Vulkan Marketing 

At Vulkan we are changing the way B2B SaaS companies go to market and grow. 

Attract more inbound opportunities and dominate your category with customized marketing focused on your customers and revenue, not tactics or one-size-fits-all strategies.

What we do:

Our 5-step playbook is focused on the things that will drive long-term, sustainable growth for your business:

- Setting the right objectives, we don't focus on vanity metrics or ''leads''. We understand the activities that drive real growth are hard to measure. But our north star for success is always revenue.

- Deep Customer & Market Research, we help you nail down your Ideal Customer Profile, identify what are the problems and pain points they are facing and find holes in the market that aren't being met.

- Nail down your winning messaging, find the best way to communicate your brand narrative, highlight the problems your customers are facing, and position your company as the ideal solution.

- Develop, execute & optimize your growth strategy, know what activities to execute to stay in front of your ideal customers, build trust for your company and DEMAND for your solution.

- Run consistent growth experiments across social channels, finding new successful levers to add to the strategy mix to scale long-term.

Learn more here:
https://vulkanmarketing.com

Founder & CEO

RevGenius

RevGenius is a group of revenue-generating sales and marketing professionals brought together to learn, share, support, and grow with each other.

Member

More Tactics ≠ More Growth.

"Let's try to run some ads, let's try content marketing, let's start a podcast, let's buy a conference booth..."

Companies are trying to solve their growth problems with tactics, it's like putting a band-aid on a bullet wound. They aren't solving the deep-rooted issues that are stopping their business from actually growing.

That's how Vulkan Marketing started in 2019, we noticed a trend in how most B2B companies treat marketing.

Companies are trying to fix their growth problems with surface-level solutions.

Let's spend more on paid ads, let's start running events, let's run lead generation...

They end up chasing the "next big thing" forever, without understanding that growth starts with the foundations.

At Vulkan, we are helping B2B SaaS companies get out of this hamster wheel and grow in a way they will be proud of.

"We are old enough to understand the complexities of B2B, but young enough to not have been brainwashed by its archaic marketing."

Want to learn more?

Send me a DM or check out our website:
https://vulkanmarketing.com

B2B companies should stop asking themselves...

How do we get more leads from our marketing?

And instead ask themselves this in 2023:

How do we build a brand & category that our audience cares about and ATTRACTS customers?

The former, focuses on the superficial side of things.

And often the fixes, end up being superficial too:

- More content
- More channels
- More webinars
- More advertising spend
- More tactics...

This only puts your business in a hamster wheel, chasing quick fixes and "hacks" endlessly.


But the latter group is different.

The companies who focus on building a brand & category that people care about.

Understand there's much more to do than tactics.

They have to build everything from the ground up, nailing down their:

- Audience
- Strategy
- Point of View
- Product
- Messaging / Positioning
- Customer experience

Many of these things take months, even years to nail down.

But when done right, these are the companies that end up winning in the long run.

Those companies attract customers that believe in their movement, product and WIN their category.

Which side is best for a business?

The answer is clear.

How many business actually execute on them?

Not many.

Diego Oquendo

B2B companies are playing a dangerous game of "more".

They have big, ambitious targets to reach and they are moving fast.

So because of this, they rarely take the time to step back and analyze their strategy.

What ends up happening?

When things start to slow down,, they focus on playing this "more" game.

Leads down for the quarter? Time to spend more on Google Search.

Sales reps behind in quota? Let's create some e-books and capture some leads for our sales team.

Are we behind on our targets? We should try LinkedIn Ads, I heard they work.

And they end up stuck in this never ending cycle of testing more channels, spending more budget and trying more tactics.

But their whole strategy is built on a shaky foundation.

Here are the 5 fundamentals every company should build, before focusing on tactics:

Customer, Market, POV, Content, Reporting.

- Deep understanding of customers and the market (Current situation, pains, motivations, desires, mindset, . It can come from research or qualitative insights

-  Identifying the problems, holes or gaps in the market to develop your narrative / POV into your messaging

- Connect this narrative / POV to your product and see how successful it is in filling the gaps in the market

- Building your content strategy to figure out how to communicate and distribute this message online

- Building the reporting to measure how successful is the strategy, adapted to how people buy today

These are all things I believe companies should work on before relying on any tactics to grow.

They don't get figured out in a week doing endless board meetings, but because it's grunt work most companies skip this part completely.

When done well, they make long-term growth way easier to achieve.

Here's how most B2B ads look:

''Look at me, schedule a demo here, buy here, see our testimonials and awards here''

Have you ever bought B2B software thanks to an ad?

That's how most companies advertise, pushing you their products non-stop.

Yet they don't give you a single reason to buy, besides to give them money.

Most people are on social media to get entertained, network and learn.

They aren't scrolling through the feed looking for the next piece of software to buy.

Advertising gives you the opportunity to target your most desired customers.

So instead of trying to convert them right away without knowing you.

Focus on building authority and demand on your buyer's mind.

Through content that appeals to their current beliefs and shows them the better way of doing things.

Switch your focus from transactional advertising (download, buy, see this...)

To educational (consume this piece of content, appeal to their current situation, show a better way...)

Hint: Deliver as much information as you can on the feed, don't make them leave the platform to read your blog or article.

This is how B2B buyers buy today.

Going to the brand that educated, built authority, trust and created demand.

Not the one that sold them something 24/7.

Your marketing shouldn't be understood by everyone.

👆🏻 This is why most B2B marketing strategies fail.

Companies are trying to make their messages appeal to everyone, and end up resonating with no-one.

Messages like:

"We help companies operationalize their processes through ground-breaking AI solutions"

"We help companies leverage their systems to generate more revenue"

Want to see it for yourself?

Take a quick break, scroll down till you see an ad, and tell me if you understood their value-prop in less than 10 seconds.

Probably you didn't understand what they do at first or second glance.

If you were a potential customer, you would've skipped the ad already.

That's why most B2B brands have bad results on advertising or barely break even.

They don't know how to connect with their customers, or clearly show what problems they have and why it matters.

What's the band-aid solution?

Let's capture more leads! Let's increase the budget! Let's try another audience!

Then execs wonder why sales is missing quota and marketing isn't bringing high-quality leads.

You can't build a strong marketing strategy on a weak foundation.

Here are 3 signals to know if your marketing is resonating:

1- No brainer: Your marketing material is actually getting consumed.

Your video ads are being watched till 50% or more, people are attending and sticking with the webinars, people aren't bouncing off the website...

2- If some people are not disagreeing with you, you're either playing it too safe, or your messages aren't clear enough.

3- Those who agree with the content or like it:

Are asking questions, sharing it with their peers or friends, making inquiries about your offers


Don't try to make your marketing about everyone.

Because not everyone is part of your target audience.

Well, these are some super cool news to start the year!

I've been named a LinkedIn Marketing Rising Star for this 2023.

Super honored to share this list with great professionals, like Nemanja Zivkovic, Lola Bakare, Mayur Gupta, Stacey Danheiser and more!

Check the list out and follow these fellow marketers! 👇🏻

Open article: Follow These 10 Rising Stars of the Marketing World in 2023 by linkedin.com

https://www.linkedin.com/business/marketing/blog/trends-tips/follow-these-10-rising-stars-of-the-marketing-world-in-2023

Contrary to popular belief, people don’t have short attention spans

"Let's create 15-second TikToks, they get more views"

"People don't watch long videos anymore"

"Can we make this blog shorter? Our audience won't read it thoroughly"

Here is the reality:

If people can listen to 3-hour podcasts and skip 15-second TikToks.

You realize the problem isn’t the length of your content.

But the quality of your content.

And how relevant that content is to your audience.

We can quickly filter an interesting piece of content vs. a boring one.

That’s what people call ‘’short attention spans’’

Just because short content can ''get more views''

This doesn't mean it will be more effective.

Short content is great to entertain and get people to know you.

Long-form content is the one that builds authority, displays your personality and educates your audience.

If you want to get the most out of your content.

You should mix both styles of content, and prioritize the one you're the best at.

It's not a battle of short-form vs. long-form, but knowing how to create a balance between the two

Quality of the content > Length

B2B companies, here's a reminder to kick-off 2023:

Your audience doesn't care about your company as much as you think.

Why?

- They have many things to take care of on a daily basis

Their ambitious Q1 targets, their work, personal life...

- They get blasted with marketing messages from companies every single day.

To stand out from all this noise, you have to earn their attention with things they care about.

- Most of your audience isn’t looking to buy solutions like yours (yet)

The goal is to start highlighting the problems your audience might be facing, so they feel like you understand them.

And start buildng affinity so when they are ready to buy, you are in their consideration set.

So, how can you make your interactions with your audience valuable?

These are the questions your audience asks themselves whenever they interact with your company:

1- Do you happen to understand my current situation and the problems I'm having?


2- Can you solve this problem for me?


3- How fast can you solve it?


4- Why should I choose you over a competitor?


If you don't answer at least one of these questions in most interactions with your buyers.

They won't consume your content, follow you or buy from you.

Don't make it about you (company) make it about them (customer)

Why most B2B companies don't see results from their advertising?

Because they treat it as a selling channel.

When you have this mindset around advertising, no matter how much "demand gen" you try to execute.

You will always focus on the number of conversions and sales you will get, nothing else.

But besides a VERY small set of your audience, it's unrealistic to think people will buy your +100k solution from downloading your e-book or joining your webinar.

Good B2B advertising has one main goal: Get consumed.

If your buyers see 50% of your video, that's way more valuable than them downloading an e-book.

Because they're actually consuming it.

Create educational content, highlight your customer's problems in a creative way (using stock photos with a headline won't cut it)

And SHOW them what's the best solution to those problems, here's where you can include your product, case studies and testimonials.

Want to get more customers from your advertising?

Stop trying to sell them something in the first place.

Have some balance between capturing those buyers who are looking to buy right now, and those who might buy in the next 3-6-12+ months.

Have you ever bought a B2B product thanks to an ad?

And how many ads you see daily from B2B companies selling you something?

This is the big problem when it comes to advertising in B2B.

Company-centric ads, talking about how great their product is.

''Look at me, schedule a demo here, buy here, see our testimonials and awards here''

Yet these ads don't give you a single reason to buy, outside of giving them money.

Most people are on social media to network and learn.

They aren't scrolling through the feed looking for the next piece of software to buy.

It's time to change the mindset around how to use advertising more effectively.

Advertising gives you the golden opportunity to target your most desired customers.

So instead of trying to convert them right away without knowing you.

Focus on building authority and demand on your buyer's mind.

Through content that appeals to their current beliefs, situation and shows them a better way of doing things.

Switch your focus from transactional advertising (download, buy, see this...)

To educational (consume this piece of content, appeal to their current situation, show a better way...)

Hint: Deliver as much information as you can on the feed, don't make them leave the platform to read your blog or article.

This is how B2B buyers buy today.

Going to the brand that educated, built authority and demand.

Not the one that sold them something 24/7.

Most B2B companies have an obsession with selling to executives and leadership

"Our target audience is C-level executives" - Said every B2B company, ever.

Because they are the decision-makers and hold the buying power.

It makes sense at the surface level, but when you dig deep, you would realize why this is a mistake.

Often, the people who will often use your solution are those who are in the trenches daily.

These are the people who are feeling the problems in their job and understand why they need to solve them ASAP.

And it’s not always a C-level exec or a VP.

Let’s take an example:

If you try to pitch a company about why they need your software to create content faster.

Who would you pitch the solution to? The CMO or the content marketer?

Who’s actually feeling the pain of researching, ideating, creating the content, editing, publishing...?

So instead of trying to convince the executive why they need this tool.

Take a bottom-up approach, start building affinity with the content marketer and give them the resources and knowledge so they sell the product internally.

A champion inside your buyer’s org. is worth more than 100 touchpoints from your company (just made that up)

ICs, directors, managers, heads of departments... While they might not be signing the contract.

They are the reason why the contract gets signed.

B2B companies, 90% of the leads you capture are NOT ready to buy.

This is the reason why they end up wasting hundreds of hours from their sales reps chasing "opportunities" that will never close.

So, what's a good way of measuring buying intent?

Based on the commitment from the buyer:

- They read your blog? No commitment
- They give you an email? Low commitment
- They asked for pricing? Middle commitment
- They requested a demo? High commitment

In the first example, you might simply be looking to get educated and learn something new, even with "BoFu blogs".

In the second example, you can easily create a fake email to get a gated piece of content.

In the third one, you have *some* interest in the product that you asked for prices, but are not quite committed to jump in a +30-min demo

In the last example, you're taking time out of your day to explore the solution, at this stage you want to learn more about the actual product and clear doubts.

If your audience isn’t committing to anything when interacting with your brand, they have low to no buying intent.

And this is a crucial distinction B2B companies have to make.

Not everyone who gives you their email is a "hot lead"

If you don't consider buying intent when analyzing opportunities.

You will waste HUNDREDS of hours and dollars chasing "leads" who aren't ready to buy, that could've been spent on real opportunities.

If you're looking for ways to grow this 2023, remember this, doing "demand gen" won't fix your marketing & business problems overnight.

The same can be said about:
- ABM
- Investing in brand
- Starting a podcast
- Posting on LinkedIn
- Focusing on pipeline & revenue

If you try to apply them just because you saw online that they work.

You're doomed.

In the end, they're all just tactics.

If your strategy around marketing, your mindset or culture doesn't support those initiatives.

Even if you try the "hottest new trend" out there, you're going to fail.

Instead of using the tactics to drive a new way of doing marketing.

Start with the basics.

* What is your mindset when it comes to marketing?

* Are your campaigns driven by your own judgment, or focused on your customer?

* How can you capture insights and feedback from your customers consistently?

* Are employees on board with this new initiative?

* If not, how can you make marketing a pillar of the business?

* Do you have a differentiated positioning / Point of View in the market?

These are questions that you should ask before trying to execute any new tactic in your company.

Because if you're not aware of the intention behind them.

You will eventually shift back to the old way of doing things.

Want to do great marketing?

Start with your foundations, customer & mindset around marketing in mind.

Not your stakeholders, quarterly goals or funding rounds.

How I saw marketing when I started my career:

- “X is dead”
- “Every company should do this”
- “This is wrong / This is right”

How I see marketing today:

- It depends
- Does this fits your customers, vertical, business model, pricing structure…?
- Have you tried it? For how long? What were the results?

The biggest wake-up call I got about marketing and business is that…

Nothing is inherently right or wrong, every piece of advice is contextual.

Someone can say “X is dead”, while another company is making millions from executing that “dead” thing.

Take every advice with a grain of salt, see how it might fit with your business, customers and resources.

Test it, stick with it and based on the results, see if it’s worth keeping or not.

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