Matt Hummel

To a degree this remains trial and error / a bit fluid. However, we are seeing that not over-relying on one form vs. another is the best approach. For example, webinars used to print pipeline, as did on-demand webinars. Post COVID, webinars became everything and eventually it caught up as companies were seeing less pipeline. However, webinars can still be a great way to engage and deliver meaningful content. You have to think about the audience and purpose though, and then make sure you are usin ...Read More

I'll provide a high-level framework I've used at a few companies, which is not totally unique to me, but has proven very helpful: First 30 Days: LEARN!!! Products (sit on demos, sales calls, web training), people (primarily your team/relevant stakeholders), process (helpful to know how to get stuff done, plus there are likely areas you'll want to improve at some point BUT don't do that immediately - be patient!), culture, and systems.  Next 30 Days: start to formulate your initial learnings into ...Read More

I believe there are two keys to growing your career as a demand marketer: Know your numbers Own your numbers Now this isn't to say demand gen is all about pipeline. There's more to unpack here. Knowing your numbers means knowing what's required to achieve the plan, both from a marketing perspective but also from an overall sales and revenue perspective. Beyond that, it means understanding the different levers you can pull to achieve your numbers (hint, it's not just about volume!).  Owning your ...Read More

Build a demand playbook. This forces you to get under the hood on how demand is created at your organization. Map out the entire process from awareness to advocacy, and everything in between. This will help you understand if there are any gaps in the process - for example, is demand gen (or even the organization) only focused on new customer acquisition but doesn't have a process for expanding or retaining?  Compare that with the data - digging into conversion rates throughout each stage. I call ...Read More

I've been in both situations, and you really do need the same talent to be successful, it's just how you prioritize and ultimately staff that can be different.  For example, you'll often see at small companies a sole digital marketer driving demand which unfortunately is mostly through top-of-funnel lead gen activities. Of course you can do more full-funnel with digital, but you're missing so much opportunity if that's your only skill set.  In a small company, if you have someone who knows tech ...Read More

Demand generation encompasses so many unique skills - both technical, but also business acumen. I'd contend there is no perfect singular answer to this question, as each company's situation will be unique and have some nuance around what skills would be most beneficial. With that said, there are some core fundamental skills you should develop: Hard skills: SEO, CRO, digital advertising, data analytics, copywriting (super underrated!), nurture strategy (this one could differentiate you), and it w ...Read More

I always start with a comprehensive audit, focusing generally on the following areas. I evaluate a combination of qualitative and quantitative factors which allows me to have a clear understanding of the maturity of the function. The key is knowing what good looks like / being able to know where you want to get to. Because this audit should then turn into a roadmap towards building a proper demand center. Sales & Marketing alignment Demand funnel Lead scoring Lead nurturing Content Buyer per ...Read More

This is a great question, and like most questions, there isn't one perfect answer. It really depends on the organization (size, growth rate, etc.), but I'll share some key things I would certainly want to evaluate for most situations. Available support: unless they are expecting you to do everything, it's important you understand what type of support resources you have. Will you have Marketing Ops, Sales Ops, paid media support, content marketing, etc. Some demand gen marketers can do all of tha ...Read More