A Marketing Roadmap for B2B Startups

Andrea Steffes-Tuttle

Who Am I?

ME! www.thinkbetter.co

Purpose of the Workshop

Provide guidance on the foundations of a marketing organization and the phases of development

● Strategy● Approach● Systems

Leave with:● A roadmap for references ● Resources to guide your work

Strategy

Strategy Roadmap

Decide Your Target MarketCustomer Segment(s):

● Market: Horizontal vs Vertical● Size: SMB vs Enterprise

Questions:

● Who does your product serve? ● For whom are you creating value? ● Who is your most important customer?● Who makes the buying decision?

Understand Your Buyer

● The Person● Their Purpose● Their Problem● Key Decisions/Buying Process● Constraints/Considerations● Alternative Options

Sample Buyer Persona

Live Chat SoftwareMarketing Director at Software Company

Buyer Persona - Marketing

Priorities

● Brand consistency● Lead acquisition● Lead conversion● Lead qualification● Sales enablement

Metrics they are accountable to

● Site visits● Conversion rate● MQLs● Marketing-originated Pipeline● Marketing - originated Bookings

Buyer Persona - Marketing

Look for in a Live Chat Tool

● CRM integration● Proactive chat● Customizable design● Sophisticated routing● Ease of use● Analytics

Benefits of a Live Chat Tool

● Increased conversions● Another funnel for sales● Increased MQLs

“Chat is the second-most driver of marketing-qualified

leads.”

- Sara at Hubspot

Buyer Persona - Marketing

Objections to a Live Chat Tool

● Customer support requests come through● Need agents to manage chat● Have to provide training● Additional costs● Have to install on the site● Don’t want to be intrusive

Buying Team

● CMO or VP of Marketing ● Sales Operations● IT/Web Development

Buyer Persona - Marketing

Source for Live Chat Tool Suggestions

● Google● G2Crowd● Salesforce● Hubspot● Quora● Colleagues/Peers

Common Triggering Events

● Bad experience with other Live Chat tool● Desire to create a direct channel between

the website and sales● Need to improve lead acquisition

Buyer Narrative - Marketing

Job Description – Director of Marketing, Software Company

I am part of the marketing and operations team that supports our sales division. I oversee our inside sales coordinators (ISC, BDR, SDR), who pre-qualify leads for our sales management and field sales team.

I’m in the process of securing a chat provider that integrates with our sales CRM and marketing automation systems. The integration is important because it allows us to see each customer record and view the full history of that lead, bridging the hand-off between inside sales and .

In an effort to drive growth, we’re adopting new channels of lead acquisition that help us to capture more leads in addition to increasing efficiencies to support and sustain our expansion. I’m also leading the transition from outbound sales to management of inbound channels in the sales team.

I conduct reporting and analysis for my own department, but also for executive management during their quarterly sales meetings, or when they ask for particular metrics and product sales statistics by channel or region. Not only does our current chat provider not support marketing automation, their reporting features are nearly non-existent, and they can’t manage the sales territory assignments that we need.

I’m aligned to our content and inbound marketing team, providing reporting on conversations and hot points from prospects that helps those teams to create content and campaigns that address the needs of our target audiences.

Articulate Your Messaging/Positioning● What is your solution to your buyers problems?● Which customer needs are you satisfying?● What are the defining elements of your product or

service?● How are they unique to the customer segment you’re

serving?● What can you do better than anyone else?

Value Proposition Canvas

Value Proposition Example

Example Positioning DocPositioning Statement

● The most connected eCommerce platform for wineries

Points of Differentiation● A Holistic System: Our software and services support the entire customer experience with enabled

integrations to the systems you use to connect with your customers.● Built for the Industry: VineSpring is built to support the specific business needs of wineries● Architected for the Future: Our platform is designed using the latest technology which ensures that

it’s responsive and ensures a positive store experience for your customers, no matter the volume of visitors or the device your customer’s use.

● The Best Service: With an NPS score of 72, our support team is committed to the success of our clients—serving as a partner to wineries and breweries—providing software support and business guidance.

New Boilerplate Draft

VineSpring is the most scalable platform for the wine industry. Our flexible approach ensures that your business will be supported as you grow while enhancing the customer experience. We are known for providing excellent software and support so that you can do what you do best: sell your wine and delight your customers.

Define Your Buyer Journey● Discovery:

○ Buyer Behavior: Have expressed symptoms of a problem

○ Info Needs: Partner/Peer Validation, Recommendations

● Research: ○ Buyer Behavior: Have defined and given name to their problem

○ Info Needs: Competitive Understanding, Product Requirements

● Sale: ○ Buyer Behavior: Have defined their solution, strategy, and approach

○ Info Needs: Social Proof, Product Testing

● Customer: ○ Buyer Behavior: Seeking validation that they’ve made the right choice

○ Info Needs: Connection, Validation of Performance, Exclusive Access

Set Goals● Growth Goals● Revenue Goals● Retention Goals● Conversion Goals● Lead Generation Goals

Measurement & Review● 5-Year Goals● 1-Year Goals● Quarterly Goals● Reviewed

○ Weekly

○ Monthly

○ Quarterly

○ Yearly

Marketing Approach

Approach Roadmap

$250K Budget $500K+ Budget $1M+ Budget

Online Presence

● Website● Social Channels● Product Review Sites● SEO● Participation in Industry Groups

Content Marketing● Blog● Guides● Reports● Research

● Tools● Webinars● Video● Podcast● Presentations

Demand GenerationCategories

● ABM● Inbound

Supporting Channels

● Site● Email● Advertising● Social● Events

Demand Gen Drivers - Ranked

- Referrals- Free Tools/Trials- Organic Search- Blog- Webinars- PPC- Affiliate- Social

BrandBrand Creation

● Logo● Style Guide● Voice Guide● Messaging

Distribution (Advertising)

● Online: Paid Search, Display, Native

● Traditional: Print/TV/Radio

● Sponsorship

Public Relations● News● Publishers● Associations● Community● Influencers● Philanthropy

Events● Trade Shows● Conferences● Speaking Events

● Roadshow● Private Events● User Groups● Owned Events

Partnerships● Influencer (Affiliate marketing)● Referral● Technology

Approach Roadmap

Systems

Systems Roadmap

Website/Landing Pages

● Wordpress● Squarespace● Hubspot● Leadpages● Unbounce● Homemade*

Email

● HubSpot● MailChimp● Drip● ConvertKit

Chat

● HubSpot● Drift● Intercom● SnapEngage

Sales CRM

● SalesForce● Hubspot CRM● Insightly● Nutshell● Capsule

Marketing Automation● Hubspot● SharpSpring● Hatchbuck● Infusionsoft● Marketo/Eloqua/Pardot*

Questions?