AMA: Observable Head of Growth Marketing, Erika Barbosa on Demand Generation Strategy

I'm going to take a slightly different angle on this question compared to some of the more proven approaches, such as onboarding flows and nurture sequences. In my experience, the more you can personalize the message, the better. For example, you can ask profiling or qualification questions during onboarding and tailor the email messages based on the user's inputs to make them more relevant. The top email strategies are the ones that are most useful, and personalization allows you to elevate your approach.

I'm going to take a slightly different angle on this question compared to some of the more proven approaches, such as onboarding flows and nurture sequences. In my experience, the more you can personalize the message, the better. For example, you can ask profiling or qualification questions during onboarding and tailor the email messages based on the user's inputs to make them more relevant. The top email strategies are the ones that are most useful, and personalization allows you to elevate your approach.

SEM is helpful at a variety of stages. I wouldn’t say there is a specific moment when a company should focus on an SEM strategy though. It depends on your goals. Here are some questions to consider for when you should launch SEM: * How much coverage do you have from an SEO perspective? SEM is helpful while you are building your organic strategy. * How healthy is the company from a budget perspective? SEM oftentimes is a profitable tactic, but I wouldn’t say it is absolutely necessary. * What’s your company’s tolerance level for experimentation? While SEM is a more mature tactic, there is still a level of experimentation that comes along with it. As someone who has built campaigns from the ground up, I’ve seen a lot of success with SEM. One pro tip to upgrade your SEM is to really think critically about tracking and reporting. If you can gauge performance through to retention you could really speak to what’s more impactful.

SEM is helpful at a variety of stages. I wouldn’t say there is a specific moment when a company should focus on an SEM strategy though. It depends on your goals. Here are some questions to consider for when you should launch SEM: * How much coverage do you have from an SEO perspective? SEM is helpful while you are building your organic strategy. * How healthy is the company from a budget perspective? SEM oftentimes is a profitable tactic, but I wouldn’t say it is absolutely necessary. * What’s your company’s tolerance level for experimentation? While SEM is a more mature tactic, there is still a level of experimentation that comes along with it. As someone who has built campaigns from the ground up, I’ve seen a lot of success with SEM. One pro tip to upgrade your SEM is to really think critically about tracking and reporting. If you can gauge performance through to retention you could really speak to what’s more impactful.

For strategy development, I recommend thinking about this similar to a RACI model (responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed). You’ll need to include internal and external stakeholders who are involved to some capacity or need to be informed. You’ll want to be able to answer questions such as: * Who needs to sign off on the strategy? * Who needs to collaborate on the strategy? * Who needs to be informed? I like to operate from the perspective of over communicating. Transparency is key. Focus on what the goals are and who needs to be involved to accomplish said goals.

You present the success of the email strategies you are managing by focusing on metrics that matter. Tie your efforts back to revenue when you can. Open rates are interesting, but this metric does not truly speak to the success of your email strategy. With the progression of privacy and lack of cookie tracking, we have to rethink how we gauge success for email. I recommend thinking about addressing these types of questions for your stakeholders: * What messaging is resonating with our audience? * What assets are users engaging with? * What impact or outcomes is your email strategy resulting in? Here is another resource that may be helpful and I too agree with its perspective.

Email marketing continues to be a staple in marketing programs. It is critical to best understand how to present success to your stakeholders in meaningful ways. To present success, I recommend addressing the following: * Define what success looks like. What metrics will you report on to best showcase success? Some standard metrics include click-through rates, unsubscribe rates and revenue. * Establish reporting and dashboards. You can think of reporting as the infrastructure that is needed to report on what is working and what isn’t. Your stakeholders will expect a regular cadence of reporting and progress. * Identify the appropriate reporting cadence. Be sure to establish the appropriate reporting cadence with your stakeholders. It’s also important to establish what the next steps are as the program evolves (e.g., A/B testing, segmentation and personalization). It’s important to gain buy-in from your stakeholders early so that your efforts are focused on continuous improvement and not alignment.

Specifically focusing on “foundational” channels, I would recommend three: SEO, email, and CRO. Depending on the business, there may be adjustments to this, but the channels I outlined below are applicable across the board. * Search engine optimization (SEO). Your SEO strategy is for playing the long game. You may be able to gain some quick wins depending on where your website is from an organic perspective, but it’s an investment in future wins. Produce content that adds value and is written for the users who would consume it - not just for the purpose of ranking. Write content in service of your customers and potential customers. * Email. Email is often underrated, but it is foundational to a demand generation strategy. Be sure the emails you send are valuable to the recipient. This branches out to lifecycle marketing motions, but email is the one tactic that I would say is a must. * Conversion rate optimization (CRO). I’m a firm believer in website testing. This may take the form of A/B testing or multivariate testing. Preferably this is done with a testing tool that can help you do smarter testing. Sure there are other channels such as paid search, ABM, and out-of-home to name a few, but I wouldn’t consider those required or foundational. All other channels outside of SEO, email, and CRO would be additive depending on the demand gen strategy; they build upon the foundation you have established.

The one channel I would say is fundamental is SEO. Aside from SEO, there are too many variables to classify a channel as fundamental (e.g., business objectives, budgets, etc.). From my experience, it's imperative to have a testing mindset for demand generation. If you view demand gen from that lens, you too would agree that it is more impactful to test channels based on your goals and the problems you are solving for your customers. This will then illustrate what channels are more impactful for your business and a successful demand generation strategy.

I recommend viewing this question from the perspective of a demand generation toolbox. From strategy to strategy and based on the goal at hand, you will use a variety of tools. This is the nature of demand generation. If you factor in seasonality, product offerings, and just pure human nature, the channels and tactics will need to be tested. This does not mean that some tactics and channels aren't consistent. You will have trusted channels that are more mature and better measured. This essentially comes down to the goal for a particular strategy.

I will always start with the goal or objective of the strategy. What are we trying to accomplish and what do we need to support this goal? * Resources. Do you have enough team members to support the strategy? Do you have a budget earmarked for the project? * Audience. How can you segment your audience? What problems are you helping them solve? * Competitive landscape. While your competitors should not direct your strategy, I do think it’s important to be informed. Are they getting in front of your customers in places you should also have a presence? Think of these variables as pieces of a puzzle. This is dynamic and constantly evolving. As you define your strategy, taking these variables into consideration, address how can you best serve your customers and prospects and meet them where they are.

I will always start with the goal or objective of the strategy. What are we trying to accomplish and what do we need to support this goal? * Resources. Do you have enough team members to support the strategy? Do you have a budget earmarked for the project? * Audience. How can you segment your audience? What problems are you helping them solve? * Competitive landscape. While your competitors should not direct your strategy, I do think it’s important to be informed. Are they getting in front of your customers in places you should also have a presence? Think of these variables as pieces of a puzzle. This is dynamic and constantly evolving. As you define your strategy, taking these variables into consideration, address how can you best serve your customers and prospects and meet them where they are.

I am of the perspective that website optimization should be incorporated as a priority (at least to some capacity) with all digital marketing strategies. I believe having a testing mindset is critical for growth. I do not recommend thinking about it as it relates to indicators for whether or not you should. Furthermore, I recommend including a CRO program as part of your digital marketing strategy. Be mindful of what you test and how you gauge success, but the practice is critical for maximizing impact. I hope this is helpful. Please feel free to reach out with any questions.

In order for your segmentation strategy to work, it’s important to have product-market fit (PMF) and a solid understanding of your (ICP) ideal customer profile. This will help guide you in segmentation. Start with the question, “where does this segment of my customers hang out”? Depending on the “jobs to be done” and/or persona, you can then determine what is the best fit from a channel perspective. This could result in different channels for different cohorts of potential customers depending on your business. I encourage you to get creative and don’t feel like you have to default to the “typical” channels. This could work, but really think about your ideal customer and how do you effectively tell them why they should care about your message and the best channel to do so.

In order for your segmentation strategy to work, it’s important to have product-market fit (PMF) and a solid understanding of your (ICP) ideal customer profile. This will help guide you in segmentation. Start with the question, “where does this segment of my customers hang out”? Depending on the “jobs to be done” and/or persona, you can then determine what is the best fit from a channel perspective. This could result in different channels for different cohorts of potential customers depending on your business. I encourage you to get creative and don’t feel like you have to default to the “typical” channels. This could work, but really think about your ideal customer and how do you effectively tell them why they should care about your message and the best channel to do so.

Great question! It’s helpful to approach your demand generation strategies from the perspective that it is constantly evolving. Approach it from a growth mindset. This is not a “set it and forget it” scenario. Here are a few recommendations to get started: * Speak with customers. First and foremost, speak with customers when you can. Learn from customers. Listen to sales calls. Whatever you need to do to hear it directly from customers because that’s how you’ll truly understand what value means to them (not you). * Reporting. Consistently evaluate tracking, reporting and identify gaps as time progresses. It’s not a matter of if, but when tracking breaks or needs to be updated. * Experimentation. Think by way of experiments. One of the keys to success in demand gen is to come from a place of ongoing experiments trying to solve customers’ problems. * Stay curious. Similar to what I’ve mentioned about what the best demand generation candidates have in common, it’s critical to stay curious and continue to learn and grow. For example, are you experimenting with technologies like AI and ChatGPT right now? * Collaboration. Keep communication open with your stakeholders. What’s working and what’s not working?

Great question! It’s helpful to approach your demand generation strategies from the perspective that it is constantly evolving. Approach it from a growth mindset. This is not a “set it and forget it” scenario. Here are a few recommendations to get started: * Speak with customers. First and foremost, speak with customers when you can. Learn from customers. Listen to sales calls. Whatever you need to do to hear it directly from customers because that’s how you’ll truly understand what value means to them (not you). * Reporting. Consistently evaluate tracking, reporting and identify gaps as time progresses. It’s not a matter of `if`, but `when` tracking breaks or needs to be updated. * Experimentation. Think by way of experiments. One of the keys to success in demand gen is to come from a place of ongoing experiments trying to solve customers’ problems. * Stay curious. Similar to what I’ve mentioned about what the best demand generation candidates have in common, it’s critical to stay curious and continue to learn and grow. For example, are you experimenting with technologies like AI and ChatGPT right now? * Collaboration. Keep communication open with your stakeholders. What’s working and what’s not working?