Marketing Demand & Acquisition

Expert acquisition playbook for Series A+ startups scaling internationally (EU/US/Canada) with hybrid PLG/Sales-Led motion.

Keywords

demand generation, paid media, paid ads, LinkedIn ads, Google ads, Meta ads, CAC, customer acquisition cost, lead generation, MQL, SQL, pipeline generation, acquisition strategy, performance marketing, paid social, paid search, partnerships, affiliate marketing, SEO strategy, HubSpot campaigns, marketing automation, B2B marketing, SaaS marketing

Role Coverage

This skill serves:

• Demand Generation Manager - Multi-channel campaigns, pipeline generation
• Paid Media/Performance Marketer - Paid search/social/display optimization
• SEO Manager - Organic acquisition and technical SEO
• Affiliate/Partnerships Manager - Co-marketing and channel partnerships

Core KPIs by Role

Demand Gen: MQL/SQL volume, cost per opportunity, marketing-sourced pipeline $, pipeline velocity, MQL→SQL conversion rate

Paid Media: CAC, ROAS, CPL, CPA, incrementality lift, channel efficiency ratio

SEO: Organic sessions, non-brand traffic %, keyword rankings (P1-P3), organic-assisted conversions, technical health score

Partnerships: Partner-sourced pipeline $, partner CAC, net new logos via partners, co-marketing ROI

Tech Stack Integration

HubSpot CRM - Campaign tracking, lead scoring, attribution, workflows Google Analytics - Traffic analysis, conversion tracking, funnel optimization Search Console - Keyword performance, technical issues, indexing LinkedIn Campaign Manager - B2B paid social Google Ads - Search, Display, YouTube Meta Ads - Facebook, Instagram

1. Demand Generation Framework

1.1 Full-Funnel Strategy (2025 Best Practice)

TOFU (Awareness) → MOFU (Consideration) → BOFU (Decision) → Handoff to Sales/Product

TOFU Tactics

• Paid social (LinkedIn thought leadership, Meta awareness)
• Display advertising (programmatic, retargeting)
• Content syndication
• SEO (informational keywords)
• Partnerships (co-webinars, guest content)
• Target: Brand lift, site traffic, early-stage engagement

MOFU Tactics

• Paid search (solution keywords)
• Retargeting campaigns
• Gated content (eBooks, templates, webinars)
• Email nurture sequences
• Comparison pages (SEO)
• Target: MQLs, demo requests, trial signups

BOFU Tactics

• Paid search (brand + competitor keywords)
• Direct outreach campaigns
• Free trial CTAs
• Case studies & ROI calculators
• Intent-based retargeting
• Target: SQLs, demos booked, pipeline $

1.2 Campaign Planning Template

Campaign Brief (use this for every campaign):

Campaign Name: [Q2-2025-LinkedIn-ABM-Enterprise]
Objective: [Generate 50 SQLs from Enterprise accounts ($50k+ ACV)]
Budget: [$15k/month]
Duration: [90 days]
Channels: [LinkedIn Ads, Retargeting, Email]
Audience: [Director+ at SaaS companies, 500-5000 employees, EU/US]
Offer: [Gated Industry Benchmark Report]
Success Metrics:
  - Primary: 50 SQLs, <$300 CPO
  - Secondary: 500 MQLs, 10% MQL→SQL rate, 40% email open rate
HubSpot Setup:
  - Campaign ID: [create in HubSpot]
  - Lead scoring: +20 for download, +30 for demo request
  - Attribution: First-touch + Multi-touch
Handoff Protocol:
  - SQL criteria: Title + Company size + Budget confirmed
  - Routing: Enterprise SDR team via HubSpot workflow
  - SLA: 4-hour response time

1.3 HubSpot Campaign Tracking Setup

Step-by-step:

1. Create Campaign in HubSpot

   • Marketing → Campaigns → Create Campaign
   • Name: Q2-2025-LinkedIn-ABM-Enterprise
   • Tag all assets (landing pages, emails, ads) with campaign ID

2. UTM Parameter Structure (critical for attribution)

   utm_source={channel}       // linkedin, google, facebook
   utm_medium={type}          // cpc, display, email, organic
   utm_campaign={campaign-id} // q2-2025-linkedin-abm-enterprise
   utm_content={variant}      // ad-variant-a, email-1
   utm_term={keyword}         // [for paid search only]
   

3. Lead Scoring Configuration

   • Navigate to: Settings → Marketing → Lead Scoring
   • Campaign engagement: +10-30 points based on action depth
   • Channel quality: LinkedIn +5, Google Search +10, Organic +15

4. Attribution Reports

   • Use HubSpot's multi-touch attribution (W-shaped for hybrid motion)
   • First-touch: Awareness credit
   • Multi-touch: Full journey credit
   • Build custom report: Marketing → Reports → Attribution

1.4 International Expansion Considerations

EU Market Entry:

• GDPR compliance: Double opt-in for email, explicit consent tracking in HubSpot
• Localization: Translate landing pages, ads, emails (DE, FR, ES priority)
• Payment: Display prices in EUR
• Partnerships: Local co-marketing partners for credibility
• Paid channels: LinkedIn most effective for B2B EU, Google Ads second

US/Canada Market Entry:

• Messaging: Direct, ROI-focused, less formal than EU
• Paid channels: Google Ads + LinkedIn equal priority
• Partnerships: Industry associations, review sites (G2, Capterra)
• Content: Case studies with $ impact, not just features
• Sales alignment: Faster sales cycles, need immediate lead follow-up

Budget Allocation (Series A recommended):

• EU: 40% LinkedIn, 25% Google, 20% SEO, 15% Partnerships
• US/CA: 35% Google, 30% LinkedIn, 20% SEO, 15% Partnerships

2. Paid Media Optimization

2.1 Channel Strategy Matrix

2.2 LinkedIn Ads Playbook (Primary B2B Channel)

Campaign Structure:

Account
└─ Campaign Group: [Q2-2025-Enterprise-ABM]
   ├─ Campaign 1: [Awareness - Thought Leadership]
   │  ├─ Ad Set: [CTO/VP Eng, US, Tech Companies]
   │  └─ Creatives: [3 carousel posts, 2 video ads]
   ├─ Campaign 2: [Consideration - Product Education]
   │  ├─ Ad Set: [Engaged audience, retargeting]
   │  └─ Creatives: [2 lead gen forms, 1 landing page]
   └─ Campaign 3: [Conversion - Demo Requests]
      ├─ Ad Set: [Website visitors, content downloaders]
      └─ Creatives: [Direct demo CTA, case study]

Targeting Best Practices:

• Company Size: 50-5000 employees (Series A sweet spot)
• Job Titles: Director+, VP+, C-level (use LinkedIn's precise targeting)
• Industries: Software, SaaS, Tech Services
• Matched Audiences: Website retargeting (install Insight Tag), uploaded email lists
• Budget: Start $50/day per campaign, scale 20% weekly if CAC < target

Creative Frameworks:

1. Thought Leadership - Industry insights, no product pitch
2. Social Proof - Customer logos, testimonials, case study snippets
3. Problem-Solution - Pain point + your solution in 3 seconds
4. Demo-First - Show product immediately, skip fluff

LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms vs. Landing Pages:

• Lead Gen Forms: Higher conversion (2-3x), lower quality, use for TOFU/MOFU
• Landing Pages: Lower conversion, higher quality, use for BOFU/demo requests
• HubSpot Sync: Connect LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms via native integration

2.3 Google Ads Playbook (High-Intent Capture)

Campaign Types Priority:

1. Search - Brand (highest priority, protect brand terms)
2. Search - Competitor (steal market share)
3. Search - Solution (problem-aware buyers)
4. Search - Product Category (earlier stage)
5. Display - Retargeting (re-engage warm traffic)

Search Campaign Structure:

Campaign: [Search-Solutio