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
• Core KPIs
• Demand Generation Framework
• Paid Media Channels
• SEO Strategy
• Partnerships
• Attribution
• Tools
• References

Role Coverage

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

Campaign Planning Workflow

1. Define objective, budget, duration, audience
2. Select channels based on funnel stage
3. Create campaign in HubSpot with proper UTM structure
4. Configure lead scoring and assignment rules
5. Launch with test budget, validate tracking
6. 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

LinkedIn Ads Setup

1. Create campaign group for initiative
2. Structure: Awareness → Consideration → Conversion campaigns
3. Target: Director+, 50-5000 employees, relevant industries
4. Start $50/day per campaign
5. Scale 20% weekly if CAC < target
6. Validation: LinkedIn Insight Tag firing on all pages

Google Ads Setup

1. Prioritize: Brand → Competitor → Solution → Category keywords
2. Structure ad groups with 5-10 tightly themed keywords
3. Create 3 responsive search ads per ad group (15 headlines, 4 descriptions)
4. Maintain negative keyword list (100+)
5. Start Manual CPC, switch to Target CPA after 50+ conversions
6. Validation: Conversion tracking firing, search terms reviewed weekly

Budget Allocation (Series A, $40k/month)

See campaign-templates.md for detailed structures.

SEO Strategy

Technical Foundation Checklist

• XML sitemap submitted to Search Console
• Robots.txt configured correctly
• HTTPS enabled
• Page speed >90 mobile
• Core Web Vitals passing
• Structured data implemented
• Canonical tags on all pages
• Hreflang tags for international
• Validation: Run Screaming Frog crawl, zero critical errors

Keyword Strategy

On-Page Optimization

1. URL: Include primary keyword, 3-5 words
2. Title tag: Primary keyword + brand (60 chars)
3. Meta description: CTA + value prop (155 chars)
4. H1: Match search intent (one per page)
5. Content: 2000-3000 words for comprehensive topics
6. Internal links: 3-5 relevant pages
7. Validation: Google Search Console shows page indexed, no errors

Link Building Priorities

1. Digital PR (original research, industry reports)
2. Guest posting (DA 40+ sites only)
3. Partner co-marketing (complementary SaaS)
4. Community engagement (Reddit, Quora)

Partnerships

Partnership Tiers

Partnership Workflow

1. Identify partners with overlapping ICP, no competition
2. Outreach with specific integration/co-marketing proposal
3. Define success metrics, revenue model, term
4. Create co-branded assets and partner tracking
5. Enable partner sales team with demo training
6. Validation: Partner UTM tracking functional, leads routing correctly

Affiliate Program Setup

1. Select platform (PartnerStack, Impact, Rewardful)
2. Configure commission structure (20-30% recurring)
3. Create affiliate enablement kit (assets, links, content)
4. Recruit through outbound, inbound, events
5. Validation: Test affiliate link tracks through to conversion

See international-playbooks.md for regional tactics.

Attribution

Model Selection

HubSpot Attribution Setup

1. Navigate to Marketing → Reports → Attribution
2. Select W-Shaped model for hybrid motion
3. Define conversion event (deal created)
4. Set 90-day lookback window
5. Validation: Run report for past 90 days, all channels show data

Weekly Metrics Dashboard

See attribution-guide.md for detailed setup.

Tools

scripts/

calculate_cac.py

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

Channel Benchmarks (B2B SaaS Series A)

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

Validation: Test lead through workflow, verify notifications and routing.

Proactive Triggers

• Over-relying on one channel -- Single-channel dependency is a business risk. Diversify acquisition across 3+ channels.
• No lead scoring -- Not all leads are equal. Route to revenue-operations for scoring setup.
• CAC exceeding LTV -- Demand gen is unprofitable. Optimize or cut underperforming channels.
• No nurture for non-ready leads -- 80% of leads aren't ready to buy. Nurture sequences convert them later.

Related Skills

• campaign-analytics: For measuring demand gen effectiveness with attribution and ROI.
• marketing-strategy-pmm: For positioning and GTM strategy that feeds demand gen campaigns.
• social-media-analyzer: For analyzing social channel performance within demand gen mix.
• revenue-operations: For pipeline analysis and forecast accuracy downstream of demand gen.

Troubleshooting

Success Criteria

• Blended CAC: Target <$300 for B2B SaaS Series A (2026 benchmark). Channel-specific targets: LinkedIn $150-400, Google Search $80-250, SEO/Organic $50-150, Email $20-80. Average B2B SaaS CAC reached $1,200 in 2026 for all segments; self-serve targets $100-500 while enterprise can reach $5,000+
• CAC Payback Period: Achieve payback within 6-12 months (2026 median). Elite performers reach payback in under 80 days. Payback exceeding 18 months signals unsustainable unit economics
• LTV:CAC Ratio: Maintain minimum 3:1 ratio. Below 2:1 requires immediate intervention. Top-quartile SaaS companies spend $1.10 or less to acquire $1 of new ARR; median spends $2 per $1 ARR
• MQL-to-SQL Conversion: Target 15-25% for Google Search, 12-22% for SEO, 10-20% for LinkedIn, 8-15% for email. Overall blended target >15%
• Pipeline Velocity: Close marketing-sourced deals within 60 days average. SDR response to MQL within 4 hours, AE demo booking within 24 hours, first demo within 3 business days
• Channel Diversification: No single channel should represent more than 40% of pipeline. Maintain active campaigns across minimum 3 channels. LinkedIn generates highest quality B2B leads (40% of marketers cite it as most effective)
• Marketing Budget Efficiency: SaaS companies under $10M ARR should spend 20-35% of revenue on marketing; $10-50M spend 18-25%; $50-100M spend 15-20%. For 2026, allocate 18-28% of revenue total with clear channel allocation ratios

Scope & Limitations

In Scope:

• Multi-channel demand generation strategy for B2B SaaS (Series A+) with hybrid PLG/sales-led motion
• Paid media channel selection, budget allocation, and CAC calculation (LinkedIn, Google Search, Google Display, Meta)
• SEO strategy including technical foundation, keyword strategy, on-page optimization, and link building priorities
• Partnership program planning (strategic integrations, affiliates, referrals, marketplace listings)
• Attribution model selection (first-touch, last-touch, W-shaped) with HubSpot integration guidance
• UTM structure standards and campaign tracking
• MQL/SQL criteria definition and handoff SLA

Out of Scope:

• Campaign creative design (ad copy, images, video production)
• Platform-specific campaign management UI guidance (use LinkedIn Campaign Manager, Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager directly)
• Product-led growth (PLG) product instrumentation (freemium flows, in-app upgrade prompts)
• Sales process optimization beyond MQL-to-SQL handoff (see revenue-operations or sales-success skills)
• Advanced predictive analytics or ML-based lead scoring
• International regulatory compliance for advertising (GDPR consent, CCPA disclosures)
• Brand marketing and awareness campaigns without direct pipeline attribution

Market Context (2026):

• CAC is rising 40-60% since 2023 across B2B SaaS
• Google Ads CPC increased 164% from 2019-2024; LinkedIn costs up 89%
• Privacy regulations and cookie deprecation are reducing attribution accuracy
• AI-enhanced bidding strategies (Google Performance Max, LinkedIn Maximize Conversions) are becoming standard

Integration Points

utm_source={channel}

utm_medium={type}

utm_campaign={campaign-id}

attribution_analyzer.py

campaign_roi_calculator.py

funnel_analyzer.py

calculate_metrics.py

Tool Reference

calculate_cac.py

Type: CLI script (runs with example data or edit inline)

Usage:

python calculate_cac.py

Note: This script uses hardcoded example data. To analyze your own data, edit the

example_data

Input Format (edit in script):

example_data = [
    {'channel': 'LinkedIn Ads', 'spend': 15000, 'customers': 10},
    {'channel': 'Google Search', 'spend': 12000, 'customers': 20},
    {'channel': 'SEO/Organic', 'spend': 5000, 'customers': 15},
    {'channel': 'Partnerships', 'spend': 3000, 'customers': 5},
]

Functions:

calculate_cac()

total_spend: float

customers_acquired: int

calculate_channel_cac()

channel_data: List[Dict]

blended

print_results()

results: Dict

Built-in Benchmarks (printed at end of output):

• LinkedIn Ads: $150-$400
• Google Search: $80-$250
• SEO/Organic: $50-$150
• Partnerships: $100-$300
• Blended Target: <$300

2026 Context: These benchmarks reflect Series A B2B SaaS. Overall B2B SaaS CAC has risen to $1,200 average across all segments (up 40-60% since 2023). Self-serve models target $100-500; enterprise segments can exceed $5,000. The median SaaS company spends $2 to acquire $1 of new ARR.