Devrims #TechTalk 057: David Hoos Talks About B2B Marketing

David’s blend of technical savvy, marketing acumen, and a down-to-earth approach to building connections makes him a standout voice in the digital marketing landscape. His journey into marketing started in the late ’90s, when high school experiments with website building morphed into a full-blown passion.

Once done with college, David dove headfirst into his first official marketing gig. And, he flourished!

Over the years, David has seen the ins and outs of marketing agencies, learning the hard way that the cookie-cutter B2B marketing strategies don’t always apply. He emphasizes the importance of trust-building and providing value in non-transactional ways, especially in a service-oriented space where relationships reign supreme.

In this interview, learn how David has helped B2B brands in scaling their marketing functions.

Devrims: It’s wonderful to have you, David. With over a decade of marketing experience, tell us how your journey started.

David: In one sense, it goes back quite a ways. When I was in high-school in the late 90’s I was experimenting with making websites and continued that experimentation into the early 2000’s. During and after college I had a few opportunities to build websites for friends and local businesses, which I think had a part in my desire to get into marketing. That said, it wasn’t until after college that I got my first true full time marketing job.

Devrims: You specialize in helping companies build marketing strategies. What are some common challenges you see businesses face when it comes to lead generation, and how do you address them?

David: In the B2B services arena where I’ve spent most of my marketing career (agencies, consulting, etc) the biggest challenges I’ve seen has been that you’re typically trying to market 5 & 6-figure services that are somewhat intangible vs in B2B SaaS where you’re more often selling a 3 & 4-figure digital product that has a tangible interface that can be easily trialed or demoed. If I had to summarize what I see as the marketing solution to that, I’d say that you have to work hard to build trust and humanize your brand as much as possible to build that trust.

Devrims: In your experience of working with marketing agencies on building in-house marketing systems. Can you share some insights on the common pitfalls or mistakes you see marketing agencies make when trying to market themselves and attract new clients?

David: Similar to what I’ve mentioned above, I see a lot of agencies stumble when they try to apply broad B2B marketing best practices to their service firms because much of the advice that’s been shared for B2B marketing online has been focused on B2B SaaS. They end up learning (like I had to learn through trial and error) that many marketing strategies don’t work in the same way when you’re trying to market a high-ticket service. Instead, you need to look at everything with the question ‘will this help me increase trust with my target audience?’ in mind.

Devrims: In your experience, what role does marketing automation play in streamlining lead generation for B2B businesses, and do you work with marketing automation in Haus Advisors?

David: What I’ve found is that marketing automation is typically something that can be more effective and easily executed in larger more mature marketing departments and organizations. In the agencies and other B2B service firms I’ve worked with, we’re typically dealing with very limited resources, so when it comes to nurturing prospects, I see things like weekly email newsletters and email courses as some of the best alternatives to more full-feature automation programs.

Devrims: Does Managed Cloud Hosting have a vital role in business growth and digital marketing strategies?

David: Yes, especially when you’re aiming to increase qualified traffic to your website. You want to be able to scale with the demands and volume of people engaging with your brand.

Devrims: Let’s do some quick rapid-fire questions: 

Devrims: With the ever-changing landscape of digital marketing, how do you stay updated on industry trends and best practices? Do you have any tips for marketers on keeping their skills and strategies relevant?

David: I always try to find a few good niche publications and communities around the areas of specialization that I gravitate to. That way I can stay aware of trends and self educate, while also having a group of folks that I can turn to with nuanced questions.

Devrims: For businesses or agencies that are just starting to build or working on their marketing, what would be your top three pieces of advice or recommendations to set them on the right path?

David: I think I’d recommend, especially for agencies, that first you place a strong emphasis on focusing on providing a fixed scope solution for a narrow audience (at least until you have scaled into the high-seven figures). Focus helps you differentiate better, partner better, do content better, and develop more in-depth intellectual property that can serve you well during expansion.

I’d also recommend encouraging as many of your experts to build their social media platforms. In B2B, we’re still people, just like in B2B, and people like to engage with other people more than they like to engage with impersonal brands.

Lastly, I’d work hard to be a generous connector type of person that is willing to help your prospect and others in your audience without any immediate promise of benefit. This is because in the agency world, trust is the gold standard, and providing value in a non-transactional way is one of the best ways to develop that trust.

Devrims: Can you share a picture of your workspace with us?

Devrims: Apart from marketing, how do you like to spend your leisure time?

David: As you can probably tell from my workspace, I’m both a Star Wars and Lego fan so when my wife or I aren’t trying to keep up with our 4-year old, I’m probably trying to figure out what Lego Star Wars set I want to build next.

Devrims: Name a few individuals that you want us to have on Devrims TechTalk.

David: Definitely Joseph Lewin