Demand Gen U

So much of sales is about solving existing problems. But category creation is about something new entirely.

Joining this episode of Demand Gen U is a panel of experts, including Sydney Sloan, Executive in Residence at Scale Venture Partners, Nick Mehta, CEO of Gainsight, and Mike Volpe, Senior Advisor at Silversmith Capital Partners.

Together with Jason Widup, VP of Marketing at Metadata, they break down exactly what category creation is, the different phases of it, and when it’s necessary, plus much more.

Find out:

• What category creation is
• When category creation is necessary
• The different phases of category creation

0:00 – 4:24 Introduction

4:24 – 8:54 How to define category creation

8:54 – 15:05 Signs that a company should create a category

15:05 – 16:50 The different phases of category creation

16:50 – 22:11 Working to a playbook and why analysts are so important

22:11 – 27:30 How you can remain the leader after category creation

27:30 – 33:11 Potential costs associated with category creation

33:11 – 34:18 Outro

How do you make the leap from lead gen to demand gen?

It can be a tough sell to leadership, but this episode of Demand Gen U looks at how Kaylee Edmondson, Advisor at Chili Piper, steered her team toward demand gen success.

We discuss what Kaylee did when she first joined the team, how she sold the idea of demand gen to leadership, and how the team measured progress. We also hear how Kaylee’s team learned to “crawl, walk, and run” with demand gen and what the result has been like for the company.

Find out:

• How to sell a move to demand gen to your leadership team
• How Chili Piper learned to “crawl, walk, and run”
• The impact of switching to a demand gen focus

0:00 – 1:33 Intro

1:33 – 2:36 Kaylee’s early days with Chili Piper

2:36 – 4:13 Why lead gen started to feel like it wasn’t enough

4:13 – 6:54 How to convince the team to move towards demand gen

6:54 – 11:14 The best way to “sell” demand gen to leadership

11:14 – 13:14 How to “crawl, walk, and run” with a new marketing tactic

13:14 – 14:46 How the Chili Piper team advanced from the “crawl” stage

14:46 – 18:20 How to think about measurement and metrics

18:20 – 20:01 Top lessons learned when shifting to demand gen

20:01 – 22:00 What Kaylee wishes they could have done differently with sales

22:00 – 23:42 How Kaylee harnessed the power of Google Drive to manage demand gen

23:42 – 24:57 Outro

Have you been toying with the idea of building a B2B community?  

Before you jump in, there are a few things you’ll want to plan out first. In this episode of Demand Gen U, we share a little about how Metadata launched its community. Jason Widup, VP of Marketing, is joined by Katie Ray, Head of Community at Metadata, who shares some great takeaways for any business looking to build a community.  

Katie and Jason share some insights into the initial planning process, how they decided what type of community to build, and what you should prioritize if you want your community to thrive.  

Find out: 

• Why you need to build a community for the right reasons 
• Why you need to prioritize members’ needs over business or revenue needs 
• How to decide what type of community to build 

For tips and insights into how to build a B2B community the right way, tune in to the full episode.  

0:00 – 1:48 Intro 

1:48 – 5:31 Why Metadata first reached out to Katie  

5:31 – 6:51 Why Metadata decided to build a community  

6:51 – 15:03 Why we focused on providing value vs driving revenue 

15:03 – 18:08 Should you build an industry community or a customer community? 

18:08 – 25:03 Setting targets for community member numbers  

25:03 – 31:20 Why you should build a community with your members at top of mind 

31:20 – 35:25 Budgeting and driving revenue  

35:25 – 38:01 Why Metadata focuses so much on community analytics 

38:01 – 39:53 Outro 

If you’re in B2B marketing or you’ve simply opened LinkedIn recently, it’s no secret that category creation is all the rage. 

But many B2B marketers are working in companies that have never ventured into category creation. 

Neither Mark Huber, Head of Brand & Product Marketing or Jason Widup, VP of Marketing at Metadata, had created a category before.  

So, in this episode of Demand Gen U, Mark and Jason outline Metadata’s quest to create a category, what they’ve learned so far, and their pledge to launch the category at Demand. 

Find out: 

• Why Metadata set out to create a category 
• How to do it well – without a step-by-step guide 
• Why planning is the most essential part 

For more of Mark and Jason’s tips on the good, the bad, and the ugly of category creation, listen to the full episode. 

0:00 – 1:53 – Introduction 

1:53 – 5:15 – Metadata’s first steps into announcing a new category 

5:13 – 10:27 – The good, the bad and the ugly of Metadata’s press conference 

10:27 – 19:36 – Strategic narratives 

19:36 – 21:59 – Using an event to launch categories 

21:59 – 29:11 – The ‘so what?’ of category creation 

29:11 – 33:49 – Category names 

33:49 – 37:24 – Receiving positive feedback 

37:24 – 39:04 – Outro 

Whether it’s down to the pandemic or what’s happening in the world right now, buying Martech has changed.

That’s why we’ve asked a seasoned salesperson to help us get to grips with these changes and what could be around the corner.

Mark Huber, Head of Brand & Product Marketing, is joined by Kevin Young, Senior Director of Sales at Metadata, to discuss his career before Metadata, selling Martech in 2022 and why 90% of sales is down to luck and timing.

Find out:

• How selling Martech has changed
• Why brands should have strong relationships with their salespeople
• How to create better interactions with prospects

0:00 – 0:31 – Introduction

0:31 – 2:26 – Introducing Kevin Young

2:26 – 4:03 – How G2 found out about Metadata

4:03 – 8:34 – Selling intent data at G2

8:34 – 9:32 – Why 90% of sales is luck and timing

9:32 – 18:01 – Selling during COVID

18:01 – 22:32 – Getting to the bottom of problems

22:32 – 28:39 – Are marketers becoming more transparent about their problems?

28:39 – 33:45 – How financial crises impact selling

33:45 – 37:34 – What do educator buyers tell us?

37:34 – 38:47 – Outro

Many companies are pulling back spend right now…specifically for sales and marketing.

But why is this happening and, more importantly, how can you maximize your advertising budgets even if they’re being reduced?

In this Demand Gen U episode, Jason Widup, VP of Marketing, and Silvio Perez, Head of Product Innovation at Metadata, chat about what budget cuts mean for sales and marketing and provide top tips on dealing with them.

Jason and Silvio explain why you shouldn’t short-change top-of-funnel content, how focusing on your ICP could help you tailor your strategy and more.

Find out:

• Why building a strong audience will help get through budget cuts
• Silvio’s top tips for preventing cuts in the first place
• Why spend reductions do and don’t make sense

For more expert tips on maximizing your advertising budget, check out the full episode.

0:00 – 0:40 – Introduction

0:40 – 2:22 – Jason loves efficiency

2:22 – 5:28 – Reasons why companies cut sales & marketing budgets

5:28 – 9:24 – Can you prevent your budget from being cut?

9:24 – 15:01 – Maximizing your ad spend

15:01 – 21:12 – Top strategies to optimize ad spend

21:12 – 24:20 – Why you should optimize your landing page

24:20 – 27:21 – Understanding your impact to revenue pipeline

27:21 – 30:00 – Measuring efficiency

30:00 – 32:03 – Look for ad ‘hidden gems’

32:03 – 34:21 – Short-term vs. long-term

34:21 – 35:36 – Leaning into what’s working

35:36 – 37:57 – Changing your whole strategy

37:57 – 39:19 – Outro

Analyst relations…a useful path to establishing your reputation, or an outdated, overpriced avenue not worth exploring?

In this episode of Demand Gen U, Jason Widup, VP of Marketing at Metadata, is joined by colleague Alex Virden, Senior Product Marketing Manager, to discuss whether analyst relations are worth it in 2022.

Jason and Alex break down analyst relations in layman’s terms, detail Metadata’s experiences with the Forrester Wave and outline the alternatives they are exploring to maximize their exposure.

Listen to find out:

• Jason’s summary of analyst relations
• About Metadata’s category challenge
• How Metadata became involved in the Forrester Wave

For more analyst relations advice from Jason and Alex, tune in to the full episode.

0:00 – 0:27 – Introduction

0:27 – 1:55 – Alex Virden introduces herself

1:55 – 4:20 – Jason and Alex’s work on a Forrester Wave

4:20 – 6:08 – Jason’s first exposure to analyst relations

6:08 – 11:50 – Analyst services 101

11:50 – 13:20 – Analyst relations – don’t do it?

13:20 – 16:28 – Metadata’s category challenge

16:28– 17:19 – The dangers of waves

17:19 – 26:06 – How Metadata got involved in the Forrester Wave and how companies get included

26:06 – 28:12 – Changes Metadata made for the Forrester Wave

28:12 – 39:25 – Thoughts on responses to the Forrester Wave

39:25– 42:14 – Alternatives to dedicated analyst relations

42:14 – 43:40 – Outro

When starting a new marketing leadership role, it’s not always clear what you should focus on in those first 90 days.

However, according to Holly Chen, VP of Marketing at Mosaic, it’s important to align expectations with your leadership team, address any fires that need to be put out, and focus on the quick wins.

Holly joins Mark Huber, Head of Brand & Product Marketing at Metadata, in this special guest episode of Demand Gen U.

Find out:

• What Holly was looking for when she joined Mosaic
• How she learned about new companies’ markets
• Her 3 ways to build relationships with new teams

For more advice on how to approach the first 3 months of a new job, tune in to the full episode.

0:00 – 1:18 Intro

1:18 – 7:19 Why playful ads perform better than corporate ones

7:19 – 12:15 Holly explains what she was looking for in her next career move

12:15 – 15:14 How to vet your boss

15:14 – 17:08 Why you need to ask the hard questions in interviews

17:08 – 18:31 What the first 90 days in a new job are really about

18:31 – 20:33 How to learn the market for a new role

20:33 – 23:09 How Holly is getting to know her new team

23:09 – 25:53 Holly’s leadership principle

25:53 – 28:01 The best ways to assess the current state of your team and the wider business

28:01 – 29:36 Building relationships with your team

29:36 – 31:49 How Holly’s first 30 days in her new role have been

31:49 – 33:09 Finding quick wins in your first 30 days

33:09 – 36:02 Where Holly learned her strategies for approaching new job roles

36:02 – 38:13 Holly shares what she’s most excited about in the future of her role

38:13 – 39:27 Outro

Messaging is the string that ties marketing and sales together. It’s a crucial part of how brands come across to their audiences.

But how do you balance now with the future when presenting your story?

In this episode of Demand Gen U, Mark Huber, Head of Brand & Product Marketing at Metadata, is joined by Emma Stratton, Founder and CEO of Punchy.

Emma provides her top tips on cutting through the noise as a brand and explains how to balance your present-day messaging with your brand’s future plans.

Plus, she outlines her definition of positioning, messaging, strategic narratives and more.

Find out:

• Why some brands need strategic narratives and others don’t
• Tips on using emotion to fuel your messaging
• How Punchy put together strategic narratives

For more of Emma’s insights on telling a strong company story, tune into the full episode.

0:00 – 1:43 Intro

1:43 – 2:48 How Emma defines brand “positioning”

2:48 – 3:25 Why Emma defines “messaging” as bringing your strategy to life

3:25 – 5:44 Why strategic narratives are key to telling a good story

5:44 – 7:00 Why a lack of alignment and buy-in are the secret killers of any messaging strategy

7:00 – 15:57 How to balance positioning, messaging, and strategic narratives

15:57 – 20:23 How to stay close to your customer without getting too far ahead

20:23 – 27:48 The best ways to approach messaging

27:48 – 30:56 How to get your sales team to adopt your new narrative

30:56 – 32:44 Emma explains how she tests messaging strategies for clients

32:44 – 38:43 How to steer clients away from using buzzwords in brand messaging

38:43 – 39:58 Emma announces Punchy’s messaging training for brands

39:58 - 41:10 Outro

Is traditional B2B marketing dead? With every brand out there reading from the same playbook, it’s harder than ever to stand out and grab your audience’s attention. So, what can marketers do instead?

In this special episode of Demand Gen U, Mark Huber, Head of Brand & Product Marketing at Metadata, speaks with Adam Goyette, Founder of Curdis, about why the traditional B2B playbook should be tossed out. They explore some overlooked areas of marketing, common trends in online advertising, and how to do things differently.

Find out:

• Why B2B marketing is broken
• How you can start doing things differently
• Which elements of marketing you shouldn’t overlook

To learn how to avoid relying on the same playbook as everyone else, tune in to hear Adam and Mark’s tips for B2B marketing success.

0:00 – 2:10 Intro

2:10 – 4:55 Adam explains the most important lessons in his career

4:55 – 6:41 Why people are still working from the same old playbook

6:42 – 9:19 Why it’s up to marketing leadership to forge a new strategy

9:19 – 14:19 How to start marketing differently

14:19 – 16:41 How to set realistic goals

16:41 – 22:18 Why you need to create a culture of trying new things

22:18 – 27:55 How to review new marketing campaign ideas

27:55 – 31:04 How you talk about your product makes all the difference

31:04 – 32:10 Why you should keep an eye on the competition

32:10 – 36:08 Why ad creative needs to get people to stop scrolling first and foremost

36:08 – 38:11 Overlooked areas of ad campaigns

38:11 – 40:47 The top marketing trends Adam is noticing

40:47 – 44:01 Adam explains how he runs through new marketing ideas

44:01 – 45:04 Outro