What's up! Welcome back to another week in people-first GTM land. The best place to be.
Before I dive in, I want to share something exciting from TACK Network. If you haven't checked it out yet, we have the Ultimate Checklist for SaaS Go-To-Market available on our media network. It's packed with valuable insights to streamline your GTM strategy. Don’t forget to tune into our brand episode with Nikki Engel, which dropped today on GTM News Desk. We talked about marketing funnels, which tie into today. Here is a quick 50-second video clip. Here is where else you can find the episode.
Apple & Spotify
Now, let's get into this week's topic.
It's 2 AM, and I'm hunched over my laptop screen. As the head of field marketing at Clari, I'm reviewing the engagement metrics for our latest campaign. It’s also early 2020, the height of the pandemic, and as someone who did a lot of events, this was going to be a killer.
The numbers aren't great, and I can feel a knot forming in my stomach.
Sound familiar? We've all been there.
This moment was a wake-up call. I realized that despite our cutting-edge revenue intelligence platform, we were missing something crucial: truly understanding the people behind the data.
In B2B tech, getting lost in metrics and features is easy. But at Clari, I learned that behind every data point is a person with real challenges - a sales leader sweating over quotas, a revenue ops manager wrestling with forecasts.
That night, digging into the data, I saw patterns emerge. These weren't just numbers; they were clues left by real people, showing us where our message hit home and missed the mark.
This experience taught me that the key to a winning GTM strategy isn't just in the data - it's in how we use that data to connect with our audience on a human level.
Over my years in B2B marketing, I've honed techniques for turning customer behavior insights into GTM gold. Today, I'm sharing three powerful strategies you can use immediately to boost your campaigns and create meaningful connections with your audience.
Let's dive in.
Engagement Metrics: Your Audience's Digital Body Language
At Clari, we once launched a campaign that looked perfect on paper: sleek design, compelling content, and the works. But the engagement was lukewarm at best. This taught me to pay attention to what our audience was telling us through their actions.
Engagement metrics show you exactly how users interact with your content. They're essentially your audience's “digital body language,” showing you what truly resonates and allowing you to tailor your approach to their needs and preferences.
Key Metrics:
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Click-Through Rate (CTR): Percentage of users who click a link vs. those who view it.
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Time on Page: How long users spend engaging with your content.
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Heatmaps: Visual representations of where users click and scroll most.
How to Track:
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Google Analytics: This is for CTR and time on page data.
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Hotjar or Crazy Egg: This is for heat maps and user behavior insights.
In my experience, consistently high engagement is often a precursor to strong relationships and revenue growth. This article from HubSpot offers a great overview of key marketing metrics, including engagement metrics.
Quick Win: Set up a weekly review of these metrics. Look for patterns in what content gets the most engagement and double down on those topics and formats.
Conversion Funnel Analysis: Mapping the Customer Journey
During my time at Clari, we struggled with low conversion rates. We uncovered a major drop-off point in our onboarding process by implementing a detailed funnel analysis. A simple redesign of that stage led to a 40% increase in conversions.
Conversion funnel analysis examines users' steps from initial interest to final action. It's crucial for understanding the customer journey, allowing you to identify pain points and opportunities to add value at each stage.
Key Metrics:
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Conversion Rate: Percentage of users who complete a desired action.
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Drop-Off Rate: Percentage of users who abandon the funnel at each stage.
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Time to Convert: Average time for a user to move through the funnel.
How to Track:
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Mixpanel or Segment: This is for detailed funnel analysis and user journey tracking.
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Google Analytics: For basic funnel visualization.
For a deep dive into funnel analysis, check out this comprehensive guide from CXL.
Quick Win: Identify the stage with the highest drop-off rate in your funnel. Conduct user interviews to understand why people are leaving at this point and brainstorm solutions.
A/B Testing: Let Your Audience Guide You
At TACK, we ran an A/B test on two different onboarding flows for new members. Surprisingly, the version we thought would perform better actually had lower engagement. This reinforced a crucial lesson: always test your assumptions.
A/B testing involves comparing two versions of a webpage, email, or ad to see which performs better. It embodies a people-first growth strategy by allowing you to test ideas and let your audience's behavior guide your decisions.
Key Metrics:
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Conversion Rate: Percentage of users who complete a desired action in each version.
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Engagement Metrics: How users interact with different versions.
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Revenue per Visitor: Revenue generated per visitor for each version.
How to Track:
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Optimizely or VWO: For comprehensive A/B testing and analysis.
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Google Optimize: For free, basic A/B testing capabilities.
Optimizely's Knowledge Base offers excellent resources on A/B testing methodologies and best practices.
Quick Win: Start small. Pick one key element on your homepage or email campaigns and create two versions. Run a test for 2-4 weeks and let the data guide your next move.
The Human Behind the Data
The journey from late-night data dives at Clari to shaping people-first strategies at TACK has taught me one crucial lesson: behind every metric, data point, and conversion, there's a person. That person isn’t a cluster of data on a persona slide. They have their own hopes, challenges, and aspirations.
When we truly understand this, our approach to GTM transforms. We stop seeing funnel stages and start seeing human journeys. We stop obsessing over click-through rates and start creating content that resonates on a personal level. We stop pushing features and start solving real problems.
The future of B2B marketing isn't about more automation or fancier tech stacks. It's about more humanity. It's about creating strategies that recognize and respect the individuals behind the businesses we serve.
So, as you head back to your metrics dashboards and strategy sessions, ask yourself: How can I make this more human? How can I put people at the center of this decision? That's where the real magic happens.
Until next week.
Nick
P.S. Want to dive deeper into People-first GTM? Join us at TACK Insider, our community for marketers and entrepreneurs pioneering this approach. We've got daily insights, weekly masterclasses, and a whole lot more. Check it out at www.tackinsider.com
You can join us on Slack for free here.
