Marketing B2B Technology

In the latest interview of our leading B2B marketing professionals’ series, Mario Blandini, VP of Marketing at iXsystems, an open-source software storage company, sat down with Mike to discuss his career, how he came to work in the data storage industry and his top marketing tips.
Mario discusses how open-source companies work and the benefits this can result in for both the customers and the business. He shares the campaigns he is most proud of and some advice on how companies can attract young marketing talent.
 
About iXsystems  
iX is an Open Source pioneer and the company behind TrueNAS®, the world’s most deployed storage software. Relied upon by millions in over 200 countries, TrueNAS is an award-winning universal data platform used by a majority of Fortune 500 companies.
Time Stamps
[00:45.06] – Mario explains how he ended up as VP of Marketing at iXsystems.
[08:34.0] – The right time to move from propriety storage to open source.
[11:43.0] – What is open source?
[18:07.0] – How do you promote something that will drive no immediate revenue?
[22:42.0] – Mario shares the campaign eh is most proud of.
[28:09.0] – What is the best piece of marketing advice you’ve been given? 
[31:53.0] – Ways to get in touch and find out more.
 
Follow Mario:
Mario Blandini on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mblandini/
iXsystems website: https://www.ixsystems.com/
iXsystems on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ixsystems/
 
Follow Mike:
Mike Maynard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemaynard/
Napier website: https://www.napierb2b.com/
Napier LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/napier-partnership-limited/
 
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to our podcast for more discussions about the latest in Marketing B2B Tech and connect with us on social media to stay updated on upcoming episodes. We'd also appreciate it if you could leave us a review on your favourite podcast platform.
Want more? Check out Napier’s other podcast - The Marketing Automation Moment: https://podcasts.apple.com/ua/podcast/the-marketing-automation-moment-podcast/id1659211547

Personas based on buying data and research can have a huge impact on both marketing and sales, allowing informed decisions to be made based on the needs of customers.  Jim Kraus, President of the Buyer Persona Institute, shares why building personas based on buying decisions and understanding the needs of prospective buyers is so important. He discusses some of the things to consider when building personas and some tips on how to get started.
 
About Buyer Persona Institute
Buyer Persona Institute offers B2B companies’ insight into what their prospective customers need to know and experience before they buy products or services. The institute delivers buying decision insights and persona activation workshops to more than 100 customers across the globe.
 
About Jim
With over three decades of experience managing market research teams, Jim has become a highly sought-after expert on the intersection of marketing, sales, and product strategy. As the President of Buyer Persona, Jim is passionate about understanding buyer behaviours and implementing marketing efforts that understand the "voice of the buyer."
 
Time Stamps
[00:49.6] – Jim provides an overview of Buyer Persona and how he got involved.
[05:00.9] – How do you build a buyer persona? – Jim offers his advice.
[10:45.0] – How should you leverage buyer personas?
[15:20.3] – Mistakes to avoid when developing buyer personas.
[22:01.7] – What is the best piece of marketing advice you’ve been given?
[23:13.4] – Would you recommend a career in marketing? 
[26:21.9] – Ways to get in touch and find out more.
 
Quotes
“You’re not guessing, it’s not anecdotal. That is really the foundation of your marketing sales strategy, your messaging, your positioning, campaigns that you do. It’s pretty powerful when you have those insights.” Jim Kraus, President at Buyer Persona
 
Follow Jim:
Jim Kraus on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimkraus/
Buyer Persona Institute website: https://buyerpersona.com/
 
Follow Mike:
Mike Maynard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemaynard/
Napier website: https://www.napierb2b.com/
Napier LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/napier-partnership-limited/
 
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to our podcast for more discussions about the latest in Marketing B2B Tech and connect with us on social media to stay updated on upcoming episodes. We'd also appreciate it if you could leave us a review on your favourite podcast platform.
Want more? Check out Napier’s other podcast - The Marketing Automation Moment: https://podcasts.apple.com/ua/podcast/the-marketing-automation-moment-podcast/id1659211547

Everywhere you look, everything is about AI. But how can AI actually support content generation? In this special episode of the podcast, Napier’s Mike Maynard and Hannah Kelly discuss the capabilities of AI in marketing automation platforms. They also chat about how email signatures can be leveraged by marketers, what to consider when writing subject lines and how companies can grow their subscriber database.
Check out this crossover episode with Napier’s sister podcast, The Marketing Automation Moment, sharing the latest news, views and tips from the world of marketing automation.
Time Stamps
[01:03.0] – Will AI make our lives easier?
[04:44.0] – Can we use AI and generative AI to optimise campaigns?
[10:33.0] – Email signatures – how can marketers maximise their impact.
[12:51.0] – The challenges of growing subscriber databases whilst complying with GDPR.
[17:39.0] – How to write a good subject line.
Quotes
“Do you just want to be average in your marketing automation? Or do you want to create something that is above average? People who are above average will do better than AI.” Mike Maynard, Managing Director at Napier.
“AI can be a great start but if you think it’s going to replace you, unfortunately the good news is you’re job safe, the bad news is you’ve still got to do some work.” Mike Maynard, Managing Director at Napier.
 
Follow Hannah:
Mike Maynard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-kelly-b0706a107/
Napier website: https://www.napierb2b.com/
Napier LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/napier-partnership-limited/
 
Follow Mike:
Mike Maynard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemaynard/
Napier website: https://www.napierb2b.com/
Napier LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/napier-partnership-limited/
 
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to our podcast for more discussions about the latest in Marketing B2B Tech and connect with us on social media to stay updated on upcoming episodes. We'd also appreciate it if you could leave us a review on your favourite podcast platform.
Want more? Check out Napier’s other podcast - The Marketing Automation Moment: https://podcasts.apple.com/ua/podcast/the-marketing-automation-moment-podcast/id1659211547

Accurate attribution is difficult, particularly in B2B tech, but it can be crucial in understanding the customer journey and what marketing activities drive revenue.Buğra Gündüz, CEO of HockeyStack, an analytics and attribution platform for B2B businesses, breaks down how marketers can leverage their platforms to understand marketing data and the benefits of using specialist platforms.He also shares his experience in growing his start-up business and the marketing activities helping to drive early-stage growth.
 
About HockeyStack
HockeyStack is a San Francisco-based analytics and attribution tool for B2B companies. Connecting ads, websites, and CRM platforms, HockeyStack collects data in one place, and turns that data into visual customer journeys you can analyse.
 
About Buğra
Buğra Gündüz is a CEO and co-founder of HockeyStack.
 
Time Stamps
[00:39.2] – Overview of HockeyStack, its uses and how it was founded.
[03:46.1] – Buğra discusses how marketers can understand what marketing activities drive people to become customers.
[14:28.3] – Who is HockeyStack aimed at?
[15:15.5] – How does HockeyStack approach marketing itself?
[18:18.1] – What is the best piece of marketing advice you’ve been given?
[24:23.5] – Ways to get in touch and find out more.
 
Quotes
“Large enterprises don't understand how their marketing funnel works, which sources work, and which sources don't. Are they getting value out of what they're spending on a channel?” - Buğra Gündüz, CEO at HockeyStack
 
“I hear this all the time from clients - attribution is one of the hardest things. People are spending money, and to a large extent, it's very hard to know what drove prospects to become customers.” – Mike Maynard, Managing Director at Napier
 
Follow Farzad:
Buğra Gündüz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bgrgndzz/
HockeyStack website: https://hockeystack.com/
Follow HockeyStack: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hockeystack/
 
Follow Mike:
Mike Maynard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemaynard/
Napier website: https://www.napierb2b.com/
Napier LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/napier-partnership-limited/
 
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to our podcast for more discussions about the latest in Marketing B2B Tech and connect with us on social media to stay updated on upcoming episodes. We'd also appreciate it if you could leave us a review on your favourite podcast platform.
Want more? Check out Napier’s other podcast - The Marketing Automation Moment: https://podcasts.apple.com/ua/podcast/the-marketing-automation-moment-podcast/id1659211547

Market research is a massive industry, but despite this global interest, the sector lacks innovation and struggles to manage fraudulent data. 
Sharekh Shaikh, founder of CleverX, discusses how his platform aims to provide market research teams with complete control of the quality and reliability of their research with access to top-level business professionals.
 
About CleverX
CleverX is an audience discovery platform for market and product research teams, connecting researchers with >20K senior professionals ranging from the world’s leading companies like Apple, McKinsey, NASA to founders of exciting startups.
 
About Sharekh
Sharekh Shaikh is a 2X founder in the human capital and the future of work space. He has successfully created businesses that have generated $ multi-million in sales. He has also raised >$1M on his new startup CleverX. 
 
Time Stamps
[01:49.0] – Overview of CleverX and its uses.
[07:52.2] – Quantitative vs qualitive research – Sharekh discusses the two major methods of research
[11:53.2] – How is AI impacting the product? – The opportunities and pitfalls of AI in the research space
[20:40.7] – Would you recommend market research as a career to a young person?
[22:53.2] – What is the best piece of marketing advice you’ve been given?
[24:24.5] – Ways to get in touch and find out more.
 
Quotes
“Traditional ways of doing online surveys in the B2B space are very broken, it is almost 40% fraud data.” Sharekh Shaikh, Founder at CleverX.“Companies which create narrative around a product, which probably isn't even the best product, still win.” Sharekh Shaikh, Founder at CleverX.
 
Follow Sharekh:
Sharekh Shaikh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharekh-shaikh-4591874/
CleverX website: https://cleverx.com/
Follow CleverX: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cleverxhq/
 
Follow Mike:
Mike Maynard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemaynard/
Napier website: https://www.napierb2b.com/
Napier LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/napier-partnership-limited/
 
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to our podcast for more discussions about the latest in Marketing B2B Tech and connect with us on social media to stay updated on upcoming episodes. We'd also appreciate it if you could leave us a review on your favourite podcast platform.
Want more? Check out Napier’s other podcast - The Marketing Automation Moment: https://podcasts.apple.com/ua/podcast/the-marketing-automation-moment-podcast/id1659211547

Bonnie Crater, President and CEO of Full Circle Insights, explains why companies struggle to identify what marketing activities impact pipeline opportunities and clarifies what attribution means and what to consider when selecting an attribution model. 
She also shares the best piece of advice that she has received as a marketer and the insights she would give to someone starting their career.

Farzad Rashidi, Lead Innovator at Respona, a link-building tool, discusses the origin of the business as an internal tool within the content creation platform Visme. He shares top tips for getting good quality backlinks and creating backlink campaigns that benefit both the requesting business and the providing business.
He also shares how to capitalise on current trends and discusses a successful campaign involving Game of Thrones that dramatically increased Respona's page rankings.

Evan Kramer, CEO of MotionPoint, a tech-driven translation and localisation company, discusses the differences between translation and transcreation and the benefits that going beyond simple translation can have. 
He also explains the impact translation can have on conversions and why you should measure the impact to determine the level of translation required. 

Morgan McLintic, CEO and Founder of Firebrand Communications, breaks down what start-up companies need to consider when building their martech stack and why choosing the wrong products can result in losing visibility of what is and isn't working. He also shares his optimistic views on how AI may change the marketing landscape and why this makes technology exciting again.

As one of the world's largest markets, China presents an excellent opportunity for many businesses. But how should you approach marketing to the region? Domenica Di Lieto, CEO of leading Chinese marketing consultancy Emerging Comms, shares her experience and advice on growing businesses in China.From choosing the correct channels to the importance of localisation, Domenica provides an overview of the differences marketers should consider when working with the Chinese market.