Last week in B2B: The great differentiation, making your product a must-have, should you hire fractional execs, and more

Hey B2B folks,

This week’s been all about cutting through the noise and staying relevant in a market where everyone’s copying each other.

There’s a big shift happening. How people discover products, how teams get built, and how marketers get real work done. It’s all changing.

Also read: the rise of AI share buttons, why “just build a good product” isn’t enough anymore, and the new team trio that might be the real key to SaaS growth.

Let’s get into the best from last week:

• The great differentiation - The article talks about why standing out is your only option.
  When everyone’s copying each other’s tactics and templates, you blend in. Real differentiation is becoming a survival skill, not a nice-to-have. Here’s what it takes to be impossible to ignore. Read here.

• Should you “rent” an exec for your startup? A Fractional COO weighs in -
  Startups move fast, but hiring execs is slow (and expensive). Fractional execs are becoming a smart way to plug gaps, bring in experience, and avoid costly mistakes. Check the summary + full article.

• Why “AI share buttons” might be the smartest growth hack - Google traffic is fading. But AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity are becoming new traffic sources. Add AI share buttons to your content and make it easier to get discovered through LLMs. Read the CiteMET method

• The new SaaS trio: PM, PMM, and Growth
  Great products aren’t enough. Today’s SaaS companies win when Product, Product Marketing, and Growth work as a tight trio. Here’s why this combo works and how to structure your team. Explore.

• The only thing better than “word of mouth”? - Products that show off while they’re being used. If your product promotes itself in public (without you lifting a finger), you’re playing a different game. Read the insights.

• The Effectiveness Equation - This is Google’s (yes, Google’s) report on how marketers can prove the real impact. Most marketing teams focus on short-term plays, such as traffic, leads, and MQLs. But long-term business growth? That’s harder. Learn how to design for both. Check the summary

• Advanced messaging: How to make your product a must-have - Want to make your product feel essential? This guide shows how to find your must-have moment and build messages that resonate (and convert). See the insights.

• Attio’s design-first strategy - Attio built a modern CRM that wins by design. By hiding complexity and surfacing the right tools at the right time, they beat the giants. See how they do it.

Read these and 250+ other standout articles from top B2B minds at The B2B Vault.

That’s a wrap for this week.

If you learned something useful, forward this to a teammate who still thinks “copy what your competitor does” is a strategy — or who hasn’t realized ChatGPT is now a traffic channel.

Or better yet — send them here: theb2bvault.com

So they can stop scrolling and start learning.

See you next Monday,
– Ugi from ContentMonk and The B2B Vault

P.S.
We’re getting close to launching something that will actually change how marketers use AI, learn, and execute. Probably announcing it this or next week!

It’s 100% free (until our devs scream “capacity limits!”). Stay tuned 😉