Positioning, Messaging, and Branding for B2B tech companies. Keep it simple. Keep it real.
AI and causal analytics will quickly change B2B marketing as we know it in 2025 and beyond, turning guesswork into measurable outcomes. Marketers who adapt and adopt AI-driven analytics tools will be able to clearly show their impact, improve results, and amplify growth. Accountability and transparency are the new normal.
Last week, I sat down again with Proof Analytics CEO, Mark Stouse, to talk more about the coming GTM changes in B2B marketing. This time, we dove into the multiplier effect.
As we got deeper into the topic, one thing is certain: go-to-market teams are under the microscope like never before. Budgets are tight, expectations are high, and the C-suite wants proof that every dollar spent delivers a return.
And as AI gets better, transparency and accountability will be easier to evaluate and scrutinize. Guesswork won’t cut it anymore. That’s a tough reality, but it’s also an opportunity.
With AI-driven marketing accountability and causal analytics, marketers have the tools to show their value more clearly than ever—and win a seat at the table.
Here are four key takeaways from our LinkedIn Live event.
The age of radical accountability and transparency is here, and it’s changing how businesses operate. AI can now analyze data in seconds, pinpointing inefficiencies and inconsistencies that were once hidden in plain sight.
For marketers, this means every strategy, campaign, and dollar spent will be scrutinized. Proving marketing ROI to the C-suite won’t be such a long shot.
This level of transparency forces teams across the entire company to work closer together for the greater good. Budgets aren’t just numbers anymore; they’re reflections of trust and accountability. When every business unit can see how resources are allocated, collaboration becomes the only way forward.
“Radical transparency means it will be impossible not to know how effective you are and how cost-effective your programs are.”
Mark Stouse
For marketing teams, this is a chance to prove their worth with data, not gut feel. It’s a shift from defending the budget to earning it.
Mark’s Pro Tip:
Start by aligning with your CFO or CEO to agree on what success looks like. Ask: “What questions are burning a hole in your pocket?” Then tailor your data and reports to answer them directly.
Unlike linear functions like Sales, where you might need to double your headcount to double results, marketing, like product, is a non-linear multiplier that amplifies results without the same proportional investment. It’s a force multiplier that makes sales teams more effective and efficient.
“Marketing makes Sales about 800% more effective and 500% more efficient than it would be by itself. That’s the multiplier effect and you can take that to the bank.”
Mark Stouse
But there’s a catch. Marketing’s impact isn’t instant. It has a time lag, and this is where many businesses get caught with their pants down.
Cutting marketing might seem harmless at first, but it’s like running on the fumes of past investments. Within 12 to 18 months, businesses often feel the fallout in lost revenue and higher churn.
A good example is Airbnb ditching its marketing in 2020. What seemed like a good idea at the time wasn’t so great 18 months later when revenue fell like a rock.
Marketing momentum erodes like a half-life. Eventually, you lose the trust and confidence of customers. And because it takes them longer to make up their minds now, the average deal velocity goes way down.
Understanding this dynamic can mean the difference between market success and failure. And with the right measurement tools like Causal AI, organizations can model how marketing drives long-term growth while protecting their investments and delivering immediate value to the business.
Contrary to popular belief, marketing is not a cost center.
Mark’s Pro Tip:
Map out your current marketing spend and overlay your sales performance data. Use causal analytics to identify where marketing amplifies sales results and optimize those channels first.
Balancing short-term wins with long-term marketing success is one of the toughest challenges for any business leader. The pressure to show immediate results often clashes with the need for sustained growth. Marketing sits right in the middle of this tension.
“Anyone can manage for the short term or the long term. The trick is doing both at the same time.”
David M. Cote, former CEO, Honeywell
Causal analytics is a game-changer here. It helps companies model the ripple effects of their decisions—good or bad—on revenue, customer retention, and brand reputation.
This is about seeing the big picture—no more guessing. What is driving results today? What is setting us up for tomorrow? Why? The right data helps us see things more cleary. That insight helps us make better decisions to balance immediate wins with future potential.
Mark’s Pro Tip:
When presenting your marketing strategy, show both immediate wins and long-term impact side by side. Think of it like GPS navigation—adjust the route as needed but always keep the destination in mind.
For years, marketers have operated in a gray zone—where results were difficult to measure, and decisions were often based on intuition and bias. That’s changing fast. AI, data analytics, and transparency are eliminating the gray zone.
“The gray zone is shrinking. Probabilistic insights are starting to feel like certainty, and marketers must step up to prove their value.”
Mark Stouse
This is a good thing. It’s more of an opportunity than a challenge. It raises the bar for GTM teams to show clear, measurable impact. It also gives us the tools we need to prove how much value we add to the business.
Causal analytics enable GTM teams to measure their impact, optimize their efforts, and earn the trust of the C-suite. For marketing leaders, this is the moment to step up and show how marketing drives tanglible outcomes.
Mark’s Pro Tip:
Stop the guesswork by embracing causal modeling. Start small: test one campaign or channel, measure its ripple effect on revenue, and build from there. If you’re a start-up and not currently collecting CRM or MA data, use mock AI data to build your models.
GTM teams have a choice: embrace AI-driven accountability or resist it. Those who embrace it will lead the way, using causal AI to demonstrate the real value of their efforts. They’ll be able to show the C-suite how marketing multiplies growth, makes sales more effective, and earns trust.
Those who resist risk being left behind. The tools and insights are already here. The businesses that succeed will be the ones that measure what matters, adapt to what they learn, and prove their worth every step of the way.
“You’ll either be running the AI that shows your value, or it will be running on you. The choice is yours.”
Mark Stouse
Watch The Multiplier Effect—Proving Marketing’s Value on LinkedIn.
If you like this content, here are some more ways I can help:
Cheers!
This article is AC-A and published on LinkedIn. Join the conversation!
AI is about to massively change marketing and GTM strategies. It’s exposing weak spots and demanding proof for every claim. Empty promises and vague metrics are no longer enough. To succeed, marketers must use AI tools to find real insights, earn trust, and show measurable results. This isn’t a threat—it’s a chance to raise the bar and be better.
Last week, I sat down again with Mark Stouse, CEO at Proof Analytics, to talk about The Accountability Era in GTM and how AI going to massively change the way GTM teams handle accountability and risk.
B2B marketing is at a crossroads, especially in tech. The SaaS industry has muddied the waters by overpromising and underdelivering. Sure, the marketing might look great, but what good is it if the product doesn’t actually do what marketing claims?
In the next two to three years, AI will change the way we think about GTM accountability and risk. The days of operating in the “grey space” of aspiration and fuzzy metrics are rapidly coming to an end. Products that fail to deliver will be exposed in minutes.
“This is not about suppression of free speech. It’s more about suppressing bullshit.”
Mark Stouse, Proof Analytics
This shift is raising the bar for everyone—and that’s a good thing. The C-Suite is tired of guesswork, and customers want proof. If marketing and sales teams can’t back up their claims, they’ll face the consequences.
And while it might feel like a reckoning, it’s really an opportunity to level up. The tools to prove what’s possible and earn trust are already here.
If there’s one thing marketers and GTM teams should focus on right now, it’s this: embrace every aspect of AI—not just to work faster, but to think smarter and ask better questions.
AI can uncover patterns, reveal truths, and challenge assumptions. This goes beyond generative AI. Tools like analytical and causal AI can help figure out what’s working, what’s not, and why.
“AI is revealing connections we’ve taken for granted and holding us to higher standards.”
Mark Stouse, Proof Analytics
Start using these AI tools to explore new ideas and validate strategies. The sooner you get comfortable with them, the sooner you’ll add real value to your team and your business. You’ll also empower yourself and your organization to operate at a higher level.
AI is going to shake things up fast. Here are five things you need to know to get ready and stay ahead according to Mark Stouse.
Exaggerations and embellishments won’t work anymore. AI will expose the truth. If your product doesn’t deliver, people will find out faster than ever.
“By 2027, we are all going to be substantially more accountable than we probably ever have been in our lives. That grey space that we play in is historically shrinking.”
Lofty claims won’t cut it. Customers and executives will want to see hard proof. You’ll need real data to back up what you’re saying.
“We will need to be more thoughtful, less speculative and more oriented towards what is provably true or factually accurate versus our opinion or our aspiration.”
AI will push us to listen more and care more. Brands that genuinely understand and act upon customer needs will stand above the rest.
“Under the rubric of risk and accountability, one of the positives here is that AI might actually foster empathy.”
Being great at one thing won’t be enough. You need to understand the other areas of the business—like finance, data, and operations—to make smarter decisions.
“Marketers need to become T-shaped—experts in their field but also knowledgeable about the rest of the business to properly contextualize their decisions.”
AI gives you the tools to show real results. Use them to connect with executives. Speak their language, focus on risk and growth, and they’ll pay attention.
“The C-Suite is fed up, customers want proof, and AI will make sure they get it.”
Adapting to these changes won’t be easy. Here are five truths every GTM team needs to accept according to Mark Stouse.
Every promise you make will be put under a microscope. Whether it’s product claims or marketing messaging, AI will connect the dots. If you can’t back it up, it won’t fly.
“We’re going to really discover what is real and what is not in ways that haven’t been possible before.”
Executives are done with spending money on uncertain outcomes. They want clarity. Show them how you reduce risk and drive results, or they’ll question your value.
“CEOs and CFOs are done. I mean, they are done in terms of continuing with the status quo on go-to-market and not knowing if it’s working.”
Your actions influence your brand, but customers control how they see it. AI is making it easier for people to call out any gap between what you promise and what you deliver.
“We control what we say and do, but we don’t control how the market decides to believe it.”
Automation and spray-and-pray tactics have eroded trust. Buyers are skeptical, and AI-driven tools will only make them more cautious. It’s time to rethink how we activate sales.
“Marketing automation and demand generation have poisoned the well. Trust is gone.”
AI can call out bad data, false promises, and misleading claims in seconds. There’s no hiding. Don’t exaggerate. Stick to the facts.
“The time of being rewarded for bullshitting customers just to make a quick buck is coming to a close.”
For B2B tech companies and marketers who are ready to adapt, there’s a lot to look forward to.
AI won’t take your job if you make it part of your job. It will help you work smarter and make better decisions by helping you find patterns, solve problems, and prove what’s working and why. Use it well and you will become a stand out.
Here’s how to thrive in the coming years:
This might feel like a big change, but it’s also a huge opportunity. Marketing that’s honest and backed by data will win. The sooner you adapt, the stronger you’ll be.
“You are not a victim. No generation in the history of the world has had the tools and the power that are being handed to each of us. If you lose your job to anybody, it's going to be to somebody else with a better understanding and a better ability to use the tools than you.”
Mark Stouse, Proof Analytics
The Accountability Era isn’t here to punish us—it’s here to help us do better work.
AI is changing everything, especially in B2B tech. It’s raising the bar, closing the grey areas, and exposing gaps. But it’s also giving us tools to earn trust, prove value, and deliver real results.
It might feel like a reckoning, but it’s really a chance to get better and be better for the people we seek to serve.
The tools we need to succeed are already here.
This is our chance to level up, lead, and make marketing better.
If you like this content, here are some more ways I can help:
Cheers!
This article is AC-A and also published and discussed on LinkedIn. Join the conversation!
B2B tech has an ongoing problem. Too much is spent on performance marketing and not enough on brand building. This imbalance drives up customer acquisition costs and diminishes results. Brand marketing earns trust, builds mental availability, and drives long-term growth.
Even with years of data showing that short-term tactics like demand generation aren’t delivering, B2B tech companies keep doubling down on them. They chase leads instead of building brand reputation. And they still spend more on R&D than on marketing.
The latest Deloitte Fall 2024 CMO Survey Report shows the trend isn’t slowing. This year, companies increased short-term performance marketing budgets by another 10%. And since 2022, R&D budgets for B2B products jumped 34%, while B2C R&D budgets for products fell by 12%.
What’s troubling is how little is being invested in brand reputation—29% less in 2024. Rising customer acquisition costs, diminishing returns, and leaky funnels aren’t a formula for sustainable growth. The more money we pour in, the more pours out. And when we keep skipping the part that makes marketing stick—building a reputable brand—how do we expect to scale?
“If you simply move half your budget to good brand awareness building, you will make more revenue in total.”
Mats Georgson, Ph.D.
Seth Godin backs this up in Chapter 19 of This Is Marketing. Trust isn’t static. It’s earned at every opportunity. And building trust is more important than just getting clicks.
Dale W. Harrison breaks it down further in a recent LinkedIn post. Great marketing does two things:
A strong brand sticks. It earns trust over time. It makes buying simple. But too often, we chase instant results instead of committing to lasting growth.
This is why B2B tech needs brand marketing—to fix leaky funnels, earn trust, and drive sustainable growth
Chapter 19 in This Is Marketing is all about The Funnel. It’s important to understand that funnels are internal process tools. Customers never see themselves in a funnel. They come and go as they please at any stage, any time, and as often or as little as they choose.
Between the top and bottom of every sales funnel, most people leak out. As Seth Godin explains, it’s because trust changes as customers move through the funnel—trust isn’t static.
At the top, we’re creating attention. In the middle, we’re building credibility. But as buyers get closer to purchase, trust starts to erode. Maybe their needs don’t align. Maybe your brand isn’t the right fit. Or maybe life just gets in the way. It gets worse when saying yes feels more stressful than walking away—and that’s often the case.
So, what’s causing the leaks?
Fixing leaky funnels with B2B brand strategies starts with the right customers and making it easier for them to trust you.
To be effective, sales and marketing funnels need the support of B2B brand marketing for trust, ensuring customers feel confident in their decisions. Together brand marketing and performance marketing create better funnels, bringing in the right people and making it easy for them to take the next step.
Here’s how to fix yours:
We can’t fix our funnel by patching every hole. We build it intentionally, creating a system that attracts the best-fit customers, earns their trust, and removes the barriers to saying yes. And short-term performance marketing alone can’t do that. We also need a reputable brand that gets remembered.
A strong funnel relies on B2B brand marketing for trust, ensuring customers feel confident in their decisions
Not all marketing is worth the spend. To know if our efforts are paying off, we need to understand our customer’s lifetime value (LTV).
LTV tells us how much a customer is worth over time. Without it, we’re flying blind—spending money on ads and hoping it works out. That’s no way to grow.
Seth Godin offers a great example: Imagine spending $1,000 to run ads that reach 1 million people. Out of those, 20 people click ($1,000 / 20 = $50 CPC), and 2 people buy ($1,000 / 2 = $500 cost per sale). If those customers’ LTV is higher than $500, great—keep buying ads. If it’s less, stop and fix your funnel.
The math might seem simple, but:
LTV isn’t a one-and-done deal. It needs regular updates as your business grows. The customers you attract today might have a very different LTV as your business scales.
The latest Deloitte Fall 2024 CMO Survey Report validates the findings from a 2013 study, The Long and the Short of It by Les Binet and Peter Field. Most companies spend too much on short-term performance marketing and not enough on building their brand.
This imbalance has been growing for years. Customer acquisition costs keep rising, while the returns from performance ads shrink.
Mats Georgson, Ph.D. recently posted some excellent insight about this on LinkedIn, “Skipping brand marketing is like skipping the factory in manufacturing. Without a factory, you can’t produce the product.”
And without brand marketing, performance marketing eventually stops delivering.
Companies that balance both brand and performance marketing drive more sustainable growth. Brand marketing builds mental availability—ensuring your company comes to mind when buyers are ready to purchase. Performance marketing builds physical availability—making it easy for buyers to act on that awareness.
Overspending on performance ads is like harvesting demand without planting the seeds to create it. The solution? Shift more of your budget into long-term brand building. You’re not just investing in awareness—you’re building trust, recall, and future customers.
Investing in long-term growth through B2B brand reputation is essential for sustainable growth. Performance marketing might bring quick wins, but it can’t sustain your funnel without trust, recall, and reputation.
Think about it: What if Apple had only run “Think Different” for one quarter? Would Nike still be iconic if “Just Do It” lasted only six months? Would SAP be synonymous with business success if “The Best-Run Businesses Run SAP” wasn’t a decade-long commitment? Probably not.
These campaigns worked because they were consistent, long-running, and focused on building trust. The same principle applies to your business. Short-term ads might drive clicks, but brand marketing builds the foundation that makes people choose you when it matters.
The question isn’t whether you can afford to invest in brand marketing. The question is: how can you afford not to?
If you like this content, here are some more ways I can help:
Cheers!
This article is AC-A and also published and discussed on LinkedIn. Join the conversation!
Scaling a B2B tech brand takes time. It’s about building momentum, not quick wins. Always-on brand campaigns create lasting memories, making your brand easier to trust and harder to ignore when buyers are ready. Here’s how to create a brand that earns trust, reduces risk, and drives sustainable growth.
In B2B tech, a brand’s reputation depends on being remembered and trusted. A good product and clever ads might get some attention, but trust takes time and consistency.
Think of brand marketing as planting seeds. It takes months, sometimes years, to see the payoff. But when those seeds grow, the rewards are huge—as long as we don’t let the weeds like inconsistency or weak messaging take over.
A strong brand opens doors. It gets us noticed, helps win deals, and keeps customers coming back.
Remember IBM? People didn’t say, “No one ever got fired for choosing them” by accident. That reputation was earned, not bought.
A strong B2B tech brand builds recognition, trust, and credibility, making it the obvious choice when buyers are ready.
Many of us know how Apple reinvented itself in the late 1990s with “Think Different.” But SAP offers a more relevant B2B tech example.
In 2002, SAP launched “The Best-Run Businesses Run SAP.” Over the years, they evolved this message into “Run Better,” “Run Simple,” and “The Best Run.” This consistency reinforced their position as the go-to ERP solution.
SAP’s success was more than good marketing. They tied consistent brand marketing with performance marketing and product innovation (think Peter Drucker), creating trust with even the most risk-averse decision-makers. Buyers remembered their message, recognized their value, and believed in their credibility.
In B2B, buyers take months—or years—to decide. Often, they choose not to buy at all. A strong brand reduces risk, giving buyers the confidence to act before they even meet you.
Brand marketing gives your company the air cover it needs to build trust and drive long-term growth.
Dive deeper: SAP Advertising Evolution over 5 Decades , by Tom Pfister
Great brands stand for one thing and one thing only. In B2B tech, this is even more important because of the inherent complexity and lengthy buying cycles.
Buyers don’t want to decode a maze of product brands. If your company and products serve the same audience or share a common purpose, let one brand take center stage.
Take SAP. All their solutions tie back to the SAP brand. Their consistent use of brand identity, positioning, and messaging strengthened their reputation as a trusted ERP leader.
It wasn’t always this way. Before their 2002 campaign, SAP’s marketing was product-led. Hiring their first CMO, Marty Homlish, changed everything.
“One Voice, One Brand came only to fame after the year 2000 when SAP hired its first CMO Marty Homlish. It was the time when the press and analysts said that SAP missed the Internet, Marty came and changed everything. Marty gave SAP the ‘it’ look and generated billions of dollars in brand value over more than a decade.”
Tom Pfister, Amazing Experiences
Sticking to one brand also avoids “name-creep.” When product features start masquerading like separate brands, it confuses buyers, weakens trust and stretches marketing resources thin.
“If you’re Toyota, your product needs its own name. But if you’re a new B2B SaaS platform, resist the urge. You've probably heard the old chestnut that the moment you introduce a second name is the moment your marketing efficiency drops by a factor of two. I’d argue it’s more like five or ten, maybe 20.”
Andy Raskin, The Strategic Narrative
One brand, one message, makes it easy to buy.
Dive deeper: Stop naming stuff, by Andy Raskin
Brand and performance marketing are tied at the hip. Brand builds trust. Performance drives action. Together, they create a multiplier effect that’s tough to beat.
Performance marketing works best when our brand is strong. It’s like a movie release—buzz builds months ahead, so that when opening night comes, people are ready to buy tickets.
When people know and trust us, they’re more likely to engage. Without that trust, we’re stuck relying on cold outreach and expensive ads that can feel spammy and scammy.
“The most significant impact of prior brand marketing is to reduce the cost and increase the effectiveness of your short-term lead-gen performance marketing.”
Dale W. Harrison
Dale’s research shows how brand marketing creates pre-existing memories that boost performance campaigns:
It all comes down to recall. Buyers notice, trust, and select the brands they remember.
Dive deeper: Brand Marketing is what Makes Performance Marketing Function, by Dale W. Harrison
Dive deeper: Grab my B2B Brand Playbook Template. It’s free and ungated.
Building a scalable B2B tech brand takes commitment. Companies like IBM and GE have stood the test of time because of their brand equity. Strong brands build trust, reduce risk, and make every part of your business work better.
If you’re ready to scale, focus on being remembered and trusted. Always start with insight, stay consistent, and keep your best-fit customers at the center of your decisions. Play the long game, simplify where you can, and never stop creating momentum.
If you like this content, here are some more ways I can help:
Cheers!
This article is AC-A and also published and discussed on LinkedIn. Join the conversation!
Brand in B2B tech is often overlooked, but it’s critical for reducing buyer risk, speeding up deals, and driving growth. Mark Stouse, CEO of Proof Analytics, shares how brand reputation—built on awareness, confidence, and trust—can be measured and strengthened using causal analysis. By starting now and avoiding common mistakes like over-promising, B2B companies can turn brand into a powerful growth driver.
Some say no. Others say you can’t even measure it.
Last week, I sat down with Mark Stouse, CEO of Proof Analytics, to dig into this further. We talked about why brand often gets ignored, why demand generation hasn’t delivered, and how to measure what many still think is unmeasurable.
Mark shared some practical insights. He explained how brand reputation—awareness, confidence, and trust—reduces risk for B2B buyers and speeds up deals. He also broke down common mistakes that hurt trust and how analytics can link brand to business outcomes.
If you’ve struggled to prove the value of brand reputation, here are five key takeaways from my conversation with Mark.
Watch the full LinkedIn Live conversation on-demand.
In B2B, especially tech, brand doesn’t get much attention. People think it’s too vague, takes too long, or is impossible to measure. So instead, companies chase leads.
But leads don’t solve everything as we have learned from research like The Long And Short Of It.
Brand reduces risk for buyers. And in B2B, risk drives decisions. Buyers don’t make choices on impulse. They carefully evaluate what feels safest.
“Brand reputation is the grease on the wheels. It helps buyers feel safe to move forward.”
Mark Stouse
Without brand, we’re just another unknown. If buyers don’t trust us, they’ll stick with what they know—or worse, pick a competitor, even if their product sucks compared to ours.
Building a brand takes time. Mark compared it to an investment account.
“The best time to invest was yesterday. The second best time is today.”
Mark Stouse
The longer we wait, the harder it is to catch up—and the more opportunities we lose.
Demand generation was supposed to create brand pull and turn leads into deals. Instead, it’s become a numbers game that hasn’t aged well.
“Demand isn’t something you create out of thin air—it’s authored in the heart and mind of the customer. Your job is to meet it effectively, not force it.”
Mark Stouse
Companies spam buyers with automated marketing, hoping to hit the jackpot. But buyers are smarter now. They tune out the noise.
Over 90% of startups since 2008 have failed, partly because they couldn’t generate enough demand to stay in business.
Demand gen isn’t dead, but it needs to change. Sending more emails or building bigger funnels won’t fix it. We need to understand our customers, earn their trust, and be the brand they think of when they’re ready to buy.
If demand gen isn’t the answer, what is? The answer is brand. Specifically, brand reputation.
Mark broke it down into three key pieces:
But here’s the thing: brand reputation isn’t ours to control. It’s what customers believe about us based on what they see, hear, and experience. Our job is to shape those perceptions by being consistent, credible, and focused on their needs.
Just like the investment account Mark spoke of, the best time to start building brand was yesterday. The second best time is today. Waiting just makes it harder.
Building trust takes time, but it pays off. Buyers who trust us feel confident making decisions, which leads to faster deals, bigger deals, and long-term loyalty.
The importance of brand reputation in B2B tech cannot be overstated—it’s the foundation for trust and growth. Ignore it, and we’re just adding noise an already noisy market. Build it consistently, and we’re on the short list.
Brand takes time, but that doesn’t mean it’s unmeasurable. With the right tools, we can track its impact.
Mark outlined three metrics to track: deal velocity, deal size, and sales efficiency. Together, these show how brand reputation makes it easier for buyers to choose us.
“Causal analytics shows how brand drives faster deals, bigger deals, and more deals—net of time lag and external factors.”
Mark Stouse
Effective brand strategies for B2B tech companies focus on awareness, confidence, and trust. This isn’t guesswork.
Measuring brand impact in B2B technology is possible with causal analysis. Tools like causal analytics allow us to tie brand reputation to real business outcomes.
Brand isn’t just a nice-to-have. Done right, it’s one of the most powerful growth drivers in B2B.
Building a strong brand is just as much about what we avoid as what we do. The biggest mistake? Lying and over-promising.
“Transparency is non-negotiable. The fastest way to destroy trust is to sell something that isn’t true.”
Mark Stouse
Too many companies overhype features or sell a roadmap that doesn’t exist to win over investors and board members. This puts tremendous pressure on Product and Marketing. And when buyers don’t get what they were promised (classic bait and switch), trust is broken—and churn follows.
Another mistake is treating brand as an afterthought. Skipping research and analytics leaves us guessing at what customers think. And we can’t fix what we don’t understand.
At the end of the day, trust isn’t bought. It’s earned. If buyers don’t trust us, they’ll move on. Don’t give them a reason to leave.
Brand doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a long game. And in B2B, that can be a tough sell. Leaders want results now. But skipping brand is like building a house on sand—it doesn’t last.
“Great marketing takes time, and brand takes the longest. It’s about building credibility and belief, and you can’t will that into existence. It has to be earned.”
Mark Stouse
The good news? Progress is measurable. Analytics tools for B2B brand measurement, like Proof Analytics, can connect brand reputation to real-world business results. This helps build leadership confidence and keeps everyone focused on long-term growth.
Think of brand like an investment account. The sooner you start, the sooner you see the payoff. Invest in your brand now, and you’ll set the stage for sustainable growth.
If you like this content, here are some more ways I can help:
Cheers!
This article is AC-A and also published and discussed on LinkedIn. Join the conversation!
For more than a decade, Demand Gen has been a short-term fix, adding to pipelines but failing to build the long-term trust and credibility a brand needs to grow. After years on the Demand Gen treadmill, B2B companies are starting to shift focus to brand-building—investing in awareness, confidence, and trust for real, lasting growth. Here are 5 questions and answers.
Since around 2009, B2B companies have thrown piles of money into generating demand and chasing leads—with a surprisingly low payoff.
The problem? Demand Gen is a short-term play that is almost always sales-led or product-led.
Yes, it can fill the pipeline with “potential” business, but that is a just forecast, not cash in the bank. It also doesn’t build credibility, reputation, or the staying power a brand needs to scale.
After 15+ years of this (let’s be honest) treadmill, brand is making a comeback in B2B, especially in tech. Brand building, brand marketing, and brand reputation are getting the attention they should’ve had all along.
This article tackles five questions I’ve been hearing lately from tech founders and marketers who are looking beyond Demand Gen for lasting success.
As Mark Stouse highlighted in last week’s Razor #28 (link below), to build a solid brand reputation, we need to create awareness, confidence, and trust. Awareness can be bought—this is where Demand Gen has played for the last 15 years or so. But confidence and trust? Those are earned. And that’s where Demand Gen has fallen short.
Instead of fixating on clicks or form fills, we need to focus on brand-focused metrics that show effectiveness over time—think share of voice, direct traffic, and brand recall.
“Brand-building provides air cover for sales and creates long-term value. If we want consistent growth, we can’t skip over these fundamentals.”
Dive deeper: 10 B2B Expert Insights: Why Brand-Building Trumps Demand Generation
Jon Miller’s recent LinkedIn post makes a similar point. He reminds us that when buyers eventually enter the market, “their perception of your brand will determine whether you make the shortlist.”
In other words, buyers already know and trust a brand by the time they’re ready to buy. We won’t see the results immediately, but these indicators point to a brand reputation that’ll keep paying off, even as short-term tactics, like Demand Gen fade.
Focusing exclusively on leads can feel productive—everyone loves a full pipeline. But a leadgen-only strategy is kind of like drugs—a quick fix.
To build sustainable growth, we need to prioritize brand building. That means carving out budget and resources for both lead gen and brand-focused initiatives.
When both are in play, we’re addressing immediate business development while investing in our future. Think of it like having a checking account AND a savings account.
“Brand building and short-term sales can co-exist, but it takes a strategic approach. Just because something doesn't fill your pipeline today doesn’t mean it’s not valuable tomorrow.”
Dive deeper: Progress NOT Perfection: B2B Tech Marketing Strategies for Growth
Chris Walker underscores the pitfalls of focusing solely on short-term, department-level attribution in a recent LinkedIn post. He explains that an obsession with attribution credit can lead to poor investment decisions that don’t support the bigger picture.
In other words, we can meet immediate sales targets while investing in long-term growth. Strong brands, built steadily, fuel both—not the other way around.
Always ask: Who is it for? Too many companies waste time trying to appeal to everyone for fear of missing out.
Stay focused on reaching your best-fit customers. They care a lot about what you offer for a reason and won’t bail on you if you raise your prices.
Take time to understand their needs, problems, fears, and motivations. Create messages that resonate with them, not just with anyone.
“Identify the smallest viable market that truly values what you offer. Brand-building isn’t about appealing to everyone—it’s about knowing your best-fit customers.”
Dive deeper: Stand Out in the Crowd: Building a B2B Tech Brand that Gets Noticed
Dale W. Harrison’s LinkedIn post on “SEO for human brains” reinforces the importance of understanding Category Entry Points (CEPs) to stay top-of-mind with ideal customers.
By building recall triggers, we ensure our brand shows up when these customers need us most.
Brand marketing helps you rank “high in the search results of the memories of future buyers when they need a solution that looks like your product.”
Don’t fall into the “Lead Gen Trap,” where the entire focus is on filling the funnel instead of building reputation. Lead gen alone is a treadmill—it keeps you busy, but it doesn’t make your brand more credible or memorable. Too many B2B tech lead gen campaigns are just demo churns.
“Lead generation might feel like it keeps the lights on, but it’s not what builds a legacy. Over-reliance on short-term tactics undermines brand equity and dilutes your reputation.”
Dive deeper: Break Free from the Lead Gen Trap and Build a Brand That Lasts
Liam Moroney recently called out the tendency to hyper-focus on short-term precision, which can stunt long-term brand growth. He argues that true growth happens when brands are widely known and recalled, not just hyper-targeted.
Real growth comes from building something resilient. If lead gen is just for today, brand building is for tomorrow. Stay focused on communicating your unique differentiation.
Everything starts with insight. The better the insight the better the outcome—in this case the better the brand strategy.
Without insight, we’re just guessing—and guessing is expensive. When we invest in understanding our customers and market, we’re setting ourselves up for relevance and resilience.
This is what separates the “throw spaghetti at the wall” approach from a strategic plan that actually delivers.
“Effective marketing is built on insight, not intuition. Deep customer research drives strategies that matter; skipping this part is a recipe for irrelevance.”
Dive deeper: How Deep Customer Insights & Brand Building Drive B2B Tech Success
Mark Stouse’s LinkedIn post on “accuracy vs. precision” serves as a reminder that insights gleaned from causal analysis need to be actionable, not perfect. Causal analysis generates insight that guides direction without getting bogged down in unnecessary details.
Think of causal analytics as a GPS for your business decisions. As Mark puts it, “It not only captures what your teams are doing, but it factors in the marketplace realities to accurately understand outcomes.”
After years on the Demand Gen treadmill, B2B companies are seeing that short-term tactics alone don’t build sustainable growth.
Demand Gen may have added to the pipeline, but it hasn’t built the trust or credibility a brand needs to last. Customers trust reputable brands before they even engage with them.
If we want lasting growth, we must be committed to brand. Focus on building up the fundamentals: awareness, confidence, and trust. And measure what actually matters—brand recall, direct traffic, share of voice—with tools like causal analytics.
Investing in brand pays off in the long run.
If you like this content, here are some more ways I can help:
Cheers!
This article is AC-A and also published and discussed on LinkedIn. Join the conversation!
