In partnership with

Hello and welcome to the 138th edition of Fresh Salmon, your go-to B2B marketing newsletter that lands in your inbox every week—for free.

Let’s get right into it.

Today's newsletter's primary partner is Hubspot. Please do click this ad so I could continue to keep this newsletter free for all the subscribers 👇 👇

Use AI as Your Personal Assistant

Ready to embrace a new era of task delegation?

HubSpot’s highly anticipated AI Task Delegation Playbook is your key to supercharging your productivity and saving precious time.

Learn how to integrate AI technology into your processes, allowing you to optimize resource allocation and maximize output with precision and ease.

Download Now!

Mastering the Art of Doubling Down

We’ve all been there — caught up in the whirlwind of the latest trends, tools, and channels. As marketers, founders, or leaders, we can’t help but feel the pull to chase the “next big thing.”

But there’s a quieter, more effective path that often gets overlooked: doubling down on what you're already good at.

It sounds almost too simple, but this strategy is anything but basic. It's a timeless growth hack, both personally and professionally, that separates the mediocre from the exceptional.

Why Chasing the New is a Trap?

There’s an allure to novelty. When you hear about a new platform, an emerging channel, or a shiny tool, it’s tempting to dive in. “What if this is the game-changer we’ve been waiting for?” we think.

But here’s the catch: with every new pursuit, you’re scattering your energy.

Each time you allocate resources to learn, experiment, and iterate, you’re taking time away from what could be an opportunity to excel in an area you’re already halfway there.

Focusing on what you're good at — whether it’s a particular skill, channel, or even customer segment — gives you the opportunity to turn good into great.

By refining, optimizing, and pushing the limits of your existing strengths, you multiply your chances of success.

Today’s secondary partner is - Roku. Please show them some love by clicking the link below 👇 👇

Introducing Roku Ads Manager: CTV Ads Made Simple

• Reach viewers where they’re already engaged on the big screen

• Run ads on top ad-supported streaming channels

• Get started today for as little as $500

Reach your audience on Roku

The Peter Drucker Approach

Peter Drucker, one of the most influential management thinkers, understood this deeply. In Managing Oneself, he writes about the fallacy of trying to turn incompetence into mediocrity. The energy, time, and resources required to bring a “D” skill up to a “B” is far greater than the effort it takes to refine a “B” into an “A.”

Let that sink in……

We’re conditioned to think that we need to “level up” every weakness we have.

But trying to improve areas of low competence drains energy that could otherwise be used to achieve excellence. This is particularly true in marketing, where niche expertise often outperforms generalized knowledge.

Imagine focusing on a core marketing channel your team already does well. Maybe your team excels at creating engaging LinkedIn content or running efficient Google Ads campaigns. Doubling down on that channel, improving the smallest details, could yield outsized results. Trying to stretch your team’s limited bandwidth across unproven channels often leads to lackluster performance across the board.

The ROI of Doubling Down: Bigger Wins with Less Waste

Let’s break it down from a practical, numbers-focused standpoint.

Think of the time and budget you invest into learning a new channel or strategy as you would any other business expense.

Would you invest in a completely new asset with no proven track record or return? Likely not.

The same logic applies to your time and team focus.

If you’re consistently getting a 3x return on ad spend in Google Ads, for example, while trying to crack a less familiar channel like TikTok (with no real traction), what’s the better use of your resources?

The data is clear: doubling down on your core competencies provides a higher ROI, faster.

Next up we have - HoneyBook. The all-in-one clientflow platform for those who do it all. Please check them out by clicking the link below 👇 👇

Go from $50K to $500K

See what top earners with marketing and creative businesses like yours are doing to reach their revenue goals.

Learn more

How to Identify and Focus on Your Strengths

Start by conducting a thorough audit of your team's skills, campaigns, and past results. What are the areas where you’ve consistently delivered high-impact results?

Look for patterns — whether it’s a particular type of content, a specific customer segment, or even a product offering.

Here are a few practical steps to get started:

1. Audit Past Successes: Review the last 12-18 months of campaigns, focusing on channels and strategies that have brought consistent results. Identify your “B” skills —the ones that have been solid but haven’t yet reached their full potential.

2. Double Down on Optimization: For those channels or strategies, shift from exploration to optimization. How can you refine targeting, improve messaging, or increase efficiency? Small changes at this stage can yield massive results.

3. Use the 80/20 Rule: Allocate 80% of your team’s resources to areas where you’ve already found success and 20% to experimentation. This ensures you are continually optimizing while keeping space for innovation without overextending.

4. Elevate Team Focus: Ensure your team is spending the majority of their time on tasks they excel at. For example, if your team thrives in paid media, don’t stretch them too thin on content creation if that’s not their strong suit.

Stop Chasing, Start Mastering.

Chasing new ideas and channels often feels productive, but it’s often an illusion.

The real growth, the real excellence, comes from knowing what you’re good at — and getting even better at it. Whether it's a personal skill, team capability, or company-wide strategy, doubling down on your strengths will always yield better returns than spreading yourself thin.

It’s time to shift the focus. The next time you feel the temptation to chase that shiny object, ask yourself: How can I turn my “B” into an “A”?

Because that’s where the magic happens.

Why LinkedIn is the Real PR Game?

If you’re spending $12,000 a month on a PR agency to place articles that your actual customers will likely never read, you’re not alone — but you might be wasting your budget.

It sounds glamorous to get featured in a top-tier publication or land a mention in a popular industry blog, but how often does that exposure translate into real business outcomes? Especially for most B2B software companies, a "massive feature" in a Tier 1 publication is more of a pipe dream than a predictable strategy.

What do you end up with? Placements in random blogs that might boost your PR team’s morale but don’t move the needle for your business.

It’s time to forget that approach.

The Power of LinkedIn: Reaching Customers Directly

Here’s a better alternative: build a genuine following for your CEO, Founder, or Company Page on LinkedIn, where your actual customers are spending their time.

Through nothing more than text and images, you can cut through the noise, reach the right people, and build meaningful connections.

Unlike traditional PR, LinkedIn doesn’t rely on intermediaries to tell your story. It allows you to own your narrative, share your thoughts directly, and, most importantly, get immediate feedback from your target audience.

Imagine having a platform where you not only build brand awareness but also engage with your audience in real-time — and all without waiting weeks for a blog post to go live.

Next up we have - Neurons. Neurons enables Marketers to make better decisions, faster! Please check them out by clicking the link below 👇 👇

2x conversions by pre-testing your ads? Yes, it's possible!

Get immediate feedback & optimize your ads with AI recommendations.

With Neurons, you can:

• Improve content performance.

• Make branding more memorable.

• Run ad A/B tests pre-launch.

Neurons AI helps marketers get 73% CTR lift and 20% brand awareness boost.

Book a Neurons Session Today

Followers Are Not a Vanity Metric

There’s a persistent myth that social media followers are just a vanity metric. It’s easy to dismiss the idea of gaining followers because the ROI isn’t immediately measurable.

But let’s set the record straight — more followers mean more visibility, and that’s the first step in influencing buying decisions.

Here’s how it works: If more people follow your CEO, more people see their thoughts and perspective. As more people engage with those ideas, your company’s name becomes more memorable.

And when they’re in the market for a product or service you offer, guess who they think of? That’s right — your company.

This isn’t just theoretical. I’ve seen it happen over and over again.

A CEO builds an audience on LinkedIn, and that audience translates directly into sales, partnerships, and investments.

The influence is real, and while it may be harder to measure than clicks on an ad, it’s no less impactful. The visibility your company gains through a consistent LinkedIn presence is a long-term asset.

The Real-World Impact of a Strong LinkedIn Presence

Building an audience on LinkedIn doesn’t just drive potential sales. It opens doors in every direction. You’ll start getting DMs from people who want to:

• Work at your company

• Invest in your company

• Partner with your company

These are the kinds of opportunities that don’t always show up in your analytics dashboard, but you’ll feel the impact.

A vibrant, engaged LinkedIn audience is an engine for organic growth, from recruiting to business development.

Even better, once you’ve built this audience, you can drive traffic to your latest product launch, white paper, or event without relying on external media outlets or PR placements.

You have a direct line to the people who matter, and that gives you freedom and control.

Next up we have - Growth School. Please check them out by clicking the link below 👇 👇

AI & ChatGPT Mini Crash Course - Eliminate workplace burnout & save 16+ hours every week. Learn 20+ AI tools, prompting techniques & hacks for free.

Save your seat here (first 100 people only) ⏰

LinkedIn vs. Traditional PR: The Budget Question

If you believe in building thought leadership around your CEO or founder, LinkedIn is where you should be putting your budget.

Traditional PR is valuable, but only when it can deliver results where your audience actually spends time. For most B2B companies, LinkedIn is where those conversations are happening.

Instead of chasing that elusive Tier 1 feature, focus on building consistent, meaningful content on LinkedIn. Share your company’s perspective, insights, and success stories directly with your audience. You’ll not only build a following but also create a feedback loop that helps refine your messaging in real-time.

And when the time comes to promote something — whether it’s a new product, an event, or a hiring push — you’ll already have an engaged audience ready to take action.

LinkedIn is Your Thought Leadership Playground

Forget about paying a PR agency $12,000 a month for placements that may or may not reach your target customers. Instead, invest in a strategy that gives you direct access to the people who matter most — your customers, partners, and potential investors.

LinkedIn isn’t just a social platform; it’s a dynamic tool for thought leadership, brand building, and business growth.

So, if you believe in your CEO’s ability to lead the conversation, spend your thought leadership budget where it counts — on LinkedIn. You’ll build an audience, drive real business outcomes, and take control of your company’s narrative in a way that traditional PR can’t match.

The best part?

You get to see the impact firsthand, one follower, one DM, and one conversation at a time.

Interesting Thing That I Noticed This Week

Yes, the tides are changing 💪 💪 💪

Tweet That I Posted This Week

This concludes this edition of Fresh Salmon.

Do what is good for your soul ❤️

All the best,

Vivek

PS. Whenever you are ready, here are 3 ways in which I can help you and your business:

#1: B2B Marketing Consulting and Go-To-Market Advisory for your business.

#2: 1-on-1 Personal Coaching and Mentoring on anything related to Marketing and Go-To-Market Strategies for you.

#3: Promoting you or your brand via this newsletter.

For any of these things just shoot me a reply, and we will arrange a time to chat.