SaaS Half Full

PLG companies are in the spotlight again, being examined by media and analysts for their staying power in a recession. So, we're pulling an episode off the top shelf this week which tackles PLG.

Rachel Hepworth is now Head of Marketing at Notion, a PLG brand, but when this episode first aired, she was their Co-Marketing Lead. When Rachel started her role at Notion, a PLG company, the brand had been primarily (and successfully) built through community and content, existing without a growth-marketing function. As Notion was moving into more enterprise and complex sales, Rachel was tasked with starting from the ground floor, including scaling up a tech stack and data team.

Listen in as Rachel walks through how to develop a growth engine inside a PLG company and how brand and demand can work seamlessly together.

• Connect with Rachel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelhepworth/
• Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseygroepper/
• Learn more about BLASTmedia: https://www.blastmedia.com/

Our circle of influence has fundamentally changed. Whereas we used to follow brands, we now follow people. While B2C companies were quick to invest in online influencers, B2B marketers are finally vibin' with the creator economy.

In this episode, Ali Fazal, VP of Marketing at GRIN, digs into how B2B brands should think about influencer marketing (spoiler alert: it has little to do with follower count), explores the most impactful channels, and gives advice on the possible value exchanges between B2B brands and creators.

• Connect with Ali: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alifazal1/
• Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseygroepper/
• Learn more about BLASTmedia: https://www.blastmedia.com/

Hey guys! Nope, scratch that. Hey friends! While most SaaS marketers agree on the importance of inclusive marketing, achieving inclusivity is still a work in progress.

In this episode, Sarah Reynolds, CMO of HiBob, discusses the importance of establishing an authentic culture of inclusivity, details common oversights, and dives into the beautiful fabric that makes today's diverse customer base. Oh yeah, and something about a little brand called Bud Light.

• Connect with Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlizreynolds/
• Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseygroepper/
• Learn more about BLASTmedia: https://www.blastmedia.com/

We're gonna need a bigger bench. The list of available SaaS CMOs is growing, with many finding themselves free agents for the first time, involuntarily. In this episode, Lindsey connects with Nirosha Methananda, a senior marketing leader on the bench, about what she's learned during her transition period.

From digging into learning and community to investing in an executive coach (bye-bye ego!) and her personal brand, Nirosha is far from wallowing in her circumstances. She rounds out the episode by providing her take on the future of full-time work and where she sees the CMO market heading.

• Connect with Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nirosham/
• Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseygroepper/
• Learn more about BLASTmedia: https://www.blastmedia.com/

Looking back on 2021 and early 2022, it was heaven for many marketers. Big budgets, sky-high valuations, and VC dollars are pouring in. Today? "Do more with less" has become the most-hated phrase among SaaS marketers.

Bhaskar Roy, Head of Marketing at Workato, urges marketers to get back to the basics to climb out of the abyss. From obsessing again over org-wide customer success efforts to creating "frame breaking" content that goes against the grain, Bhaskar shares what he believes can have a max impact for marketers in today's challenging economy.

• Connect with Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhaskarroy/
• Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseygroepper/
• Learn more about BLASTmedia: https://www.blastmedia.com/

Who is in charge of pricing decisions at your SaaS org? For nearly 60% of companies, it's the CEO or an opinion-filled decision amongst the entire C-suite. But who should own it?

Dan Balcauski, the founder of Product Tranquility, answers the question in this episode, breaking down the art and science of SaaS product pricing and packaging (two very different elements) and advocating for marketers to focus more on the "who" and "how" they charge instead of the price itself (the "what").

• Connect with Guest: LinkedinLink
• Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseygroepper/
• Learn more about BLASTmedia: https://www.blastmedia.com/

"Do more with less" is this year's most-hated phrase for marketers. And for brand marketers, this means a direct hit to budgets responsible for a company's reputation. On this episode of SaaS Half Full, Lindsey talks with Palmer Houchins, Head of Marketing at G2, about the lopsided finger-pointing that often happens between demand and brand teams, especially in a recession when short-term ROI is king.

Grab a drink and join the discussion as Palmer dives into what CMOs often get wrong about their thinking regarding brand spend, how to intertwine brand and demand to create balance, and shares his opinions on creating a founder brand.

• Connect with Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/palmerhouchins/
• Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseygroepper/
• Learn more about BLASTmedia: https://www.blastmedia.com/

Gone are the days of internal-only communication. Every internal message is now at the risk of being shared externally, creating more pressure to skilfully craft statements surrounding economic, societal, or company impact events (RIFs, outage, data breach, etc.). As a result, the role of Corporate Communications has never been more in demand and vital to a company's long-term reputation.

So, why does the function still report to marketing, a department typically focused on short-term tactics for direct ROI? In this episode, Grace Williams, SVP of BLASTmedia, shares her opinion and makes the case for Chief Communications Officers and other high-level corp comm leaders reporting directly to the CEO.

• Connect with Grace: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gracecoylewilliams/
• Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseygroepper/
• Learn more about BLASTmedia: https://www.blastmedia.com/

Despite data supporting the case for creating a more self-serve buying process, many SaaS revenue teams are still operating in a way that is legit the opposite of what today's buyer wants. New report data from more than 2,000 B2B tech buyers reveals what self-serve looks like in practice - and it's transparent pricing, free demos, and no freakin' cold calls.

Listen as Lindsey speaks with Allyson Havener, VP of Marketing at TrustRadius, about the report's results and how it's changing the course for SaaS go-to-market teams.

• Connect with Allyson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allyson-havener/
• Learn more about TrustRadius: https://www.trustradius.com/
• Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseygroepper/
• Learn more about BLASTmedia: https://www.blastmedia.com/

Who here is guilty of building and running a marketing and sales playbook, then delaying changing it because it took so damn long to implement? Often, the paralysis is due to not knowing where to start.

Gracey Cantalupo, CMO at MentorcliQ, says to begin with being a good buyer first and go back to the start - which can be done in a couple of not-so-time-intensive steps. In this episode, listen as she and Lindsey Groepper discuss how hiring someone to walk your virtual storefront (yes, a mystery shopper!) and actually being on a software buying committee can be worth its weight in gold.

• Connect with Gracey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/graceycantalupo/
• Learn more about MentorcliQ: https://www.mentorcliq.com/
• Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseygroepper/
• Learn more about BLASTmedia: https://www.blastmedia.com