Usability - The Next Battleground In the red corner, you’ve got Traditional (or monolithic CMS) like WordPress, in the blue corner a modern CMS like Headless e.g. Contento. The 800lb gorilla is of course the 20-year-old WordPress with hundreds of millions of installs and a vast ecosystem of developers and entrepreneurs getting rich on its coattails. In the other corner, you’ve got the “new approach”: Headless, one that offers significant benefits but is up against a fairly entrenched incumbent. However, as this blog attempts to illustrate, the battle is more than just about the CMS but about ..read more

Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash Introduction - Working with a Fractional CMO Having worked for 10+ years as a Fractional CMO (and B2B marketing consultant) with over 50 clients (primarily for VC-backed B2B SaaS companies) I have significant experience as to the pros and cons of the approach. This article is designed to help those considering hiring a fractional one ensure the engagement is set up for success. A Fractional CMO (sometimes called a Virtual CMO) often “sits on the bus” for a year at most, and B2B SaaS startups take many years to go from ideation through securing Product Market Fi ..read more

The Growth of Fractional CMOs Fractional, or Freelance, Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) are marketing leaders who support marketing functions across a wide range of areas but in a flexible and part-time manner. They are going to become an increasingly common phenomenon in the months to come. Why? Read on. Why do I think they’ll become more common? As we approach the end of 2023, current market conditions for tech companies are challenging, to say the least. The immediate outlook is also going to be difficult between rising interest rates, the conflict in the Middle East, the Ukraine invasion ..read more

Having worked in B2B SaaS for many years I have been frustrated with the countless numbers of SaaS startups who are not able to market effectively due to relying on Content Management Systems (or worse custom builds) that are not fit for purpose. It is why I have Co-Founded Contento, a Headless CMS built specifically for B2B SaaS websites / companies. As part of our initial launch we are offering clients a migration service off the likes of WordPress so as to help reduce the switching costs for those looking to upgrade their content management system. I will also be writing a collection of new ..read more

In this short blog I describe the emergence of vertical saas as a concept that SaaS marketers and founders need to be aware of. What is vertical SaaS? Why is it beginning to emerge now and what are some of the key characteristics of it? To learn more about vertical SaaS and why I think it’s emergence offers significant opportunities please visit my blog. The Growth of Vertical SaaS ..read more

The following represents the transcript from a recent Podcast I was a guest on. I have not modified the text. The Challenges B2B SaaS CMO’s Face in Europe In this episode, we're speaking to Alan Gleeson, experienced fractional CMO of B2B SaaS startups, on the challenges facing CMOs in the European startup landscape, how they can survive and thrive, and what lessons CMOs outside of that region can learn Many people are aware of how the US startup scene works both through cultural osmosis and the fact that it gets so much coverage in the press. But working in the European startup scene offers un ..read more

Context I often get asked what are the top B2B SaaS resources I’d recommend? I usually reply with a *health warning* upfront. The unique characteristics of each B2B SaaS business mean that any content needs to be taken with a degree of scepticism. A lot of content we encounter is written by US authors and from a position of ‘resource abundance’ relative to European counterparts who are often working in SaaS startups subject to intense ‘resource constraints’.  I am also guilty of having written a B2B SaaS “playbook” (overdue an update) which contradicts my view that B2B SaaS is too nuanced ..read more

For those of you who don’t know Pathmonk’s Presents, run by the folks at Pathmonk, you’re in for a treat. The show focuses on real-live insights from top business leaders sharing real success stories (and failures) always backed by data in a brief 20 min format. They run a great show and host really detailed conversations with founders & business owners (like me) to dissect growth strategies and execution. They also look behind the curtain to show the personalities as well. The interview closes with a rapid fire session and there was no prep on my side as to what to expect. We cover a ..read more

I was delighted to be a recent guest on the Marketing Innovation Show hosted by Andrei Tiu, of Marketiu. We covered a lot of ground during the conversation. ▶️ Watch the episode on YouTube >> https://lnkd.in/g-4TV78 Listen to the episode on your favourite platform ⤵️ ▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/eR6reGg ▶️ Podbean: https://lnkd.in/g-FeJg2 ▶️ Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gPcfwEN ▶️ Deezer: https://lnkd.in/gPYEWrZ ▶️ Stitcher: https://lnkd.in/gPeFnAY ▶️ Castbox: https://lnkd.in/g6-qEwy ..read more

We are all drowning from a relentless assault on our Linkedin accounts from a barrage of marketers. Many are poorly crafted, the majority offer zero context. The few that do take the time to personalise the request get noticed - the rest consigned to the bin. Ben Wright, a B2B tech consultant here in London shared the following thoughts recently. I concur with his assessment and have added some additional throughts below. ++++ The difference between GOOD Social Selling and BAD Social Selling is pretty simple. It's all about VALUE. I get a lot of LinkedIn requests and InMails and this has only ..read more