SaaSy Talk S02.02: The Evolution of Demand Generation

About The Guest(s): Janine Laughlin is a seasoned global marketer with over 20 years of experience driving revenue and growth for B2B SaaS companies. She is a data-driven marketing leader with expertise in go-to-market strategy, integrated marketing, advertising, digital strategy, ABM, campaign management, and field marketing. She has helped high-growth startups scale faster through pipeline management and funnel optimization. An empowering leader, Janine has a history of building collaborative and productive teams. She has proven success in increasing market share and revenues, driving business growth, and improving ROI.

Currently, Janine is the Head of Demand Generation at Lighthouse, the leading commercial platform for the travel and hospitality industry, headquartered in London, England. She leads a team of digital and field marketers in North America, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM, and is responsible for driving marketing-sourced pipeline.

Passionate about hiking, the outdoors, and nature photography, Janine resides in Boulder, Colorado, after relocating from Boston, Massachusetts 10 years ago. She is a mentor, Swiftie, puzzle enthusiast, Red Sox fan, former marathoner, and is affectionately known as “chef auntie” to her nine nieces and nephews.

Episode Summary: In this episode, Janine discusses the evolution of demand generation and the importance of adapting to changes in the B2B SaaS industry. She shares her journey into marketing and the role mentorship has played in her career. Janine also provides insights into the challenges and strategies in SaaS businesses, the process of building and restructuring a global demand gen team, and the key metrics she tracks in the marketing funnel. She emphasises the importance of sales and marketing alignment and offers advice for finding the right mentor. Janine concludes by sharing her typical work week and tech stack, as well as her excitement for emerging technologies like ABM and AI in marketing.

Key Takeaways:

– Buyers are doing extensive research on their own before making a purchasing decision, so it’s important to have a strong digital presence and social proof.
– Mentorship is crucial for career growth, and it’s important to give back by mentoring others.
– When joining a new organization, take the time to understand the business, market, and competitors before making any major changes.
Restructuring the demand gen team can lead to increased efficiency and collaboration across regions.
– Key metrics to track in the marketing funnel include traffic, engagement, conversion rates, and ROI.
– Nurturing leads is essential for building relationships and increasing conversion rates.
– Sales and marketing alignment is crucial for success, and regular communication and goal-setting are key.
– A well-rounded marketing team should include roles such as product marketing, brand strategy, content creation, marketing operations, and digital marketing.
– Emerging technologies like ABM and AI are exciting opportunities for marketers to improve targeting and efficiency.

Notable Quotes:
– “You don’t know what you don’t know. Having someone that really exposed me to all facets of marketing and being there for me… I couldn’t have gotten to where I am today without her.” – Janine on the importance of mentorship.

– “It’s hard to stay up to date with how much the MarTech stack is evolving and changing… It’s constantly testing, learning, and documenting where you’re at with those conversion rates.” – Janine on the challenges of staying up to date with marketing technology.

– “ABM is a real thing that buyers are doing a lot of research on their own before they even go to your website… It’s constantly shedding light on the dark funnel and how to use lead scoring and grading to get someone identified and then be able to retarget them.” – Janine on the importance of ABM in marketing.

Chapters

0:00 The Evolution of Demand Generation
00:32 Introduction and Greetings
00:42 Getting to Know Janine and Her Role at Lighthouse
01:32 Janine’s Journey into Marketing
02:53 The Importance of Mentorship in Janine’s Career
05:29 Challenges and Strategies in SaaS Businesses
07:17 Building and Restructuring a Global Demand Gen Team
11:57 Understanding Conversion Metrics and Funnel Optimization
19:01 Sales and Marketing Alignment in an Organization
21:26 Janine’s Typical Work Week and Tech Stack
37:42 The Future of Marketing

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