7 Marketing Strategies for Rapid B2B Growth: Insights from Jason Widup
Still relying on the same old marketing tactics and wondering why your B2B growth has hit a wall? Lack of experimentation might be the cause of your struggle.
Jason Widup, whose experience includes Microsoft, Tableau, and other prominent tech companies, is well-acquainted with the pursuit of rapid revenue growth in the B2B sector. Impressively, he achieved a remarkable 10x growth in ARR at Metadata.io within just three years.
In conversation with our very own Steffen Hedebrandt, Jason breaks down the top strategies that fueled his success in achieving this rapid growth.
Join us as we unpack Jason’s top 7 strategies for a successful, holistic approach to rapid B2B growth.
Experiment with Marketing Tactics
Create Valuable Content using First-Party Data Insights
Build a Thriving Online Community
Effective Use of Customer Reviews and Testimonials
Don’t be Afraid to Use ABM
Leverage SEO and Low-Budget Acquisition Tactics
Build a Strong Brand
Check out the entire conversation here!
Experiment with Marketing Tactics
“an experimentation framework and mindset is so important in B2B SaaS because the things that are working are not going to work forever or for very long and if you don't have a constant stream of experiments going you’re going to fall behind.”
Successful marketing strategies are dynamic and evolving. Meaning, what works in the present may not be effective forever. By having an experimentation mindset, marketers are able to adapt and stay ahead of changes in the marketing landscape.
One of the first successful strategies Jason implemented was using LinkedIn conversation ads with incentivized demos, which were relatively new at the time. This approach involved paying individuals for their time to participate in a demo, with the goal to introduce Metadata to new audiences. The tactic proved effective, generating low-cost demos and capturing the attention of previously unaware prospects.
2. Create Valuable Content using First-Party Data Insights
“The best possible content you can create is something that’s hard to build… Something like a benchmark report, so if you’ve got all of your customer data in your platform, you can create some unique insights that are helpful for people”
Creating unique and challenging-to-build content is a sure way to make your business stand out.
Jason stresses the importance of going beyond conventional content types like thought leadership, AI-generated content, or founder stories, and instead focusing on challenging reports that offer real value. By generating insights from unique data, you are able to both set your content apart with information that cannot be found elsewhere, and showcase insights that make your platform superior to competitors.
Jason specifically mentions making use of valuable benchmark reports derived from first-party customer data during his time at Metadata. These reports provided a strategic advantage over their competitors by harnessing a double impact on their audience, in turn driving significant SEO and overall content success.
3. Build a Thriving Online Community
“I'm building the community that I want to be a part of and then once they build that they feel really associated with it. Then they'll invite their friends and colleagues and the network effect of that really helped us to grow.”
An engaged community provides a ready audience for your product.
Building an online community is not just about creating a space for your audience. It is about cultivating relationships that mobilize your brand. Defining an ICP and concentrating efforts on the core audience, even if it's small, can maximize engagement and frequency. Persistent engagement with your target audience tightens focus for more effective marketing.
During his time at Metadata.io, Jason implemented a strategic shift towards content and community-building after successfully leveraging conversation ads for short-term demand.
They hired a content person and, later, a full-time community manager to foster engagement and build these relationships. The community strategy initially focused on personal invites to create a strong foundation with founding members, allowing them to shape the community's direction. This approach, along with thoughtful engagement and the network effect, contributed to the community's growth and higher-than-average engagement levels.
4. Effective Use of Word-of-Mouth, Customer Reviews and Free Trials
Word-of-mouth, customer reviews, and free trials are powerful tools in the buyer's journey. Connecting potential customers with actual buyers increases trust and in turn the likelihood of a purchase. Similarly, customer reviews and free trials provide a high degree of product validation that can really influence potential buyers without the need of Sales intervention.
From his own experience, here's why Jason makes use of these as non-negotiables on his go-to-market checklist.
Customer Reviews: Buyers want to read reviews to ensure that other people similar to them have used the platform successfully. Positive reviews and social proof contribute to building trust and confidence in the product or service.
Word-of-Mouth: Buyers prefer to talk specifically to someone who has used or is using the product. This often involves direct conversations with individuals in their network, such as a LinkedIn connection. This form of word-of-mouth communication adds a personalized touch and reinforces the credibility of the product.
Free Trials: Hands-on experience allows buyers to assess the product's suitability for their needs and increases their comfort level before making a final decision. Providing hands-on experience with the product includes encounters such as a product-led growth (PLG) motion, a free trial, a product tour, or even access to a sandbox where they can interact with the product firsthand.
5. Don’t Be Afraid to Use ABM
“with ABM you're starting with a very narrow Target account list, so one of the first things you want to look at is penetration within those accounts like there's IP lookup technology nowadays [where] you can see Impressions and Clicks in LinkedIn so you want to make sure you're actually getting people from those Target accounts in your funnel in some way”
There’s a myth about ABM being suited only to larger organizations. However, as Jason reminds us, it can be equally applicable to start-ups. So don’t be afraid to put ABM plays in motion, even if you’re small.
ABM enables businesses to focus their marketing efforts on high-value accounts, fostering personalized engagements, improving targeting precision, and ultimately driving higher conversion rates and revenue. However, due to its longer return time, leadership objection to ABM is common.
Here’s how Jason suggests incorporating ABM against this backdrop:
Understanding and Educating Leadership: Sometimes, leaders may not fully understand marketing or may prioritize sales over marketing. Educating them with examples from successful companies, third-party marketers, or case studies can help. Demonstrate how ABM aligns with broader company goals and contributes to long-term success.
Running Small Experiments: To address objections, propose running small ABM experiments. Treat them as minimum viable products, keeping expectations realistic. This allows you to prove the concept without committing significant resources upfront.
Setting Clear Expectations: Communicate confidently about the experiment's goals, emphasizing both success and failure metrics. Be realistic about timelines and results, ensuring a transparent discussion with leadership.
Jason reminds us that to best execute your ABM strategy, you want to really narrow down your ICP. This will ensure you maximize the chances of success with your target accounts and limit waste on less-likely-to-buy accounts (keeping leadership even happier).
6. Leverage SEO and Low-Budget Acquisition Tactics
The importance of SEO is typically emphasized for companies with high-volume, low average selling price products that cannot afford high customer acquisition costs. However, the cost-effectiveness of SEO makes it a beneficial strategy for a wide range of businesses.
While the nature of SEO has been changed by recent AI development, Jason views AI as an effective new way to enhance SEO performance. `The key to leveraging AI in SEO is thoughtful application: combining automated processes with human editing for optimal results.
“There are actually ways of using AI in a way that can help your SEO performance, but it can't be straight AI. It's got to be a thoughtful AI with solid prompts, really good briefs behind them and human editing on the back end”
Businesses with limited budgets, can also leverage LinkedIn organically, utilizing automation tools for outreach, and focusing on personalized, value-driven email campaigns. As mentioned before, the effectiveness of customer reviews, especially on review platforms, to build trust and credibility is another method of low cost acquisition.
7. Build a Strong Brand
“my biggest learning was the absolute importance of a strong brand especially in a crowded Market, because a strong brand makes every single other thing you do work better”
A strong brand enhances the effectiveness of all other marketing efforts and activities and helps counteract the increasing costs of ads.
This is Jason's biggest learning from his time at Metadata.
Despite the oft-repeated challenge of quantifying the return on brand spend, he highlights its indispensable impact on overall marketing success.
In a crowded market, building a brand that stands out, educates, and entertains is not just a marketing tactic but a fundamental necessity. This understanding is vital for businesses looking to establish a lasting presence and connect with their audience on a deeper level.
Check out this conversation with Paddle CMO, Andrew Davies, on balancing Brand vs. Demand →
Conclusion
Jason's insights coalesce into a central theme: achieving rapid revenue growth demands an adaptive approach to marketing. Where experimentation is your best friend.
According to Jason, some good places to direct your focus are your online community, unique content creation, customer reviews and testimonials, ABM, SEO and other low-budget acquisition tactics, and branding.
Jason’s experience and tips serve as a valuable resource for any marketing team looking to rapidly drive growth.
About the Speaker
Jason Widup, a seasoned B2B marketing executive, has left an indelible mark on the industry with his innovative strategies. Jason's journey in the marketing field has been a dynamic evolution. Starting with a background in soft IT, he transitioned into marketing operations at industry giants like Microsoft, Getty Images, and Tableau, before serving as the VP of Marketing at Metadata.io - a company that has gained attention for its unique marketing approach and impressive growth.
