After reading ‘Killing the Cat’ by Scott Galloway, I couldn’t resist diving into the debate myself. Galloway makes a strong point, but Jaguar’s rebrand shows what happens when style takes priority over substance.
“Scott’s Jaguar piece hits the mark—there’s a lesson here for every marketer and every company, B2B included.”
For those unfamiliar, Jaguar—once synonymous with British elegance, speed, and luxury—recently tried to redefine itself with a full-on rebrand. What did they deliver? A pink concept EV showcased at Art Basel Miami (that will never go into production), a forgettable new logo, and a campaign called “Copy Nothing” that, ironically, feels as generic as ever. As Scott puts it, this is the “all chip, no salsa” launch of the year—attention-grabbing, yes, but at the cost of eroding their core brand equity.
Tata Motors, which owns Jaguar, is winding down their existing car lineup to prepare for an all-electric luxury reboot, targeting an ultra-high-end market. Their new models, priced at around $400K, won’t hit the market for a year, so in the meantime, they’ve dismantled Jaguar’s greatest assets: its heritage, its promise of power and beauty, and its iconic “leaping cat” logo.
Scott calls this out brilliantly: “To take the greatest visual metaphor in automotive history and kill it is to destroy shareholder value.” He goes further to argue that Jaguar’s problem has always been products that couldn’t live up to the brand’s promise—an issue no flashy rebrand can fix.
Here’s where this resonates for me, and where the story feels so familiar.
Back in my days at M-Systems, under the leadership of the brilliant entrepreneur Dov Moran, we were changing the game with innovations like the DiskOnKey (the world’s first USB flash drive). Around the same time, we watched Kodak—a market leader in film photography—completely miss the digital revolution. Kodak invented the first digital camera in the 1970s but clung to its legacy product: film. They didn’t recognize the winds of change, and by the time they reacted, it was too late. They had the technology, but not the courage to reimagine themselves for a digital future.
Jaguar is running the risk of becoming the next Kodak—a brand so focused on superficial reinvention that it loses sight of the core: creating a product people actually want and need. Instead of leaning into its strengths—British design, engineering heritage, and timeless luxury—it has abandoned them for short-term attention and marketing gimmicks.
Scott’s point about the shift in marketing holds true across industries, including B2B: For decades, brands could “win” by building emotional stories around mediocre products. Today, that era is gone. Audiences—whether car buyers or B2B decision-makers—are savvier, armed with tools to evaluate products instantly. Trust comes not from your logo or your tagline but from what you deliver.
In B2B marketing, I see the same missteps. Companies invest heavily in new websites, flashy campaigns, or rebrands while ignoring product gaps, customer experience issues, or the real value they need to deliver. It’s like Jaguar spending millions on a “Copy Nothing” campaign while showing up with… nothing.
The lesson here is simple:
Lean into your differentiators.
Double down on what makes your brand authentic.
Fix the product and experience first.
As Scott said, “No one ever saved a company with a new logo.” Whether you’re marketing a $400K luxury car or an enterprise SaaS product, branding isn’t a band-aid. It’s a magnifier—and it works best when the foundation is solid.
Don’t be Jaguar. And don’t be Kodak. Be the brand that reinvents itself from the inside out.
On November 30th, 2022, OpenAI released the first public version of ChatGPT, and from that moment, the landscape of conversational AI transformed significantly. Four months later, in March 2023, over 1,000 new AI companies launched their products in a single month.
The AI “boom” holds tremendous opportunities for companies, but simultaneously creates a market flooded with companies offering “AI everything”. They are fighting for the same attention of the buyers, competing over the same media, working to win over the SEO top positioning and every week you discover a new competitor that is saying pretty much what you’re saying.
Let’s do the following exercise together, shall we? Take yourself back a few weeks to the 2024 Olympics.
Do you remember the name of the gold medalist in the women’s marathon? Or the name of the gold medalist for the men’s decathlon? What about speed climbing? These people are all recognized as the best at what they do in the world. But all you can remember is that Snoop Dog was there, right?
Just like the Olympics, where every moment is filled with new events, competitions, and ceremonies, the AI industry is brimming with innovation, announcements, and breakthroughs. If you don’t do anything differently, how will you stand out? Similarly, for companies, it’s easy to get lost in the crowd.
Focus on specialization: AI startups are finding success by focusing on niche markets or specific applications where they can provide superior performance or unique solutions compared to more general models like ChatGPT.
Merely riding the AI wave isn’t enough; standing out is crucial for success. At SAGE, we’ve honed a strategy that elevates our clients’ AI solutions above the ubiquitous noise. Here’s a closer look at how we’ve guided numerous AI enterprises toward achieving distinctiveness and operational excellence
Company Profile: Bria AI specializes in cutting-edge, AI-powered image editing solutions tailored for the business sector. Their platform is engineered to deliver high-efficiency, scalable image editing capabilities, catering to the complex demands of enterprises handling extensive volumes of visual content. Bria AI’s technology empowers businesses to streamline their image management processes.
Their platform provides:
Automated Enhancement: Uses AI for precision color correction, sharpness, and noise reduction, ensuring high-quality visuals with minimal manual input.
Customizable Solutions: Tailors editing options to meet specific brand and campaign needs.
Scalability: Adapts to organizations of all sizes, from startups to large enterprises, with a flexible architecture for various editing demands.
Challenge and Solution:
Bria AI faced the challenge of distinguishing itself in a competitive market of visual generative AI products while effectively reaching both C-Level decision-makers and developers. To address this, we deployed a strategic Account-Based Marketing (ABM) approach tailored to maximize impact across their target audiences.
Our strategy involved a multi-faceted campaign execution:
LinkedIn Paid Campaigns: We designed and launched targeted LinkedIn paid campaigns aimed at increasing visibility among high-value prospects. These campaigns were optimized to capture the attention of senior executives and decision-makers, highlighting Bria AI’s unique value propositions and driving engagement.
Targeted Email and LinkedIn Sequences: We developed customized email and LinkedIn sequences to nurture leads through the sales funnel. These sequences were crafted to deliver personalized messaging based on the prospect’s engagement level, ensuring relevance and resonance with each recipient.
20/80 Approach: We implemented the 20/80 approach to effectively manage our outreach efforts. For senior personas, we created compelling Calls-to-Action (CTAs) inviting them to book exclusive meetings, thereby fostering direct engagement with key decision-makers. For the broader audience, we offered early access to a private launch and free trials of Bria AI’s platform, generating interest and allowing potential clients to experience the value of the solution firsthand.
Dedicated Landing Pages: To further enhance the effectiveness of our ABM efforts, we created dedicated landing pages on Bria AI’s website tailored to each ABM campaign and persona. These landing pages were designed to provide targeted content and CTAs that aligned with the specific interests and needs of each audience segment, driving higher engagement and conversion rates.
By focusing on these targeted ABM activities and leveraging personalized landing pages, we successfully elevated Bria AI’s market presence, engaged critical stakeholders with precision, and facilitated high-quality lead generation. This strategic approach not only enhanced Bria AI’s ability to reach and convert their ideal clients but also positioned them as a front-runner in the AI-driven image editing space through effective, results-driven marketing initiatives.
Company Profile: AI21 is a trailblazer in the AI-driven transformation for enterprises, specializing in advanced Task-Specific Models (TSMs) that address key organizational needs. Their offerings include: Conversational AI, Summarization Tools and more.
AI21’s technology empowers businesses by delivering tailored AI solutions that streamline operations and drive efficiency across various enterprise functions.
For the e-commerce sector AI21 delivers AI-driven personalization solutions. Their platform provides advanced tools to deliver tailored customer experiences, significantly enhancing engagement and boosting conversion rates.
Key features of AI21’s offerings include:
Dynamic Personalization: Utilizing advanced AI algorithms, AI21 empowers e-commerce platforms to create highly personalized messages and recommendations, ensuring each customer interaction is unique and relevant.
Contextual Understanding: The platform excels in analyzing customer behavior and preferences, enabling businesses to tailor their messaging in real-time based on individual context and interactions.
Scalable Solutions: AI21’s solutions are designed to scale with businesses, from startups to large enterprises, ensuring seamless integration and adaptability to evolving needs.
Challenge and Solution: AI21 aimed to make a significant impact at the NRF Big Retail and E-Commerce Conference, where standing out among numerous AI companies was crucial. The challenge was to capture the attention of key decision-makers and effectively convey the unique value of their personalization technology in a crowded and competitive environment.
To address this, we proposed a creative and strategic concept:
Innovative Booth Concept: We suggested an engaging booth design modeled as an ice cream stand featuring a variety of flavors. This concept was intended to symbolize the personalization capabilities of AI21’s technology. Just as an ice cream stand offers a wide range of flavors to suit different tastes, AI21’s platform provides diverse, tailored experiences for each customer. This approach aimed to create a visually striking and memorable presence at the conference.
Targeted Messaging: The proposed booth was designed to highlight the importance of personalization in e-commerce, aligning the theme of the stand with AI21’s core message. Although the concept was not implemented, it demonstrated our commitment to creating a standout experience that would effectively communicate AI21’s innovative solutions and engage conference attendees.
Strategic Impact: By presenting this unique booth concept, we aimed to position AI21 distinctively in the market, showcasing their technology’s potential to revolutionize customer engagement. The idea was to attract high-value prospects and facilitate meaningful interactions that would drive interest and generate valuable leads.
Company Profile: Xpander.AI specializes in seamlessly integrating agentic tools into enterprise tech stacks. Their platform provides automatic, rapid, and efficient connectors that save developers valuable time, allowing them to focus on core product development. Xpander.AI’s solution stands out for:
Seamless Integration: Facilitates quick and effortless connections between existing tech stacks and new agentic tools.
Developer Focus: Frees up developers to concentrate on advancing their company’s products rather than on integration issues.
Challenge and Solution: Xpander.AI faced the challenge of establishing a strong market presence as a new and relatively unknown company, particularly in a competitive conference environment. With a limited budget compared to other exhibitors, they needed a strategy that would differentiate them and capture attention.
Our strategy involved:
Developing a Distinct Brand Language: We emphasized the ‘X’ in Xpander.AI, positioning it as the ‘X Factor’ that sets the company apart from competitors.
Creating the X Superhero Theme: To make a memorable impact at the conference, we proposed a superhero theme where ‘X Superheroes’ symbolically save the day for developers. This concept highlights the ‘superpowers’ that Xpander.AI’s solutions offer, portraying them as essential tools for overcoming integration challenges.
Leveraging Low-Budget Creativity: Since Xpander.AI’s budget was constrained, the superhero theme was designed to be highly engaging and visually striking without requiring substantial expenditure. By incorporating elements like superhero costumes and interactive photo opportunities, the concept aims to draw attendees in, create buzz, and foster memorable experiences that are both shareable and relatable.
Reasoning: In a budget-limited scenario, creating a concept that captures attention and encourages interaction is crucial. The X superhero theme not only provides a distinctive and visually compelling presence but also invites attendee engagement through memorable photo opportunities and themed giveaways. This approach maximizes impact without requiring extensive financial resources, ensuring that Xpander.AI stands out and leaves a lasting impression at the conference.
Company Profile: KPMG Edge is the technology unit of KPMG, specializing in delivering high-stakes projects for Israel’s largest companies. Their expertise spans AI, cyber, cloud, ML, data, and digital solutions. Traditionally recognized for consulting, KPMG Edge aimed to rebrand and reposition itself as the go-to service provider for complex projects that demand flawless execution.
Challenge and Solution:
KPMG Edge faced the challenge of overcoming limited awareness and a perception of being less technologically innovative compared to other high-tech companies. Our goal was to reposition KPMG Edge as the top choice for critical projects requiring impeccable execution.
Our Strategy and Actions:
Market Research and Strategy Development: We conducted comprehensive market research to understand the competitive landscape and KPMG Edge’s unique value proposition. This research informed a new marketing and brand strategy focused on highlighting KPMG Edge’s expertise in handling mission-critical projects. The strategy emphasized their capability to deliver complex solutions with precision, reinforcing their reputation as a reliable partner for high-stakes projects.
Website and Marketing Collateral: We revamped KPMG Edge’s online presence with a dynamic and innovative website that showcased its diverse technology offerings clearly and engagingly. The website was designed to reflect KPMG Edge’s edge in delivering cutting-edge solutions while enhancing user experience. Additionally, we created a suite of marketing collateral, including one-pagers and customer testimonials, to simplify and communicate their complex offerings effectively. SEO optimization was also implemented to improve online visibility and attract key decision-makers.
Event Execution and Promotion: KPMG Edge’s partnership with Microsoft Israel provided a significant platform to showcase its capabilities. We played a crucial role in co-hosting the OpenAI launch event held at Microsoft, which included content creation, guest invitations, and video production featuring CEO interviews. The event was designed to maximize exposure through engaging photo opportunities and strategic media coverage. This high-profile event significantly raised KPMG Edge’s visibility and credibility.
Post-Event Success and Recognition: The content created for the event, including social media videos and interviews with key personas, contributed to KPMG Edge winning the Microsoft Partner of the Year award. This accolade not only validated their new market positioning but also underscored their success in becoming a leader in technology solutions.
Impact:
By redefining their brand strategy, enhancing their digital presence, and executing a high-impact event, we successfully elevated KPMG Edge’s profile. The strategic approach not only addressed their challenges but also positioned them as a leading provider of complex technology solutions, culminating in their prestigious recognition as Microsoft Partner of the Year.
In a world where AI innovations are abundant and attention is fleeting, focusing on specialization and employing creative, targeted strategies can make all the difference. To cut through the noise and ensure your message resonates, it’s vital to build a distinct identity and deliver a compelling narrative that captures and holds the audience’s attention. Embrace these strategies, and you’ll not only stand out but also make a meaningful impact in the ever-evolving AI landscape.
Need help finding your unique story and standing out in the AI landscape? Contact us today to discover how we can make your narrative shine.
Like learning but short on time? Looking to stay sharp and up to date on the business world without having to constantly slog through news articles and websites?
Whether you’re running a startup or intend to someday, educating yourself on the business world is vital. And the best way to do it is to learn from people who have experienced the challenges themselves and can share lessons they have taken with them.
No matter which part of your journey you’re on, we’ve got everything you need right here. Lean into podcasts and learn from like-minded entrepreneurs from the comfort of your own kitchen, bathtub, car, or wherever else you can lend an ear.
Find below a refined list of the 17 best startup podcasts for entrepreneurs, founders, startup CEOs, or anyone looking for valuable information to help grow their business in 2025.
Listen as EOF founder John Lee Dumas hosts entrepreneurs who are “on fire.” Bringing his own entrepreneurial and author experience, John interviews inspiring entrepreneurs about their founder journeys, providing valuable insights that you can learn from in quick 25-minute episodes.
Tech Crunch’s Equity podcast, by Alex Wilhelm, Natasha Mascarenhas, and Mary Ann Azevedo, is all about the business side of start-ups. It delves into the statistics and facts behind news headlines, giving you an inside look into the start-up world and how and why businesses make their way into the limelight.
37signals (the makers of Basecamp and HEY) bring you this podcast about better ways to run your business and make the most of your time. Unlike the common tips to scale up as quickly as you can and raise as much money as possible, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson believe there’s a better way. Listen to stories of business owners who have leaned into staying small, growing slow, and bootstrapping.
To keep tabs on everything Saas/tech and peep in on engaging conversations of do-ers and makers, check out Inside Intercom, brought to you by the Intercom team. With guest speakers from the worlds of start-ups, marketing, design, and product management, there’s something for everyone to learn.
Hosted by David Brown and brought to you by Wondery, Business Wars gives you the unfiltered, true stories of what drives businesses and their investors, founders, leaders, and executives. Take a look behind the scenes of what builds these businesses up, or ends up taking them down.
Check this podcast out to hear Tim Ferriss, one of Fortune’s “40 under 40” and an avid author and technology investor, break down world-renowned experts and performers in niche subjects. Pick up tricks, tools, and tactics on the best books to read, good habits to build, time-management skills, and more that can all be applied to business and life.
Short on time? Neil Patel and Eric Siu bring you a 10 minute podcast every day of actionable marketing advice to help you take your business to the next level. They take into account current economic and marketing trends to keep you up to speed and ready for whatever comes your way.
8. Startup Savant
TRUiC brings you Startup Savant, a startup podcast where Ethan Peyton interviews experts and startup founders to give an inside peek at what it’s like to launch and grow a business. Covering all stages of entrepreneurship and the challenges that present themselves along the way, you’ll be able to learn from others’ experiences.
What do the top startup founders know that you don’t? Mixergy is the business startup podcast that can answer that for you. Listen as Andrew Warner, an entrepreneur himself, provides a platform for other entrepreneurs to share their stories of starting and growing a business. With thousands of episodes available, there are endless interesting stories and learning opportunities.
Brought to you by NPR, Planet Money has been reporting on all of the “big, complicated forces that move our economy” since 2008. The podcast has won multiple awards for its investigative podcast journalism, so it’s safe to say that there are valuable insights to be gained from giving it a listen.
11. The Gradience
“The people you bring into your leadership team can make or break your startup.” Join Nigel Robinson on this startup stories podcast as he speaks with startup founders and experts about the art & science behind hiring leaders, why it’s so important, and how best to approach hiring for your startup.
This podcast follows Tom Hunt, a B2B marketer, entrepreneur, and businessman, along his journey of growing his B2B agency, Fame. Listen as he discusses the world of B2B marketing and his key tips on creating demand generation and business growth.
Listen along as Brian Casel and Jordan Gal share bootstrap business tips they’ve picked up through their own entrepreneurial journeys and from others in the industry. Stay connected to the software entrepreneur community while learning how to elevate your own “spiritual hustle journey” with 45-minute episodes released each month of this founders podcast.
“The No BS version of startup life you’ve been looking for.” Startup Therapy Podcast is hosted by Wil Schroter and Ryan Rutan, two startup founders who bring a mental health-focused perspective on being an entrepreneur. With episodes that discuss challenges founders face, what risks they truly present, and action steps you can take to solve them, this podcast is an excellent choice.
If you’re looking for insider information from independent software developers, Slow & Steady is for you. Brian Rhea, Benedicte Raae, and Benedikt Deicke share stories of what it’s like to build and launch software products.
Innovators Can Laugh is like the Tonight Show of startup-related podcasts. Texas expat, Eric Melchor, interviews innovative startups based in Europe in a fun and casual way – turning their wisdom and expertise into actionable advice you can use to scale your business no matter your industry.
The interviews are different and reveal a fun perspective on Startup Culture as opposed to traditional business-related podcasts. Unlike ordinary entrepreneurial-related shows interviewing cookie-cutter guests, Eric is the only American host who interviews fresh faces of the European startup scene. You can listen to new episodes every Thursday.
Masters of Scale is a must-listen for startup founders aiming to build high-growth businesses. Hosted by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, the podcast features candid interviews with top leaders like Mark Zuckerberg and Peter Thiel. It explores strategies for every stage, from early prototypes to scaling globally, offering actionable insights to help founders achieve success. 🚀
Listen Up
There you have it! The 17 best podcasts for start-up founders to listen to. If you’re short on time (which – who isn’t these days?) and looking to stay sharp, informed, and learning, pick a few podcasts that spark your interest and make listening to a part of your daily or weekly routine.
As CMOs, we’re often seen as the creative minds driving customer engagement and brand awareness. But when budget season arrives, the focus shifts to hard numbers and justifying our spend to the CFO. It’s a dynamic that can feel like a clash of priorities, but it doesn’t have to be.
In fact, when CMOs and CFOs align, they become an unstoppable force—championing growth, optimizing resources, and driving the business forward. With the 2025 budgeting season around the corner, now is the time to bridge the gap, align on goals, and start speaking the same language.
Budget Growth vs. Media Inflation
Marketing budgets are projected to grow by 1.2% in 2025, but when you factor in media inflation at 4.3%, real purchasing power takes a hit—down 3.1%. This stark reality means we need to advocate for at least a 4% increase just to maintain the status quo.
For this conversation to succeed, we need to step into the CFO’s world. Dr. Grace Keith captured it perfectly: “Finance professionals value objective analysis, facts, and figures. It’s essential to present evidence with a high likelihood that the investment will deliver results. Third-party validation strengthens the argument and provides a solid level of rigor.”
As CMOs, we must come prepared with data, clarity, and the tools to demonstrate marketing’s measurable impact.
HubSpot: The Ultimate Bridge Between Marketing and Finance
This is where HubSpot comes in. HubSpot isn’t just a marketing platform—it’s a data powerhouse that connects campaigns to outcomes and shows exactly how marketing drives growth.
For CMOs, HubSpot offers insights like customer acquisition costs, campaign ROI, and lifetime customer value, all of which translate marketing’s success into terms the CFO understands. For CFOs, it provides transparency and accountability, making marketing less of a “black box” and more of a strategic partner.
With HubSpot, marketing leaders can have more productive conversations with finance, proving not just what we spend, but what we achieve—and why it matters.
Consistency Builds Trust
One of the most critical aspects of bridging the CMO-CFO gap is consistent communication.
Regular updates ensure transparency and reinforce trust. It’s not about waiting for the annual budget meeting—it’s about fostering an ongoing dialogue that aligns marketing efforts with financial goals.
Educating the Organization on Marketing’s Value
It’s not enough to do great work; we must also share our wins and educate our colleagues about the value marketing brings to the business. From boosting customer acquisition to driving brand loyalty, every success is an opportunity to showcase marketing as a growth engine—not just a cost center.
By sharing clear, data-backed stories of success and linking them to business outcomes, we shift the perception of marketing from expense to investment. This understanding makes budget discussions more collaborative and ensures future funding is based on informed confidence.
The Path Forward: Collaboration
The divide between CMOs and CFOs often boils down to a lack of shared understanding. But the solution is clear:
For CMOs: Leverage tools like HubSpot to back your strategies with data, communicate consistently, and take the lead in educating internal stakeholders about marketing’s impact.
For CFOs: Recognize that marketing’s value often extends beyond immediate P&L impact, driving long-term growth and customer retention.
Together, CMOs and CFOs can align their efforts to optimize budgets, drive smarter strategies, and achieve sustainable growth.
The Bottom Line
The 2025 budget isn’t just a financial plan—it’s an opportunity to redefine the relationship between marketing and finance. With the right tools, consistent communication, and a shared commitment to business growth, CMOs and CFOs can become the power couple every organization needs.
The future of marketing—and your business—depends on it.
With 2023 coming just around the corner, companies are busy planning strategies and budgets for the new year. Naturally, this raises discussions over how to organize spending so that you get the most bang for your buck.
How to Strengthen ROI with Your 2025 Marketing Budget
1. Tieback your marketing activity metrics to your budget.
The goals you set for your marketing and activities depend on many factors, especially your business stage. (Obviously, if you are in a very early stage, your marketing activities focus on attracting new customers or gaining new subscribers, whereas a more established business focuses on retention marketing strategies.) As a CEO, being aware of which marketing activities generate most of your leads ensures the marketing budget is being well spent on the appropriate channels, and then later re-invested in the top-performing areas.
Tying your marketing metrics to your budget is very important to help your business grow.
Example business goals for 2025:
Increase pipeline by 10% each month
Grow brand equity and brand presence
Boost sales to existing customers
Enter a new market
Increase collaboration between sales and marketing teams
Improve quality of incoming leads
Strengthen company culture
All of these goals influence the tactics you choose, the budget, and a coherent strategy. All of these marketing goals and activities are ultimately about generating business growth.
Tip >> Review your marketing performance and budget regularly. Stay committed to your marketing goals, but adjust allocations for each activity based on ROI.
2. Make adjustments as you go, and re-evaluate the ROI of every activity.
Ask yourself how each marketing activity is moving the business toward achieving its strategic goals. Marketing budgets for companies require a lot of planning, but there’s also room for adjustments.
Does your business really need to be at trade shows to source and convert leads? Or would the same funds be better spent on webinars or PPC?
What platform does your target audience use to consume content? Do they use social media? For B2B companies, LinkedIn is a good tool for promotional use and direct communications. Quora is also a good way for B2B companies to reach audiences.
Tip >> Be prepared to shift your marketing activities quickly, easily. Don’t get hung up or fall in love with one aspect of your marketing budget which may later need to be changed. Remember, marketing is a mix and not a one channel activity.
3. Pace yourself for the marathon of marketing growth.
If you have not already done so, put a calendar in front of you and line it up side-by-side with both your marketing budget and product roadmap. Create estimates and go back to check again what you think will be needed throughout the year compared to actual spend.
As an overview, you might see that Q1 and Q2 are really strong
Q3 might be a bit slower because of summer vacation
Q4 can also be a little slower due to winter holidays
Tip >> You probably aren’t due for a vacation anytime soon, so take mini-breaks with your marketing team to celebrate major milestones. If that’s not in the budget, simply rewarding yourselves with one late morning could work, too.
4. Get your customers involved.
This is a marketing concept to keep you within your budget, and at the same time, aim for growth. What can you do to motivate other people to be your brand ambassadors and market your business for you? DropBox used an incentive strategy, offering something of value to customers in exchange for sending their friends or colleagues to sign up. DropBox offered additional free storage, but likewise, you can develop a free offer to entice customers to give you referrals. Consider offering something of value but without any major investment – such as a free audit, widget, a custom demo, or downloadable material – in exchange for referral leads.
Additionally, you can engage your customers in testimonials and adding them to your website and marketing materials to encourage cross-promotion. Happy customers are more than glad to have you add your logo to your website to spread the word about their business as well.
Tip >> Win new customers from existing ones. Offer customers something of value in exchange for sending their friends and colleagues as new leads.
5. Make sure your marketing team is the best.
Ensure every member understands your business, tactics, and audiences and knows how to generate a relevant and effective marketing strategy and execution plan.
While we all know that the most expensive line item for almost any budget is the manpower (aka labor in accounting terms), finding and hiring experts with specific experience in sales and marketing need not be expensive. You don’t have to get a recruiter. Or a headache. The key here is to factor in your greatest expense, the labor:
Does it make more sense to hire a single, local full-time marketing employee versus outsourcing and bringing on an entire marketing agency to handle the soup-to-nuts of marketing projects?
Some marketing agencies start small and grow with you. What does your business need?
Tip >> Hire the best based on referrals. Then, encourage your people to keep learning and growing to be the best. Keep everyone sharp by hosting lunch-n-learns or events when each member can address a topic or share expertise.