The Marketing Mix: Thought-starters for B2B Business Leaders
As the Founder or CEO of a start-up or small business, you know you need to take marketing seriously. But do you know how to get started?
The Marketing Mix is your guide to positioning, content marketing, demand generation, and sales enablement for growing B2B companies. We dig into the details by interviewing marketing specialists; by talking to leaders who’ve faced the same issues as you, in their company; and by taking deep dives into specific marketing topics.
Whether you’re interested in reaching a wider audience, picking the right channels, or building a marketing team, The Marketing Mix is in your corner.
Your host is Steve Cummins, who has built and run marketing teams at a number of tech companies, from Fortune 500 to fast-growth start-ups, and been part of several acquisitions along the way. As Principal and Chief Marketer at Solent Strategies, Steve now helps tech companies who are ready to punch above their weight.
Episodes
29 episodes
The Sendoso Marketing Journey. A conversation with Kris Rudeegraap, co-founder and CEO
On this episode, Kris Rudeegraap, CEO of Sendoso, talks about his journey from software sales - where he spotted a gap in the market - to being a compa...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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34:32
Is Google losing its grip on B2B marketing?
If you’re a founder or CEO of a growing business, you've probably been told that you have to focus your marketing around Google. Whether that’s ranking highly for a specific phrase or a set of keywords; or investing in ads to get more people to...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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16:33
B2B Websites that Convert | A Conversation with Sam Dunning of Breaking B2B
If you’re running a B2B tech company, you want your website to generate leads, and convert interest. Yet so many websites are built for vanity, not revenue. And that’s Sam Dunning’s go...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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35:21
Keeping Up With Marketing Trends
I was on my way to the New Jersey Digital Marketing Conference recently. And it occurred to me that the way we keep up with the latest in marketing strategy and techniques has changed significantly.A few years ago, it was all about in-p...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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15:18
Building a Marketing Flywheel: Momentum through Community w/Chris Delany, CEO of Semgeeks
I’m talking with Chris Delany, the CEO of Semgeeks, about how the world of B2B digital marketing is changing. We look at the transition from basic SEO tactics and website design, to a full-...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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27:44
Responsible Marketing is Good for Business: w/ Chad Hickey and Lauren Burke
Responsible Marketing; Sustainability; Eco-friendly business practices. Whatever you call it, companies are increasingly exploring how to “do better.” And on this episode, we explore how businesses can embed Responsibility directly into their m...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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37:45
SEO and AI: The value of the" Human Layer" w/ Greg Brooks, CMO of SearchTides
If you’re worried about how “search” is going to be impacted by AI…then you’ve clearly been paying attention! But beyond all the hype, what are the most likely outcomes in the next year or so. Should your SEO strategy be changing? Should your m...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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37:58
AI in Marketing: How to get started on your AI journey
Are we ready to take advantage of AI in Marketing yet?Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, is quoted as saying that AI could automate 95% of tasks currently performed by marketing agencies. I don’t agree with the number, but it’s a bold en...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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26:31
Engage, Deliver, Repeat: Where Marketing and Delivery Meet w/ Chris Heffernan, Founder and CEO of Dlivrd
In this episode, we talk with Chris Heffernan, the co-founder and CEO of Dlivrd. Think DoorDash, but for restaurant catering and same-day food delivery. Chris shares his insights on marketing as a founder, a...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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33:57
Positioning: The Why, the Who, and the How w/ Sharon Scott
Positioning is a fundamental part of marketing strategy. But it’s not always explicitly defined, particularly in small, fast-growing companies. In many cases, it’s based purely on the original intent of the founder, and reflects early-adopters....
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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35:43
The Algo-Rythm is Gonna Get You | Improving LinkedIn, plus thoughts on Positioning
To kick off Season Two, Steve talks about marketing topics that have been top of mind since the last episode. He talks about the current state of the LinkedIn algorithm, (not great, but better than the alternative!); the need to productize your...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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14:58
The Story So Far: [Season 1 Recap] What have we learned in the first season of The Marketing Mix?
Search Engine Optimization; Demand Generation; and Content Marketing. Most of the conversations in this first season of the podcast have delved into one (or more) of these three key areas of marketing.In this final episode of Season...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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29:31
A Practical Approach to Account-Based Marketing w/ Mason Cosby
The term Account Based Marketing, or ABM. has been hijacked by companies promoting platforms and tech solutions. But in essence, it's a methodology for reaching strategic accounts more effectively.In this episode, Mason Cosby discusses ...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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41:59
Small Businesses Need Customer Research Too! A conversation with Justin Chen, co-founder of PickFu
Every marketing book tells you to get closer to your customer. And honestly, we don't really need to be told that! But it's not always so easy to do that as part of your day-to-day - particularly if "customer research" means in-person focus gro...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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34:11
Do you really need a website? Some thoughts on why you do, and how to make it happen.
A recent Linkedin post got some traction by suggesting that not all businesses need a website.Which honestly, is a bit of a headscratcher. As my friend Tim Peter wrote in a counterpoint, that's like saying you don't need a phone n...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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15:43
Case Studies: The Power of Customer Stories w/ Nikki Fabrizio
In this episode of The Marketing Mix, we’re talking to Nikki Fabrizio about the power of using customer success stories - otherwise known as case studies - in content marketing. Nikki sha...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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34:52
Linking B2B Marketing to Revenue via Customer Conversion Points | A Critical Step Before Marketing Attribution Makes Sense
Marketing attribution sounds like a great idea. And in theory, it is. Particularly if you’re selling directly to customers via an ecommerce page on your website.In many B2B scenarios, though, you’re selling through distributors, channel ...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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15:41
Marketing Attribution: Understanding where your customers come from, w/ Steffen Hedebrandt
You’re spending money on PPC ads, on improving SEO performance, and attending multiple events. How do you know which of these investments is paying off? That’s what Marketing Attribution is all about.In this episode of The Marketing Mix,...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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32:14
Google Ads and PPC: Building a Great Campaign w/ Katie Kingsbery of RevKey
Too many start-ups and small businesses waste their precious resources running Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns without linking them to activity that drives new business. It’s easy to get dazzled by vanity metrics, instead of targeting prospects w...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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36:39
SEO: What you need to know about Search Engine Optimization w/ Charley Karpiuk
If you know that SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, but aren’t sure where to get started, then this episode is for you.Charley’s experience at Conde Nast, Google, and a number of start-ups has given him an insight into how SEO ca...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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32:59
The Four Pillars of Marketing | Position, Awareness, Demand, Enablement (PADE)
When you think of marketing strategy, most people immediately refer to the Four P’s of Marketing – Product, Price, Promotion and Place. And while that’s a good starting place in theory, the reality of marketing - particularly in a small busines...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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18:08
Building a Marketing Function in a Small Business | A Conversation with Jesse Park, President of amplifi
Steve interviews Jesse Park, President and Co-owner of amplifi. Jesse shares his journey of transforming the company from a print specialist to an agency ...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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37:58
Rebranding based on Customer Research | A conversation with Joan McGeough, CMO of The DAK Group
Steve talks with Joan McGeough, Chief Marketing Officer at the DAK Group, to discuss their recent rebranding project and the crucial ...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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31:02
MQLs and SQLs - Bridging the Gap Between Marketing and Sales
Why are we talking about MQLs and SQLs?Funnel Marketing has dominated the last two episodes. First, it was the interview with Gia Laudi, author of "Forget the Funnel." Then I shared my thoughts on how the Funnel can be used effectively ...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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19:12
Funnel Marketing and Pirate Metrics - What are they and how do they work?
On the last episode, I talked with Georgiana Laudi, co-author of Forget the Funnel. And that led to questions around 'what, actually, is the Marketing Funnel"?!So this week, I explain some of the models that marketers us...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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17:53