Alexander: When Digital Reach first started, our website was not impressive. Like, we have a great website now, but we didn’t have a great website then. It didn’t matter if somebody was being referred to us—if we had a friend who said, “Andrew and the Digital Reach team are great, you can trust them,” they’d go to our website and see, “Huh.” You know, it’s not super encouraging, but it’s not going to kill the deal.
But if you’re trying to advertise, trying to get organic traffic, sending emails to people—that traffic is not showing up with a pre-existing source of trust. You have to build trust with them first. So, having a crappy website or web experience—yeah, it hurts the trust.
Alexander: Welcome to the ClearBrand Marketing Podcast, where we take the mystery out of marketing and help you get more leads and sales with a clear brand and proven marketing tactics. I’m your host, Alexander.
Today, I’m talking to Andrew Seidman. He’s the co-founder and CEO of Digital Reach, where he has spent more than 10 years designing full-funnel go-to-market motions for enterprises and funded startups—things we’re going to hear a lot about today. He’s a former high-stakes professional poker player and, as such, is no stranger to process orientation, risk management, and time-sensitive decision-making. Welcome, Andrew.
Andrew: Thank you very much, Alexander. It’s good to be here. Glad to have you.
Alexander: We’re going to get into some things today that I get a lot of questions about, but a lot of folks don’t really have the answers. So, I’m excited to hear from you and pick your brain on some of these topics.
First, this is go-to-market. So, for folks who might be bootstrapping their own thing and not doing anything with funding or developing a big launch, walk me through: who do you typically work with, and what is go-to-market? When does someone need that?
Andrew: Yeah. So, we started Digital Reach over 10, almost 12 years ago. We began as a paid media company, then iterated from that. We realized success with paid media depended on other things—like having a great website, good landing pages, appealing content, a resonant brand message, and data that didn’t drop leads or let conversations lapse. All these elements are interdependent.
Today, we focus on full go-to-market strategies, which we break into four pillars: branding, content, digital experience (like your website), RevOps (data and reporting), and pipeline-generating activities—like advertising, SEO, email marketing, social media, and so forth.
Alexander: So, what is a go-to-market, exactly? And when does a company reach out for help with that?
Andrew: It depends on the organization. We tend to work with well-funded startups—raised $50 million or more—or enterprises with global operations.
For startups, often their efforts are chaotic, with no central plan, leading to conflicts—like sales and marketing messaging not aligning, or data systems built by someone who left, causing crises.
For enterprises, it’s more strategic: they might have a vision for where they want to be in one or two years, and we help craft a forward-looking plan.
Alexander: And what about product-market fit? How do you determine if a company has it before diving in?
Andrew: Virtually every company with customers has some product-market fit. We often start with a product-market fit analysis—looking at existing customer data: what they buy, who they are, and which customers are happiest and most likely to refer others.
For example, if 80% of your best customers buy Product X, and those customers are in a specific industry or segment, that’s a strong indicator. It helps focus your marketing efforts more effectively.
Alexander: So, data plays a big role here. Knowing where the money is coming from, parsing your data, and reverse-engineering niches—does that tie into product-market fit?
Andrew: Absolutely. Data is often underrated. I come from a marketing operations background, so I value automation systems like HubSpot, Salesforce, and others. Good data hygiene allows AI tools to analyze and find insights—like which products sell best, customer satisfaction, industries, etc.
For example, feeding organized data into AI can reveal hidden patterns, helping you identify your most profitable segments and refine your messaging.
Alexander: What are the baseline elements everyone should be tracking?
Andrew: In B2B, at minimum, you need to track leads—who’s interested, their contact info, and their company details. You also want to track account info—like company size, industry, revenue, funding—and the history of opportunities or deals.
Knowing who was involved in the buying process helps model future deals. Core objects are leads, contacts, accounts, and opportunities. Additional data might include product usage, engagement, or other relevant info depending on your business.
Alexander: And what about traffic sources? How much do you care where the lead came from?
Andrew: A ton. Attribution is tricky, especially in B2B with long sales cycles and multiple touchpoints. Last-touch attribution often oversimplifies things—people might see your brand in social media, hear about you from a friend, get an email, then Google you. The last touch isn’t the whole story.
A better approach is multi-touch attribution—tracking all interactions. Some agencies use a simple but effective method: a required form field asking, “How did you hear about us?” Even if someone found you via Google, they might say, “I heard you on Alexander’s podcast,” which helps you attribute the lead more accurately.
Alexander: That makes sense. And even if the metrics are imperfect, having some data is better than none, especially for internal validation.
Andrew: Exactly. For internal reporting, showing ROI from brand or content marketing is harder, but still valuable.
For example, if you spend $100 on Google Ads and get $115 back, that’s clear. But brand awareness efforts are more long-term and harder to directly attribute. Still, having a presence early in the buyer’s journey is crucial.
Alexander: Let’s shift gears to AI. How is AI changing marketing functions?
Andrew: It’s not fully there yet, but the potential is huge. About a year ago, I saw a lot of hype but believed much of it was smoke. Now, AI can do more—like connecting systems, automating data updates, and making marketing more effective.
For example, imagine a recorded Zoom call where AI detects that I moved from San Francisco to Denver, updates your CRM automatically, and notes the reason. Later, if I plan a trip to Denver, AI can help you find contacts or target ads in that location without manual effort.
Alexander: That’s powerful. So, AI acts as a glue—stopping data loss, updating systems, and automating actions.
Andrew: Exactly. It can handle high-context tasks—like understanding your core value proposition or buyer personas—and execute based on that.
For instance, if your brand message changes, AI can automatically update your website, landing pages, and emails. As AI gets smarter, it will handle more complex, high-context tasks that currently require human input.
Alexander: And the automation of updates is a game-changer. It’s like having a second brain managing your data and content.
Andrew: Yes. For example, imagine tying all your brand messaging documents to your digital experience and ads. If you decide to target a new account segment, AI could update your website, landing pages, and email templates automatically, saving massive time and effort.
Alexander: That’s incredible. It’s like the future of integrated systems working seamlessly.
Andrew: Totally. The more AI advances, the more it will handle complex, high-context decisions—though some aspects, like defining core values, will still need human input for now.
Alexander: Great insights. Now, let’s talk about pipeline management. This is often what clients need most.
Andrew: Absolutely. The pipeline is where everyone wants to be. First, we assess their go-to-market motion—are they driving high-quality leads of similar value? Are they account-based or lead-based?
For example, some clients only sell to specific accounts—they won’t even talk to leads outside their target list.
Alexander: And from a digital media perspective, what channels do you recommend?
Andrew: Channels include paid media, email, organic search, organic social, content syndication, programmatic advertising, word-of-mouth, field marketing, and events. These are manageable options.
Paid and email are fast—spending money on ads or email can generate responses immediately. Organic search is powerful long-term but slow—taking six months to a year to see results. Organic social and targeted outreach, like LinkedIn connection requests, also work well if done thoughtfully.
Alexander: How do you target those emails? Do you use job titles, technographics, or other data?
Andrew: Data is key. For example, to target RevOps leaders, I’d use technographics—like BuiltWith—to identify companies using certain tools. Then, filter by company size, funding, or revenue.
I’d upload that list into my CRM and LinkedIn, then craft tailored messages—like a guide for RevOps. The goal is to make the message relevant and resonate with their specific circumstances.
Alexander: And on LinkedIn, do you use InMail or connection requests?
Andrew: Both. We use a sequential retargeting approach: first, target broad audiences with ads; then, retarget those who engaged with more specific content; finally, reach out directly via connection requests or InMail. The key is relevance—delivering the right message at the right stage.
Alexander: And trust plays a big role here. How do you build trust?
Andrew: Trust is the ultimate currency. Early on, giving away valuable insights demonstrates expertise. Social proof—like endorsements from respected contacts—also helps.
As prospects move down the funnel, their experience with your product or service matters: exceptional onboarding, attentive salespeople, exceeding expectations—all build trust and turn customers into advocates.
Alexander: Any memorable stories about building trust?
Andrew: Yes. Zappos is a great example. They’re famous for exceptional customer service. Once, I lost a shoe, and they responded immediately—offering to send a new pair, even though it was my fault. That level of care built immense trust.
When a company consistently exceeds expectations, trust becomes part of their brand identity.
Alexander: That’s a powerful story. It shows trust isn’t just about messaging but about delivering an experience.
Andrew: Exactly. Your brand isn’t just your function—it’s how you make people feel.
Nike, for example, sells athletic shoes, but their brand is about inspiring greatness. Zappos sells shoes, but their brand is about extraordinary customer service. Building trust through experience is what differentiates brands.
Alexander: And in a competitive landscape, that trust can justify higher prices.
Andrew: Yes. If your brand promises quality and reliability, customers will pay more for that assurance.
Think of car brands—luxury brands like Lexus or BMW. They’re not just selling a function; they’re selling an experience and trust.
Alexander: Great point. So, to wrap up, is there anything missing from this pipeline conversation?
Andrew: Tons of details, but the core is that it’s an interconnected system. You can’t just put all your money into one channel and expect results. It’s about balancing paid, organic, brand, and content efforts—building a system that works together.
Alexander: Love it. If someone’s interested in working with you, how do they find you?
Andrew: Go to digitalreachagency.com. You can also find me on LinkedIn. We offer an introductory program called the Roadmap. It’s an immersion into the four pillars—branding, content, digital experience, RevOps, and pipeline.
We evaluate where you are, give you a letter grade, and provide a detailed go-to-market plan—how long it will take, costs, priorities. From there, you can implement in-house or bring us in to help build and scale.
Alexander: Perfect. Thanks, Andrew. This has been a great conversation.
Andrew: Thanks for having me.
Alexander: Thanks for listening to the ClearBrand Marketing Podcast. If you need help with your website or marketing, visit clearbrand.com to learn more about how we can help you write, design, or implement a better website and marketing strategy.