Marketing Against the Grain Podcast

Distribution is the only moat left. Also, the state of distribution right now … - Spamming outbound until you get blacklisted - Community marketing across Reddit and other sites until you get banned - SEO clicks disappearing into the AI void - Results from getting listed in AI engines are untrackable. - Get ignored across social media because everyone wants to gorge on memes made by AI - Creators keep raising their prices because brands are desperate for growth. Distribution is a moat if you have some unfair advantage: network effects, an existing customer base, or a one-of-one founder. Without that, you’re just in the trenches like everyone else

After talking with many high-growth B2B companies, here is the modern B2B marketing playbook. Paid Advertising > target intent, creative tests at scale, data models for attribution (indirect/direct ROAS) + elasticity. SEO/AEO > target transactional keywords for Google’s traditional search engine, a broad set of prompts for AI engines, and a big focus on citations. Affiliate is increasingly being folded in here to help broaden citations to improve visibility in AI engines. Social > primary focus is growth through the founder’s social + select employees. Employees with an existing following are a bonus. Social strategy for branded channels is more personality-driven; short-form video is critical. Creators > is a key part of a modern distribution strategy. Mostly done via existing platforms like Passionfroot. Some companies create bespoke programs, mixing incentives through tiers based on audience size. Lifecycle > very AI-led. Data quality is a must. Data enrichment is a big part of the role. Establish fit/intent models. AI-SDR for website demand capture. AI prospecting for incoming demand and expansion. AI-outbound for net new ARR (quite saturated). Product marketing > positioning has never been more important. Needs to be memorable and consistent across channels. Incredibly close partnership with product. Turn launches into a distribution engine. Be great at content; ensure product story is visible across every channel. Creative > visual identity that rises above the AI slopification of everything. Creative engine that allows the team to focus on tier 1 work and others to self-serve everything else. Brand > build and capture attention. Inspired by modern B2C playbooks vs. traditional B2B playbooks. Bring product to life in creative ways. Find ways to create in-person moments of magic via communities, in-person events, meetups, etc. Obsess over talent; have super-ICs who can do more with AI, and a rigorous operating model that runs in sprints and is outcome-focused.