Marketing Demand & Acquisition
Acquisition playbook for Series A+ startups scaling internationally (EU/US/Canada) with hybrid PLG/Sales-Led motion.
Table of Contents
Role Coverage
| Role |
Focus Areas |
| Demand Generation Manager |
Multi-channel campaigns, pipeline generation |
| Paid Media Marketer |
Paid search/social/display optimization |
| SEO Manager |
Organic acquisition, technical SEO |
| Partnerships Manager |
Co-marketing, channel partnerships |
Core KPIs
Demand Gen: MQL/SQL volume, cost per opportunity, marketing-sourced pipeline $, MQL→SQL rate
Paid Media: CAC, ROAS, CPL, CPA, channel efficiency ratio
SEO: Organic sessions, non-brand traffic %, keyword rankings, technical health score
Partnerships: Partner-sourced pipeline $, partner CAC, co-marketing ROI
Demand Generation Framework
Funnel Stages
| Stage |
Tactics |
Target |
| TOFU |
Paid social, display, content syndication, SEO |
Brand awareness, traffic |
| MOFU |
Paid search, retargeting, gated content, email nurture |
MQLs, demo requests |
| BOFU |
Brand search, direct outreach, case studies, trials |
SQLs, pipeline $ |
Campaign Planning Workflow
- Define objective, budget, duration, audience
- Select channels based on funnel stage
- Create campaign in HubSpot with proper UTM structure
- Configure lead scoring and assignment rules
- Launch with test budget, validate tracking
- Validation: UTM parameters appear in HubSpot contact records
UTM Structure
utm_source={channel} // linkedin, google, meta
utm_medium={type} // cpc, display, email
utm_campaign={campaign-id} // q1-2025-linkedin-enterprise
utm_content={variant} // ad-a, email-1
utm_term={keyword} // [paid search only]
Paid Media Channels
Channel Selection Matrix
| Channel |
Best For |
CAC Range |
Series A Priority |
| LinkedIn Ads |
B2B, Enterprise, ABM |
$150-400 |
High |
| Google Search |
High-intent, BOFU |
$80-250 |
High |
| Google Display |
Retargeting |
$50-150 |
Medium |
| Meta Ads |
SMB, visual products |
$60-200 |
Medium |
LinkedIn Ads Setup
- Create campaign group for initiative
- Structure: Awareness → Consideration → Conversion campaigns
- Target: Director+, 50-5000 employees, relevant industries
- Start $50/day per campaign
- Scale 20% weekly if CAC < target
- Validation: LinkedIn Insight Tag firing on all pages
Google Ads Setup
- Prioritize: Brand → Competitor → Solution → Category keywords
- Structure ad groups with 5-10 tightly themed keywords
- Create 3 responsive search ads per ad group (15 headlines, 4 descriptions)
- Maintain negative keyword list (100+)
- Start Manual CPC, switch to Target CPA after 50+ conversions
- Validation: Conversion tracking firing, search terms reviewed weekly
Budget Allocation (Series A, $40k/month)
| Channel |
Budget |
Expected SQLs |
| LinkedIn |
$15k |
10 |
| Google Search |
$12k |
20 |
| Google Display |
$5k |
5 |
| Meta |
$5k |
8 |
| Partnerships |
$3k |
5 |
See campaign-templates.md for detailed structures.
SEO Strategy
Technical Foundation Checklist
Keyword Strategy
| Tier |
Type |
Volume |
Priority |
| 1 |
High-intent BOFU |
100-1k |
First |
| 2 |
Solution-aware MOFU |
500-5k |
Second |
| 3 |
Problem-aware TOFU |
1k-10k |
Third |
On-Page Optimization
- URL: Include primary keyword, 3-5 words
- Title tag: Primary keyword + brand (60 chars)
- Meta description: CTA + value prop (155 chars)
- H1: Match search intent (one per page)
- Content: 2000-3000 words for comprehensive topics
- Internal links: 3-5 relevant pages
- Validation: Google Search Console shows page indexed, no errors
Link Building Priorities
- Digital PR (original research, industry reports)
- Guest posting (DA 40+ sites only)
- Partner co-marketing (complementary SaaS)
- Community engagement (Reddit, Quora)
Partnerships
Partnership Tiers
| Tier |
Type |
Effort |
ROI |
| 1 |
Strategic integrations |
High |
Very high |
| 2 |
Affiliate partners |
Medium |
Medium-high |
| 3 |
Customer referrals |
Low |
Medium |
| 4 |
Marketplace listings |
Medium |
Low-medium |
Partnership Workflow
- Identify partners with overlapping ICP, no competition
- Outreach with specific integration/co-marketing proposal
- Define success metrics, revenue model, term
- Create co-branded assets and partner tracking
- Enable partner sales team with demo training
- Validation: Partner UTM tracking functional, leads routing correctly
Affiliate Program Setup
- Select platform (PartnerStack, Impact, Rewardful)
- Configure commission structure (20-30% recurring)
- Create affiliate enablement kit (assets, links, content)
- Recruit through outbound, inbound, events
- Validation: Test affiliate link tracks through to conversion
See international-playbooks.md for regional tactics.
Attribution
Model Selection
| Model |
Use Case |
| First-Touch |
Awareness campaigns |
| Last-Touch |
Direct response |
| W-Shaped (40-20-40) |
Hybrid PLG/Sales (recommended) |
HubSpot Attribution Setup
- Navigate to Marketing → Reports → Attribution
- Select W-Shaped model for hybrid motion
- Define conversion event (deal created)
- Set 90-day lookback window
- Validation: Run report for past 90 days, all channels show data
Weekly Metrics Dashboard
| Metric |
Target |
| MQLs |
Weekly target |
| SQLs |
Weekly target |
| MQL→SQL Rate |
>15% |
| Blended CAC |
<$300 |
| Pipeline Velocity |
<60 days |
See attribution-guide.md for detailed setup.
Tools
scripts/
| Script |
Purpose |
Usage |
calculate_cac.py |
Calculate blended and channel CAC |
python scripts/calculate_cac.py --spend 40000 --customers 50 |
HubSpot Integration
- Campaign tracking with UTM parameters
- Lead scoring and MQL/SQL workflows
- Attribution reporting (multi-touch)
- Partner lead routing
See hubspot-workflows.md for workflow templates.
References
| File |
Content |
| hubspot-workflows.md |
Lead scoring, nurture, assignment workflows |
| campaign-templates.md |
LinkedIn, Google, Meta campaign structures |
| international-playbooks.md |
EU, US, Canada market tactics |
| attribution-guide.md |
Multi-touch attribution, dashboards, A/B testing |
Channel Benchmarks (B2B SaaS Series A)
| Metric |
LinkedIn |
Google Search |
SEO |
Email |
| CTR |
0.4-0.9% |
2-5% |
1-3% |
15-25% |
| CVR |
1-3% |
3-7% |
2-5% |
2-5% |
| CAC |
$150-400 |
$80-250 |
$50-150 |
$20-80 |
| MQL→SQL |
10-20% |
15-25% |
12-22% |
8-15% |
MQL→SQL Handoff
SQL Criteria
Required:
✅ Job title: Director+ or budget authority
✅ Company size: 50-5000 employees
✅ Budget: $10k+ annual
✅ Timeline: Buying within 90 days
✅ Engagement: Demo requested or high-intent action
SLA
| Handoff |
Target |
| SDR responds to MQL |
4 hours |
| AE books demo with SQL |
24 hours |
| First demo scheduled |
3 business days |
Validation: Test lead through workflow, verify notifications and routing.
Source: adamtasteslikegood/tasteslikegood.com — distributed by TomeVault.
1---2name: marketing-demand-acquisition-123description: Multi-channel demand generation, paid media optimization, SEO strategy, and partnership programs for Series A+ startups Use when this capability is needed.4---56# Marketing Demand & Acquisition78Acquisition playbook for Series A+ startups scaling internationally (EU/US/Canada) with hybrid PLG/Sales-Led motion.910## Table of Contents1112- [Role Coverage](#role-coverage)13- [Core KPIs](#core-kpis)14- [Demand Generation Framework](#demand-generation-framework)15- [Paid Media Channels](#paid-media-channels)16- [SEO Strategy](#seo-strategy)17- [Partnerships](#partnerships)18- [Attribution](#attribution)19- [Tools](#tools)20- [References](#references)2122---2324## Role Coverage2526| Role | Focus Areas |27|------|-------------|28| Demand Generation Manager | Multi-channel campaigns, pipeline generation |29| Paid Media Marketer | Paid search/social/display optimization |30| SEO Manager | Organic acquisition, technical SEO |31| Partnerships Manager | Co-marketing, channel partnerships |3233---3435## Core KPIs3637**Demand Gen:** MQL/SQL volume, cost per opportunity, marketing-sourced pipeline $, MQL→SQL rate3839**Paid Media:** CAC, ROAS, CPL, CPA, channel efficiency ratio4041**SEO:** Organic sessions, non-brand traffic %, keyword rankings, technical health score4243**Partnerships:** Partner-sourced pipeline $, partner CAC, co-marketing ROI4445---4647## Demand Generation Framework4849### Funnel Stages5051| Stage | Tactics | Target |52|-------|---------|--------|53| TOFU | Paid social, display, content syndication, SEO | Brand awareness, traffic |54| MOFU | Paid search, retargeting, gated content, email nurture | MQLs, demo requests |55| BOFU | Brand search, direct outreach, case studies, trials | SQLs, pipeline $ |5657### Campaign Planning Workflow58591. Define objective, budget, duration, audience602. Select channels based on funnel stage613. Create campaign in HubSpot with proper UTM structure624. Configure lead scoring and assignment rules635. Launch with test budget, validate tracking646. **Validation:** UTM parameters appear in HubSpot contact records6566### UTM Structure6768```69utm_source={channel} // linkedin, google, meta70utm_medium={type} // cpc, display, email71utm_campaign={campaign-id} // q1-2025-linkedin-enterprise72utm_content={variant} // ad-a, email-173utm_term={keyword} // [paid search only]74```7576---7778## Paid Media Channels7980### Channel Selection Matrix8182| Channel | Best For | CAC Range | Series A Priority |83|---------|----------|-----------|-------------------|84| LinkedIn Ads | B2B, Enterprise, ABM | $150-400 | High |85| Google Search | High-intent, BOFU | $80-250 | High |86| Google Display | Retargeting | $50-150 | Medium |87| Meta Ads | SMB, visual products | $60-200 | Medium |8889### LinkedIn Ads Setup90911. Create campaign group for initiative922. Structure: Awareness → Consideration → Conversion campaigns933. Target: Director+, 50-5000 employees, relevant industries944. Start $50/day per campaign955. Scale 20% weekly if CAC < target966. **Validation:** LinkedIn Insight Tag firing on all pages9798### Google Ads Setup991001. Prioritize: Brand → Competitor → Solution → Category keywords1012. Structure ad groups with 5-10 tightly themed keywords1023. Create 3 responsive search ads per ad group (15 headlines, 4 descriptions)1034. Maintain negative keyword list (100+)1045. Start Manual CPC, switch to Target CPA after 50+ conversions1056. **Validation:** Conversion tracking firing, search terms reviewed weekly106107### Budget Allocation (Series A, $40k/month)108109| Channel | Budget | Expected SQLs |110|---------|--------|---------------|111| LinkedIn | $15k | 10 |112| Google Search | $12k | 20 |113| Google Display | $5k | 5 |114| Meta | $5k | 8 |115| Partnerships | $3k | 5 |116117See [campaign-templates.md](references/campaign-templates.md) for detailed structures.118119---120121## SEO Strategy122123### Technical Foundation Checklist124125- [ ] XML sitemap submitted to Search Console126- [ ] Robots.txt configured correctly127- [ ] HTTPS enabled128- [ ] Page speed >90 mobile129- [ ] Core Web Vitals passing130- [ ] Structured data implemented131- [ ] Canonical tags on all pages132- [ ] Hreflang tags for international133- **Validation:** Run Screaming Frog crawl, zero critical errors134135### Keyword Strategy136137| Tier | Type | Volume | Priority |138|------|------|--------|----------|139| 1 | High-intent BOFU | 100-1k | First |140| 2 | Solution-aware MOFU | 500-5k | Second |141| 3 | Problem-aware TOFU | 1k-10k | Third |142143### On-Page Optimization1441451. URL: Include primary keyword, 3-5 words1462. Title tag: Primary keyword + brand (60 chars)1473. Meta description: CTA + value prop (155 chars)1484. H1: Match search intent (one per page)1495. Content: 2000-3000 words for comprehensive topics1506. Internal links: 3-5 relevant pages1517. **Validation:** Google Search Console shows page indexed, no errors152153### Link Building Priorities1541551. Digital PR (original research, industry reports)1562. Guest posting (DA 40+ sites only)1573. Partner co-marketing (complementary SaaS)1584. Community engagement (Reddit, Quora)159160---161162## Partnerships163164### Partnership Tiers165166| Tier | Type | Effort | ROI |167|------|------|--------|-----|168| 1 | Strategic integrations | High | Very high |169| 2 | Affiliate partners | Medium | Medium-high |170| 3 | Customer referrals | Low | Medium |171| 4 | Marketplace listings | Medium | Low-medium |172173### Partnership Workflow1741751. Identify partners with overlapping ICP, no competition1762. Outreach with specific integration/co-marketing proposal1773. Define success metrics, revenue model, term1784. Create co-branded assets and partner tracking1795. Enable partner sales team with demo training1806. **Validation:** Partner UTM tracking functional, leads routing correctly181182### Affiliate Program Setup1831841. Select platform (PartnerStack, Impact, Rewardful)1852. Configure commission structure (20-30% recurring)1863. Create affiliate enablement kit (assets, links, content)1874. Recruit through outbound, inbound, events1885. **Validation:** Test affiliate link tracks through to conversion189190See [international-playbooks.md](references/international-playbooks.md) for regional tactics.191192---193194## Attribution195196### Model Selection197198| Model | Use Case |199|-------|----------|200| First-Touch | Awareness campaigns |201| Last-Touch | Direct response |202| W-Shaped (40-20-40) | Hybrid PLG/Sales (recommended) |203204### HubSpot Attribution Setup2052061. Navigate to Marketing → Reports → Attribution2072. Select W-Shaped model for hybrid motion2083. Define conversion event (deal created)2094. Set 90-day lookback window2105. **Validation:** Run report for past 90 days, all channels show data211212### Weekly Metrics Dashboard213214| Metric | Target |215|--------|--------|216| MQLs | Weekly target |217| SQLs | Weekly target |218| MQL→SQL Rate | >15% |219| Blended CAC | <$300 |220| Pipeline Velocity | <60 days |221222See [attribution-guide.md](references/attribution-guide.md) for detailed setup.223224---225226## Tools227228### scripts/229230| Script | Purpose | Usage |231|--------|---------|-------|232| `calculate_cac.py` | Calculate blended and channel CAC | `python scripts/calculate_cac.py --spend 40000 --customers 50` |233234### HubSpot Integration235236- Campaign tracking with UTM parameters237- Lead scoring and MQL/SQL workflows238- Attribution reporting (multi-touch)239- Partner lead routing240241See [hubspot-workflows.md](references/hubspot-workflows.md) for workflow templates.242243---244245## References246247| File | Content |248|------|---------|249| [hubspot-workflows.md](references/hubspot-workflows.md) | Lead scoring, nurture, assignment workflows |250| [campaign-templates.md](references/campaign-templates.md) | LinkedIn, Google, Meta campaign structures |251| [international-playbooks.md](references/international-playbooks.md) | EU, US, Canada market tactics |252| [attribution-guide.md](references/attribution-guide.md) | Multi-touch attribution, dashboards, A/B testing |253254---255256## Channel Benchmarks (B2B SaaS Series A)257258| Metric | LinkedIn | Google Search | SEO | Email |259|--------|----------|---------------|-----|-------|260| CTR | 0.4-0.9% | 2-5% | 1-3% | 15-25% |261| CVR | 1-3% | 3-7% | 2-5% | 2-5% |262| CAC | $150-400 | $80-250 | $50-150 | $20-80 |263| MQL→SQL | 10-20% | 15-25% | 12-22% | 8-15% |264265---266267## MQL→SQL Handoff268269### SQL Criteria270271```272Required:273✅ Job title: Director+ or budget authority274✅ Company size: 50-5000 employees275✅ Budget: $10k+ annual276✅ Timeline: Buying within 90 days277✅ Engagement: Demo requested or high-intent action278```279280### SLA281282| Handoff | Target |283|---------|--------|284| SDR responds to MQL | 4 hours |285| AE books demo with SQL | 24 hours |286| First demo scheduled | 3 business days |287288**Validation:** Test lead through workflow, verify notifications and routing.289290---291> Source: [adamtasteslikegood/tasteslikegood.com](https://github.com/adamtasteslikegood/tasteslikegood.com) — distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io).292<!-- tomevault:4.0:skill_md:2026-06-16 -->