Marketing Campaign Tactics

When your product doesn't sell, sometimes you need to sell... cereal? One of the most valuable GTM lesson I've learned in 15+ years isn't from a textbook—it's from Airbnb's desperate pivot during the 2008 recession. The situation: • $40K in credit card debt • Investors laughing at their "strangers in homes" concept • Economy in free fall Their unorthodox GTM move? They created "Obama O's" and "Cap'n McCain" cereal during the 2008 election, selling boxes for $40 each. But here's why this wasn't just a random stunt—it was GTM brilliance: 1. Distribution-First Thinking Most founders obsess over product when they should obsess over channels. Airbnb proved they could sell ANYTHING before their actual product gained traction. 2. Trend Hijacking at Its Finest They didn't create demand—they intercepted existing enthusiasm (election fever) and redirected it. Classic demand harvesting. 3. Audience Qualification The people willing to pay $40 for novelty cereal were the same early adopters open to trying unconventional accommodation. This wasn't just fundraising—it was market research. The $30K they made kept them afloat, caught Y Combinator's attention, and demonstrated the founders' resilience and marketing savvy. Actionable takeaway for founders: When you're struggling to find PMF, demonstrate your GTM skills with alternative offerings. The ability to sell anything proves more valuable than the perfect product no one buys. What's the most creative GTM pivot you've seen a company make? Drop examples below!

We’ve all been there, pouring money into Google Ads with little to no ROI. Your immediate reaction is, "F*** this channel." The reality is, it was more likely that way you were executing or a bigger problem down funnel. Let me tell you a quick story. 👇 A Series B B2B SaaS brand approached me around six months ago to help improve the performance of their paid spend (primarily Google Ads) After my team and I spent hours going through their account, we noticed a few troubling things: ❌ Targeting broad terms and giving Google Ads too much leeway ❌ Campaign structure had all keywords combined as one ❌ Landing pages didn't allow for exploration and didn't match the main website ❌ Offline conversions weren't being tracked in-channel ❌ Most budget was spent on low-intent terms ❌ Desktop performed best, yet there were tens of thousands of $$$ spent on mobile I then looked at the keywords that converted over the last 90 days and noticed more than 70% were marked not a fit by sales, another 20% weren't followed up with, and then 10% or so did happen to move forward into opportunities. Sidebar: This is why sales gets frustrated with marketing. Same way I felt when I was on the other side. So then we made a shift after in the first 30 days. ✅ Narrowed keywords & match type: We focused on specific, high-intent keywords aligned directly with their services. Instead of broad terms, we used phrases like “B2B SaaS solutions for healthcare” and “custom CRM development.” ✅ Revamped landing pages: We got the client to eliminate the old “one-size-fits-all” approach and allowed visitors to explore other areas of the website to self-educate. ✅ Increase impressions on Desktop: We diverted more traffic to desktop vs. mobile In just 60 days, they saw a ~30% increase in qualified leads and a ~40% drop in cost-per-opportunity 🎯 All because we abandoned the old ways and adopted a targeted approach on Google Ads. 💡 The lesson? The way you execute matters. P.S. Remember that the success of a channel is a team sport. You don't win by making strategic changes on Google Ads in isolation. You need a strong product, a good story, and a strong sales team to help convert that demand.

Why the best ads in 2025 don’t even look like ads anymore. Wild, right? But scroll your feed-what’s grabbing your attention? It’s not the glossy, high-budget campaigns. It’s the shaky phone videos. It’s the happy customer talking straight to camera. It’s the post that feels like it belongs, not like it’s selling. Here’s what’s actually working right now: → Native content blends in with your feed. You don’t feel interrupted. You just keep watching. → UGC (user-generated content) comes from real people, not actors. It’s honest. It builds trust fast. → Low-production videos feel raw and real. They’re not perfect. And that’s exactly why people connect. The old playbook? It’s fading fast. People have “ad radar” now. They skip, scroll, or block anything that smells like a pitch. But when something feels genuine, you stop. You pay attention. You trust. Here’s why I love this shift: • Brands have to get real. No more hiding behind perfect edits. • Small teams (or solo founders!) can compete with big brands. • Every ad is a chance to build a real connection-not just a sale. I’ve seen it again and again: A quick, rough video outperforms a $10k campaign. Why? Because people buy from people they know, like, and trust. Marketing isn’t what it used to be. Adapting isn’t optional-it’s survival. Ready to rethink your strategy? Try going native, go real, go human. That’s where the growth is in 2025. What’s the most authentic ad you’ve seen lately?

Lack of focus kills good marketing faster than lack of resources. 🙅♀️ In my agency years, I've hosted probably 100+ workshops and sessions with various B2B teams. One consistent challenge I've observed is: 🤦♀️ the belief all marketers share “we need to be everywhere to build awareness” 🤦♀️ the pressure all sales/management place on marketers “we need help with many target audiences, markets, products etc.” It’s a trap. Having worked with marketing teams who posses enormous resources (I know, this probably hurt all the smaller marketing teams a little 😮💨), I can certainly say that it’s the lack of prioritisation that buries good marketing ideas and execution. And one tool that saved me (and many of my clients) throughout years is the Prioritisation Matrix: Effort vs. Impact. It’s simple: 1️⃣ Plot your ideas, tasks, campaigns, content pieces etc. based on the effort required to execute them versus their potential impact. 2️⃣ Focus on the sweet spot—high-impact, low-effort activities. 3️⃣ Delay or delegate the low-impact, high-effort tasks. And here is the harsh truth:  ❌ Not all audiences are a priority  ❌ Not all markets are “low-hanging fruits” ❌ Not all content pieces is something your buyers will want to read ❌ Not all channels drive equally strong awareness ❌ Not all requests from sales are equally “urgent” ❌ Not all marketing program need to be launched all at once Here’s the magic: ✅ By prioritizing, we channel our energy and resources into what truly moves the needle. We work smarter, not harder. (Even at the expense of FOMO and displeasing our sales/leadership/management who wants us to do virtually *everything*). Yes, we are often putting bets on what may or may not work. But that is the essence of B2B marketing - you take a leap, do it well and learn. Good marketing takes time. And we will only be able to see results and learn from our experiments if we stop scattering our time, energy, resources and creativity on ALL the things put on our marketing table. #B2BMarketing 

Facebook has evolved into a marketing powerhouse, but many ads miss the mark. Why? Because they fail to adapt to how users behave on the platform. After managing millions in ad spend for online course creators and coaching businesses, one truth stands out: your ads aren’t competing against other ads—they’re competing against organic posts. To stand out and convert, your strategy must evolve with user behavior. Here’s how: 1. Use Pattern Interrupts to Compete Against Organic Posts To stop the scroll, you must break the norm. In Stories, we found success by combining polished visuals with authentic UGC-style testimonials. For a business coach, we tested a vertical ad that opened with a professional image and transitioned into a raw, handheld video of a client sharing their experience. This combo reduced CPL by 40% while driving trust. For the feed placement, a meme-style ad worked wonders for a high-ticket course creator. The ad compared “DIY Business Growth” (chaotic, messy) with “Guided Coaching” (structured, scalable), driving a 3x ROAS by tapping into relatability and humor. 2. Focus on Relatability, Not Perfection Overly polished ads can feel inauthentic. For a course on mastering webinars, we leaned into authenticity by showcasing short clips of the creator live troubleshooting webinar issues. This "behind-the-scenes" style resonated deeply with audiences, boosting conversions by 2x over generic promo-style videos. Success on Facebook isn’t about following formulas—it’s about constant testing, deep audience insights, and creating ads that feel like part of the platform while delivering clear value. What’s the boldest ad creative that you’ve tested on Facebook recently? I’d love to hear your success stories. Drop them below! 👇

Marketers who work for small brands deserve credit for doing more with less. I've been in the trenches: managing social media, PR, and content marketing simultaneously with minimal resources and tight budgets. It's not the glamorous side of marketing that gets praised online. When you're working for a smaller or lesser-known brand, or trying to market a challenging product, getting attention feels like pushing a boulder uphill. You don't have the luxury of specialized teams or big-budget campaigns. But here's what I've learned works: ✅ Turn your employees into brand ambassadors - Leverage their personal networks - Encourage them to share company content - Let them tell their stories ✅ Lead with genuine brand storytelling - Share your company's journey - Highlight the human side of your business - Focus on genuine connections ✅ Transform customer feedback into content - Feature real testimonials - Create content from success stories - Share user-generated content You might not have the resources of a Fortune 500 company, but authenticity and creativity can level the playing field. Bc it's not about the size of your team. It's about the strength of your strategy. Focus on these fundamentals, and you can create impact even with limited resources. Have you ever carried the entire marketing function on your shoulders? —— 💟 Hi, I'm Victoria Banaszczyk! Follow for social media, marketing, and communications insights. ♻️ If you believe in spreading value, repost this to your network.

Sometimes, the best ads are the ones you’d least expect. When BREZ launched, we thought our top ads might be clean, polished, and ready for a billboard: ☒ Perfect visuals ☒ Structured messaging ☒ High production value (maybe some of this coming in 2025) Wrong 🙅♂️ Our best-performing creatives actually turned out to be the ones that are messy, raw, and unpolished. Go figure lol.. Eg “This drink gives you the buzz without the hangover. That’s it. Try it.” Our best ads have come from our founder Aaron Nosbisch sitting by a fire or from our formulator Travis Freedom talking about the effects or our brand manager Corbin Martin talking about what it feels like - all straight to camera. talk about the good stuff: What BREZ does How it makes you feel Why it’s different Sometimes the lighting sucks. Sometimes we stumble. But the videos work. Here’s why: 1/ People connect w people - A founder talking on camera feels real. People trust it. Just like a friend sharing a story. 2/ Imperfection = trust - Perfect ads look like ads, which is why ppl scroll right past them. Raw, imperfect content stands out because it feels human. 3/ Simple > clever. We didn’t overthink it. We just say how BREZ makes you feel. That’s all people wanna hear. If you’re running Meta, TikTok, or any platform where creative matters, get on camera If you’re the founder, start there. If not, find someone on your team who can talk about the product.. naturally.. Even if you are the founder, it might make more sense to bring in different characters to the fold for consumers to have deeper connections with. Focus on the message. Shoot it on your phone. Keep it clear and to the point. Mix in UGC and see how it performs. Nine times out of ten, the unpolished stuff wins. If your “perfect” ads aren’t hitting, strip it back. We notice that once we can crack an angle with "internal" talent, it's the perfect thing to take out to any of our creators or affiliates and show them what's working so THEY can have a winner as well. It's a great fly wheel.

We’ve all been told ads need to look polished. But ugly ads can outperform the pretty ones. Why? – They feel raw and authentic, more like a friend’s post than a brand broadcast. – They break the pattern in a feed full of perfectly designed creatives. – They force the focus onto the message, not the aesthetics. Examples of “ugly” ads: – A quick founder selfie video instead of a studio shoot. – A text-heavy screenshot that looks like a note. – A rough graphic that highlights the offer clearly. Don’t let perfection stop performance. Test the rough version alongside the polished one. Sometimes the scrappy ad is the one that scales. Have you seen an “ugly ad” beat your most designed creative?

UGC FAQ videos are the most underused ad format right now. They’re outperforming polished product demos, glossy unboxings, and even founder-led testimonials. Instead of the boring “I love this product!”, “Here’s my morning routine!”, or “Use my code!”, this format answers the real questions people have before hitting “Add to Cart.” Imagine a creator walking through the top 3 objections they had before purchasing, and then addressing each one as if they’re talking to a friend. It’s casual, it’s trustworthy, and it converts. Here’s how I'd structure it: Hook: ⚠️ “Warning [target audience]: Do not buy this…until you hear this.” Objection 1: “I thought it would be too expensive. Turns out it paid for itself in the first week.” Objection 2: “I assumed it wouldn’t work for me. Now I’m the one convincing everyone else to try it.” Objection 3: “This took me 60 seconds to set up, and now I have too much time on my hands.” CTA: “If you had the same doubts, consider this your green light.” It works because it doesn’t feel like an ad. Bonus points if you layer it with overlays: “20,000+ customers” “Backed by experts” “Free shipping this week” The goal is to remove friction while keeping it human. And trust me, these videos almost always beat the brand’s best-performing ads. In fact, creators love making them because they’re easy to film and don’t feel overly scripted. If you want more weekly breakdowns on what’s working (and what’s not), I share it all in my Thursday newsletter. 📩 Join me here: https://lnkd.in/eEKgHax7

We launched our energy supplement for gym rats. Truck drivers made us millions instead Most often, your customer finds you before you find them. And they most certainly define your brand, despite your best efforts to persuade them differently. Back in 2005, we were convinced fitness enthusiasts would love our 8-hour energy pill. Clinical studies. No crashes. Perfect for workouts. Sales were... mediocre. Here's how we cracked the code, using three critical "stickiness" metrics: 1/ Customer Feedback (Your North Star) Our field surveys revealed the shocking truth (yes, we actually went into stores and talked directly to customers). Not gym enthusiasts. Instead, it was Truck drivers needing alertness. Nurses surviving 12-hour shifts. Busy parents juggling chaos. Every piece of feedback became a golden ticket to understanding our real market. 2/ Engagement & Usage Patterns We tracked purchase frequency and lifetime value over 180+ days. The data whispered what customers wouldn't say directly: they weren't just trying our product—they were becoming dependent on it. Repeat purchases (over 60%) told the real story. 3/ Sales Growth Trajectory Month-over-month same store velocity growth showed clear patterns. Certain demographics. Specific geographic areas. Retail chains where momentum built. The scoreboard doesn't lie. Walmart was our perfect retail-product fit. THE PIVOT The pivot was swift…. A small bottle become a much more visible upright box. Dark blue packaging became bright yellow. Bulk tablets become blister packs for portable convenience. Packaging configuration dropped price below $15. Morning DJ radio ads targeted commuters, not Pilates Moms. The result… Nearly 20 years on Walmart shelves. Over 1 billion servings sold. Product-retail-market fit isn't about forcing your vision. It's about letting the consumer metrics guide you to where the real opportunity lives. —— How do you know if your product has found its tribe—or if you're just hoping it has? #ProductMarketFit #CPG #Entrepreneurship #leadership #Innovation #readyforscaling #readySetSCALE