Episode 74

074 Sam Mallikarjunan - Unblockable Marketing: Real world ads, digital tracking

In our SaaS Fuel™ Expert Series this week, Sam Malikajanon, CEO and co-founder of OneScreen AI, joins Jeff Mains to discuss the benefits and challenges of out-of-home advertising. Startups with limited resources may find traditional advertising channels challenging to optimize.

Sam suggests targeting areas where the big incumbents are not yet sophisticated, and utilizing experiential marketing, which is more effective than focusing solely on ROI. SaaS companies have an advantage when it comes to being creative with their marketing, but the challenge is still innovating in a crowded market. Sam emphasizes the importance of having people around us to help us grow and learn, and that being around smarter, more talented people can make us better.

Don't miss out on this insightful episode of SaaS Fuel!

Key Takeaways

[00:07:52] The internet is crowded and highly optimized.

[00:10:36] Using data to reach target consumers in the real world, and continually improving marketing campaigns through analytics.

[00:13:06] Traditional marketing methods have been exhausted, thus context and creativity are now essential.

[00:17:00] Out-of-home advertising is a cost-effective way to align with financial objectives and reach audiences in a fun, creative way.

[00:19:41] Traditional ad mediums are dying out, but out-of-home advertising is still growing. Marketers need to find new channels of growth and create experiences for customers.

[00:24:40] The challenge of marketing a category that people think they already know about, and the difficulty of getting them to see it as a meaningful marketing medium.

[00:31:38] Out-of-home advertising has creative potential and small businesses benefit from owning most of the inventory. The next frontier is people controlling how their data is used to monetize and have an impact on the real world.

[00:40:05] Ads aren't bad, it's the way they're inserted into consumer consideration that's problematic. Creating a unique and memorable media experience is more effective than cold calling or spamming. Billboards and content marketing can make people go "wow."

[00:47:07] SaaS companies have an advantage because they can afford to be creative and take risks due to the elasticity in their acquisition costs.

Tweetable Quotes

Monetizing Offline Advertising: "I think there's a brilliant concept, and you're right."

— Jeff Mains 00:07:28

The Future of Advertising: "But if you do what everyone else does. You'll get what everyone else gets. Our job is to be exploring new mediums, the internet." — Sam Mallikarjunan 00:07:52

"How physical advertising is becoming more effective: 'I think you've solved the problem then of kind of the big two hesitations for thinking about physical advertising is it's going to be for the masses we can't really target? And you've solved that. And the other is attribution how do we know if it worked?'" — Jeff Mains 00:10:17

Innovative Marketing Strategies: "Being able to have the context of what you're seeing and when you're seeing it be part of the brand experience." — Sam Mallikarjunan 00:13:06

Creating Memorable Marketing: "And I think as marketers that's what we want is people to say, what's the story?" — Jeff Mains 00:16:210

Marketing Strategies: "It's easy to make things powerful. It's hard to make powerful things easy to use." — Sam Mallikarjunan 00:22:19

The Challenge of Overcoming Existing Bias in Marketing: "Even people like me have an existing bias about a category which is harder to overcome than something that's new." — Sam Mallikarjunan 00:24:40

"Maximizing ROI with Out of Home Advertising": "Is there a specific objective that works better for out-of-home advertising, as you mentioned, like the app download or podcast download versus some of the others, brand awareness? What's the best use of it?" - — Jeff Mains 00:27:00

SaaS Leadership Lessons

1. Be creative - When you have limited resources, it can be challenging to reach your target audience through traditional channels. To succeed, you need to be creative and find ways to stand out from the competition.

2. Be a category creator - Creating a new category can be challenging, but it's often the best way to differentiate yourself from the established competition. Make sure you're not just selling a product but creating a meaningful advertising opportunity for your target audience.

3. Focus on ROI - It's important to keep your eye on the bottom line and make sure that your marketing efforts are generating a positive return on investment. Experiment with different strategies to find the most effective channels for reaching your target audience.

4. Build a strong team - As a SaaS leader, surround yourself with people who challenge traditional best practices and think differently. It's also essential to have individuals who can help you develop your emotional intelligence and support your growth.

5. Take risks - To make a significant impact in the SaaS industry, you need to be willing to take risks. Sometimes, the most effective marketing strategies are those that are outside of traditional channels, so be open to new ideas and approaches.

6. Constantly improve - Performance marketing is all about improvement, so make sure that you're constantly analyzing your campaigns and making adjustments as needed. Set goals and work to achieve a chart that moves up and to the right.

Guest Resources

Sam’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallikarjunan/

Sam’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mallikarjunan

OneScreen Website: https://www.onescreen.ai/

OneScreen’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OneScreenAI

OneScreen’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/onescreen-ai/

OneScreen’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/onescreenai

OneScreen’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onescreen.ai/

Resources Mentioned

OneScreen Website: https://www.onescreen.ai/

Episode Sponsor

Today’s episode is sponsored by Champion Leadership Group, the ultimate resource for SaaS founders and C-suite executives to accelerate capital efficient growth. Unlock your business's potential by leveraging our time-tested SaaS growth toolkit, blueprints, and frameworks designed to help you scale ARR from 7 to 8 and 9 figures. Collaborate with an elite network of SaaS visionaries, celebrate wins, and overcome setbacks together. Prioritize strategic decisions to create profitable growth, premium valuation, and freedom. Elevate your SaaS trajectory with Champion Leadership Group. Learn more at https://championleadership.com/

Small Fish, Big Pond – https://smallfishbigpond.com/ Use the promo code ‘SaaSFuel’

Champion Leadership Group – https://championleadership.com/