In this high-impact episode of Building in Public, the hosts dive into their Q1 performance—revealing how they aimed for 30 new clients and ended up closing 31. They unpack the lessons learned from doubling their marketing spend, crafting a resonant market message, experimenting across platforms like LinkedIn and YouTube, and refining performance metrics. This episode is a must-listen for B2B marketers, founders, and content strategists seeking to scale sustainably and authentically.

David (Host) – A seasoned fractional CMO with experience working across nearly 300 B2B companies. David shares insights from his growth consultancy work and leads the conversation around strategic marketing, content, and operations in a fast-scaling agency.

• A strong market message and unique point of view can 10x marketing effectiveness.
• Doubling marketing spend doesn’t guarantee better metrics—but maintaining performance while scaling spend is a big win.
• Content should align with platform and format for maximum resonance.
• YouTube is an untapped goldmine for B2B lead generation—every lead from YouTube converted this quarter.
• Engagement on LinkedIn (comments, conversations, networking) is just as important as content creation.
• Measuring engagement rate, not just impressions, reveals content performance.
• The content is the strategy; paid ads are simply a distribution booster.

The team aimed to sign 30 new clients and closed 31 (29 confirmed on the scorecard, 2 additional off-record). They consider this a win with room for optimization in Q2.

Maintaining key marketing metrics while doubling spend, and validating the importance of a unique market message that drives performance across cost per lead, deal size, and retention.

By uncovering inherent uniqueness already present within a business and articulating it clearly. It can't be faked—authenticity and thought leadership are essential.

Quantitatively: more engagement, leads, and revenue. Qualitatively: comments, mentions in calls, and that gut feeling of alignment.

They test content pillars in various formats (videos, carousels, memes), post organically, and iterate based on data.

Same message and format from LinkedIn didn’t resonate. Platform-specific tweaking led to 100% conversion from YouTube leads once fixed.

Crucial. Active engagement boosts algorithm reach and accelerates lead conversion. Comments and connections matter.

Engagement rate = engagements ÷ impressions. High impressions alone don’t prove resonance; it's the engagement that counts.

Content is the strategy. Ads are used to scale distribution of what’s already working organically. Great content must come first.

Maintaining spend, improving processes, reducing cost per lead/demo, tweaking sales operations, and evolving content strategy with more team involvement.

Discussion around Q1 goals and client acquisition performance.

In this episode of Building in Public, host David and his co-host dissect one of the most pressing challenges faced by high-growth B2B companies: the misalignment between marketing teams and business leadership. They unpack why even successful companies—those generating $10M–$100M in annual revenue—struggle to build scalable marketing engines and what to do about it. David shares insights from recent conversations with clients, offering practical advice on fixing fractured go-to-market strategies, unifying messaging, and bridging the gap between marketers and executives.

David, Founder of a leading B2B growth agency, brings first-hand insights from advising high-revenue companies. With deep expertise in demand generation, brand strategy, and go-to-market frameworks, David helps bridge the marketing-business divide that plagues many scale-ups.

• Disconnect between marketing and leadership is a key bottleneck in growth-stage companies.
• A unified market message is foundational before any content or campaign strategy.
• Holistic go-to-market strategies beat siloed channel approaches every time.
• Leads are not the ultimate metric—revenue and conversion matter more.
• Retargeting and demand generation offer fast wins for underperforming funnels.
• Viral content ≠ revenue — LinkedIn impressions don’t always convert.

Many $10M–$100M companies experience a serious disconnect between their leadership teams and marketers. Leadership pushes for more leads without understanding modern marketing dynamics, while marketers fail to tie campaigns back to business outcomes. This gap results in underperformance and frequent strategy overhauls.

Start by aligning on a unique point of view—not just your value prop, but how your company uniquely solves customer problems. Build a holistic marketing strategy around that message, ensuring all channels (Google Ads, LinkedIn, content) work together and reinforce each other.

You need a translator—someone who understands both business goals and marketing mechanics. This can be a strategic hire or an external partner, but the key is alignment between leadership vision and day-to-day marketing activity.

• Launching retargeting ads on LinkedIn or Google.
• Activating Google Ads if you already have strong SEO traffic.
• Focusing on bottom-of-funnel actions for quick conversions.

Not always. Posts with massive reach and engagement often fail to convert. The key is targeting the right audience and following up through genuine conversations and DMs. High impressions don’t always equal high impact.

David discusses how leadership and marketing often speak "different languages."

Tracking towards the goal of 30 new sales with strong CAC and CPL metrics.

Despite solid products, companies fail to build scalable marketing systems.

The push for leads...

In this episode of Building in Public, David Ellis breaks down how his B2B company is tracking against its Q1 goal of 30 new sales—and what’s driving their success. From detailed funnel metrics to the power of unique market positioning, David shares the critical insights he’s gained from doing 35+ sales calls this month. Plus, the team dives into one of the most common questions in marketing: should you focus on content or ads?

David Ellis is a B2B growth strategist and founder of a rapidly scaling marketing firm. With a deep focus on high-performance marketing, sales strategy, and content-led growth, David brings a hands-on perspective on what it takes to build traction in today's competitive landscape.

• Unique Positioning Wins: Saying what everyone else is saying means you're competing on price and budget. A distinct POV can 10x your results.
• Content vs. Ads: It’s not either-or. Like cardio and weightlifting, the best strategy combines both.
• Engagement Matters: Organic reach and thoughtful interaction on platforms like LinkedIn can outperform vanity metrics.
• Scaling Sales: Founder-led sales work, but long-term growth depends on building a scalable sales process.
• Quality Over Quantity: Low-like posts can still drive significant revenue. It's about who sees your content, not how many.

David reports 19 sales so far (7 in Jan, 12 in Feb) with strong momentum heading into March. Close rate stands at 42%, with a £789 cost per acquisition.

Yes, David is still handling all 35 sales calls himself but plans to begin delegating from Q2 onwards. He believes conversion rates may dip slightly but aims to maintain overall funnel performance.

The biggest takeaway: the power of having a unique market message. Without differentiation, you compete only on price and budget.

David shares his own example—marketing ≠ growth. Marketing is a subset of growth, and traditional tactics often don't lead to true business results.

Both. Content builds brand; ads scale it. Start with strong content, use retargeting if budget is tight, and scale with cold ads later.

Post regularly (3–7x/week), warm up your audience before posting, and engage meaningfully in comment threads—especially on viral posts.

Viral reach doesn’t guarantee qualified leads. One client had low engagement but closed three high-value deals through thoughtful content and strategic DMs.

Building in Public follows the journey of B2B founder David Ellis as he scales his business in real-time. From candid