Daniel Thai

The value of an SDR team is not just booking meetings. 🤩 It’s creating positive brand impressions with buyers. 🤝 It’s providing critical connective tissue between sales & marketing. 💪 It’s cultivating an internal talent bench. This is what the best-in-class teams do. This is what great leaders strive to create. This is not replicable with AI SDRs. ——— I’m (obviously) a proponent of leveraging AI – the right way. I believe in AI-powered SDRs who incorporate AI into their day-to-day to increase their span of control and pipeline productivity. I believe human buyers want to interact with human sellers. As long as those human sellers truly understand them and have something valuable to offer. Sadly, this approach seems to be getting rarer and rarer. Our goal with Copy.ai is to reverse this trend and pull people and companies toward a different future. Let me know if you want to chat about creating this future for your org. #gtmai #sales #sdr

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We all crave a smooth efficient marketing workflow, especially when it comes to high-stakes projects like annual reports. I vividly remember a call from one of Admation's first clients, who were battling a 200+ page annual report. Revisions were a nightmare – 17 rounds of back-and-forth with various stakeholders, each with their own feedback and change requests. By the time it went to print, the team was burnt out. Knowing something had to change, they implemented Admation to manage the entire process. Stakeholders, feedback, revisions – everything became streamlined. The result? The following year's report was approved in just 8 versions – a staggering 59% reduction! Imagine the time and cost savings across the entire business! Streamlining your marketing content approval process can unlock real savings for your organization. But do you know your average version count? Have you considered the hidden costs? Head over to our latest blog post, Mastering Version Control in Marketing: A Comprehensive Guide, and discover the improtance of effective version control - https://hubs.la/Q02CnMKb0

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Most people don’t understand a single thing about brand marketing. No, Karen, it’s not about slapping on a new logo or obsessing over "aesthetic vibes" on your website. If you think being a “brand marketer” is all about playing dress-up with fonts and color palettes, sit down—we need to talk. Brand marketing is the difference between people buying your product because they love it versus because they got it on sale. It’s about creating an EMOTIONAL chokehold, the problem/solution, the why, the connection that has customers saying, “Shut up and take my money,” without even comparing prices. Yet somehow, people still call it fluff. They’ll pour money into performance marketing and throw pennies at the very thing that makes all that ad spend actually work: your brand. Newsflash: Your CPC doesn’t mean 💩 if no one remembers your name. Good brand marketing makes you unforgettable. It’s not optional. It’s the foundation. You can’t buy loyalty, but you sure can build it—if you know what you’re doing. So, next time someone calls brand marketing "soft," remind them it’s the reason their customer LTV isn’t in the toilet. 💅 And for the love of marketing, stop pretending you can grow without it. End of rant. 🖤

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Hey - B2B marketers, here's a crazy thing... Apparently, marketing budgets are down (shocker!), but media-buying budgets are flat to up. Think about that for a second - this implies the portion of marketing spend that goes to the least attributable element of the plan (advertising) is up robustly. For those of us in the smaller end of B2B, this probably rings a little hollow, as the pressure to identify the financial impact of every dollar spent does not seem to me to have loosened at all. BUT! Maybe those big media spenders are onto something. Maybe building brand through programs you can't track through Hubspot/Marketo/Salesforce/etc bring a value that needs to be surfaced through data aggregation rather than UTMs. Something to think about - let me know your thoughts! https://lnkd.in/gxdVg43X

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I'm noticing a challenge emerging in brand marketing for 2025. A challenge of contradictions. [In the marketplace.] “Loyalty is fading?” “Consumers want personalization, but value privacy.” “Ad fatigue is real.” “Content saturation is overwhelming.” “AI is taking over, but we need the human touch.” Look, I understand. ➜ This is a lot to navigate. ➜ Much of it feels chaotic. ➜ Most of it demands constant adaptation. ➜ All of it requires strategic foresight. But what 2025 can offer? Is far greater than the hurdles it presents. This year, I’m genuinely grateful for the lessons learned. I’ve connected with brilliant minds globally who challenge me. I’ve discovered innovative solutions that drive results. And I’ve refined my strategies for sustainable growth. This year, those strategies have allowed me to: ➜ Enhance customer engagement ➜ Build authentic brand loyalty ➜ Leverage AI for efficiency without losing the human touch ➜ Create content that cuts through the noise ➜ Position my brand for long-term success Yeah, 2025 will be complex. And yes, it demands adaptability. [Especially with evolving consumer expectations.] But there’s incredible potential ahead. Truly amazing opportunities await. And brands that embrace change will thrive. Thank you, marketing community. But thank YOU [readers] even more. What challenges are you preparing to tackle in 2025? 📌 What are your strategies for overcoming contradictions in brand marketing this year?

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I recently spoke to a PE-backed company with $2M in revenue... and six people in marketing. Six. For context, that’s more marketers than some $10M companies have. But here’s the bigger problem: They weren’t sure if ANY of them were actually effective. These were all individual contributor level team members. No clear leader, just fragmented efforts. When I evaluate marketing teams, here’s what I often find: - Too many people with vague roles. - Skill/role mismatch – often times a friend or family member of someone, or someone who's been there forever. - Skill gaps that no one’s addressing. - Bloated teams where everyone’s busy, but nothing moves the needle. You don’t need a big team. You need a smart, efficient team. Sometimes that means trimming down. Sometimes it means retraining. And sometimes it means starting fresh. But unless you’ve got someone who knows marketing inside and out, it’s hard to see who’s pulling weight and who’s just... there. That’s where I come in. As a #FractionalCMO, I audit your team and tell you exactly what’s working, what isn’t, and who you really need. No fluff. No ego. Just facts. Because six marketing people in a $2M company? That’s not a demand engine, it’s just overhead. Fellow #CMOs - how do you decide on team size? Is there a sweet spot?

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"This is not mentioned within my job title" 🙃 I promise everyone speaks about having a growth mindset, but only a smaller % of teams actually implement it. I love this post by Vladlena Mitskaniouk, since it's indicating a pure example of silos within the marketing team. That's why I advocate for growth teams or Heads of Growth to come into the role of overseeing the whole strategy and look at building bridges between departments to streamline the communication and improve the overall efforts of all teams with streams of information. Doing growth is NOT just focusing on acquisition! You do need to get your hands dirty and understand a bit of everything to move the needle. Too many people undervalue the role of a generalist/strategist within their SaaS Once again are you a specialist who lifts their hands from the table when the fire comes to your place or embracing to look at the whole picture and start doing proper growth? MarketHackr #growthmarketing #b2bmarketing #marketingops

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Are your HubSpot email open rates going down and you need to fix it-- FAST? These four things set the foundation for deliverability and you need to make sure your emails are set up correctly so they end up in the inbox, not spam.

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There’s zero silver bullet in outbound sales in 2024. I promise. No single product, Sales leader, Data cleaning tool, Messaging iteration, Consultant (myself included), Customer, Cold call script, Advisor, Agency... Blah blah blah That’s going to solve all your outbound problems. But you CAN find leverage in each of these. Shoot for 2-5% across a few. Some might move the needle 20%, some might not move it at all. Find the right ones and double down.

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Everyone says, “Stay in your lane.” But in product marketing, your lane is... all the lanes. We’re over here writing copy, strategizing launches, fixing decks, and oh yeah, joining every meeting possible for “alignment.” If there’s a lesson here, it’s this: product marketing is the ultimate cross-functional marathon. Your success depends on your ability to run in every lane without losing your mind. 🏃‍♂️💼 #productmarketing #stayflexible #marketinglife

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Ads underperforming? Referrals slowing down? Time to mix things up, here’s how: If you’ve ever felt stuck wondering why your ads aren’t converting or why your referrals slowed down, you’re not alone. The truth is: One marketing channel isn’t enough. The right marketing mix can make or break your growth. Here’s how I help home service companies build a winning marketing mix: 1️⃣ Direct Response Ads Meet homeowners where they are right now: • Target real-time buyers with Google Ads, LSAs, etc. • Write clear CTAs (e.g., “Call today!”). • Track cost per lead and optimize for maximum ROI. 2️⃣ Brand Awareness If they’ve never heard of you, they’ll go elsewhere: • Use TV, radio, and vehicle wraps to increase reach. • Sponsor local events & sports teams to build trust. • Be the name they recall during emergencies. 3️⃣ Referral Programs Your happiest customers are your secret weapon: • Offer discounts & bonuses for referrals. • Share customer referral stories to inspire others. • Personal recommendations always outperform ads. 4️⃣ Online Reviews Trust starts with social proof: • Respond to all reviews, good or bad. • Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews. • Positive reviews boost SEO and credibility. 5️⃣ Content and SEO Own the conversation before they’re ready to buy: • Publish blogs and videos that answer questions. • Optimize content with local keywords. • Consistent posting keeps you top of mind. The Winning Formula: It’s not about spending more, it’s about using multiple channels together. The perfect mix: ✅ Grabs attention ✅ Builds trust over time ✅ Converts leads into loyal customers Take Action: Look at your current marketing efforts. Are you relying too much on one channel? Try implementing one new tactic this month and watch how it strengthens your entire strategy. Get leads now, build trust for life, that’s the power of a balanced marketing mix. P.S. What’s the most effective marketing channel for your business right now?

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Some of the worst Account Executives have one thing in common...   Buyers feel uncomfortable answering their questions.   These AEs are mostly doing the right thing:   - They're asking lots of questions - They're digging into priorities - They're asking about problems - They're not pitching too much etc.   But prospects just don't open up about anything real. They give short answers to questions.   Now, the best AEs are masters at...  Getting buyers to share STORIES   They don't pepper prospects with dozens of logic-based questions.   They phrase questions in a way that gets a buyer to open up about how they feel.   Here's an example:   Let's say you sell an HR solution. This solution helps combine all HR functions (payroll, recruiting, workforce management, etc.) in one place.   Your buyer is using a separate solution for all of those. ️ Bad way to dig for pain   "What don't you like about your current HR setup?" "What's the biggest challenge with your HR setup?" "How much time is your team spending every week manually processing payroll?" "How much do you like your current solution on a scale of 1-10?"   These aren't terrible questions. But they're vague and feel too much like an interview or interrogation.  A better way to dig for pain   Get more nuanced with questions. Get in the buyer's day-to-day.   1) Get specific with questions:   "When did you notice that your disconnected HR tools were a problem?" "Mind walking me through the last time you onboarded a new employee?" "When you want to run payroll, what feels harder than it should be?"   2) Ask great follow-up questions:   "Can you give me an example of that?" "Tell me more..."   3) Compare/contrast using customer stories:   "An HR leader earlier today was sharing a big focus on international hiring moving into 2025. The process required a lot of work from their team to set up hiring in new countries. And many countries were pretty fuzzy about the paperwork required. I'm curious, how does this compare to your experience hiring international employees?"   Load stories into the front of your questions.   ~~~   These techniques will help you open up buyers so they'll participate in discovery with you.   What's your favorite discovery question?   DM me and let me know.   And don’t forget to follow to catch the Dreamline Digital podcast. #ae #marketplace #accountexecutives #salesteam

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Stop Seeing Missed Opportunities from Marketing Here’s a hard truth: many business owners see the money they spend on marketing as a missed opportunity. They take a shot on an idea, a strategy, and tactic that turns into a swing and a miss.  Nothing frustrates business owners more than spending money that seems to be a waste of time and resources.     If your marketing consists of a lot of - try, try, and try again - to hit the ball (goal) with minimal or infrequent success, you probably have a marketing leadership problem.     Adding a seasoned marketing leader to your team can help you avoid missed opportunities. Here’s how: 💡 Develop marketing plans and strategies that properly align with business goals. 📈 Deploy proven processes and practices to improve and ensure effectiveness.  🔑 Coach and mentor your team and vendor partners to execute well.    As a fractional CMO, I provide clients with the marketing leadership and guidance they need without the cost of hiring a full-time executive. Ready to stop missing out on opportunities to grow your business, let’s talk. 📅 Book your free consultation now:   https://lnkd.in/g3fBwPuu    #Authenticity  #Marketing  #FractionalCMO  #Leadership  #BusinessGrowth 

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If you are in any form of marketing, product, or sales role at a PLG company, please read this post from Kira Klaas 🙏🏻 Is it a bit self-serving—considering my role? Sure. But that doesn't make it any less valid. The gist, in her words: "1. You cannot separate your product from your brand. They don’t exist without each other.  2. PLG, like any growth motion (sales-led, marketing-led), will hit a ceiling—and investments in both branding and brand marketing are necessary to overcome the hump of these inflection points." #brandmarketing #b2bmarketing

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💫 Great product marketing makes it easier for buyers to buy. ➡️ messaging and positioning that resonates ➡️ packaging that aligns to expected buying motion ➡️ simple pricing (admittedly this can be harder as you move into enterprise 🙈 )

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MQLs are only dead as the primary way to define a marketing's focus and value. But they’re not dead as a means to track a leading indicator to pipeline. An MQL needs to be surrounded with a lot more context to be valuable. That’s the piece that many teams forget. Of course businesses are still interested in understanding interactions with individuals, but we need more context (like account, solution of interest, an engagement scorecard etc) that helps give a more holistic view across the opportunity and buying journey. 🤐 So should marketing teams be measured on it? Hell no. 🫠 Should marketing teams keep an eye on it? Of course. 🤗 What should marketing teams be accountable for? Regardless of the GTM motion: pipeline, various conversion metrics and win rate. In many cases, revenue too.

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Is there a better message than this for a marketer to get? AE Slack message to the marketing team: "I just got off a discovery call for a manufacturing firm. They said they watched the new manufacturing case study. Social proof makes our job much much easier." Woot woot! Sometimes I look at my daily tasks and I get bogged down in the details. Then, you see a message like this and you know. The videos you record matter. The social posts you craft matter. The events and webinars you plan matter. Fellow marketers: keep on crushing it!

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Lead gen/content syndication/events/other program closing X in closed won revenue ≠ success. In fact, this is where many teams go wrong and/or believe a non-profitable tactic "works." Here's the other metric you need to put against it: ROI. Sure, you can close an ebook lead, but it might take you 15+ months to recoup just the *program* cost (not the entire marketing cost). This was a growth-at-all-cost mindset, which I think we can all agree has been talked about exhaustively. We're in new times. We have to change. To take attribution out of the debate (anyone else getting exhausted on this one?!), here's what you can do to see what the ROI is and even challenge a program/offer/tactic you thought may have been successful due to closed one revenue: 1. Open a blank spreadsheet 2. Pull a list/campaign member report of everyone who completed X action/offer/form/campaign (ebook, LinkedIn lead gen form, badge scan, etc.) 3. Cross-reference how many of those contacts resulted in closed won revenue, summing the # & the $, and add those into the columns for X action 4. Add in how much you spent per X action 5. Create a program CAC equation per X action (total program spend / # of closed won deals) 6. Create a program CAC payback period per X action (program CAC / (ACV of closed won deals / 12)) Then, critically look at the numbers. See if it's still "successful". A general rule of thumb is 6 months+ of program CAC payback period is non-profitable since this doesn't consider full CAC (headcount, tools, etc.) This exercise can be SUPER eye-opening. Again, closed-won revenue ≠ success if it's a highly unprofitable rate.

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