Sharper B2B Marketing

And the winners are ....  PAULA and JADE!!! 🏆🏆 Huge congrats to Paula Pralus and Jade Anderson-Busby who win the VERY FIRST "Sharperino of the Month" and "Sharperino's Sharperino of The Month" Awards respectively 👏 But for those who don't know what a "Sharperino" is .. this is the moniker given to the good folk who sail aboard the "Good Ship Sharper" and deliver our Fearlessly Creative Campaigns for our wonderful clients around the globe!  In recognition of the hard work being put in by these two B2B Marketing Superstars, their collective efforts have been recognised and rewarded by both Sharper's very own Russ Powell  and by the Sharper team collectively, who get their say on the employees choice award each month!  Paula and Jade now get to brag wildly as the first ever custodians of these coveted (and weighty) accolades, which will no doubt be the first of many wins for both!!  Congrats from everyone at Sharper and here's to celebrating the success of "The Sharperinos" every month from here on!  #ChannelMarketing #SharperB2BMarketing #ChannelMarketingChamps #Channel #B2B #Marketing #B2BAgency

“Reduce the cognitive friction.” That was one of the standout phrases from our latest episode of Channel Marketing Champs  with the brilliant David van Schaick or "One Take Van Schaick" as we now affectionately refer to him, and it sums up the conversation perfectly. As Founder of DVS Strategy, David helps brands sharpen their B2B strategy, positioning, messaging and marketing effectiveness. With nearly two decades of experience and stints working with global tech giants Microsoft, SAP, AWS, Google, Capgemini, Westcoast Cloud and more, he knows what it takes to make channel marketing actually work. So when he talks about what separates strong channel activity from the rest, we listen. Here are just a few of his top takeaways: 🔹 Let the customer experts lead. Whoever understands the end user best should drive the go-to-market, not just whoever holds the biggest budget. 🔹 Kill the “copy-paste” approach. Direct marketing ≠ channel marketing. Adapt or fail. 🔹 Focus on reducing cognitive friction. Make it simple for buyers to see the value, understand the proposition, and choose you. 🔹 Use the right tools. April Dunford’s Differentiated Value + Jobs To Be Done = a killer combo for building positioning that sticks. 🔹 Test the picture test. Can your customer visualise the difference you’re promising? If not, keep working. As David put it, when you get positioning right, everything else gets easier. Storytelling. Internal alignment. Investment decisions. Sales conversations. All of it. 🎧 Tune in to hear the full conversation, complete with “one take” mishaps, practical advice, and a new favourite phrase you’ll be stealing for your next strategy session. 👉 [Link to the full episode in the comments] #ChannelMarketing #SharperB2BMarketing #ChannelMarketingChamps #Channel #B2B #Marketing #B2BAgency

We’ve just secured our Cyber Essentials certification. 🥳👍 Why does that matter? ✅ It proves we take cybersecurity seriously, not just for us, but for every client we work with. ✅ It’s government-backed and independently verified. No rubber stamps. ✅ It means your data, projects, and reputation are in safe hands. In B2B, trust isn’t built on promises, it’s built on proof. Cyber Essentials is one more way we give our clients confidence that working with us is a low-risk, high-reward decision. Sharper marketing. Secure foundations. 😎 #ChannelMarketing #SharperB2BMarketing #ChannelMarketingChamps #Channel #B2B #Marketing #B2BAgency

🚨 Dog in an office alert! Meet Maple! Paula’s furry companion who recently joined us at the Sharper office as some very welcomed four-legged support. Maple quickly won over all the Sharperinos [and the whole building!], bringing a sense of calm across the team, along with lapping up all the cuddles!  Welcome to the team, Maple, the ulti-mutt morale booster, proving flexibility at work has pawsitive perks! 🐾 🐶✨ #OfficeDog #B2BButBetter #SharperCulture #MarketingMascot #ChannelMarketing #SharperB2BMarketing #ChannelMarketingChamps #Channel #B2B #Marketing #B2BAgency

“The most important skill in channel marketing today? Orchestrating an ecosystem.” The latest discussion on the Channel Marketing Champs podcast was a belter, as we welcomed Andy Gilbert Director at Connection2Channel and his wrestling alter ego "Grandy the Gripper" to the mic, to chat with Sharper Boss Man Russ Powell . After the laughs, we got into the big shifts reshaping channel and partner marketing, and why success now depends on being what Andy calls an “ecosystem orchestrator.” Gone are the days when a single platform or process could deliver channel success. Today, it’s about technical orchestration (integrating the right tools), conceptual orchestration (aligning strategy with the partner landscape), and human orchestration (making it simple for people to engage). Or, in Andy’s words: “It’s not about being tech-first or people-first it’s about meeting in the middle.” We also dug into the real impact of AI. What we see in tools like ChatGPT is just the tip of the iceberg. Beneath the surface, the hyperscalers are embedding AI into the platforms we use daily, making it impossible to ignore. But even in an AI-driven world, Andy reminded us that trust remains the channel’s most valuable currency: “We’re here to serve our customers and make their lives better.” Full episode link in the comments 👇 #ChannelMarketing #SharperB2BMarketing #ChannelMarketingChamps #Channel #B2B #Marketing #B2BAgency

How do you make the cloud… not so cloudy? ☁️ That was the challenge for Cloud Bridge. In a world where IT decision-makers are bombarded with emails, ads, and webinars, simply talking about cloud cost optimization was about as effective as shouting into a server rack. They needed a way to cut through the noise, make people sit up, and actually feel what their product could do. Enter Sharper B2B with a cheeky little idea called "Cloud Senses". Our Award Winning Campaign designed to do more than just tell people about the cloud, we made them experience it. Senior IT and cloud leaders across the UK received bespoke Cloud Senses Boxes, five senses, five ways to make the intangible tangible. There was taste, smell, touch, sound, and sight, all cleverly tied back to Cloud Bridge’s value. We like to think this would be the definition of "sensory marketing" … with slightly less chocolate than you’d hope. The results? Well, let’s just say the clouds cleared: ✔️ 8 new CostOps clients signed 💰 $2.16m in confirmed revenue 📈 ROI of 1:98 💪 And a tiny £1,000 LinkedIn spend generated a CTR of 0.65%—more than double the forecasted 0.28%. Simon Walker, Managing Director of Cloud Bridge, summed it up nicely: “The campaign provoked great reactions from clients, prospects and partners ... but, most importantly, the Cloud Senses campaign delivered great commercial results!” The lesson? When you want to cut through B2B noise, sometimes you don’t just tell people, you make them feel it. And a little humour never hurts. 😜 Check out the full Case-Study via the link in the comments or fire us an email today to get some "Fresh Ideas & Firepower" for your next campaign!  Let’s talk ⤵️ 📩 : hello@sharperb2b.com #ChannelMarketing #SharperB2BMarketing #ChannelMarketingChamps #Channel #B2B #Marketing #B2BAgency

“Why are we spending all this money just to prove we're doing a shit job?” That was the line that stopped Russ Powell in his tracks on a recent call with a prospective client. They were talking about campaign performance, analytics, attribution [the usual suspects]. But their frustration was very real. They’d made huge investments. In tools. In platforms. In pulling together dashboards, reports, and heatmaps. But all it was doing was confirming what they already suspected: the activity wasn’t landing. Not because the tech was wrong. But because the thinking was off. 💡 No real research. 🎯 No data-led strategy. 🧭 No true understanding of the audience or market. They were trying to measure their way out of a gut-feel problem. And we get it! It’s tempting to skip the slower, more foundational stuff. But if your marketing is built on assumptions, even the most advanced tools will only tell you what you already know: that it’s not working. At Sharper, we believe marketing success doesn’t start at the reporting stage. It starts with data. With insight. With the sharpest possible understanding of your market. Because that’s what makes everything else work harder, including your creative. (Data + Strategy) x Creativity = Sharper B2B Marketing. And hey, if this hits a bit close to home, maybe it’s time to stop proving what’s not working and start investing in what will. 📊 FYI: Our Advanced Data Analytics offer is live. Let’s talk about what it could unlock for you. 😎 📩: hello@sharperb2b.com  #B2BMarketing #MarketingStrategy #DataDriven #DemandGeneration #SharperThinking #Attribution #MarketingEffectiveness #ChannelMarketing #SharperB2BMarketing #ChannelMarketingChamps #Channel  #B2BAgency

“The channel is changing and if you’re still treating it like it’s 2015, you’re already behind.” That was one of the big takeaways from our latest Channel Marketing Champs  episode with Heather K. Margolis the Channel Maven herself. Heather’s been on both sides of the fence (and built the fence for good measure): enterprise channel marketing, running her own consultancy, and even heading up marketing inside a channel-focused tech company. She’s seen it all, and she didn’t hold back. Here are just a few gems from the conversation: 🔹 Programs are flattening. Forget rigid tier systems. One base tier + incremental incentives based on partner actions is the way forward. 🔹 Partners don’t just need “stuff”. Campaigns-in-a-box are out. Enablement, activation, education (and sometimes just money for digital ads) are in. 🔹 Channel ≠ direct marketing. If you’re a CMO or senior marketer new to the channel, you cannot simply apply your direct playbook. Partners need a different approach, different content, and a lot more support. 🔹 Measure what you can actually influence. Traffic, followers, inbound leads — not just closed deals. 🔹 Build 360° relationships. Not just with partners and vendors, but with other marketers in the ecosystem. Oh, and a bonus tip from Heather: if you want to see the channel’s future, look at what B2C and direct B2B marketers are doing today. We’re typically 3–5 years behind, so get ahead of the curve before the curve flattens you. 🎧 Catch the full episode for the real talk, the Old MacDonald jokes (AEO anyone?), and a crash course in surviving, and thriving, in today’s channel. 🔗 Link in the comments ⤵️ #ChannelMarketing #SharperB2BMarketing #ChannelMarketingChamps #Channel #B2B #Marketing #B2BAgency

We'd like to formally introduce you to your new best mate for getting loads of free stuff and doing very little in the process - "The Sharpener".  Our brand-new referral scheme from Sharper B2B. Refer the right people to us and you don’t just help them sharpen their marketing, you can sharpen your own rep too when we smash their next campaign out of the park! 😎 How it works: 1. Refer a Head of Marketing, Channel Marketing Manager, CMO (or similar) at a B2B tech company that isn’t already on our radar or someone you know in your org who could benefit from some Sharper magic!  2. Make yourself look and feel great(er than you already do) to your contacts.  3. Reap tiered rewards, no strings attached! 👍 What’s in it for you? 1️⃣ Level 1 – The Intro Instant access to "The Sharpener Community", invites to exclusive events, early access to podcast episodes and thought leadership, plus a Sharper-branded Sharpener or two.  2️⃣ Level 2 – Qualifying Referral When your intro sparks a call that identifies an opportunity, you choose: a charity donation in your name, a premium food hamper, a year subscription to "MasterClass", or a free 1-hour Marketing Surgery session with the Sharper B2B team.  3️⃣ Level 3 – Closed Conversion Once the opportunity becomes real, you get elevated rewards—A FREE "Dark Mode Day" session, Michelin-star lunch for two, tickets to an industry event of your choice, an experience day, or even a team away day including travel and hospitality box at a sport/music event of your choice!  No cost. All value. You’re giving your network access to Fearlessly Creative Campaigns, Clever Strategic Thinking, and Deeper Intel & Insights, and YOU get the bragging rights (and perks) with very little effort. Win & Win!  If you’re client-side, agency-side, consultant, or a tech vendor and you know senior marketeers in B2B tech, that’s exactly who should be part of this scheme. 👉 Know someone who could benefit from some "Fresh Ideas & Firepower"? Let’s talk: Drop us a DM or start your referral here: 📩: hello@sharperb2b.com  [Link in comments] #ChannelMarketing #SharperB2BMarketing #ChannelMarketingChamps #Channel #B2B #Marketing #B2BAgency

We love to recognise how hard the "Sharperinos" work, so we've got some spanking new and uber fancy [plus extremely weighty] monthly awards to dish out! Bragging rights 100% on the line and everyone wants to win! If the team are as competitive over this as they are how many steps they log every week it'll be a blood bath! 😂 Every month, we'll gather round the virtual watercooler [or on our sofas as it's way more comfy] to crown the cream of the crop, the best of the bunch, the… Sharperino of the Month 🏆 But wait one minute .... that's not all! In true Sharper B2B fashion, we also let the team decide who deserves the “Sharperino’s Sharperino” award! Basically, the one who’s smashed it so hard, their fellow Sharperinos had no choice but to stand up and applaud 👏 These aren’t just vanity titles. They’re a way of saying: We see you. We appreciate you. We "f****** love you" as a great man once said [Russ Powell circa 2022] And we’d 100% trust you to pick the office playlist. At Sharper B2B Marketing, we believe great work deserves recognition, and a healthy dose of internal bragging rights 😎 Here’s to our soon to be crowned office legends! We're excited to see who wins the first one! 🥂 #ChannelMarketing #SharperB2BMarketing #ChannelMarketingChamps #Channel #B2B #Marketing #B2BAgency #TeamSharper #EmployeeRecognition #WorkHardPlayWitty #B2BMarketing