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Welcome to Volume 173 👋
Happy Wednesday! Just kidding, it’s Thursday.
In this week’s newsletter, we’ve got:
- 📈 Lattice’s Journey to a $3 Billion Valuation
- 📢 Introducing Foundation’s AI Marketing Console
- 🏰 How Ahrefs Built Its Content Moat
- 👀 What’s the Latest in B2B SaaS This Week?
- 🎧 How to Create Content like the Greats
- 🧠 This Week’s Brain Food
- ➕ The Best Content across the Web
Let’s get into it.
📩The Ultimate Guide to Content Distribution 📩
If you’ve followed Foundation long enough, you know there’s one thing we always preach:
D.R.E.A.M. — Distribution Rules Everything Around Me
It’s easy to forget about the critical role distribution plays in connecting your target audience to your content — from sales posts on LinkedIn to community hubs like Reddit and Quora. That’s why we’re bringing back this gem from Ross.
In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn how to do the following:
- Master the art of leveraging Owned, Earned, and Paid Channels for maximum reach.
- Discover strategies to stand out in the content overload and effectively connect with your target audience.
- Gain actionable insights on choosing the right distribution channels to boost brand awareness and drive conversions.
Check out Ross’s Ultimate Guide to Content Distribution, and transform your content to engage your audience and grow your business.
B2B SAAS NEWS
📈 Lattice’s Journey to a $3 Billion Valuation
If you chalk Lattice’s success up to the “right place, right time,” you’re missing out on the bigger picture.
Yes, their product was perfectly built to help companies transition to a more remote workforce during the pandemic wave. But plenty of these other products were, too:
So what set Lattice apart and let them hit that $3 billion valuation?
Part of the answer lies in how they position their marketing and their approach to content marketing.
While competitors focus on features and technical guides, Lattice built a holistic library of general resources — the Lattice Library — that became a go-to for industry professionals. This included in-depth articles, practical guides, and insightful case studies, all of which positioned them as thought leaders in the HR space and brought in 72% of their total traffic.
But it wasn’t all about the value of the content. Lattice amassed a collection of 320,000 URLs backlinking to them, which ranked them in the top three for over 2,000 keywords.
Under the strategic leadership of their CMO at the time, David Cain, Lattice tripled its ARR to over $100 million. They launched an inventive series of marketing initiatives, including a C-Suite interview series and live industry events, further solidifying their brand presence in the market.
To delve deeper into Lattice’s journey and uncover more about how to apply insights from their strategic marketing prowess to your business, check out our full analysis.
If you’re not yet a member of our community, sign up now to access this and other insightful content. Don’t miss out!
Introducing Foundation’s AI Marketing Console
A few years ago, if someone said that mastering a single SaaS tool could save you 500+ work hours every year, make you a better creator, and increase your chances of landing a leadership position, you’d probably laugh them out of the room. Well, no one’s laughing now.
Generative AI is projected to add billions of dollars to the marketing industry in productivity savings alone, and the vast majority of professionals in our industry are incorporating AI this year.
Like all emerging technologies, there’s a huge advantage to moving quickly. Experimentation and research are key to building the skills you need to stay ahead. Unfortunately, these are also time-intensive processes.
That’s why we’re excited to announce the release of the AI Marketing Console.
With the AI Marketing Console, you get an arsenal of 130+ battle-tested ChatGPT prompts to help you create everything from landing pages and email drip campaigns to reports and customer research.
Plus, you’ll get exclusive access to the following:
- A visual AI toolkit with 20+ video walkthroughs
- Two keynote presentations on the state of AI in marketing
- An AI content evaluation checklist to level up your outputs
Get full access to the AI Marketing Console, and start building your AI skills now.
If you want more information on why we’ve created this offering, check out this video from Ross.
B2B SAAS INSIGHTS
🏰 How Ahrefs Built Its Content Moat: SEO, YouTube, and Tools
If you’ve Googled around for an SEO tool, you’ve probably seen Ahrefs at the top.
But how do they rank that high for such high-value keywords when their competition is staffed by SEO experts?
Well, there’s nobody better equipped to explain that than Foundation’s own Ross Simmonds. Ross has used his research skills and past collaborations with Ahrefs to provide a unique perspective on how Ahref’s culture of experimentation, strong YouTube presence, and bold strategic decisions have let them grow their SEO footprint into monthly traffic worth $858,000.
Want to hear the full story? Listen to it on the latest episode of Create Like the Greats, which is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify now!
👀 What’s the Latest in B2B SaaS This Week? 👀
- Elon Musk’s OpenAI challenger — xAI — seeks $6 billion from global investors
- Critical vulnerability in popular WordPress plugin — Better Search Replace — found, affects up to 1 million sites
- Google is testing a new “highly rated” feature for Local Services Ads
- The US and China announced they’ll cooperate to create AI safety guidelines
- Tech giants will have to warn the US government when they start new AI projects
Learn How to Create like the Greats
Looking to build your company’s content marketing and distribution engine? Interested in learning how leading brands like Loom, Toast, and Calm create winning content? Or do you just want to hear conversations with the likes of Tamara Dworetz, Dave Gerhardt, and Dr. Julie Gurner?
We have the podcast for you.
In Create Like the Greats, Foundation CEO — Ross Simmonds — discusses marketing, the creative process, life, and everything in between. Here are some of the most recent episodes you can catch up on:
- How to prepare for a big keynote presentation
- Debating the value of long-form vs. short-form content
- How Ross successfully maximized his time on a 48-hour trip to New York
- Marketing frameworks, mental models, AARRR Pirate Metrics, and B2B buyer journeys
Kickstart your creative journey today and check out the podcast on the Foundation website, or listen through Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
🧠 This week’s Brain Food 🧠
It’s time to check in on yourself.
We’re a month into the new year. We’ve tried resolutions, started projects, and seen what the actual obstacles are.
Are you on track?
This is your chance to get things on course. If you’re already doing great, fantastic. Now is the time to put up guard rails, get ahead, and make sure you’ve got the momentum to keep this going.
If you aren’t, you still have enough time to pivot until you’re on course to hit your goals again. In any case, it’s important to take a moment and reflect on your progress.
Make this check-in process a regular task. Set a calendar event to do it next month or maybe in a few months. Keep track of the things that are important to you. Make sure they’re on your radar.
Want to sponsor our next issue? Reply to this email, and we’ll share how you can reach more SaaS founders and marketers today.
🏅Twitter/X Thread of the Week
Half of my audience is from 3 of my tweets by Cole Simpson
🎖️ LinkedIn Post of The Week
Content marketers are researchers first and creators second by Nick Moore
🤳🏽 Nice Finds You Should Binge
- Nightshade gives artists a chance against AI | TechCrunch
- Why Google’s AI search is stuck in Google Labs | Search Engine Journal
- A Last-Ditch Plan to Save the Crypto Industry | Wired
- Inside Barilla’s Award-Winning Leftover Pasta TikTok Series | Adweek
🎧 What We’re Wired into This Week
This marvellous marketing medley is brought to you by me, Chris Meabe.
If you have any feedback, suggestions, or ideas you want to see in this newsletter, feel free to email me at chris.meabe@foundationinc.co. We’re always looking for ways to improve and make sure you receive the best B2B SaaS marketing resources.
Have a great week(end), and stay safe.
