The B2B Playbook

In this episode, we break down category entry points and how to use LinkedIn ads to plant your brand in buyers minds way before they're even ready to buy.

We cover:

→ What category entry points actually are and why they matter for B2B demand gen

→ Why LinkedIn ads is such a strong fit for targeting these key buyer moments

→ Real examples of category entry points you can build campaigns around

→ If you are a B2B marketer trying to build pipeline and stay top of mind with your ICP before they enter market.

Tune in and learn:

→ How to identify the moments that trigger buyers into market

→ How to use LinkedIn ads targeting to reach the right people at the right time

→ Why cataloging your market beats relying on intent data platforms

→ How to turn category entry points into ad creative and thought leadership content

-----------------------------------------------------

🔗 Links + CTAs

-----------------------------------------------------

🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course

🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school

💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency

-----------------------------------------------------

SUBSCRIBE to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook

SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter

GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

Timestamps:

00:00 Why Category Entry Points Change How You Advertise

00:01 What the Five B's Framework Is

00:04 Category Entry Points Defined

00:05 Why LinkedIn Ads Fits So Well for B2B

00:08 How to Use ICP Lists and Thermographic Targeting

00:12 How Long Demand Gen Actually Takes

00:14 Saturation, Frequency and the 95/5 Rule

00:19 Category Entry Point 1: Contract Renewals

00:23 Why Cataloging Beats Signal Sensing Platforms

00:26 Category Entry Point 2: Growing Pains and New Hires

00:29 Category Entry Point 3: Slowing Growth Rate

00:31 Real World Example: The Will Smith Slap Ad

00:33 You Don't Have to Dream Up Category Entry Points

00:34 How Entry Points Become Ad Creative and Content

00:35 Key Takeaways

S08 E232 - The B2B Playbook #b2b #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #leadgeneration #digitalmarketing

In this video, I sit down with B2B YouTube specialist Samu Kovács to break down why YouTube is one of the most underrated and untapped channels in B2B right now.

We cover:

→ Why YouTube beats LinkedIn for cutting through the noise in B2B

→ How to rank your videos and attract your exact ICP without needing thousands of views

→ The YouTube-first content strategy that actually drives inbound leads and pipeline

→ How to convert views into booked calls with the right CTAs

If you are a B2B marketer or founder looking for a channel that builds trust, drives pipeline, and compounds over time.

Tune in and learn:

→ Why 300 views from your ICP beats 30,000 random views

→ How search-based YouTube content creates evergreen traffic for years

→ What actually makes a video rank (hint: it is not the tags)

→ How to turn YouTube into your number one lead gen channel

-----------------------------------------------------

🔗 Links + CTAs

-----------------------------------------------------

🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course

🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school

💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency

-----------------------------------------------------

SUBSCRIBE to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook

SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter

GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

Timestamps:

00:00 Why YouTube Is the Most Underrated B2B Channel Right Now

00:02 Introducing Samu Kovács, B2B YouTube Specialist

00:04 How Samu Got Started and Why He Went All In on B2B YouTube

00:06 Why LinkedIn Is Getting Crowded and What YouTube Offers Instead

00:12 Why 300 Views From Your ICP Beats 30,000 Random Views

00:14 How to Build a YouTube Strategy That Actually Drives Inbound

00:20 Search vs Algorithm: Which Should B2B Companies Prioritize

00:21 What Actually Makes a YouTube Video Rank (It Is Not the Tags)

00:24 Podcast Format vs YouTube-First Videos: What Performs Better

00:44 Will AI Kill YouTube? Why Storytelling Is the New Moat

00:46 How to Make Your Content Impossible to Replicate

00:47 How to Convert YouTube Views Into Booked Calls and Leads

00:49 Where to Find Samu and Learn More

S08 E231 - The B2B Playbook #b2b #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #leadgeneration #digitalmarketing

In this video, I sit down with Georgia Watson, a 21-year IBM veteran, and Adem Manderovic to dig into why sales enablement keeps failing even when companies are spending big on it.

We cover:

→ Why strategy is rarely the problem but execution almost always is

→ What revenue enablement actually means and why most orgs get it wrong

→ The real reason AI pilots fail 95% of the time

→ Why human skills like trust, storytelling and value articulation still win deals

If you're a sales leader, revenue leader or marketer wondering why your sellers still struggle to have commercial conversations despite all the investment you're making in them.

Tune in and learn:

→ Why tools and training alone don't move the needle

→ How incentives and measurement drive the wrong behaviours

→ What world class enablement actually looks like in practice

→ Why the best sellers win 88% of the time no matter what they're handed

-----------------------------------------------------

🔗 Links + CTAs

-----------------------------------------------------

🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course

🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school

💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency

-----------------------------------------------------

SUBSCRIBE to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook

SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter

GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

Timestamps:

00:00 Why Revenue Performance Is an Execution Problem

00:07 Georgia Watson's 21 Years at IBM

00:12 What Revenue Enablement Actually Is

00:20 The 7-Part Enablement Framework

00:25 Why AI Pilots Fail 95% of the Time

00:31 Human Skills AI Can't Replace

00:38 Incentives, Measurement and Broken Pipeline Reviews

00:45 What World Class Enablement Really Looks Like

00:51 Where Most Enablement Programs Hit Their Ceiling

S08 E230 - The B2B Playbook #b2b #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #leadgeneration #digitalmarketing

In this episode, we break down how to actually measure brand impact without overcomplicating it, including the leading indicators lean B2B teams should track before pipeline shows up.

We cover:

→ Why leading indicators matter more than lagging ones early on

→ What early brand signals actually look like in practice

→ Why qualitative data and self-reported attribution is so powerful

→ A simple list of brand metrics lean teams should focus on

If you are a B2B marketer trying to justify your brand investment to leadership or figure out if your demand gen is actually working before revenue shows up.

Tune in and learn:

→ The difference between leading and lagging brand metrics

→ What signals to watch for before pipeline materializes

→ Why qualitative beats quantitative for brand measurement in B2B

→ How to build a simple brand scorecard without bloated dashboards

-----------------------------------------------------

🔗 Links + CTAs

🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course

🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school

💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency

-----------------------------------------------------

SUBSCRIBE to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook

SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter

GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

Timestamps:

00:00 How to Measure Brand Without Overcomplicating It

00:01 Why B2B Teams Struggle to Measure Brand Impact

00:02 The Five B's Framework Refresher

00:03 Definitions: Leading vs Lagging Brand Indicators

00:07 Why Brand Programs Get Killed Too Early

00:07 What Early Brand Signals Actually Look Like

00:09 ICP Engagement as a Brand Signal

00:10 Self-Reported Attribution and How Did You Hear About Us

00:12 Sales Feedback as an Early Brand Signal

00:13 Category Entry Points and Customer Interviews

00:14 Why Qualitative Data Beats Quantitative in B2B

00:16 Self-Reported Attribution in the Age of AI

00:19 Why Ad Platforms Are Giving Advertisers Less Control

00:20 Simple Brand Metrics for Lean Teams

00:23 Share of Search as a Brand Metric

00:24 Key Takeaways: What to Track and Why

S08 E229 - The B2B Playbook #b2b #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #leadgeneration #digitalmarketing

Most B2B marketers think demand generation and lead generation are the same thing.

They’re not.

And confusing the two is exactly why your pipeline isn’t growing.

In this episode, we break down the real difference between demand generation vs lead generation — and why most teams are stuck running a system that creates activity, not revenue.

We walk through the 5 BE’s Framework and show how to shift from chasing leads to building real demand in your market.

Tune in and learn:

→ Why lead generation breaks at scale

→ How demand generation actually builds pipeline

→ What most teams get wrong about the 95/5 rule

If you’re under pressure to generate more leads but know something isn’t working, this will change how you approach marketing.

-----------------------------------------------------

🔗 Links + CTAs

-----------------------------------------------------

🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course

🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school

💼 Need help generating demand for your B2B business?

https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-agency

-----------------------------------------------------

SUBSCRIBE to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook

SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter

GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

Timestamps:

00:00 Demand Generation vs Lead Generation: Why This Debate Matters

00:03 The Real Problem: It’s Not Tactics, It’s Sequencing

00:05 Lead Generation Explained (And Why It Breaks)

00:07 Why Sales Hates Lead Gen (And They’re Right)

00:09 The “Leaky Bucket” Problem in B2B Marketing

00:11 Why Lead Gen Becomes Financially Unsustainable

00:12 Why Demand Capture Alone Doesn’t Scale

00:14 The 95/5 Rule That Changes Everything

00:16 Why Buyers Ignore You (Even If You’re Better)

00:18 Demand Generation Explained (What It Actually Means)

00:20 The 5 B’s Framework: A Better System

00:23 Category Entry Points: The Missing Link

00:25 Why “Cataloguing” Beats Intent Data

00:29 How Sales & Marketing Became Misaligned

00:30 Building Trust Before Buyers Are Ready

00:33 Why Most Content Doesn’t Work

00:34 Distribution: The Difference Between Seen vs Ignored

00:36 LinkedIn Strategy That Drives Real Demand

00:40 Case Study: From $50K to $200K/Month

00:43 Measuring Demand Gen (Without Last Click Bias)

00:44 Revenue Alignment: The Missing System

00:46 How to Build a Competitive Advantage

00:48 Where to Start (Without Breaking Everything)

00:50 Balancing Demand Gen vs Lead Gen in Reality

00:53 AI Won’t Replace This Skill

00:57 How Long Demand Gen Actually Takes

S08 E228 - The B2B Playbook #b2b #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #leadgeneration #digitalmarketing

In this video, I break down AI visibility and GEO vs traditional SEO, and whether any of it actually changes how B2B teams should go to market.

We cover:

→ What AEO and GEO actually mean and how they differ from traditional SEO

→ Why the Five B's framework still holds up in the age of AI

→ Why "be helpful" content is now more important than ever

→ 3 practical things to do instead of chasing AI visibility hacks

If you are a B2B founder, marketer, or sales leader trying to figure out if AI search changes your content strategy or if the fundamentals still apply, this episode is for you.

Tune in and learn:

✅ Why AI doesn't replace your go-to-market playbook, it just raises the bar on being helpful

✅ How to tighten your positioning so AI chatbots actually cite your brand

✅ Why niche, question-led content wins in AI interfaces

✅ How partnerships and trust signals drive distribution in the AI era

✅ A bonus tip on using Bing's AI performance reporting for Copilot visibility

-----------------------------------------------------

🔗 Links + CTAs

-----------------------------------------------------

🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course

🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school

💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency

-----------------------------------------------------

SUBSCRIBE to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook

SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter

GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

Timestamps:

00:00 - Does AI change the B2B playbook?

01:11 - Intro and what we're covering today

01:56 - Quick recap of the Five B's framework

03:04 - Does AI visibility change anything?

07:37 - Why being helpful matters more than ever

08:40 - The context shift in buyer discovery

12:35 - Why helpful content gets picked up by AI

13:42 - Be helpful is the main event

15:27 - The bar for content is getting lower

18:18 - Three things to do instead of chasing AI hacks

21:52 - Practical examples using the five stages of awareness

24:35 - Distribution and earning trust signals

27:25 - Low hanging fruit: partnerships

28:08 - Bonus: Bing's AI performance reporting

29:00 - Key takeaways

30:33 - Outro

S08 E227 - The B2B Playbook #aivisibility #seo #b2bmarketing

Closed Loop Sales Strategy: Why Most B2B Teams Are Getting It Wrong

Most B2B teams are still chasing meetings, pipeline, and MQLs—without ever understanding if a buyer is actually ready to buy.

In this episode, we join Kieran Longhurst to break down the Closed Circuit Selling Strategy —why traditional sales models are failing, and how to fix them.

We unpack how sales should really work, why booking meetings is the wrong goal, and how cataloguing your market creates a feedback loop across marketing, sales, product, and leadership.

This isn’t about selling harder. It’s about building a system that aligns with how buyers actually make decisions.

Tune in and learn:

• Why focusing on “meetings booked” is killing your pipeline
• How to use sales conversations as real market intelligence
• The exact method to sell on your buyer’s timeline

If you’re a B2B marketer or revenue leader trying to drive real pipeline—not just activity—this episode will completely change how you think about sales.

00:00 Why Most B2B Sales Strategies Are Broken

01:00 The 95% Problem: Why You’re Only Talking to Buyers

02:00 The Real Sales Mindset (That No One Teaches)

03:00 Why “Sell Me This Pen” Is the Wrong Model

05:00 Architecture vs Tactics: The Core Shift

07:00 Why Relationship Building Is Misunderstood

09:00 What Sales Actually Is (And Why Most Get It Wrong)

11:00 The Hidden Cost of Booking Bad Meetings

13:00 The Cataloguing Method Explained

15:00 Why Most Sales Teams Waste 90% of Their Effort

18:00 How to Use Sales as Real Market Research

20:00 The Feedback Loop That Fixes Marketing

23:00 Why Founders Forget How They Originally Sold

27:00 The Death of the “Scale Fast” Sales Model

30:00 Human Selling vs Automated Outreach

33:00 How to Actually Get Buyers to Share Information

38:00 Real Examples: Closing Enterprise Deals with LinkedIn

45:00 Why MQLs Destroy Marketing Teams

50:00 The Smartest Prospecting Tactic We’ve Seen

55:00 AI, Search, and the Future of Sales

59:00 Final Takeaways: Rapport Over Relationships

👥 Are you a B2B marketer in a small team?

💰 Need to bring in more revenue for your company (so sales and your boss love you)?

Get the:

🔹 strategy

🔹 templates

🔹 tools

So you have everything you need to drive more revenue for your brand.

See why other B2B marketers like you love The B2B Incubator

Check out: theb2bplaybook.com

#b2b #b2bmarketing #digitalmarketing #demandgeneration #outboundsales

Is Account-Based Marketing Worth It? (Most Teams Get This Wrong)

Most B2B teams jump into ABM without asking the one question that actually matters: should you even be doing it?

In this episode, we break down what account-based marketing really is, where it fits in your go-to-market strategy, and why most ABM efforts fail before they even start.

We go beyond theory and show you the practical decisions you need to make, including how to define your target list, why deal size changes everything, and why “cataloguing the market” is the missing piece most teams ignore.

Tune in and learn:

When ABM actually works (and when it doesn’t)

Why most teams waste money targeting the wrong accounts

How to use cataloguing to stop guessing and start closing

If you’re a B2B marketer trying to drive real pipeline, not just activity, this is a must-watch.

SUBSCRIBE to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook

SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter/

GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/

00:00 Why Everyone Is Talking About ABM (But Few Get It Right)

00:35 The Big Question: Should You Even Do ABM?

01:10 Why Most B2B Marketing Still Feels Like “Spray and Pray”

01:30 The Hidden Truth: ABM = Disciplined Go-To-Market

02:00 Why Weak Targeting Kills Your Positioning

02:30 When ABM Actually Makes Sense (And When It Doesn’t)

03:00 What ABM Really Is (And What It Isn’t)

04:00 The 3 Decisions You Must Make Before Doing ABM

05:00 Step 1: Define Your Objective

06:00 Why Most Teams Skip Proper Target Lists

07:00 The ICP Trap

08:00 When Your TAM Is Too Small for Paid Ads

09:00 The Real ABM Filter: Deal Size

10:00 Why ABM Fails for Low-Value Products

11:00 Step 2: The Missing Piece – Cataloguing

12:00 Why Marketing Can’t Guess Who’s In-Market

13:00 The 95/5 Reality

14:00 The Contract Problem That Kills Deals

15:00 Real Example: Why Campaigns Fail

16:00 How Cataloguing Changes Everything

17:00 Why Your TAM Might Be Wrong

18:00 Step 3: Not Everything Should Be ABM

19:00 Running ABM + Broad Marketing Together

20:00 Enterprise vs SME

21:00 Why Over-Personalised Ads Don’t Work

22:00 What Actually Works: Real Conversations

23:00 The Problem With AI Personalisation

24:00 Why Buyers Don’t Share Pain Publicly

25:00 The Final Answer: Is ABM Worth It?

26:00 The 3 Rules for Deciding

27:00 Final Takeaways

👥 Are you a B2B marketer in a small team?

💰 Need to bring in more revenue for your company (so sales and your boss love you)?

Get the:

🔹 strategy

🔹 templates

🔹 tools

So you have everything you need to drive more revenue for your brand.

See why other B2B marketers like you love The B2B Incubator

Check out: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course

S08 E2255 - The B2B Playbook

#b2b #b2bmarketing #digitalmarketing #demandgeneration #accountbasedmarketing

Most B2B marketers run LinkedIn ads… but never turn them into real pipeline.

In this video, I break down the exact LinkedIn Ads strategy we used to help a B2B agency client go from zero to $185k a month in just 22 months.

💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Ads?

https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency

I cover ICP targeting, Thought Leadership Ads, scaling beyond the founder's personal brand, and the feedback loops that keep the whole thing growing.

If you are a B2B founder or marketer trying to figure out how to use LinkedIn Ads to stay top of mind with the right buyers and actually turn that into booked calls and revenue, this video is for you.

-----------------------------------------------------

🔗 Links + CTAs

-----------------------------------------------------

💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Ads?

https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency

🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course

🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school

-----------------------------------------------------

SUBSCRIBE to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook

SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter

GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

Timestamps:

00:00 How LinkedIn Ads Helped Scale to $185K/Month

01:30 Step 1: Get Brutally Clear on Your ICP

04:00 Step 2: Using Thought Leadership Ads to Grow

09:30 Step 3: Scaling Beyond the Founder Brand

12:00 Step 4: Optimisation & Feedback Loops

14:10 Step 5: Most Buyers Aren’t Ready Yet

-----------------------------------------------------

S08 E224 - The B2B Playbook

#b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #linkedinads #linkedinthoughtleadership #linkedinadsagency

In this video, we break down what OpenAI's new ChatGPT ads mean for B2B marketers, and why it's probably not the performance channel you should be betting on in 2026.

We cover:

→ The background behind OpenAI's push into advertising and why they're starting with B2C

→ Why ChatGPT ads are unlikely to impact B2B marketing anytime soon (ad-free business/enterprise tiers, limited tracking, shopping-focused formats)

→ How buyer discovery is shifting from search + social toward AI assistants

→ Our 3-point framework (based on the Five B's) to prepare your B2B marketing for the age of LLMs

If you are a B2B founder or marketer wondering whether you should be spending on ChatGPT ads, or trying to figure out how to get your brand surfaced in AI-driven search results, this episode is for you.

Tune in and learn:

✅ Why the fundamentals of trust-building and demand gen matter more than ever

✅ How to tighten your ICP messaging so LLMs actually surface your brand

✅ The content and distribution strategies that build organic visibility in ChatGPT

✅ How to set up measurement and UTM practices now so you're ready when B2B ads do arrive

-----------------------------------------------------

🔗 Links + CTAs

-----------------------------------------------------

🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program:

https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course

🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School:

https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school

💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads?

https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency

-----------------------------------------------------

SUBSCRIBE to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook

SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter

GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:40 - What's happening with ChatGPT ads

03:54 - Does AI make the Five B's Framework obsolete?

07:06 - Why ChatGPT ads won't help B2B marketers yet

13:49 - B2C vs B2B: Why OpenAI is targeting consumers first

15:49 - The Five B's still stand the test of time

16:00 - 3-point framework to prepare for ChatGPT ads

16:08 - Step 1: Be Ready - tighten your ICP and messaging

19:27 - Why LLM context makes ICP clarity even more critical

20:42 - Step 2: Be Helpful - build trust with content at scale

23:46 - Growth is about people, not platforms

24:31 - Step 3: Be Seen - measurement, distribution, and experimentation 27:41 - Practical action points and repurposing strategy

30:00 - Key takeaways and recap

31:17 - Outro

S08 E222 - The B2B Playbook

#chatgpt #b2bmarketing #chatgptads