How AI Can Solve your Management Crisis and Boost Productivity

The UK is facing a productivity crisis. Over the past decade, the country has struggled with stagnating output, with productivity growth falling to levels last seen over a century ago during Queen Victoria's reign. This isn’t just a minor inconvenience—it’s a significant economic drag. Experts have pointed to poor management practices, outdated methods, and slow technology adoption as core reasons for this decline.

But there’s hope. Artificial Intelligence (AI) promises to transform the traditional role of managers and revitalize productivity across industries. By leveraging AI to automate, analyze, and support, UK businesses could overcome management challenges and regain a competitive edge in the global market.

This post explores the link between poor management and low productivity, the transformational role of AI, and what the future might look like not just for UK managers but any business leaders across the globe struggling to increase productivity and innovation.

---

The Problem: A History of Management Struggles

The UK has consistently underperformed compared to advanced economies like the US and the EU. From 2008 to today, output per worker has barely shifted, with the country sitting 36% lower in productivity growth than it would have been had pre-2008 trends continued.

Why has productivity stalled?

• Outdated Practices: Many businesses still rely on manual, inefficient systems that no longer suit the complex demands of modern work.
• Leadership Gaps: Poor investment in management training and leadership development is evident, leaving many managers unequipped to lead teams effectively.
• Resistance to Innovation: A failure to adopt emerging technologies like AI, which could improve efficiency, has further slowed progress.

Reports from Citi reveal a sharp reduction in high-growth UK firms, signaling a troubling lack of ambition and innovation. Simply put, the UK needs to make bold changes if it’s to reverse this trend.

Enter Artificial Intelligence.

---

The Role of AI in Revitalizing Management

AI isn’t just a tech buzzword; it’s an effective tool capable of transforming businesses from the ground up. While human leaders are (and will remain) essential, AI is a powerful assistant that enhances productivity and decision-making. Here’s how AI could revolutionize management practices in the UK:

1. Automation of Routine Tasks

Managers spend disproportionate time on administrative tasks like scheduling, reporting, and monitoring project progress. AI can streamline these processes**. Tools like intelligent schedulers, automated KPI trackers, presentation aids, and email assistants reduce time spent on operational tasks, allowing managers to focus on strategic priorities.

Imagine a manager freed from repetitive admin work and instead focusing on leading team initiatives or solving customer challenges. Automated tools make this shift possible.

2. Smarter Decision-Making with Data Insights

Statistics show that 63% of managers admit to struggling with data analysis. AI thrives at processing vast volumes of data and generating actionable insights at scale. AI platforms can analyze team performance, market trends, customer preferences, and real-time budget allocations.

For example, AI-driven dashboards powered by tools like Tableau or Power BI generate reports that help identify inefficiencies and opportunities immediately. Managers can confidently make evidence-based decisions to optimize costs, enhance operations, and deliver more impactful results.

3. Employee Development Powered by AI

Employees drive productivity, but many managers lack the tools to nurture their teams effectively. AI systems analyze employee performance metrics to identify skill gaps, recommend tailored training programs, and even evaluate engagement levels.

Platforms like Lattice or Humu provide predictive analytics to managers, helping them understand when employees might disengage and offering solutions to re-engage them proactively. The result? A happier, more motivated, and highly skilled workforce.

4. Enhanced Team Collaboration

Miscommunication and siloed teams* are productivity killers. AI can eliminate these pain points by integrating communication tools that streamline collaboration. AI analyses interpersonal dynamics and identifies team bottlenecks while recommending solutions.

For example, platforms like Microsoft Teams use AI to suggest optimal meeting times across time zones or flag communication breakdowns within teams.

5. AI-Driven Leadership Development

Leadership is crucial to productivity, yet many UK managers lack sufficient training. AI tools go beyond assisting with tasks and actively help managers improve their skills. Platforms like Butterfly.ai or CoachHub provide personalized coaching and real-time feedback on leadership behaviors, enabling managers to learn and grow in their roles.

With AI as a leadership coach, managers can gain unbiased assessments of their strengths and identify areas of improvement—accelerating their ability to lead teams effectively.

---

Why Human Judgment Can’t Be Replaced

While AI brings substantial benefits, businesses must recognize that it is a supplement to, not a replacement for, human managers. AI can process complex datasets and make recommendations but lacks the creativity, empathy, and moral judgment that human leaders bring.

For example, managing a team through a crisis, building trust, and resolving conflict are areas where human intelligence continues to outshine even the most ingenious algorithms. The key lies in striking a balance, where humans use AI as their sidekick to amplify their strengths, not substitute them.

Transparency and trust are critical ingredients in ensuring AI adoption within organizations. Managers must explain how AI tools are used, establish unbiased algorithms, and demonstrate fairness in data handling to maximize their teams’ confidence in the technology.

---

Managers of the Future

The introduction of AI will inevitably transform managers' responsibilities, but not in the way many fear. Rather than eliminating managerial roles, AI will allow future managers to focus on higher-level strategic initiatives while routine tasks and data-heavy analysis are delegated to machines.

Here’s what the skill set of a future manager might look like:

• Strategic Visionaries: Managers will spend more time focusing on long-term business direction and innovation. Think big-picture strategies rather than daily operational concerns.
• Data-Driven Decision-Makers: With AI tools generating actionable insights, managers must interpret, adapt, and drive outcomes based on this information.
• Collaborators and Culture Champions: Managers will continue prioritizing team cohesion and culture, leveraging AI to enhance collaboration without losing the human touch.
• Continual Learners: AI evolves rapidly, meaning managers must stay updated with advanced tools and techniques to remain effective.

The combination of empathetic leadership and AI-generated efficiency will define what it means to be a great leader in the future. Managers will require different skill sets from today and must adapt to remain successful.

---

A Brighter Future for UK Productivity

The stagnation of productivity in the UK is not irreversible. AI offers the tools needed to automate inefficiencies, enhance decision-making, and develop talent—turning current management challenges into opportunities for growth. However, success will require more than just implementing technology—it will need managers willing to adapt, learn, and lead purposefully.

To remain competitive in the global economy, the UK must prioritize both AI integration and comprehensive management development. By doing so, businesses can thrive in an increasingly fast-paced world.

Now, the question is no longer whether AI can enhance productivity in management—it’s whether businesses are ready to make that leap forward.

What's my favorite AI tool right now?

Being a full-stack marketer, I would have to choose Jasper AI, the perfect all-around AI marketing platform.

*Silos happen because of the culture - culture is created by the leadership team. Whenever you have a phenomenon, ask, 'Who is this serving?' - the psychology of silos in organizations runs deep, is complex, and is hard (sometimes impossible) to reverse. It's not unlike mental illness in person - we know that thinking differently will benefit them, but where and how do you start? And do they even want to change? Therefore, though AI can help solve these problems, realistically, it requires more penetrating (human) work deep into the organization. Superficial or tech-only fixes rarely work on such ingrained issues.

**Notion is a good AI Management tool if it is appropriately configured. Unfortunately, the last time I used it, it was not set up user-friendly, which was somewhat frustrating. If you are new to this platform, get help integrating it into your tech and team functions. Like many AI technologies, half the success depends on how it is set up and used. 

Further reading - For Success with AI, Bring Everyone On Board

Best AI productivity tools in 2025

Learning from the Jaguar rebrand campaign

Many marketers, advertisers, auto manufacturers, consumers, and the general public have criticized the Jaguar rebranding campaign.

‘It’s like murdering a British Icon. They may as well have shot Paddington Bear.’

‘That font looks like it belongs on a pink lemonade flavored condom,’ and 'the logo and color make the brand now look like a vape brand that only children buy.’

About the ad itself, one astute and funny commentator said, ‘shit looks like if Quibi made Star Trek.’

Times columnist Giles Coren rightly points out that the rebrand has alienated Jaguar’s core market—middle-class, middle-aged consumers —and replaced it with fans who probably would not even buy a car, let alone a Jaguar.

They used a 'Copy nothing' tagline, with a woman wielding a sledgehammer next to the line 'break moulds' - even though, ironically, many have spotted similarities with that and the iconic '1984' Apple ad of the '80s.

Iconic 1984 Apple Ad

'Copy Nothing' 2024 Jaguar Ad

Jaguar managing director Rawdon Glover said the intended message had been lost in “a blaze of intolerance” on social media and denied that the promotional video was designed as a “woke” statement. He defended Jaguar’s ‘bold’ rebrand.

But I agree with social media —it’s a terrible ad, and the old logo is way better. What’s to defend?

What I’m dying to know is -

Where were the honest, critical, informed voices at Jaguar, when this entire campaign was built? Silenced? Or not even there?

Either option is disastrous. However, examining the background of the Jaguar CEO can provide insights into Jaguar's culture.

Rawdon Glover was head of operations at Volkswagen, when the company conspired to falsify emissions data. Whistleblowers at Volkswagen at the time said that the company:

> Was authoritarian

> Pressure to succeed was overwhelming

> Criticism of any sort was not tolerated

And how can I not think he brought that same culture to Jaguar? Since culture almost always percolates down from the top of organizations.

It got me thinking about these same issues in my career. First, having lived in the US for ten years and in many other countries, like Colombia, Venezuela, India, Australia, Spain, and the Netherlands, I am qualified to spot cultural blindspots. 

I've also experienced many communication and management styles, enabling me to understand what's effective and what isn't, as well as what is necessary, and what is counter-productive. 

 

• In the UK, we generally find it hard to disagree (see chart above) and are often too keen to keep quiet rather than risk offending. 

• In the Netherlands, great projects get derailed due to the obsession with committee decisions.

• In Germany, thinking is sometimes too theoretical and not pragmatic enough. ('pragmatisch' is virtually a dirty word in Germany!). 

• In the US, companies and leaders are sometimes too quick to abandon people, projects, and ideas. Americans can lack patience.

I’ve seen countless examples of management missteps in my career.

Usually, it's due to 'groupthink' and a fear of expressing opinions that diverge from those of senior leadership - that derail things. Often, it's a failure to listen to the experts.

Just like what happened with this Jaguar rebrand campaign. 

In each case, management doubled down on the error—just as the Jaguar boss did. 

This merely compounds the problem - a glaring demonstration of the sunk cost fallacy. 

As mentioned, Senior leadership's double-down on these mistakes could well have been as much due to experts in the company not speaking up as it was due to the leaders being 'stubborn' or deciding to throw good money after bad. 

I know it’s easy to spot problems - most of us can do that. But I’d like to offer a few solutions to myopic management thinking and the allure of biases, that can prove fatal to sound marketing strategy (to avoid the Jaguar debacle):

1. Encourage your team's contrarians, thinkers, creatives, and experts to speak up.

2. Create psychological safety. Ninety per cent of your employees will gravitate towards accepting bad decisions by senior management rather than risking the consequences of speaking out. 

You must fight against complacency and stagnation to create a dynamic workplace that rewards new ideas and people who take risks in expressing their views.

3. When you encourage people to speak up, there is a danger that they will complain without hope or even desire for problem resolution.

These 'help-rejecting complainers' can be perplexing and amusing in equal measure.

So, once you get your team to open up, you must keep the outlook positive, and inspiring. ‘We talk about problems to find solutions’ should be the mantra.

And above all, speak to a range of experts before you spend a fortune on a logo, website, or even campaign rebrand.

Book a free consultation here. or get in touch via email at rparker@rudylearningaboutstartups.com 

Marketing Acts, Bad Outcome

In the heart of a bustling tech startup, they had it all—cutting-edge software, a growing user base, and a hungry team ready to dominate the market. Their secret weapon? A recently agreed Account-Based Marketing (ABM) strategy. Focus, precision, and personalized outreach would surely turn the tide in their favor.

Not to mention a brand new $180,000 state-of-the-art account-based Marketing platform. 

They hadn't been impulsive buyers. They did their research - read the G2 and Capterra peer reviews, and tested the market alternatives. 

And now, yes, They were confident in its success. The world was their oyster!

The team gathered in the sleek, glass-walled boardroom, eyes on Jane, the marketing director. She pulled up the latest ABM campaign results, confidence radiating from her.

“We targeted the top 50 accounts and personalized every touchpoint—emails, workflows, ads, calls, even gifts! This is going to be big,” she said, grinning as the first slide flashed on the screen.

But then the numbers came up.

Silence fell. Her grin faded.

Not one of the accounts responded. The campaign, which had eaten up half their marketing budget, was a black hole.

“What went wrong?” someone finally muttered. Jane’s face turned pale as she clicked through the data—wrong job titles, misinterpreted pain points, automated messages that felt soulless instead of personal. 

Worse, their most valuable prospect had publicly tweeted about the "lazy spam" from the company, damaging their reputation.

The sales team had given them data that conflicted with the analytics from their ABM platform, and sales prevailed (who could argue - they closed the deals?). Then, to add to the growing sense of impending doom, the team began to lose faith.

Not only that, but installing & integrating the latest 2.0 iteration of the ABM platform had sucked valuable time, energy, resources and finally morale, from the entire team. 

Ultimately, they had to hire a marketing operations manager specifically for that job. The project had gone well over time (three times longer than planned) and budget (an additional $80,000, 45% over). 

The new Marketing Operations Manager gave his notice one week after the much-anticipated roll-out day. He wouldn't be around to oversee his work. And no one else had the complete picture of how this software worked.

Carnage!

Blood-curdling screams could be heard (or was that my imagination) in the background of video calls rapidly losing bandwidth ('Sorry, I'm gonna have to turn off my camera - my connection is bad').

Employees would disappear for days - childcare issues, family emergencies, illness, even the dreaded return of Covid (we thought it was gone forever.....). The team was disintegrating before our very eyes. What remnants remained looked exhausted, shrunken-headed and ghoulish. 

One poor lady went on a 'mental health' walk in the middle of a team meeting - and was not seen again for two weeks. Her spouse finally called in to say she was 'incapacitated' and would provide a doctor's note.

Then there was the dreaded sales kick-off, when one of the team got drunk and told the CEO 'what he really thought about how marketing was being managed at our company'.

Later that evening, Barry, head of enterprise sales, got into a punch-up 🥊 with a bystander—this time, it wasn't just HR that was needed 😬👀👮‍♂️.

Technology and analytics (and even Revops) professionals soldiered on, long past the point of no return, fighting bravely as hope dwindled. At times, it felt like the fall of the Roman Empire—the barbarians were at the gates, baying for blood. 

Where was the support? It was never coming! We were like lone wolves howling at night, with only a full moon's light guiding us.

Marketing had acted boldly, but the precision they prided themselves on was just an illusion. They had over-personalized to the point of irrelevance.

The CEO stood slowly, his voice cutting through the tension: “Let’s fix this. But remember, not every act of marketing ends in glory."

The team nodded, but deep down, they knew. Marketing had acted… and the outcome was bad 👹👹

Happy Halloween!

If you haven't noticed, 'Marketing Acts, Bad Outcome' is an anagram of 'Account-based marketing'.

I've been at the epicentre of a few great ABM horror shows. 

Did you know that according to the latest CMO Survey, 56% of marketing technology is never, or barely, utilized? That's at least $100 billion of wasted value, in the US alone. 

Horrorshow! 

Read my guide for ideas on how to escape an Account-Based Marketing nightmare and ensure you buy the right software for the job.

Fortunately, in addition to the nightmares, I've also had a twenty-year track record of success penetrating large enterprise accounts - details are included.

This guide contains the collective wisdom of ten senior Demand Generation leaders and CMOs from a range of midsized SaaS businesses (Cybersecurity, Fintech, Martech, and more), as well as a founder and a Venture Capital Investor.

Are you a marketing vampire?

This is Colin, the energy vampire from the show 'What We Do in the Shadows'. Colin works in an office and drains energy from his coworkers (unlike the other traditional vampires he lives with in Long Island). We've all worked with a fair number of 'Colins', haven't we? That's why this character is so funny. 

‘Hey, have you heard how many CEOs are asking their employees to return to the office?’ asked my marketing buddy, Jim. ‘They have no research to show that this will make the workplace more productive.'

'But you know why the CEOs say they want their employees back in? The real reason? It’s because the CEOs think – this is making our employees happy! There’s got to be something wrong with it if it makes our employees happy!’

A lot of my marketing friends are struggling. I want to understand why high-calibre professionals with extensive experience feel so dejected about the state of their industry.

One complains about being micromanaged and treated like a child by a CMO who doesn’t understand his job.

Another who almost killed herself for her job – literally gave up her social life – only to be dumped two years into the job – and replaced by someone less experienced and cheaper. 

I'm sure it'll backfire on the company.

However, someone in finance looked purely at the numbers and thought he was a genius for making this decision. I studied finance and worked as an analyst. It can be tempting to strip everything down to numbers, but that approach can be misleading. As Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, says:

'If the data and the stories don't match, I trust the stories'

During industry downturns and times of low macroeconomic growth, CFOs typically increase their influence in organisations. 

However, when finance is focused on cost control, it should be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. It may be hasty to let go of essential lynchpins in the organisation and lose talent, knowledge, and a culture critical to a company's success. 

As this article demonstrates, Finance & Marketing are trying to achieve the same goals. It's just that sometimes their approaches are different. 

What about my other friend, who confessed that he might consider switching from his career in marketing to becoming a train driver? 😟

Ok, he was laying on a little there! But still, he's had a tough ride recently....

This accomplished marketer has a strong track record and incredible talent. Yet he talks about wanting to leave his profession right now. What’s going on in the marketing world?

Part of it is like the CEO my friend mentioned, making employees return to the office; He suspects his employees must not be working hard if they are happy. 

Have you ever been managed by someone intent on making your job miserable? We all have, right? It's such a wrongheaded and counterproductive approach.

I actually love my job. I love marketing—everything about it. But why does management sometimes seem to want to drain that enjoyment out of it? 

This is what my friend Elizabeth Lotardo wrote about - a fictional character called 'Rudi, a senior marketing manager, who's boss is always changing his mind' 

It is infuriating to be managed like this. Many of my marketing colleagues can relate to Rudi's story. 

If marketing teams are miserable, have little to no psychological safety, and are not valued or respected, they will produce subpar work.

It's human nature - research proves that employees work better with positive affirmation and in a civil and respectful environment.

And I’m afraid that no matter how good the product is or how eloquent the salespeople are, the company will most likely not thrive if the marketing is awful. 

There are countless examples of companies with arguably worse products that beat companies with better products because they had superior marketing, including some of the biggest in the world: Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Apple, Nike and Harley Davidson.

The brand has already been shown to be incredibly important in a company's success. Investors factor brand into their decision-making, and brand has had a value on the balance sheet for a long time. 

Read on to discover why brand is paramount for investors.

And just because your marketing team is enjoying what they do – that’s no reason for concern. In fact, You should be delighted they are doing a good job and having fun!

Many key people think that AI can solve all marketing problems. This is not new—every few years, a new panacea is considered the silver bullet that will solve all marketing woes. 

I've heard many stories about how AI could create fantastic marketing content for virtually nothing (obviously, finance loves this!). 

Will it go the same way as: 

• Big Data
• Agile methodology
• Affiliate Marketing
• Guerilla marketing

Initially, it was thought it would solve all ills, but eventually, people came to a sober middle ground and realised it was a new approach that could be very helpful if used effectively.

I have already used AI significantly in my job: Chatgpt and Jasper AI for marketing, and I'm experimenting with tools like 11x the AI SDR (for sales development of marketing leads). It's making me around 30% more productive than before.

Unlike some of my colleagues, I do not fear losing my passion for marketing. Even in this challenging environment, I am still confident of my future in this profession.

You will always find rewarding work if you are passionate about what you do and are good at your job. At least, I always have. I'm also fortunate because I have a vast network.

I like to remind myself what the genius advertising guru, David Ogilvy once said: 

'Where people aren't having any fun, they seldom produce good work.'

That is double or triple true for marketing, which relies so much on creativity and ideas. So let's focus on getting the job done, being polite, treating everyone with respect (you don't know what they are going through), and, above all, enjoying it. 

I don't want to end on a down note. I am immensely grateful to have found a rewarding and highly stimulating vocation I love - one that perfectly fits my strange mix of abilities and personality.

But I must re-iterate - beware of Marketing vampires this Halloween (and the rest of the year) - who may drain you of your passion, and will to live! 

The Power of Microinfluencer marketing

             

Suppose you look at where the most significant move in influencer marketing has been in the last few years. In that case, celebrity endorsements like Kim Kardashian, Selena Gomez, Dwayne Johnson or David Beckham are passe—so 2010's

The real action these days is with micro-influencers or even nano-influencers. 

What Is a Micro-Influencer?

A micro-influencer has 1,000 to 100,000 followers who focus on a specific niche or area and is generally regarded as an industry expert or topic specialist.

Micro-influencers have stronger relationships than typical influencers. This is often driven by their perception as an opinion leader of [a] subject matter. Unlike a celebrity or regular influencer, a micro-influencer frequently has a very uniform audience. They are usually far more knowledgeable about the companies they talk about and more relatable to the regular consumer.

Everyone says that to succeed in business, you need an authentic brand. Once you can fake that, you’ve got it made. But joking aside, Consumers crave authenticity these days. 

Some large brands have even had to scrap high-quality and expensive videos because they appear too commercial. Imagine a ludicrous situation where a giant brand is paying big bucks to make its videos look like they were taken by a regular person on their Apple phone. I kid you not - this is happening right now!

Authenticity is the quality of being true to oneself and one’s beliefs. Branding means presenting an honest representation of what your business stands for and how you want customers to perceive it. This includes conveying clear values and messaging and building trust with audiences through consistent communication and interactions.

When businesses are authentic, customers feel they can trust that their products and services are genuine. This helps you, as the business owner, build authentic relationships with your audience, which can lead to increased sales and customer loyalty.

Additionally, authenticity helps brands stand out from the competition by allowing them to show their unique characteristics. When you're true to yourself, you trust your judgments and decisions, and others also trust you. They'll respect you for standing by your values and beliefs. 

And let’s face it – who do you really believe uses and loves l’Oreal shampoo, a celebrity who is paid millions of dollars for saying that and will probably be advertising another shampoo brand next year?

Or a beauty influencer who has been raving about how much she loves L’Oreal products for years without being paid for that? And whose blog or TikTok channel is devoted to that one topic (Beauty or even shampoos).

I talked about branding with Henny Frazer, the ex-head brand at Hyatt Hotels. She impressed upon me the idea that branding is not purely about a ‘logo’ or a company's image or colour palette. That is actually just a tiny part of the picture.

A brand is embedded in your employees and your culture—how they work and interact. Secondly, it is highlighted by your most passionate customers—the ones who evangelize your company and often tell others exactly why they love your brand. And if you have those types of customers, surely your company should help them get their message out?

From my experiences working in marketing, I know nothing is more potent than a delighted customer—no ad campaign, powerful celebrity endorsement, or even a mesmerising brand or silver-tongued salesperson.

But don’t just listen to me: Tech companies, including Adobe, Monday.com, SAP, and Squarespace, among many others, are well known to engage in micro-influencer marketing campaigns. 

Dunkin' Brand (Dunkin' even named a new drink, 'the Charli' after a Microinfluencer) has been doing this for years, as have many sports brands like Nike, which, for example, sponsors thousands of college athlete micro-influencers. 

Airbnb, Shopify, HelloFresh, Warby Parker & Audible are other well-known brands that are currently investing in micro-influencers.

Below: The return on investment is almost three times higher for brands that invest in micro-influencers than those that pay for celebrity endorsements (Professor Pauwels, Northeastern University business school, ex-Chief Data Scientist at Amazon). 

Micro-influencers can help a business grow by:

> Targeting a specific audience

Micro-influencers often have a niche audience, so they can help brands reach the people most likely to be interested in their products. For example, a brand could work with a cake-decorating influencer to promote a new line of piping tips.

> Building trust

Micro-influencers often have a deeper relationship with their audience, which can lead to more effective endorsements and higher call-to-action rates. When influencers are accurate and transparent about products or services, their followers are more likely to purchase.

> Make Genuine Connections

Do you think there’s no such thing as the wrong client? If you’ve ever had a client who was a lovely person but just totally not aligned with you, you’ll know that there is! Not every client is the right client. If you’re not being authentic in your business, you’re not going to attract the people (clients, team members, partners) you’ll thrive with.

Authenticity builds strong connections with the right people who will become life-long customers and sing your praises to others. Micro-influencers can help potential customers determine if your brand is right for them.

One major issue most brands face right now is a decline in loyalty. With that comes the dreaded customer churn issue: companies lose long-term customers.

But suppose you build authentic relationships with customers who start out with shared values, goals, and aspirations. In that case, you will likely retain those customers and grow your business faster and more straightforwardly. Micro-influencers are your bridge to that end goal.

> Increasing brand visibility

Micro-influencers can help increase brand visibility by retaining followers and hooking them with their content.

> Boosting credibility

Working with popular influencers can help a brand's credibility within an industry. This can help the brand land new partnerships, attract talent, and develop meaningful industry relationships.

> Creating dynamic, and exciting new content

Influencers know how to create content that stands out on social media. Some of the hands-down best brand content I’ve seen over the last five years has come from small-time influencers (take Lauren Cella*, a schoolteacher influencer who works with Adobe and Dunkin’).

Monitoring content performance can help a brand determine what's working and what's not. This can help a brand adjust its strategy and decide whether to continue working with specific influencers or partner with new ones.

Should Your Brand Leverage Micro-Influencer Marketing?

Micro-influencers have a comparatively more minor following and don’t often boast celebrity status. Because of that, brands can bank on their followers' interest in whatever made the micro-influencer "internet famous.” 

In addition, smaller influencers tend to be more grateful for a brand's attention, produce far better results (in terms of actual sales revenue per spend), and are more cost-effective, on average, than celebrity endorsers. 

Some well-known micro-influencers include:

• Alina Gavrilov, a fashion micro-influencer with 99,800 followers

https://www.instagram.com/alinagavrilov_/

• Lauren Cella*, education micro-influencer (Millennial teacher who talks about her Gen Z and Gen Alpha students, who now partners with Adobe), 140,000 followers

https://www.instagram.com/laurencella/ 

Check out her hilarious history lesson on the French Revolution, designed to entertain and captivate Gen Z and Alphas. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSpNZnVdsX8   

• Anndrea Celleste, 198,000 followers, travel and culture micro-influencer

https://www.tiktok.com/@anndreacelleste/video/7372243586991066401

• Francesca Newman-Young, a travel micro-influencer with 84,900 followers
• Lonni Smith, a beauty micro-influencer with 64,000 followers
• Russ Crandall, a food micro-influencer with 40,400 followers
• Francesca Newman-Young, travel micro-influencer with 120,000 followers

A tweet from travel micro influencer Francesa Newman-Young:

Micro-influencers will often cost far less than macro-influencers. “[Micro-influencers] give you the best bang for your buck. They have a following, but typically don't charge the same rate as those with a larger following.”

For further reading: how to Build a micro-influencer marketing strategy by Shopify. 

Also, check out my upcoming Blog post, "A CMO in the Luxury Travel & Hospitality Sector: Bringing together our brand's micro-influencers on a one-week VIP holiday in our new resort in Thailand." (subject to approvals by Aman Hotels Group and Henny Frazer, due February 2025).

Looking for a man in finance? The challenges of B2B Lead targeting

 

Yes, it's an incredibly catchy/cheesy (depending on how you feel about it) song in vogue right now - and no, this article is not about dating. It's about the question of lead targeting for SaaS companies.

The phrase was funny and relevant because the B2B world often consists of tiny volumes (compared to B2C). The BBC Radio Four show 'More or Less' recently estimated that only seven such individuals fit these requirements in the UK. 

Have you ever been asked to find a similarly small segment as a marketer? (Six foot five, blue eyes, trust fund, works in finance.) OK, not a segment with only Seven out of Sixty Million. But volume is a perennial B2B Marketing problem, I assure you.

- The more you segment, the smaller your target ad or campaign group becomes.

Over the years, many of my marketing campaigns have been driven by the need to find the right job title at the right company at the right time—what used to be called BANT qualified (Meddic has now overtaken it, as has Jon Miller of Demandbase's ideas of 'buyer groups'—at least for large enterprise ABM deals).

I have plenty of experience working with both early startups (20-100 employees), and mid-sized companies (100-2000 employees). Both types of companies have different challenges. 

Today, however, I will focus on early startups since the problems I describe are particularly pertinent to them.

In these types of companies, I sometimes work with Investors and founders who, by their own admission, 'do not know much about B2B marketing'.

In addition, I often work with CFOs and finance professionals, who at small startups, can be particularly demanding about driving ROI in a relatively short time.

If you look at the latest LinkedIn/Ipsos Mori data, which includes interviews with over 2000 CMOs globally, you can see that this is one of their top concerns. 

This CMO challenge is magnified many times in a startup, where you have to 'hit the ground running' and 'prove your ROI,' often under pressure and in very short periods. It's not for the faint of heart.

In the current climate, startups have struggled with a particularly critical problem in smaller companies: lackluster growth. 

The William Burroughs adage, 'when you stop growing, you start dying,' is more important for a company with 20 employees than one with 20,000. 

Founders know this, investors know this, and good startup marketers should know this, too.

From my own experience, and according to industry research, there are a few critical reasons startups stop growing:

Product Market Fit

If your startup has stopped growing, it may be due to poor product market fit. Your product must satisfy strong market demand and address a specific problem for your target audience. 

This is crucial, as 42% of startups fail due to a lack of market need. 

A good indicator of fit is if over 40% of customers would be "very disappointed" if your product disappeared. 

Too much competition, a niche product, or losing customers after trials are other signs your company does not have Product Market Fit.

Lack of Funds

Failing to plan for funding can lead to failure. Postponing funding rounds too long is a common mistake.

29% of startups fail because they run out of money. 

Early and thorough planning is essential to avoid stressful, last-minute funding scrambles. A clear long-term strategy and plan are crucial for later-stage funding where investors seek stability.

Talent Acquisition

Poor hiring decisions can hinder growth. Whether you're trying to do everything yourself or not hiring the right people, it all falls back on you. For a small business to grow, owners must use their time wisely. 

While great sales and marketing teams drive growth, having organized administrators and assistants is equally important. 

No HR department? - that could be a problem

No Head of IT? - again, if your employees aren't supported, that could negatively impact the entire business.

These roles keep the business running smoothly, allowing you to focus on strategic growth plans rather than time-consuming tasks that others can handle. 

Ineffective Marketing

A strong marketing plan is essential for startup growth, identifying potential customers, and establishing effective channels.

In the competitive US market, where I built my career, businesses spend $190 billion annually on advertising, and marketing generates the most leads by far (90%).

EMEA and APAC regions are different. Nevertheless, good marketing in those regions can be even more critical. 

Startups must build a strong marketing presence to avoid being left behind. 

Identifying and addressing marketing weaknesses immediately can lead to significant growth and success.

One area that founders and investors are often preoccupied with is 'finding the secret marketing sauce' that will create large amounts of sales revenue. This drive could show up in any number of ways:

• The 'perfect ad' that converts to a sale instantly
• The ideal campaign that creates engaged hot prospects to fill your entire funnel
• Setting up brilliant and engaging email nurture campaigns (workflows in HubSpot) that deliver a convertible sales pipeline.
• Incredible targeting that reaches the perfect buyer - this is the 'looking for a man in finance' problem that perhaps LinkedIn ads come closest to solving. 

Each of these ideas is fantastic, but one of them alone will not solve all your marketing needs.

All these desires spring from human nature: the desire to achieve great results fast. While that is a laudable aim, you will still need a structured marketing plan.

Genius startup founder and billionaire investor, Bela Hatvany waxes lyrical about how, over the years, when powerful investors pushed him hard for a deadline for results, he'd tell them that he'd achieve them in 'the fullness of time'!

Investors no doubt found his comments infuriating! I certainly wouldn't use that exact phrase myself to a client. But he has achieved great success in business by being patient. 

Pushy marketing rarely works, especially on larger deals.

B2B buyers are getting increasingly savvy and don't appreciate being pushed into buying. You need to nurture a relationship with them over time. 

Building such a relationship requires brilliant insights and nurturing a great network, community, and brand, and time.

You also need to discover when a prospect is 'in market' - the slippery and elusive buying intent! 

Gartner recently produced a graphic demonstrating a typical B2B buying process. This process requires a sophisticated, light touch. 

In short, your startup creates exciting, creative, and innovative content that engages with your audience across all the main channels and draws them into your company. This will include:

• Email Campaigns
• Ads
• Webinars
• Roundtables
• White Papers
• Case Studies
• Video

You need to take some risks here - you cannot just produce a lot of vanilla or AI-created content (AI replicates formulas; it's not innovative or creative, which requires breaking out of those patterns to form entirely new ones).

Such stellar results can rarely be achieved overnight. They can be best accomplished if you remember to:

1. Create high-quality content 
2. Work with creative and inspiring content strategists
3. Build a psychologically safe environment that supports innovation and testing
4. Value, support, and trust your marketing team

 Though segmentation and targeting in B2B marketing are valuable, startups sometimes undervalue the power of great ideas to motivate the right buyers to come to them. After all, that is what inbound marketing is all about. 

Surfing B2B Marketing Trends in 2024 & beyond

CMOs & Founders guide to the latest B2B Marketing trends 

I know how busy you are, particularly CMOs and company founders, so I used this blog to save you some time by summarizing the trends and patterns in B2B marketing that I've picked up over the last few months. 

I hope you find my analysis of the current B2B marketing trends useful.

Top content platforms for Account-based marketing

Account-based Marketing

Account-based marketing has existed for as long as B2B companies have needed to attract, engage, and close complex sales with enterprise companies.

But over the last five years, Account-based marketing has become a significant trend, as prominent as 'AI'.

There's now an entire infrastructure around it, including numerous ABM platforms like 6sense, Demandbase, and Terminus, CRM and Marketing automation tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Marketo, Ad platforms like LinkedIn.

Or organic content platforms like Quora ideally suited to this deep, penetrating, targeted marketing approach.

The great content debate

What does a good 'content funnel' look like? Or can we just secure a new customer with one amazing ad? 

- This seems to be the obsession of quite a few founders, CFOs, and even heads of marketing —could it be a question of money and time? 🤔

And then the 64 billion dollar 💰question (Yes, inflation has affected pricing on this problem, too!): What content is the 'best'—the most likely to quickly convert a key decision maker to a sale?

Here, an organization I've worked with called Netline has some excellent data. And I have to concur with them based on their research of millions of prospects that; 

-  'Webinar fatigue' is bogus. Webinars are still highly effective. 

Virtual Roundtables

Virtual Roundtables were not even on my radar pre-pandemic. What happened? About four years ago, my CMO asked me to create one— around a CPQ solution on Salesforce for publishing executives (a tool to monetize their income). 

It was called 'Working Smarter, not Harder; Surviving and Thriving in the New Age of first-party Data.'

It was a great success: Eight attendees and three new sales opportunities. I continued to run them once every few months. 

But then, at my next company, they had a slick new name: 'Pipeline Acceleration Events,' which the sales team loved. I ran several a month at that company.

Here's my entire campaign, including the roundtable: 

'Working Smarter: Maximizing Productivity and Programmatic success in 2022 and beyond'

Since then, I've continued to run them alongside face-to-face events—particularly the 'Breakfast Event,' which is basically a roundtable but not virtual. 

This has worked well for me, especially when my prospects are time-pressed and not that social (for example, CIOs or IT directors). 

Which channels are the most effective?

I firmly believe in Paid Social media, Email, Google search, and retargeting campaigns for ABM. HubSpot is an inbound expert with extensive data on which channels produce the most significant ROI.

Ebooks, guides, and white papers are still prevalent in the 'C' suite. But recently, there's been a surge in interest in survey-backed reports; 

Who doesn't like to see what their peers are interested in now and where they think opportunities will be over the next few years?

Peer-to-peer content has been a vast, rapidly growing trend in B2B over the last few years. 

In the past, I've managed paid G2 Crowd, Trustpilot, or other company account review sites. Getting good reviews is critical to building good SEO and even closing sales. 

When I worked at the marketing attribution company Visual IQ—Nielsen, we produced a survey-backed CMO report on the State of Marketing attribution.

And here's a guide that it inspired me to produce - looking at the rising video game industry and its corollary in digital advertising: In-game advertising 

We developed a lot of rapport with leaders in the industry, while we built and promoted the surveys.

It's also great for generating high-value, targeted leads who are truly serious about your solutions. We started to get about 100 a month from this report right from the start—from Ad agencies, advertisers, and video game companies.

Typically, those reading large 30-page or more survey-based industry reports are 'in-market', not 'just browsing'.

One issue I've had is working with bland or uninsightful content. B2B content can be dull and repetitive, lacking in vigor and originality. 

Content creators in this field often shy away from the vital risk-taking needed to innovate, and to excite audiences. 

Also, many B2B content strategists and creators kowtow too much to senior management, who are often not content experts. 

It's easy to get steamrolled by someone much more senior into producing work you know is sub-par!

This is similar to the scenario where a rather boring senior or long-time employee constantly speaks at events when the audiences consistently report that this is their least favorite speaker (According to Gartner, 'thought leaders' are much preferred).

What's the point of absolutely 'nailing' your ad campaigns, reaching your ideal buyer persona, at your ICP, and at the perfect time, but then they download your guide, or listen to one of your selected speakers and it's.......................a big letdown?

Your SDRs follow up, and the feedback is invariably:

'The prospect hasn't read the guide yet.'

'They can't remember your talk.'

Or worse - the prospects aren't responding to the SDRs or Sales team at all!

Top Content Challenges 2024 (HubSpot)

You know that they were interested enough to sign up for your white paper on, for example, pick one (of my made-up titles):

1. Cybersecurity

"What's keeping CISOs awake at night: A Comprehensive Guide to Cybersecurity in 2024 and Beyond"

2. Software Development and IT Services

"DevOps and Beyond: Essential Strategies for IT Leaders"

3. Digital Marketing and Marketing Technology (MarTech)

"The Digital Marketing Playbook: Insights for the Modern CMO"

4. Telecommunications and Networking

"Connected Leadership: Navigating Telecommunications and Networking"

You invested heavily in capturing these great leads, so why would you let down your entire marketing process by providing poor-quality guides or white papers?

That's why I first got involved in content strategy and creation as a demand generation leader. 

Netline says that the C-Suite is 21% more likely to want to read a White Paper, than the rest of their B2B audience.

Remember that this is a blog post, so I will keep it succinct. However, I will add one last trend that everyone in B2B marketing is talking about: team development and team building. 

To thrive in 2024 and beyond, you need to attract and retain some of these top marketing skills in your team.

     

Even more importantly, as part of this trend, you need to be aware of, the exponential rise in freelancers and contractors 

In 2023, 52% of Gen Z workers and 43% of Millennials were freelancers. The shift is catching on globally: 

Gartner predicts that independent workers will make up 35% to 40% of the global workforce by 2025, and could be in the majority by 2030.

It's critical to get ahead of this trend to assert a competitive advantage over many companies that don't want to or don't understand how to incorporate freelancers into their marketing teams today.