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Nearbound Summit 2023 is a 4-day virtual event covering Nearbound strategies and tactics for every department. Register here.

If your marketing mix doesn’t match your customers

Your customer’s journey starts way before they get into your funnel.

Rand Fishkin explains in this AMAZING whiteboard session,

“Customers start their journey with a question: “Where do I go to learn about this topic that I have an interest in or this problem that I have or might have in the future?”

That kicks off their pre-funnel activity.

Pre-funnel activity is where Nearbound Marketing tactics thrive.

The past two eras of B2B SaaS were defined by direct channels and direct access to new markets. Nearbound and pre-funnel activity, however, is largely indirect.

Buyers are informed. They don’t want to be bombarded with information or targeted. They want to be influenced and surrounded by trust.

In the next section, I’ll share how Rand Fishkin proposes you do that.

Does your marketing account for pre-funnel activity?

Pre-funnel activity is everything that comes before a potential customer is in your funnel.

Quickly, here’s a funnel breakdown: Top-of-funnel, where they learn about your brand; Middle-of-funnel, where your “qualified leads” exist; Bottom-of-funnel, where you convert leads.

But the problem is, there’s not one place in the normal funnel where a customer can learn about their problem or interest.

Customers start their journey wondering,

“Where do I go to learn about this topic that I have an interest in or this problem that I have or might have in the future?”

Sure, some marketers might point to SEO as a pre-funnel marketing strategy, but that’s not enough.

Let’s say your SEO-game is the best in the market.

Even if 25% of users use Google Search to learn about their problem/interest, that’s still 75% of untapped pre-funnel potential!

The next important thing to remember is SEO has been gamed.

Buyers don’t trust SEO as much as they used to. Even if you rank #1 in every relevant category, buyers are still doing their due diligence, and checking other sources. One blog article isn’t enough.

I understand that thinking of all the potential touchpoints on a customer’s journey can be overwhelming, but here’s where you can start: map out your customer’s journey (their 28 moments) and then pick 2-3 pre-funnel moments to build up.

Influencer marketing spend more resilient than social ad spend

The trust economy is booming.

A recent report on influencer marketing shows,

Influencer marketing spending will rise roughly 3.5 times faster in 2023 than social ad spending will. That’s a testament to the resilience of creators, even amid economic concerns and major competition.”

And to add to it,

More businesses are looking to lean on creators to amplify their brand messaging, which is changing the way that consumers are receiving such content, and could thereby reduce the impacts of regular ads.

This report is a testament to how buyers want to buy — surrounded by the people they trust. 

Check out the article here.

Stuff you don’t want to miss!

• TODAY — Sept 20, 12 PM EST — Partner Attach: The Great Debate — Sunir Shah (AppBind), Aaron McGarry (Qualtrics), Jared Fuller (Reveal & nearbound.com), and Catie Moynihan (HubSpot) bring their strong opinions to the ring for a great debate on partner attach. Be part of a transformative conversation that will redefine how you measure and attribute partner impact. Register here.

• TODAY — Sept 20, 2 PM EST — Comparing Partner Programs: Justworks vs Greenhouse — Join Molly Cavanaugh, Former Director of Business Development at Justworks, Jillian Trubee, Former Partner Program Manager at Greenhouse Software, and Scott Pollack as they’ll explore the differing partnership strategies of two companies working in the same industry. Register Here.

• Apply by September 22nd for Firneo’s Certified 8-WeekCohort — Learn the frameworks and tactics to excel in every facet of your partnerships role. Apply here.

• September 28, 12 PM EST — Game Changers: Isaac Morehouse — Isaac will join Oana Manolache to talk about how to use content creation to define a category. He’ll share the 3 elements to help you build brand awareness, drive pipeline, and unite your team. Register here.

• November 6-9th — Nearbound Summit 2023 — The future of GTM is Nearbound. Join us for the biggest-ever remote experience in GTM where B2B leaders across departments unite to share how they’re winning with Nearbound strategies and tactics. Register here.

Your network = your pre-funnel

The people in your network have similar interests to you. Odds are, if you like the NbD, someone else will too! Share the person who’s top-of-mind.