How do you target say, SMB, for each stage of the funnel? (interview question I received:)

Most often SMB sales cycles are both shorter and involve fewer people. So you'd typically want to target them in ways that focus on moving them quickly. Very similarly to ENT organizations, they still require the typical stages - they need to know they have a problem (or opportunity), they need to be aware there are solutions to help them, that you have a solution and/or that your company exists in this space (importance of brand), that your solution is the best, and that they have what they need to make a decision.

In terms of targeting, it's important to engage and re-engage - think retargeting and remarketing. In a way, you can design it more like a B2C campaign. While it's not as transactional, the emphasis should still be on making it simple as possible. Remember though, not all SMB companies are the same - you can still sell 6 figure deals into SMB as much as you can have PLG motions that are free trials to purchase. It's important, when you can, to review deal cycles and understand how long it takes, how many touchpoints, who is engaging, etc. - and then always talk to your customers to understand what's important to them!

I recommend first starting with the problem you are solving for your target audience. What do they care about? Depending on your go-to-market motion, you’ll want to personalize this approach.

You can think of this in the following framework:

• Awareness Stage
• Consideration Stage
• Decision Stage

I’m personally not a fan of `funnels` as this just isn’t how SMBs, as well as humans in general, move throughout the customer journey nowadays. This is not a linear process.

Going back to your original question, identify how to best reach your audience at each stage and what content you need to support that stage. For example, in an awareness stage, you would not want to use an aggressive CTA to buy now. This would not meet the prospect where they are in their journey.

Ultimately, it’s about meeting your prospects and customers where they are in their journey, based on where they prefer to spend their time.