Hey there, my fellow weekend warriors!

If you've been keeping up with the pearls of wisdom I've been tossing your way through each new edition of Fresh Salmon, you're already swimming in the deep waters of B2B marketing mastery. 🐟🚀

My poetic musings have included:

🚀 Category Design

🚀 POV (Point of View)

🚀 The Tectonic Shift in B2B Buyer Behaviors

🚀 B2B Creator-Style Marketing

🚀 Audience Building

🚀 Media Marketing

And that's just the tip of the iceberg!

See, I didn't embark on this newsletter voyage just to hear the sound of my own keyboard. No, sir! 📣 My mission is to spill the marketing beans and help you fine folks turbocharge your businesses, amplify your brands, and skyrocket your careers. 🚀🌟

Why? I've been there, folks. Over the years, I've led troops to the revenue-promised land, built growth engines from scraps, and taken B2B startups on rocket rides to million-dollar status.

Hold onto your hats, because today's newsletter isn't your typical one. Rather, it's a diamond in the rough, a treasure trove of B2B marketing genius.

Today, my friends, I'm revealing a step-by-step framework for crafting a B2B Marketing Strategy that's still hot off the press!

And guess what? You lucky devils are the first to taste it. It's an exclusive sneak peek, a front-row seat to marketing nirvana.

So, what are you waiting for? Let's dive right in and dissect this framework, piece by glorious piece. 🤓🔍

1. Start With “Why”

Seven or eight years ago, I was introduced to a revelation that would forever change my life.

I stumbled upon Simon Sinek's magnum opus, the "Start with Why" framework. I've been an evangelist for this paradigm-shattering concept ever since I discovered it.

Sinek's wisdom emphasizes the importance of starting from the very center of both individuals and organizations, their beating hearts. Discovering your "why" is the first step to diving into the murky waters of "how" and "what."

So, what's this mystical trio all about?

Why: This is the bedrock of the entire framework. It's the North Star, the guiding light, the very reason for your existence. Forget mere profits; this is about unearthing the profound purpose and values that propel your every action. It's the secret sauce that turns your company's mission and vision into a vivid, actionable statement of its very essence.

How: Once you've unearthed your "why," it's time to get down to the nitty-gritty of "how." This is where the magic happens. Your "how" is the secret recipe, the unique blend of processes and methods that sets you apart from the bland masses.

What: The "what" is the grand finale, the product, service, or solution that wows the world. It's what you deliver to your customers, the tangible proof of your existence.

The kicker, though, is this. With unbridled authenticity, you'll do more than just turn heads. You'll attract kindred spirits, assemble loyal customers, and ignite a blaze of action in the hearts of others.

Now, I don't just talk the talk, my friends. I walk the walk. I've tested this framework with numerous startups, and let me tell you, it's rocket fuel! 🚀💥

I don't hoard knowledge, however. Oh no! The sweet nectar of this paradigm shift should also be tasted by you. I urge you to watch this video from Simon Sinek himself. Be prepared to be blown away!

Keep your curiosity burning, my fellow adventurers. It's all about marketing greatness here!

2. Crafting a Point of View (POV):

I've got a bone to pick with the status quo. You see, in the world of business, everyone seems to nod in agreement, like a bunch of bobbleheads, accepting the premises without a second thought. 🤷‍♂️

Nevertheless, accepting the premise is like voluntarily locking yourself in a cage. The script is handed to you, and you play your part, like an actor in a never-ending play.

Take, for instance, this classic example: "I'm going to digitalize the patient appointment scheduling industry."

Bam! Just like everyone else, you've folded yourself into the same old paper airplane. In the end, the best you can hope for is to give the situation a slightly fancier spin. When you become just another fish in the sea, you know what happens? You get caught in the same net.

And then what? You claim to be better, cheaper, or easier using tired old tactics. Yawn!

Guess what? When you play by their rules, you're right back in the same sandbox as everyone else. It's just another grain of sand on the beach. The opposite of standing out is competing with everyone in that category.

Here's my rallying cry - don't just accept the premise, challenge it! Reject it! Put it in the trash!

If you want to determine whether you've fallen into this trap, ask yourself: Are you forecasting or backcasting?

Forecasting: That's thinking about the future while standing in the past. You're playing by someone else's rules, and you're doing it unconsciously. You're in the game, but you're not rewriting the playbook.

Backcasting: Ah, now that's living as if a different future already exists in the present. It's inventing a brand-new game and having the audacity to write its rules. It's creating, not competing.

The ultimate differentiator is creating your own category. A category of one. You become the orchestra's maestro when you do that.

This is where Point of View (POV) comes in. It's like looking into the future and telling everyone what's going to happen.

However, you can't just slap on a meaningless tagline and call it a POV. Oh no, my friends, it takes more than that. POVs should be unique like fingerprints, and exclusive like backstage passes. Pogo sticks shouldn't be able to reach the moon!

Take Substack, for example. Their POV is "a place for independent writing." Simple, right? But it won't work for the Washington Post because it's not meant to. Substack's entire game is about being different, and that's why they stand out. They've carved their own path, and they're marching to their own beat.

Remember this as you venture forth in business and creativity: Dare to reject the premise, and embrace backcasting. Make your own category, your own path, and your own rhythm. This is how you become a leader, an innovator, and a game changer.

Now it's your turn to share your POV. Something different is needed in the world, and it is hungry for it.

3. From “How” to “Who” GTM:

There is a seismic shift taking place in B2B Marketing that is transforming the way buyers interact with brands.

Consumers are shifting from a "how" economy, where they search for solutions to their problems, to a "who" economy, where they seek out trusted advisors to guide their decisions.

In the digital age, influence is changing due to the changing nature of communication. The volume and quality of information provided by a brand largely determined its influence in the past.

Today, influence is determined by how well a brand can build relationships with its audience.

Buyers no longer just Google their problems and hope for the best. They rely on people they know and trust to help them navigate digital commerce's complexities.

For B2B marketers and founders, this changes the game.

You can no longer simply create great content and hope that it resonates with your audience. To build trust in your brand, you must actively build relationships with your customers and advocates.

A profound change is already taking place in the way businesses operate as a result of this shift. In the old "how" world, companies were able to get their content in front of buyers by manipulating search algorithms.

However, success in the new world of "who" is determined by your ability to build relationships and trust with your audience.

To succeed in the new economy, you must cultivate relationships and cultivate trust with your audience in order to build those relationships.

This is why the GTM approach in today’s world must evolve from Company-first GTM to People-first GTM.

Here is a graphic of what People-first GTM looks like from our friends at ClubPF.co -

4. Audience Building:

In this digital jungle, "Attention" rules the roost.

You can have a product that's smoother than silk, smarter than Einstein, and shinier than a supernova, but guess what? It is as good as whispering in the wind if you can't hold those wandering eyeballs.

That's where B2B Creator-Style Marketing comes in - it's not just a strategy, it's a revelation!

Now is the time to shift gears, evolve, and REINCARNATE your B2B marketing strategy!

Build your audience - that's your golden ticket, your secret sauce, your passport to your target market's hearts and minds.

Audience building isn't just a buzzword - it's the foundation for building trust. In the grand symphony of commerce, trust orchestrates success. Oh, and guess what?

Trust cannot be bought - you have to earn it, nurture it, and cherish it.

If you're ready to ditch the mundane, ditch the ho-hum, and embrace a marketing metamorphosis like never before, repeat after me: Audience Building leads to Trust Building!

5. Media-first Approach to Content Marketing:

The industry is buzzing about turning company marketing into a media company approach, particularly for B2B.

This is obviously not a new approach to marketing. For years, media companies have built large audiences all over the world.

Media companies have been embracing emerging mediums like videos, podcasts, and others, they are building and engaging their subscriber base. By carefully distributing into channels they control themselves, they can access first-party engagement data to leverage their competitive advantage.

Thanks to the pandemic, many B2B companies used this opportunity to create media marketing in-house. A shift from traditional marketing to media strategy.

Media is that strategy.

Why?

The landscape for content distribution has been disrupted by the advancement of mobile technologies.

Besides written content, consumers are now consuming long- and short-form videos, podcasts, live streams, etc.

Multimedia content distribution channels have been bolstered by the shift from text consumption to media consumption among the general population.

Text-based content and SEO are no longer competitive enough to get the audience reach.

Innovative companies are acquiring media companies and building media operations within their businesses to stay ahead of the curve.

Here are a few examples:

• Profitwell created Recur, their own media arm.

• Hubspot acquired The Hustle.

• Salesforce launched Salesforce+.

• Mailchimp launched Mailchimp Presents.

In the near future, every company will be creating educational and inspirational content for their target audience that goes beyond text-based content.

It’s a move to think beyond Demand Generation, and not just focus on capturing the 5% of people who are in the market to buy your product.

Rather it is Edutainment (Education + Entertainment) at a scale, and you are building a larger audience that goes way deeper into the 95% who are not yet ready to buy but have established a solid brand affinity with you.

This way you are securing a spot in the buyer’s mind, and when they are ready they are compelled to reach out to you.

That's it. I hope this framework makes sense to you, or at least got your head spinning with ideas for taking over the world.

Shoot me a note if you have any questions or anything else you would like to share.

What Do You Think?

This concludes this edition of Fresh Salmon.

I would like to hear what you thought of today's newsletter.

Also, let’s connect on Twitter, LinkedIn, or TikTok.

Cheers,

Vivek

PS. I love you ❤️