There were 2 Linkedin posts that stopped me in my tracks this week...

The growth nuggets for you and your b2b tech/consulting business that I found in these posts are insane! ??

Here they are:

Post 01 | Are you making it harder or easier on your sales humans?

Taylor Udell is the head of growth at Champify. She had an amazing post that I had to comment on.

Taylor said something that I believe every b2b technology firm on the planet needs to know...

In the second point she highlighted she said this:

"Brand works incredibly well with outbound...deeper awareness and affinity makes their job 10x easier."

?? WOW!

Think about that for a second–is your sales team working harder than they should be simply because you won't get clear on WHO you are and reflect that insight in a brand strategy that clarifies and humanizes your b2b tech brand?

According to Taylor their investment in brand made it 10X easier to sell. Imagine if your sales team was closing 10X more deals?!

(You could finally buy that Star Wars Lego set you've been dreaming about)

Seeing brand investments as nothing more than a new logo and an identity guide will soon be a thing of the past thanks to humans like Taylor.

Brand is the human-centric vehicle that will literally generate demand for your business!

I'm glad she said this because it highlights the need for brand investment and brand clarity not as cosmetic upgrades at all but as strategic growth investments.

Invest in your brand and make life better for your top line and your sales humans.

(Read Taylor's whole post here)

Post 02 | Are you chasing unicorns?

Jon Miller is a cofounder at Marketo (LEGIT!) and he had a post that got my wheels turning as someone on a mission to help CMOs and tech leaders grow:

So good, right?!

How many of us are spending time and energy trying to find the unicorns, not just as CMOs but as core members of our team? Sure they are out there... but take a step back for a second...

Analyze where you are as a firm.

Jim’s three pillars of marketing are dead-nuts-on-the-money, especially for tech:

It can be easy to get trapped in all the brand and marketing activity you should be focusing on. Instead, look at WHAT pillar of marketing you need to focus on right now based on your current state.

(Based on your business right now, which kind of marketing do you need most?)

1. ?? Revenue Marketing: demand generation, pipeline, operations, metrics, data
2. ?? Corporate Marketing: brand, awareness, communications, design, buzz, emotion…
3. ?? Product Marketing: strategy, positioning, messaging, enablement, competitive analysis, customer needs, analysts

Jim continues...

I loved this post from Jim because it humanized the tech marketing landscape–it made it about the people you need to invest in, not just the goals you need to hit.

At Forrest, we take great pride in being a partner who helps b2b tech firms do all three of those things, which aren't always easy.

(Read Jim's entire post here)

Three Practical Steps to put these insights to use:

1. Craft a Clear Brand Story: Define what your brand stands for. Make sure your message is consistent and relatable across all platforms, so your audience knows exactly who you are. Reflect that story in your strategy and reverberate it from your culture to your marketing efforts.
2. Focus Your Marketing Efforts: Take a good look at your current marketing strategy. Decide whether you need to boost revenue, enhance brand awareness, or improve product messaging. Direct your resources to the area that will make the biggest impact right now.
3. Grow Your Team from Within: Instead of hunting for the perfect new hire, invest in your current team. Provide them with the training and support they need to thrive. Augment with vendors when you need to, put choose someone who knows your world of B2b tech. A strong, well-developed team made up of internal specialists and external specialists will drive your business forward.

Honorable Mentions

1. Tenon : How to escape marketing island
2. Melissa Rosenthal's rapid run-in with Mark Cuban
3. Thanks for making me laugh, Kristina Willis

What did you find helpful on Linkedin this week?

Share it with the class! ??