How to Build a Brand People Pay Attention To
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
In this solo episode of the Dave Gerhardt Show, Dave explores why attention shouldn't be a dirty word in marketing and how getting noticed is fundamental to business success. (06:18) He shares lessons from the Savannah Bananas and his experience at Drift, demonstrating how creative attention-grabbing strategies can help companies stand out in saturated markets. Dave emphasizes that whether you're B2B or B2C, you're ultimately selling to humans who need to know you exist before they can consider buying from you. The episode also includes listener questions covering topics from marketing beliefs to LinkedIn strategy and leadership insights.
- Main theme: Attention is the fundamental game in marketing - companies that can capture and hold attention have a significant competitive advantage over those that blend into the background noise
Speakers
Dave Gerhardt
Dave is the founder of Exit Five, a private community for B2B marketers with nearly 5,000 members, and host of the Dave Gerhardt Show podcast. He previously worked at Drift where he helped create a new category in live chat by focusing on attention-grabbing marketing strategies. Dave is also the author of "Founder Brand" and has built a significant following on LinkedIn with nearly 200,000 followers and 17 million impressions in the past year.
Key Takeaways
Attention Is the Real Marketing Game
Dave argues that attention shouldn't be considered a dirty word in marketing because it's fundamentally what marketing is about - getting people to understand that your product exists and can solve their needs. (06:18) Using examples from Drift's success, he shows how companies that can "suck the oxygen out of the market" through creative attention-grabbing strategies often win before the feature comparison even begins. When customers are ready to buy, you want to be the first company that comes to mind, not just another option they discover during research. This means investing in creative, sometimes unconventional marketing tactics that make your brand memorable and top-of-mind when purchase decisions arise.
Find Inspiration Outside Your Industry
One of Dave's key insights comes from the Savannah Bananas founder, who emphasized taking inspiration from outside your industry rather than only looking at B2B examples. (07:00) Dave challenges the common request for "B2B examples only" by pointing out that whether you sell B2B or B2C, you're still selling to humans with the same fundamental psychological drivers. This approach allows for more creative and breakthrough ideas that haven't been commoditized by everyone in your industry copying each other. The most innovative marketing often comes from adapting successful strategies from completely different sectors.
Both Short-Term Results and Long-Term Brand Building Are Essential
Dave emphasizes that marketers must accept that two seemingly contradictory things can be true simultaneously - you need to deliver revenue now while building brand for the future. (23:28) This isn't about finding the perfect percentage allocation between short-term tactics and brand building, but rather using judgment and intuition to balance both based on your company's stage, resources, and situation. The key is not getting locked into binary thinking but instead being able to execute immediate revenue-generating activities while carving out time and resources for longer-term brand investments.
Marketers Must Think Beyond Their Function
To be truly successful, marketers need to be more than just marketers - they need to be business partners who influence and are involved in areas across the company from sales to product, pricing, packaging, strategy, and finance. (25:19) This means stepping out of the marketing bubble and understanding how marketing decisions impact and are impacted by other business functions. The most effective marketing leaders aren't just executing campaigns in isolation but are strategic partners who help shape overall business direction and outcomes.
There Is No Universal Marketing Playbook
Dave's experience shows that every company represents a different opportunity with different constraints, much like having different ingredients in the fridge when cooking a meal. (21:23) What works for one company may not work for another due to variables like budget, stage, industry, leadership beliefs, and available talent. Rather than searching for the perfect playbook, successful marketers learn the fundamental rules of marketing and adapt them to their specific situation, understanding that execution must be tailored to available resources and constraints.
Statistics & Facts
- Dave's LinkedIn account generated 17 million impressions over the past 365 days with approximately 200,000 followers. (29:15) This demonstrates the power of consistent content creation on the platform for business growth.
- Exit Five's newsletter is approaching 50,000 subscribers according to Dave's update during the episode. (34:59) This shows the growth of their B2B marketing community.
- Dave's CEO announcement post about Dan received 1,426 likes, 218 comments, and 25,000 impressions despite being posted on Friday morning, typically not an optimal time. (05:18) This illustrates that quality content can overcome algorithm challenges.
