In this episode of Direct with Corrina & Taylor,hosts Corrina Owens and Taylor Young are joined by Matzen Shirley, the growth and demand leader at Common Room. Matzen dives into the innovative strategies and techniques that have propelled his team’s success in optimizing sales pipelines, particularly focusing on the use of LinkedIn for B2B engagement.
Matzen emphasizes the importance of LinkedIn as a primary channel for driving organic traffic and conversions. He shares that by leveraging both organic posts and strategic ad placements, his team has significantly boosted their visibility and conversion rates. Matzen highlights the implementation of self-reported attribution as a key tactic, revealing LinkedIn as a crucial channel for engagement. “We realized that LinkedIn was driving a lot of our organic and direct traffic,” Matzen explains, underscoring the platform’s effectiveness.
One of the core themes discussed is signal stacking, which involves combining multiple buyer signals to create a more comprehensive picture of potential customers’ readiness to engage. Matzen outlines how this approach allows sales teams to prioritize outreach efforts by identifying high-intent prospects through their interactions on platforms like LinkedIn, product usage data, and even job postings. This method ensures that sales efforts are focused on the most promising leads, optimizing the return on time invested. Matzen notes, “We could reference other things in addition to that signal. It’s a signal stacking essentially.”
The conversation also covers the transition from manual processes to scalable automation. Matzen discusses how tools like PhantomBuster can automate data extraction from LinkedIn, streamlining workflows and freeing up time for more strategic tasks. Despite its slower pace, automation helps maintain consistency and scalability in outbound efforts. “We went from this manual thing we were doing… to running like a PhantomBuster play,” says Matzen, illustrating the shift towards automation.
Lastly, Matzen shares insights on utilizing thought leader ads for more authentic engagement. By promoting their voice through influencers, companies can create a genuine connection with potential customers. This strategy balances driving awareness and capturing demand, even in resource-constrained environments. Matzen elaborates, “What we do […] is thought leader ads.” This authentic approach has proven to be highly effective in engaging their target audience.
Listeners are encouraged to tune into this episode of Direct with Corrina & Taylor for more actionable tips and real-world examples from Matzen Shirley that can transform their sales and marketing strategies.
Featured Guest
Name: Matzen Shirley
What he does: Head of Growth & Demand
Company: Common Room
Noteworthy: Matzen Shirley leads growth and demand at Common Room, where he focuses on helping sales and go-to-market teams optimize their efforts. Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Matzen enjoys outdoor adventures with his family and has a background working with various SaaS solutions.
Key Insights
Leveraging LinkedIn is Crucial for Effective B2B Sales
LinkedIn is an invaluable platform for sales and marketing professionals, especially in the B2B SaaS tech space. By focusing on organic engagement and strategically placed ads, companies can drive significant traffic and conversions. Implementing a creator program can further amplify the reach by having influencers showcase the product through demos and walkthroughs. Additionally, using self-reported attribution helps track where traffic is coming from, revealing LinkedIn as a crucial channel. This approach not only increases visibility but also enhances the effectiveness of outbound marketing efforts.
Signal Stacking Enhances Sales Targeting
Signal stacking involves combining multiple buyer signals to create a clearer picture of potential customers’ readiness to engage. This technique helps prioritize outreach by identifying high-intent prospects through their interactions on platforms like LinkedIn, product usage data, and even job postings. By layering these signals, sales teams can personalize their approach, leading to higher engagement rates and more successful conversions. This method ensures that efforts are focused on the most promising leads, optimizing the return on time invested. It’s a strategic way to make outbound marketing more targeted and effective.
Signal Stacking Enhances Sales Targeting
Starting with manual processes can provide valuable insights, but scaling these efforts through automation is key to sustaining growth. Tools like PhantomBuster can automate the extraction of LinkedIn profiles and enrich data, although they may be slow. Integrating these tools with platforms like Google Sheets can create a more streamlined workflow for sales development representatives. Over time, these processes can be further refined and even productized, enabling companies to offer scalable solutions to their customers. This transition from manual to automated processes helps maintain efficiency and effectiveness in outbound sales strategies.
Episode Highlights
LinkedIn Engagement Drives B2B Success
Focusing on LinkedIn as a primary channel for engagement can significantly drive organic traffic and conversions. By leveraging both organic posts and paid ads, sales teams can effectively reach and engage their target audience. Implementing self-reported attribution further helps identify the source of traffic, underscoring LinkedIn’s importance.
“We realized that LinkedIn was driving a lot of our organic and direct traffic. […] That gave us more confidence to continue to double and triple down on LinkedIn as a channel for yes, marketing, but also for sales and outbound.”
Combining Multiple Signals Boosts Sales Targeting
Signal stacking, or combining multiple buyer signals, allows sales teams to better identify high-intent prospects. This approach involves analyzing various signals such as LinkedIn engagement, product usage, and job postings to prioritize outreach efforts. This method ensures that sales efforts are focused on the most promising leads, optimizing the return on time invested.
“We could reference other things in addition to that signal. It’s a signal stacking essentially.”
Automation Enhances Scalability of Sales Efforts
Transitioning from manual processes to scalable automation can significantly improve efficiency in sales operations. Tools like PhantomBuster can automate data extraction from LinkedIn, streamlining workflows and freeing up time for more strategic tasks. Despite its slower pace, automation helps maintain consistency and scalability in outbound efforts.
“It went from this manual thing we were doing, […] we launched an offering that allows companies to do this at scale which was super exciting to see the full journey from like a little idea to a cool growth experiment that’s working. Hey, we’re actually productizing this and delivering value to customers.”
Utilizing Thought Leader Ads for Authentic Engagement
Thought leader ads provide a more authentic way to engage with the target audience on LinkedIn. These ads allow companies to promote their voice through influencers, creating a genuine connection with potential customers. This strategy balances driving awareness and capturing demand, even in resource-constrained environments.
“What we do […] one tactic we actually started using as an early adopter is thought leader ads.
[…] It allows us to get our voice out there in a more authentic way with our target audience.”
