Competing for Attention Without Breaking the Bank
In today's competitive B2B landscape, every marketer faces the challenge of making a significant impact without the luxury of large budgets. We hosted a panel of industry leaders to discuss how to compete against larger companies with greater financial resources. The conversation highlighted key strategies that are helping smaller and mid-sized companies make the most of their limited marketing budgets.
Hosts
Joaquin Dominguez was joined by four marketing experts to discuss the topic.
Guests
Ricardo Martinez, Senior Growth Marketing Manager, Paid Search at Wiz
Pratibha Jain, [Former] Sr. Director of Demand Generation at Culture Amp
Nicolai Stampfer, Performance Marketing Manager at Synthesia
Gian Bellino, Head of Growth and Performance at DeepL
The Challenge of Competing Against Bigger Budgets
The discussion opened with a clear acknowledgment of the difficulty smaller companies face in trying to compete against industry giants with bigger budgets and well-established brand recognition. Pratibha shared her experience, pointing out that larger companies often have both more resources and greater brand awareness. This makes it harder for smaller companies to achieve the same level of visibility and engagement.
Pratibha emphasised the importance of audience segmentation and strategic allocation of marketing spend. Instead of casting a wide net, she advocates narrowing down campaigns to focus on specific industries, regions, or company sizes, thereby maximising the impact of limited resources. This laser focus allows smaller teams to compete more effectively without needing vast budgets.
Ricardo expanded on this, explaining how smaller companies need to be more agile and creative. For example, enhancing the landing page experience and refining the call to action can significantly improve conversion rates. By offering unique incentives, such as recorded demos or guided tours, marketers can engage prospects more effectively than simply relying on traditional CTAs. Ricardo stressed that without the brand recognition enjoyed by larger companies, smaller firms need to get creative with offers to drive conversions. He emphasised the importance of optimising landing pages and reducing friction by incorporating features such as testimonials and star ratings near the call-to-action buttons to build trust and credibility quickly.
Gian explained that they often find themselves competing with massive companies like OpenAI and Grammarly, both of which have enormous marketing budgets. Some of these companies spend hundreds of millions annually on platforms like YouTube, which forces smaller players like DeepL to focus their efforts by narrowing down their message to highlight key features, such as translation accuracy. By concentrating on these differentiators, they can stand out in a crowded market, rather than trying to compete on all fronts.
"We're competing against companies with gigantic budgets by focusing on our strengths and being strategic, we can still stand out in crowded markets." - Gian Bellino
Targeting the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
Throughout the conversation, the concept of the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) emerged as a critical factor in making the most of marketing spend. Nicolai stressed that the ICP is not a static entity but rather one that evolves as markets and products change. He advocated for a data-driven approach, regularly refining the ICP based on customer feedback, sales data, and other insights.
Nicolai explained how a clear understanding of the ICP allows companies to focus their campaigns on the right audience, rather than wasting resources on a broad, untargeted approach. He also mentioned the importance of targeting not only by industry or region but by persona. Focusing on roles such as sales and marketing professionals who are most likely to benefit from the solution allows for more precise, value-led messaging.
Gian reinforced this, noting how DeepL manages a dual funnel, targeting both individual consumers and enterprises, each requiring different messaging and value propositions. Ricardo added that by engaging closely with sales teams and understanding their feedback on objections and pain points, marketing teams can refine ICP and align their messaging to close deals faster.
"Your ICP will evolve as your product and market change. It's essential to listen and adapt accordingly, using a data-driven approach to refine it based on customer feedback, sales data, and other key insights." - Nicolai Stampfer
Strategic Experimentation and Platform Selection
The panel discussed the importance of experimenting with different platforms to reach the right audience while managing budget constraints. While LinkedIn remains a popular choice for its precise targeting, it can also be prohibitively expensive. Pratibha shared her approach of setting aside 10% of her budget specifically for testing new platforms, including Reddit, which she found effective for reaching developer-focused audiences. Ricardo mentioned that he has used platforms similar to Morning Brew in previous roles, highlighting how such newsletters can be a cost-effective way to engage a highly relevant audience, driving traffic to landing pages and generating qualified leads. Nicolai added his experience of running ads on Spotify, an unconventional platform for B2B marketing, but one that allowed his team to connect with potential clients in a more relaxed, consumer-driven environment. This type of out-of-the-box thinking demonstrated the value of testing and exploring alternative platforms to see where they could achieve strong engagement at a lower cost.
Sequential Retargeting and Multi-Channel Engagement
Pratibha introduced the concept of sequential retargeting as an effective way to guide potential customers through the buyer’s journey. By showing different messages to users based on where they are in their journey, marketers can progressively move them from awareness to consideration and, eventually, conversion. Ricardo expanded on this by explaining how his team phases their retargeting efforts, adjusting messages based on specific time frames, such as showing different ads at 7, 14, and 21-day intervals. He emphasised the importance of using frequency caps to avoid overwhelming prospects with repeated ads.
"Sequential retargeting helps us deliver the right message at each stage of the buyer's journey, reducing waste and ensuring our budget is spent where it matters most for conversions." - Pratibha Jain
Balancing Testing and Attribution
The final topic revolved around the role of testing and attribution in successful campaigns. While all the panellists agreed that continuous testing is essential, they also acknowledged the challenges of attributing results, especially for newer platforms or experimental campaigns. Attribution remains one of the more complicated aspects of modern B2B marketing, as it can be difficult to accurately measure the impact of multi-touch campaigns across channels.
Ricardo noted that while paid search and high-intent channels offer clearer attribution, testing new platforms requires a looser approach to measurement. Instead of fixating on perfect attribution, the focus should be on seeing positive signals, such as brand growth or higher engagement, and scaling those successful tests over time.
"When it comes to new platforms, we can't always expect perfect attribution. The focus is on seeing early signs of success—whether through engagement or brand awareness—and scaling those efforts." - Ricardo Martinez
Conclusion
The discussion provided valuable insights into how B2B marketers can achieve impactful results despite smaller budgets. From the importance of refining the ICP to exploring new platforms and utilising advanced retargeting strategies, the conversation underscored the need for creativity and adaptability in today’s fast-changing market. While larger companies may have the advantage of bigger budgets, smaller organisations can compete by being agile, focusing on their target audience, and testing bold strategies across various channels.
The consensus: By being smart, testing continuously, and focusing on data, even marketers with limited resources can compete effectively in a landscape dominated by larger competitors.
Join the Precision Punks Community
Access to the slack community of serious B2B advertisers
Chatham House rules ‘Adzact confidential’ events with peers
Private in-person events in London and New York
Exclusive data & learning resources to build your career
