Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to another NachoNacho Tuesday! Today, I have Chad Holland here with Demand Cloud. Without further ado, Chad, we’d love for you to introduce your product and explain what you do over there. Chad Holland: I'd be happy to. I appreciate the opportunity to be on NachoNacho Tuesday. You guys have a lot of really interesting insights that get shared on your show. At Demand Cloud, we offer an omni-channel outreach platform. As of Q4 last year, we integrated numerous AI features that assist sales teams and SaaS leaders in making connections through LinkedIn, email, SMS, and calling. You can manage all of your outreach through a single unified inbox. We also have a database with nearly 7 million records, so you don’t need a third-party data source. It’s very easy to add to campaigns. We’ve also introduced a new feature that allows you to create and launch a campaign within two to three minutes, simplifying the process of managing effective outreach. Additionally, our platform includes video functionality, enabling you to create personalized video messages at scale. Andy: That’s great, especially in today’s world of automation. The more personalized you can be, the better you can connect with your audience. For those who might not be familiar, can you explain the importance of an omni-channel approach and why it’s particularly effective for demand generation? Chad Holland: I’m glad you asked that question. There are many awesome tools available now, but some are limited to a single channel, like email-only tools. These tools might involve adding countless email accounts to blast out messages, but that approach is less effective. People engage through different channels, and similar to running ads on various platforms, reaching out through multiple channels increases the likelihood of a response. Moreover, using multiple channels encourages you to be more thoughtful about your messaging. It prevents the delivery of generic, canned messages that lack personalization and context. Given the volume of outreach messages we receive daily via LinkedIn, email, and text, standing out from the noise is crucial. Our platform helps businesses craft more thoughtful and engaging outreach messages, leading to a 300-500% increase in engagement and response rates. Andy: I can imagine it won’t be long before you see a plane flying around with a banner saying, “Hey, did you get my email?” Chad Holland: [Laughs] Yes, those repetitive methods can get old quickly. But I appreciate the LinkedIn requests! Andy: We actually love your platform here at NachoNacho. We’ve been using it for quite a while. One of the things we really like is the ability to connect with people on LinkedIn and via email. There are also thoughtful details, like checking profiles and other triggers, that aren’t intrusive. I'm a big fan of sending one or two cold emails rather than multiple ones, which many email marketers do. It’s much more effective to keep it subtle and personal. Chad Holland: I’m glad to hear that! Keeping outreach personal and respectful is key to making a meaningful connection. Chad Holland: It’s automated and reminds them, “Hey, I got an email from this person,” without continuously messaging them over and over again, which can be overwhelming for a lot of people these days. Exactly. For outreach to be effective, you need to genuinely network with people. If they get the impression—whether it's your actual intention or not—that you just want to sell them something, they will ignore you regardless of what you say. If you show genuine interest in them, our platform can help with this by liking their posts, following their profiles, or even just viewing their profiles. Your messaging should align with this genuine networking approach. Share valuable content and helpful information rather than just saying, "Get on the phone with me so I can sell you something." Andy: That makes a big difference. One reason we like to do these webinars is that people get to discover great new products, but more importantly, they walk away with valuable tips and insights. You’ve accumulated a lot of knowledge over the years, and it’s great that you can share it with others who tune in. So, what led you to where you are in your career today? What motivated you to start Demand Cloud, and where did your career begin? Chad Holland: I’ll give you the short version because I’m not exactly a spring chicken anymore. I started in digital marketing about 23 years ago. I was interested in it because I wanted to start my own business, but at that time, traditional education didn’t cover digital marketing. I found a comprehensive course by Corey Rudol, who was successful at selling eBooks and created an in-depth digital marketing course. I dove into that course and eventually got a job with a local e-commerce business doing digital marketing. A few years later, I moved to New York, took a job with a digital marketing agency, and worked for several other companies, including the Readers Digest Association, which has since rebranded. Despite all this experience, I still wanted to start my own business. I worked for a SaaS company in Utah, which transitioned me from B2C to B2B digital marketing. We successfully launched their inbound marketing efforts, helping their business grow by 40% year-over-year for a couple of years. But I still felt the urge to start my own business, so I started an agency, helping businesses with their marketing just like I had for that SaaS company. In the process, we were often asked if we did outbound marketing as well. Initially, we didn’t, but we soon started using various tools for outbound marketing and got quite good at it. We found that many tools had some features but lacked others, requiring us to use multiple tools to manage outbound marketing effectively. Ultimately, we decided to build our own tool that had everything we needed in one place. That’s how the Demand Cloud Outreach platform was born. Andy: I’ve noticed that many agencies create products this way. They identify key problems their customers are facing and conclude that building a solution themselves is the best approach. Before you know it, you’ve productized your service and created something scalable with a deep understanding of the problem. Chad Holland: Exactly. We didn’t start development without knowing what the market needed. We were actively involved in outbound marketing, A/B testing, and analyzing what worked and what didn’t for client after client. Chad Holland: You could say it's a marketing tool built by marketers. That’s always good to have. Over the years, what have you found to be the most effective tactics or strategies for outbound marketing that convert well? One of the most effective strategies is to apply successful inbound marketing tactics to outbound efforts. This involves providing value and helping your target customers as they become aware of a problem or challenge they're trying to solve. By leading with value in your outbound outreach, such as offering helpful content, you build trust. For example, you might share an excellent article from Forbes or Inc. about a topic relevant to their challenge, and then mention that you found a particular point interesting and would love to hear their thoughts. Leading with value is crucial because outbound outreach is typically cold—people don’t know you from Adam, so why should they care about your message? If you demonstrate genuine interest and offer something useful, it makes a difference. Additionally, the more personalized and personable your messaging, the better. That’s why our platform includes personalized video messages. You can record a video where your prospect’s LinkedIn profile dynamically populates in the background. You can interact with their profile while recording, so even though you record the video once, it appears tailored to each recipient. This personal touch helps your message stand out and gets noticed. Andy: That’s a great point. One cornerstone of your strategy seems to be data. The more data you have on your customers, the better you can customize their experience. This applies to both inbound and outbound strategies, right? Yes, exactly. Collecting data is vital for customizing user experiences. The more data you have on a user, such as their LinkedIn profile, the more personalized you can make your outreach. This increases the likelihood that they will respond positively to your message, seeing it as tailored to their needs rather than just a generic pitch. Chad Holland: The challenge is that crafting unique messages for each person is time-consuming. However, AI tools can help. Our platform includes AI features that assist in gathering data from LinkedIn profiles and online sources. By incorporating unique, personalized information into your messages, you can scale your outreach effectively. Andy: I love it when I receive emails that, for example, mention I'm in New York and say something like, "Go Jets!"—even though I'm not a sports fan. It’s clear the sender didn’t do their research. What other data tools and processes should businesses be aware of in 2024? There are many excellent tools available for data collection and utilization in demand generation. Tools like Looker, Segment, Mixpanel, and Amplitude are valuable for accurate data on prospects, their interests, and their intent. Intent data is becoming increasingly important, and account-based marketing (ABM) is growing in significance. Platforms like Bombora are great for intent data, though they can be expensive. Tools like Seamless.ai also offer valuable intent data and can be used in addition to or instead of your existing database. Seamless.ai allows you to search their database based on intent, which enhances the effectiveness of your demand generation by targeting prospects who are already in-market. Andy: Google search was one of the original intent-based advertising channels. If someone takes the effort to search for a keyword or phrase, they're more likely to buy compared to those who encounter ads randomly on social media. Exactly. Intent-based advertising is powerful because it targets people who are already showing interest. The buyer journey is often much further along before they engage with a potential solution or company. Identifying when people are at this stage is crucial. Intent data is one of the best ways to do this. Being part of an omni-channel approach means being present where potential customers might not even realize they need your solution. They might come across your content, like today’s webinar, and realize you have a solution for a problem they have. Andy: What tips would you offer for someone starting a demand generation strategy from scratch? For instance, if they are a cash-strapped startup or an SMB, how can they maximize their impact? Regardless of the channel—whether inbound or outbound—you need to lead with value. Share content that is genuinely helpful and solves problems for your audience. Start with blog posts, short-form videos, or social media posts. Carousel graphic posts are also effective, providing valuable information in a visually engaging format. For example, a carousel on LinkedIn showing top prompts for ChatGPT can be incredibly useful. It demonstrates your expertise and helps attract attention to your business. Sharing high-quality content not only helps people but also builds awareness of your company, making it easier to segue into offering your solution. Andy: I’ve seen a lot of these content strategies on Instagram and LinkedIn. If your content is valuable, people are likely to share it, increasing visibility. Even a small mention of your brand can build awareness and trust, which is crucial for B2B companies today. Absolutely. Sharing valuable content in LinkedIn groups or other relevant forums can also surface intent. A person's participation in these groups indicates interest in the topic. By sharing valuable content in these spaces, you indirectly engage with those who have intent and build trust, potentially attracting them as customers. Andy: What other demand strategy predictions do you have for 2024? You mentioned ABM as a major trend, but is there anything else on the horizon? The biggest trend is the increasing use of AI in marketing and sales efforts. For small businesses, AI can level the playing field by helping them produce content and execute strategies more quickly and effectively. AI tools, whether it’s ChatGPT or other solutions, can enhance your marketing efforts and help small businesses compete more effectively. Chad Holland: Platform or tools that take those models and make it easier to do specific things need to be integrated into marketing and sales processes. Not only do they level the playing field, but they also give you a competitive edge. Companies that don’t adapt will be left behind. Andy: Yeah, that's a great point. I was playing with a video tool yesterday. It’s nice to have a human touch, but you can apply the Pareto Principle—doing 80% of the work with just 20% of the effort. For example, I used a tool to condense a 30-minute webinar into key talking points. The tool, called Munch, broke it down into segments about a minute long. You can overlay text and do the transcription right there. The result is probably 80% of the way there, so you just need to refine it a bit. Chad Holland: Exactly. While the tool gets you 80% of the way, it still requires human touch to perfect the content. However, saving 80% of the time is a huge advantage. The video tools coming out are impressive. I recently looked at a tool where you can create an AI version of yourself. Andy: Oh, I know that one—it's called Synthesia. Chad Holland: Yes, Synthesia! You record a two-minute video, and it creates a high-quality AI version of yourself. You can then feed it scripts for future videos. This means you don’t have to do multiple takes to get it right. Andy: That’s a great tool for small businesses to succeed. You can record a video once and then use it for various purposes, saving a lot of time and effort. Chad Holland: Absolutely. The tool reads the script perfectly, making the process efficient. While it might sound a bit robotic, it’s still reliable and gets the job done quickly. Andy: It’s close enough, right? As you mentioned, it's 80% of the way there. If you need to produce content quickly, it’s a great solution. However, shooting something live and practicing is still the best approach. Chad Holland: I agree. AI should enhance your capabilities, not replace them entirely. It helps you do more, especially for smaller teams. Andy: What challenges do you foresee for demand generation in 2024 and beyond, especially with the rapid advancements in automation and AI? What tips would you offer to SMBs to keep up? Chad Holland: The biggest challenge is the proliferation of low-quality content. Some people will not take the time to ensure their content is well-crafted, which will flood the market with subpar material. For those who do invest time in creating quality content, the challenge will be standing out amidst all the noise. The key is to focus on value and producing high-quality content, regardless of the format. This approach will help you cut through the noise. Andy: That’s a great point. AI can be incredibly useful, but it shouldn’t be relied on entirely. Do the final 20% of the work yourself to ensure high-quality content that truly converts. Chad Holland: Exactly. Another tip is to utilize data and results from your content. Focus on the right KPIs and conduct A/B testing with different variations. Building testing into everything you do, whether in marketing or sales, can help you reach your goals much faster. Identifying better-performing versions and optimizing them will accelerate your progress. Andy: That’s a valuable insight. Testing is continuous, especially with software development. Iterating and improving the user experience helps in achieving better results. Chad Holland: Exactly. As for what's next for Demand Cloud over the next few years, we have big plans. We will be expanding the platform significantly. While we will continue to offer outbound marketing as a standalone service, we’re also developing a CRM powered by HighLevel. This will integrate seamlessly with our outbound platform. Andy: That sounds exciting! Chad Holland: Yes, our goal is to create a holistic marketing platform that combines the functionality of tools like HubSpot with outbound marketing tools, all in one place. For those who prefer an all-in-one solution, this will allow them to manage digital marketing efforts, automate lead nurturing, and handle outreach and sales pipelines efficiently. Andy: That’s fantastic. NachoNacho is a customer of Demand Cloud, and it has been incredibly powerful for us. I’m excited to see what new tools you’ll introduce in the future. Chad Holland: Thank you, Andy. We’re thrilled to hear that you’ve found value in our platform. We look forward to continuing our partnership and bringing even more innovative solutions to the table. Andy: Likewise, Chad. Thanks for joining us today. We appreciate it. Chad Holland: Thank you so much, Andy. Looking forward to our continued collaboration.