Author Archives: Ann James

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About Ann James

Expert B2B marketing generalist. Digital advantage meets offline. Obsessor of results. Curious, doer, collaborator, deliverer. Questionner. So What? B2B marketer offering a unique combination of creativity, strategic planning and 'can do' attitude. Over 20 years' experience in marketing SaaS & tech for EMEA start-ups, scale-ups and corporate organisations. Extensive skills in creating successful messaging and campaigns to ensure lead and business generation in competitive and emerging technology markets. Highly organised with particular attention to detail, an excellent communicator and pragmatic marketer, delivering programmes that get results. The 'So what marketing' blog is the expression of all I have learned - am still learning - about B2B marketing - I hope it's of some use to you. Contact me for consultancy, contract or permanent assistance to boost your sales pipeline. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-james-627973/

I hate to burst your bubble,

Posted on November 25, 2023 by Ann James

But the thing is, the Lead Fairy – she’s not real! I know, I’m shocked too. And so close to Christmas. So every sales manager and product owner likes to think that marketing’s job is sooo easy, because leads grow … Continue reading →

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Customers, that’s what it’s all about

Posted on October 3, 2023 by Ann James

Creating customers. Growing customers. We have to understand customers, their needs, motivations, their language. Get under their skin. It’s not about leads and pipeline, those are measurements. Wherever you are in the chain of comms, content or delivery, if you’re … Continue reading →

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There’s always room for improvement

Posted on September 13, 2023 by Ann James

As something of a perfectionist, I like to think it’s worth getting it right. But I’m also a pragmatist, and more often than not you just have to take the first stab at putting a programme or message out there, … Continue reading →

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I trust this email finds you well.

Posted on July 12, 2023 by Ann James

Shoot me now. What a waste of words. The next sentence starts: I am writing to you because I believe our solution… I, I, I…. It’s not about you, it’s about them. The ‘prospect’. And you’ve lost them already. They … Continue reading →

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Thought leadership – sowing the seeds

Posted on November 3, 2022 by Ann James

Thought leadership. Marketing professionals might talk about it, either filing it vaguely under ‘strategise’, or rightly meriting it a place under ‘content planning’. But what’s the point of the wider conversation? It doesn’t have an immediate or measurable purpose in … Continue reading →

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Recession? Reality check.

Posted on October 3, 2022 by Ann James

It’s coming around again, had to happen sooner or later. I graduated and found my first job in technology in a recession and times have been up and down since. Bar those heady dotcom boom days of seemingly bottomless 7 … Continue reading →

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Has Google had enough word salad?

Posted on August 26, 2022 by Ann James

TL;DR (yet – will go on my gravestone, probably) – but interpretations of Google’s ‘helpful content update‘ are to the liking of my Human side. The Content Creator side will have to have a think, but I’ve certainly never been … Continue reading →

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But who writes the story?

Posted on August 14, 2022 by Ann James

You’d think the tech would be able to do it all by now. Some job openings seem to think so. Hubspot, Pardot, Marketo. Fantastic pieces of kit – there’s almost nothing you can’t set out to be found by the … Continue reading →

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Rule of three.

Posted on August 14, 2022 by Ann James

Somehow it works. It’s got rhythm. Catch the eye. Hook the ear. Don’t forget it. So what marketing.

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Use cases: don’t underestimate the power of example

Posted on August 9, 2022 by Ann James

Marketing a software platform that has evident user benefits is great – the product works, hoorah! People will need it, hoorah! But so often this apple of the development team’s eye is a hard one for the world out there … Continue reading →

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