Follow me:
Listen on:

#005: Avoid measuring marketing like this

Hello you wonderful people!

Something I’m regularly asked by both marketing leaders and business owners is: 

How should I measure the performance of my marketing?

So Kevin and I need to tackle this question over the next few weeks. We start by looking at what not to measure. Check out the first article we share down below.

Next week on The B2B Playbook podcast, we’re sharing our 3 Tier Reporting system to show that marketing is actively contributing revenue to the business.

Subscribe here on your favourite platform so you don’t miss it.

This week we’re looking at how you can drive more revenue with email marketing, partnerships, A/B testing and more. 

You should be able to read today’s issue in 5 minutes or less.

If you don’t want this newsletter, you can unsubscribe

💡 3 B2B Strategy Tips

1) Your emails should serve 2 purposes: The first is product education and customer success. Hubspot do this incredibly well, with each email teaching you how to get the most out of their platform. It helps freemium customers see the value in their paid tiers, and their paying customer get maximum value out of their platform subscription. 

The second is educating, nurturing and building community. This is using email to ‘be helpful’, and make people feel like they belong to a tribe. Kev and I show you on Episode 71 of The B2B Playbook podcast:

– how to apply each of these 2 types of emails to your business
– tips for each of the styles
– how to measure the performance of each
– how to optimise and get better at each of them

Check out Episode 71 – The 2 Types of Email Marketing You Need To Do, And How To Optimise Them

2) Start working with partners and affiliates: People need to trust you before they buy from you. Leveraging partnerships with complementary businesses and enabling affiliates to sell for you is kinda like a shortcut to getting that trust. That’s because if a partner or affiliate recommends you to their audience/friends, that trust is transferred to you.

That buys you time while your inbound and outbound engines are still gearing up. Plus if you do it right, it’s like having a whole army of sales people advocating for your brand that aren’t on your payroll!

Kevin and I show you step-by-step how to identify and implement partnership and affiliate programs on Episode 69 of The B2B Playbook podcast

3) Be careful what you A/B test: Marketers will tell you to “always be testing”. But too often marketers in the B2B world are testing changes that are too small to make a real impact. B2B companies just don’t collect the data that many B2C ones do, so split testing the difference between your CTA being “get a free demo” and “request a demo” may not  give you the uplift you’re looking for. 

We give you a framework for CRO, A/B testing and MVT, as well as some ideas from where to start testing and how to run your tests. Check out Episode 68 – Improve Your Content & Creative With CRO & A/B Testing on The B2B Playbook podcast.


✏️ Doodle of the Week

If you’re an earlier stage B2B company, don’t spend 100% of your budget on people who are ‘ready to buy’ right now. You need to start dedicating at least 20% of your budget creating demand, building affinity with those who will buy from you in the future. If you don’t, you will run out of people who are ready to buy from you. And trust me – that’s a bad situation.

📖 3 Articles and Resources

1) Why marketing sourced pipeline should NOT be a KPI:: Measuring marketing based on the marketing sourced pipeline they bring in can lead to bad practices that don’t drive revenue. We show you what to avoid and what to measure instead.

2) Level up and leverage CRMs, CDPs and Data: As your business and marketing scales, you’ll need to upgrade your data platforms, tools and systems to keep up with that scale. We guide you through the jargon and help you decide what you need, and what is just a distraction in Episode 70.

3) A positioning masterclass: I’ve read a fair amount on product positioning, but I just finished reading April Dunford’s ‘Obviously Awesome’, and highly recommend it to any marketing leader who wants to more deeply understand positioning your product. There’s a great framework you can apply to your own business, and it’s a really easy read. Give it a go!


Thanks for reading!

P.S. Don’t forget to subscribe to The B2B Playbook podcast

Strategy, Templates & Tools To Drive More Revenue With Marketing

Our 5 BEs Framework teaches b2b marketers exactly how to drive more revenue with your marketing.

We share our Framework step-by-step every week on The B2B Playbook.


There’s 3 ways you can learn and implement it in your own business:

  1. Listen to The B2B Playbook Podcast
  2. Subscribe to our Newsletter
  3. Apply for The B2B Incubator

(P.S. The B2B Incubator gives you strategy, templates and tools you need to implement this in your business over 12 weeks. Click here to find out more or apply now).


Subscribe & Get The Best Of The B2B Playbook Delivered To Your Inbox

Join other B2B Marketers and Owners and get the latest B2B marketing strategy, tips and tricks delivered to your inbox.

What Marketers Like You Are Saying...

Sam Henderson
Sam Henderson
Skalata Ventures | Head of Marketing
Read More
Love the podcast and the way you 'waterfall' content from it (and the genuineness that comes through)!
Mike Carr
Mike Carr
LIN3S | Digital Strategy & Paid Search
Read More
Just wanted to reach out to let you know how much I’m enjoying the podcast - I definitely get the feeling that I’ve learned something I can use after each episode
Carter Wright
Carter Wright
RevOps Research Collective | RevOps Researcher
Read More
Been following for a bit and trying to catch up on the podcast. You post some great content and the podcast is 🔥
Previous
Next
Chris Kondou
Chris Kondou
KanDo Consult | Founder
Read More
Starting and growing a business isn't easy no matter how good your service or offering is. Doing digital marketing feels like climbing Everest. Thankfully the B2B playbook podcast breaks it all down for you. George & Kevin are great to listen to & step you through the 5Be's of how to get your marketing right. After a few listens you can start climbing that mountain to your marketing success.
Jacob Olsen
Jacob Olsen
PicUp | Co-Founder // Head of Operations
Read More
Enjoying all your content and listening to the B2B podcast episodes. Always get some value from them 👌
Catherine Lethbridge
Catherine Lethbridge
RAA | Innovation Consultant
Read More
George and Kevin are a wealth of knowledge in B2B marketing. They passionately share their knowledge in their B2B Playbook podcast and each episode brings on new insights. I recommend it to any new marketers starting in the B2B space: it's like having your own marketing mentors on the go!
Previous
Next
Charlene Wasson
Charlene Wasson
Diospatial | Marketing Manager
Read More
I have been following some of your content on LinkedIn and started listening to your podcast. I really like the stuff you guys are putting out there.
David Wippel
David Wippel
TRIGO | Managing Director
Read More
Hey George, Just want to tell you how much I enjoy your content (podcast, posts on LinkedIn,...) As a web dev with no prior marketing know how who is now CEO of a small agency with marketing responsibility there is so much to learn. Your work is a great source. Love it
Jessica Tyrrell
Jessica Tyrrell
AusPayNet | Marketing & Comms Coordinator
Read More
Really do love the work you guys do and appreciate how you make B2B marketing more accessible ❤
Chris Kondou
Chris Kondou
KanDo Consult | Founder
Read More
Starting and growing a business isn't easy no matter how good your service or offering is. Doing digital marketing feels like climbing Everest. Thankfully the B2B playbook podcast breaks it all down for you. George & Kevin are great to listen to & step you through the 5Be's of how to get your marketing right. After a few listens you can start climbing that mountain to your marketing success.
Beixi SUN
Beixi SUN
Woolworths at Work | Marketing Executive
Read More
The main reason I love the podcast is I can get to know the B2B marketing mindset & experience. There’s tons of blogs/ courses online to talk about B2B marketing on strategies, tools, and models...but I found not many deliver the message of mindset to the audience. The mindset and experience are something you gained and tested from day-to-day work, and not easy to be googled.
Liam MacCormack
Liam MacCormack
HWPO Marketing | Head of Growth
Read More
Honestly, I really like your podcast format. The breakdown and analysis angle of different companies B2B strategies mixed with your own framework and some tactical approaches is a B2B podcast mix that I haven’t stumbled upon other than yours and I really enjoy it. DG does mostly interview, Chris Walker has his Demand Gen approach, Metadata talks about what they do internally. And I enjoy all of them. But you two have figured out an interesting mix that brings something new and that’s not easy. You’ve got a routine listener here!
Monica Moran
Monica Moran
Edstart | Marketing Manager
Read More
Come 5am every Monday morning when I do my daily run, I tune into The B2B Playbook podcast. George and Kevin are excellent at distilling the many complex aspects of B2B marketing. And more importantly, giving away very practical advice on how to create a sound marketing strategy and execute it on a tactical level. As a bonus, George is a genuinely helpful, all around nice guy. He practices what he preaches. On LinkedIn you can see George doesn't just talk the talk - he does what he advises his audience should do. And shows how his playbook works for his business. It's true people! - Helpful marketing content leads to inbound opportunities that turn into revenue!
Ben Andrews
Ben Andrews
Titomic | Marketing Manager
Read More
The B2B playbook is just that - a practical guide to B2B marketing, providing endless tips, tricks, and insights. It's really practical. Particularly how to get experts to write for you. I'm in a pretty niche industry with tricky applications, so that helped a lot. Awesome stuff! Please keep it coming!
Mercedes Carrin
Mercedes Carrin
Medianet | Head of Marketing
Read More
Your podcast is such a great resource for us - wanting to make the change to Demand Gen, keep it up 🙂
Lee-Roy Chitambira
Lee-Roy Chitambira
AlayaCare | Marketing Coordinator
Read More
I am really enjoying your podcast and learning so much so big thank you
Sanjay Shah
Sanjay Shah
Visionary Digital Studios | Director
Read More
Love the podcast George - plenty of epic wisdom, making massive impact - very much appreciated!
Fernanda Bispo
Fernanda Bispo
Nexon Asia Pacific | Marketing Programs Manager
Read More
Hi George I love your podcast, very interesting and easy to listen to!
Drew Brucker
Drew Brucker
LASSO | VP of Growth
Read More
Marketing podcasts are everywhere. And there’s nothing worse than ear candy that you can’t clearly apply. But the B2B Playbook brings a unique and timely perspective that’s especially actionable.
Anusha Kannan
Anusha Kannan
Suffolk in the Hub | Assistant Account Director
Read More
I have been listening to the B2B Playbook since George and Kevin launched it. The podcast episodes have such rich practical knowledge and they took one step further and created the B2B incubator. B2B incubator looks promising especially because they do not say “learn this, and you will be a millionaire overnight” it has a concrete strategy, how to learn from your mistakes, and the nitty-gritty of being a B2B marketer. Listen to their podcasts and also be a part of this program as I am sure like their podcasts their strategy is doable and will yield results. Remember, you have to implement what you learn from them!
Michelle J Raymond
Michelle J Raymond
Good Trading Co | Global LinkedIn Pages Expert
Read More
I don't listen to podcasts, but I do make the exception for yours if I'm driving. It is so well thought out, researched, and logical and adds a tonne of value. I'm very confident your B2B Incubator would be the same.
Nishant Choudhary
Nishant Choudhary
Codewave Technologies | Growth Marketing Manager
Read More
I was listening to your podcast. It's amazing. The 5 BEs framework, the way you diagnose educational content strategy... 💥🚀

I'm George, and I'm an embarrassingly passionate B2B marketer.

But it wasn't always that way. When I first got into B2B marketing, I actually found it so confusing. There was conflicting advice - and I kept pursuing the promise of "the one thing" that would work - with varying success.

With my own agency and working in-house, I tested different strategies and tactics to see:
(a) which ones could be done by a small marketing team
(b) which ones actually resulted in REVENUE for the business

We then turned the stuff that works into one cohesive strategy that I follow when I consult with B2B clients.

It's called our 5 BEs Framework.

And now we're dedicated to sharing it, right here, on The B2B Playbook.

We're giving away our 5 BEs Framework step-by-step, and creating the resource I wish I had when I first fell in love with B2B marketing.

When I say step-by-step - I mean it! Start the podcast at Episode 1, and work your way through.

If that sounds like too much, we give you the strategy, templates & tools in our 12 week program - The B2B Incubator.

Check it out here: https://theb2bincubator.com/

I'm also extremely active and share much of our framework on LinkedIn - so please feel free to connect with me there and say hi!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/b2b-marketing-expert/

Further reading

Subscribe