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.

Leanne Dow-Weimer, MBA

During the interim between full-time roles, I'm providing my expertise to organizations on how to implement full-funnel strategies that drive efficient revenue growth

Marketing Advisor, Fractional Marketing Leader

Markigy: The Science of Marketing Strategy Podcast

Over 45 episodes interacting with go to market experts and leaders who have been featured in prominent spotlights, where we are engaging in trendspotting and investigatory conversations resulting in a loyal & engaged following

Ranked in the top 10% Globally by Listen Notes, with listeners in on every continent except Antarctica.

Podcast Host

Luther Burbank Savings

Luther Burbank Savings was acquired by WaFd Bank in 2024

Luther Burbank Savings was a West Coast Regional Bank, with Appx $8.3 Billion in assets (3/31/23) 
The marketing department provides support for Retail Banking, Income Property Lending, and Single Family Residence lending programs.

Senior Marketing Strategic Analyst (Marketing Manager)

Zero Gravity Corporation (ZERO-G)

Sharing the one-of-a-kind Zero-G Experience through social media, SEM & paid social.
"Own" Social Media for Zero-G Start to finish- from Content Calendar to hashtag strategies. 

Twitter: Increased Profile Visits 412% & Impressions 505%
Instagram: Increased Engagement 354% & Post Reach 242%  Maintaining 6-7% engagement rate while follower count has grown 101%
Facebook: Increased engagement 476%
LinkedIn: Increased engagements 178%

•	Demonstrate superior executive ability by creating content supporting sales and brand awareness goals by utilizing graphic design and video editing under a variety of complex circumstances 
•	Utilize a variety of analytical techniques to manage event-based campaigns by identifying key questions answers resulting in optimized targeting
•	Produce highly accurate assessments of targets markets across multiple platforms such as social media and Google Analytics, then analyzed results with monthly reporting
-Provide valuable marketing insights & recommendations

Social Media Director

Markigy 

Providing boutique marketing services & fractional leadership to clients across many industries including Fitness, Wellness, & youth sports
Real Estate & related companies, 
Medical & Science & related industries. 
Financial services & related industries.

Founder/Owner/Fractional CMO

Fitleannedow Coaching

-Displayed an exceptional ability to learn new methods by organically gaining 2k Instagram followers within 60 days
-Strategically approached creating marketing funnels to provide exclusive wellness content with an online presence, content marketing, SEO, paid advertising, and social media was created

Online health coach

Bank of England Mortgage

Sourced Loan clients via referrals, cold calls, networking, and other methods
Worked with clients over varying periods of time to help them connect with the correct finance product to meet their homeownership needs. 
Worked with business partners to find out of the box strategies to help people meet their financial goals.

Transitioning away from origination, I spearheaded marketing and technology initiatives. My work includes creating original material, finding sponsors, getting marketing pieces, and organizing other logistics for events. I led the selection and implementation of Mortgage Planner CRM (a salesforce platform) throughout our office.

Loan Officer/Credit manager/marketing

Wisconsin Athletic Club

Fitness instruction for one on one clients based on their goals & needs
Group exercise to motivate members and instruct them on proper form.
Instructed other trainers via the WAC University program and continuing education units via WAC Mania.

Personal Trainer

Examiner.com

I wrote articles about local events, how-to guides, and other topics. All of the content I created related to diet, exercise and fitness. This role also helped me establish backlinks to my personal training website, and reinforce my online branding.

Diet and exercise examiner

Independent

-Provide fitness services for various goals, including group fitness, after school coaching, one on one training, and lifestyle consultation.
-Developed website and social media marketing strategies to reach larger markets, including Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook.
-maintained budgeting/bookkeeping, analyzed cost/profit centers to ensure optimal business practices
-ensured customer enjoyment and success within the program to maintain client retention
-continually monitor industry standards and new techniques/research/trends

Personal Trainer/group fitness instructor

Growth Marketing | Product Marketing | Marketing Strategy | Financial Services | Luxury Goods and Services | Health & Wellness | B2B & B2C | Podcast Host

I'm not a gardener, but I'm into growing things 
Industry agnostic, customer journey & outcomes obsessed growth driver.

I get results for companies that I work with combining full-funnel, customer-centric strategy with execution. 

It's based on over 8 years of experience in online & offline marketing, involving brand, demand generation, and product marketing, and over 15 more in direct customer service/sales roles. 
Strategically driving growth for B2B and B2C businesses.

Things like over 800% ROAS and CAC reduced by 50%. 

We work through problems by combining a macro-level approach with micro-level execution. I deliver decisiveness and prioritization to create clear roadmaps even facing uncertainty. 

My coworkers note my persistence, diligence, and thorough bias towards action, resulting in energizing collaborations and project management. 

Bi-weekly marketing leaders and I take a deep dive into marketing that works, spotting trends and themes. Helping businesses and marketers grow and thrive by leveraging data, insights, and best practices.

Still reading? Let's chat!

Member

Peak Community is an invite-only private community of the best marketers and marketing leaders to connect, learn, and get 1% better each week.

Attention is a privilege and the currency of today's economy.

Recently, I interviewed an amazing leader- you're going to want to hear what she has to say.

Out now- Markigy: The Science of Marketing Strategy Podcast is joined by Jessica Lyn Zall, who brings her deep expertise on complex buying environments and leadership, and tells us what we need to hear

We talked about AI, Silos, Culture, and blending strategies to make something that matters to clients and customers.

Links in comments

Partnerships and Marketing Leader | B2B & B2C | Podcast Host | Advocate

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