ad
📈 Compiled a gap analysis of competitors along with direct implications of their growth to Mars

Summer Associate Brand Manager

CMO | Fractional Head of Growth | Over $200M in Incremental Revenue 📈 | Aspiring Movie Critic | Angel Investor

Executive marketing leader helping companies achieve their next level of growth.  Successful at both Fortune 50 companies and startups.  Examples include: 

 📈 At BENlabs, I managed all marketing teams, created all marketing infrastructure, guided the company's rebranding and helped spear its transformation from an agency model to an AI tech-oriented firm. My teams achieved revenue growth of our direct to consumer business and the most ever leads from a marketing team. 

 📈 At Bloomberg Media I reduced paid media costs by 400% and helped grow it first subscription business from $1M to $100M.  I did this by managing all our media expenditures, hiring and managing our agencies and signing partnerships with the likes of JetBlue and Samsung. 

 📈 At TubeBuddy I increased revenue by 30% during my first 6 months by revising pricing and packaging and A/B testing our messaging and positioning. 

 📈 At Verizon, I managed go to market and used a mixture of direct response and top of funnel marketing to lead multicultural marketing for the northeast area.  My team was responsible for an incremental 300K subscribers. Along the way, I won an award for Latino Marketer of the Year. 

None of the above happens without thinking a lot about leadership, both of my direct reports and cross functional colleagues while caring a lot about the intersection of data and creativity.

Fractional CMO

I oversee all marketing for BENlabs.  A tech company infusing AI into the creator economy across content optimization,  product placement, and influencer marketing. 

I lead a 20-person team that oversees the whole marketing funnel, including, brand, growth, and paid media.

Some recent wins include:

1) Increased our organic views by 200% 2) Led the creation of our brand strategy and creative assets 3) Increased subscribers and revenue 30% YoY

We work autonomously, and independently with a NO BS approach.   We believe in being world-class because intrinsically it is the best way to connect individual interests with company ones.

Come and join us.  We are just getting started!

On Thanksgiving Eve, I want to take the opportunity to be thankful.

Many of you were around as I transitioned to entrepreneurship and now as I explore a portfolio career that blends full time with ownership.

While I haven't been as active as I was earlier LinkedIn was a big part of my success.

It has been a banner year across business, health, and life.

While there’s still much to build there's a lot to be thankful for. 

To my partner, clients, co-workers, employees, friends, acquaintances, and comrades in arms.

Thank you all.

Alex Montas Hernández

Chief Marketing Officer | Growth Advisor | Helping Companies Scale Revenue and Customer Value

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