[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":697},["ShallowReactive",2],{"site-settings":3,"insight-b2b-marketing-funnel-focus-early-stage":25},{"name":4,"created_at":5,"published_at":6,"updated_at":7,"id":8,"uuid":9,"content":10,"slug":15,"full_slug":15,"sort_by_date":16,"position":17,"tag_list":18,"is_startpage":19,"parent_id":20,"meta_data":16,"group_id":21,"first_published_at":22,"release_id":16,"lang":23,"path":16,"alternates":24,"default_full_slug":16,"translated_slugs":16},"Site Settings","2026-08-11T23:57:11.458Z","2026-08-12T00:26:37.065Z","2026-08-12T00:26:37.075Z",208089216888663,"a39b65e3-46fd-4011-80f2-74ab1466afff",{"_uid":11,"component":12,"hubspot_portal_id":13,"google_analytics_measurement_id":14},"7827dd1b-cc4e-47d1-96ce-e047a4eb6cf7","site_settings","243307040","G-KBXJEWDEHG","site-settings",null,-20,[],false,0,"c029b672-c701-468e-90b6-3e6212c1d64b","2026-08-11T23:57:11.498Z","default",[],{"name":26,"created_at":27,"published_at":28,"updated_at":29,"id":30,"uuid":31,"content":32,"slug":688,"full_slug":689,"sort_by_date":16,"position":690,"tag_list":691,"is_startpage":19,"parent_id":693,"meta_data":16,"group_id":694,"first_published_at":695,"release_id":16,"lang":23,"path":16,"alternates":696,"default_full_slug":16,"translated_slugs":16},"B2B Marketing Funnel: Where Early-Stage Founders Should Focus First","2026-07-16T22:55:55.661Z","2026-08-11T22:45:36.022Z","2026-08-11T22:45:36.047Z",198872906426797,"a1d4adfb-ffcb-4c01-bb64-d99d27737a35",{"_uid":33,"body":34,"title":26,"excerpt":677,"category":678,"og_image":679,"component":685,"seo_title":686,"published_date":687,"seo_description":677},"3b888663-5ee8-4bab-9aa6-9b2104e0a791",{"type":35,"attrs":36,"content":37},"doc",{"backgroundColor":16},[38,49,56,61,66,71,76,103,108,114,136,161,178,224,229,234,239,244,249,254,259,264,313,318,355,360,365,370,375,380,385,390,427,432,437,444,467,474,520,525,536,541,546,569,574,590,595,611,616,627,632,637,642,672],{"type":39,"attrs":40,"content":41},"paragraph",{"textAlign":16},[42,45,47],{"text":43,"type":44},"Most founders think their marketing problem is \"we need more leads.\"","text",{"type":46},"hard_break",{"text":48,"type":44},"\nBut when you dig in, the real problem is this: you're not bad at marketing. You're just trying to operate a late-stage funnel in an early-stage company.",{"type":50,"attrs":51,"content":53},"heading",{"level":52,"textAlign":16},2,[54],{"text":55,"type":44},"The Pattern You're Stuck In",{"type":39,"attrs":57,"content":58},{"textAlign":16},[59],{"text":60,"type":44},"You're posting on LinkedIn. Running ads. Redoing your homepage. Building case studies.",{"type":39,"attrs":62,"content":63},{"textAlign":16},[64],{"text":65,"type":44},"All at the same time. With a team of three people.",{"type":39,"attrs":67,"content":68},{"textAlign":16},[69],{"text":70,"type":44},"No wonder nothing's moving.",{"type":50,"attrs":72,"content":73},{"level":52,"textAlign":16},[74],{"text":75,"type":44},"The B2B Marketing Funnel Mistake: Wrong Sequence for Early-Stage",{"type":39,"attrs":77,"content":78},{"textAlign":16},[79,81,88,90,95,97,101],{"text":80,"type":44},"The textbook funnel says: Awareness ",{"text":82,"type":44,"marks":83},"→ ",[84],{"type":85,"attrs":86},"textStyle",{"color":87},"#9E9E9E",{"text":89,"type":44},"Interest ",{"text":91,"type":44,"marks":92},"→",[93],{"type":85,"attrs":94},{"color":87},{"text":96,"type":44}," Consideration ",{"text":91,"type":44,"marks":98},[99],{"type":85,"attrs":100},{"color":87},{"text":102,"type":44}," Evaluation. That works if you're Nike. Or if you have budget, brand recognition, and a marketing team.",{"type":39,"attrs":104,"content":105},{"textAlign":16},[106],{"text":107,"type":44},"But if you're early-stage B2B SaaS? That sequence will burn you out before it builds pipeline.",{"type":50,"attrs":109,"content":111},{"level":110,"textAlign":16},3,[112],{"text":113,"type":44},"What Actually Works for Seed Stage Marketing",{"type":39,"attrs":115,"content":116},{"textAlign":16},[117,118,122,124,128,130,134],{"text":89,"type":44},{"text":82,"type":44,"marks":119},[120],{"type":85,"attrs":121},{"color":87},{"text":123,"type":44},"Awareness ",{"text":82,"type":44,"marks":125},[126],{"type":85,"attrs":127},{"color":87},{"text":129,"type":44},"Consideration ",{"text":82,"type":44,"marks":131},[132],{"type":85,"attrs":133},{"color":87},{"text":135,"type":44},"Evaluation. Why?",{"type":137,"content":138},"bullet_list",[139,147,154],{"type":140,"content":141},"list_item",[142],{"type":39,"attrs":143,"content":144},{"textAlign":16},[145],{"text":146,"type":44},"If no one raises their hand, awareness is hollow.",{"type":140,"content":148},[149],{"type":39,"attrs":150,"content":151},{"textAlign":16},[152],{"text":153,"type":44},"If no one understands you, consideration collapses.",{"type":140,"content":155},[156],{"type":39,"attrs":157,"content":158},{"textAlign":16},[159],{"text":160,"type":44},"If no one has a category anchor, evaluation never happens.",{"type":39,"attrs":162,"content":163},{"textAlign":16},[164,166,176],{"text":165,"type":44},"Let's break it down using ",{"text":167,"type":44,"marks":168},"the marketing funnel stages",[169,174],{"type":170,"attrs":171},"link",{"href":172,"uuid":16,"anchor":16,"target":16,"linktype":173},"https:\u002F\u002Fstickynotestrategy.com\u002Finsights-work\u002Fmarketing-101-buyers-journey-how-marketing-influences","url",{"type":175},"bold",{"text":177,"type":44},":",{"type":137,"content":179},[180,191,202,213],{"type":140,"content":181},[182],{"type":39,"attrs":183,"content":184},{"textAlign":16},[185,189],{"text":186,"type":44,"marks":187},"Interest",[188],{"type":175},{"text":190,"type":44}," = \"I recognize myself in this.\"",{"type":140,"content":192},[193],{"type":39,"attrs":194,"content":195},{"textAlign":16},[196,200],{"text":197,"type":44,"marks":198},"Awareness",[199],{"type":175},{"text":201,"type":44}," = \"I've seen them before.\"",{"type":140,"content":203},[204],{"type":39,"attrs":205,"content":206},{"textAlign":16},[207,211],{"text":208,"type":44,"marks":209},"Consideration",[210],{"type":175},{"text":212,"type":44}," = \"I understand what they are.\"",{"type":140,"content":214},[215],{"type":39,"attrs":216,"content":217},{"textAlign":16},[218,222],{"text":219,"type":44,"marks":220},"Evaluation",[221],{"type":175},{"text":223,"type":44}," = \"Is this the best option for me?\"",{"type":39,"attrs":225,"content":226},{"textAlign":16},[227],{"text":228,"type":44},"Most early-stage founders skip straight to Awareness or Evaluation. Then wonder why pipeline is empty or full of bad-fit leads.",{"type":50,"attrs":230,"content":231},{"level":52,"textAlign":16},[232],{"text":233,"type":44},"The Hand-Raiser Rule",{"type":39,"attrs":235,"content":236},{"textAlign":16},[237],{"text":238,"type":44},"Here's the truth: early GTM success is not about filling the top of the funnel. It's about creating enough gravity that the right people lean in.",{"type":39,"attrs":240,"content":241},{"textAlign":16},[242],{"text":243,"type":44},"That's Interest.",{"type":39,"attrs":245,"content":246},{"textAlign":16},[247],{"text":248,"type":44},"Founder POV, category language, problem framing, light education — that's where the real work happens. Interest doesn't feel like traditional marketing. It feels like teaching. Like saying something that makes someone stop and think, Wait. Someone finally gets it.",{"type":39,"attrs":250,"content":251},{"textAlign":16},[252],{"text":253,"type":44},"When you nail Interest, everything downstream gets easier.",{"type":50,"attrs":255,"content":256},{"level":52,"textAlign":16},[257],{"text":258,"type":44},"The Diagnostic: Where Should You Focus Your B2B Marketing Funnel?",{"type":39,"attrs":260,"content":261},{"textAlign":16},[262],{"text":263,"type":44},"When prospects get on a call with you, what happens?",{"type":137,"content":265},[266,281,296],{"type":140,"content":267},[268],{"type":39,"attrs":269,"content":270},{"textAlign":16},[271,273,277],{"text":272,"type":44},"They say \"oh, I don't need that\" or \"that's not what I thought you did\"? ",{"text":82,"type":44,"marks":274},[275],{"type":85,"attrs":276},{"color":87},{"text":278,"type":44,"marks":279},"Interest problem",[280],{"type":175},{"type":140,"content":282},[283],{"type":39,"attrs":284,"content":285},{"textAlign":16},[286,288,292],{"text":287,"type":44},"They ghost after the first call? ",{"text":82,"type":44,"marks":289},[290],{"type":85,"attrs":291},{"color":87},{"text":293,"type":44,"marks":294},"Consideration problem",[295],{"type":175},{"type":140,"content":297},[298],{"type":39,"attrs":299,"content":300},{"textAlign":16},[301,303,307,309],{"text":302,"type":44},"They compare you to five other vendors and you lose on price? ",{"text":91,"type":44,"marks":304},[305],{"type":85,"attrs":306},{"color":87},{"text":308,"type":44}," ",{"text":310,"type":44,"marks":311},"Evaluation problem",[312],{"type":175},{"type":39,"attrs":314,"content":315},{"textAlign":16},[316],{"text":317,"type":44},"What does your pipeline look like?",{"type":39,"attrs":319,"content":320},{"textAlign":16},[321,323,327,328,332,333,335,339,340,343,344,345,347,351],{"text":322,"type":44},"Struggling to get any meetings? ",{"text":91,"type":44,"marks":324},[325],{"type":85,"attrs":326},{"color":87},{"text":308,"type":44},{"text":329,"type":44,"marks":330},"Awareness problem",[331],{"type":175},{"type":46},{"text":334,"type":44},"\nMeetings easy to book but go nowhere? ",{"text":91,"type":44,"marks":336},[337],{"type":85,"attrs":338},{"color":87},{"text":308,"type":44},{"text":278,"type":44,"marks":341},[342],{"type":175},{"type":46},{"type":46},{"text":346,"type":44},"Deals stall during evaluation? ",{"text":82,"type":44,"marks":348},[349],{"type":85,"attrs":350},{"color":87},{"text":352,"type":44,"marks":353},"Consideration\u002FEvaluation problem",[354],{"type":175},{"type":39,"attrs":356,"content":357},{"textAlign":16},[358],{"text":359,"type":44},"If you're not sure, default to Interest.",{"type":50,"attrs":361,"content":362},{"level":52,"textAlign":16},[363],{"text":364,"type":44},"Why Interest Is Usually the Right Answer",{"type":39,"attrs":366,"content":367},{"textAlign":16},[368],{"text":369,"type":44},"Awareness won't create pipeline. You're not Nike.",{"type":39,"attrs":371,"content":372},{"textAlign":16},[373],{"text":374,"type":44},"Consideration can't work if people don't understand what you do first.",{"type":39,"attrs":376,"content":377},{"textAlign":16},[378],{"text":379,"type":44},"Most early-stage founders have an Interest problem disguised as an Awareness problem. They think: \"If more people knew about us, we'd close more deals.\"",{"type":39,"attrs":381,"content":382},{"textAlign":16},[383],{"text":384,"type":44},"Reality: people do know about you. They just don't understand why they should care.",{"type":50,"attrs":386,"content":387},{"level":110,"textAlign":16},[388],{"text":389,"type":44},"What Good Interest Work Looks Like",{"type":137,"content":391},[392,399,406,413,420],{"type":140,"content":393},[394],{"type":39,"attrs":395,"content":396},{"textAlign":16},[397],{"text":398,"type":44},"Prospects self-qualify before they book a call",{"type":140,"content":400},[401],{"type":39,"attrs":402,"content":403},{"textAlign":16},[404],{"text":405,"type":44},"Discovery calls feel like info-gathering, not explaining",{"type":140,"content":407},[408],{"type":39,"attrs":409,"content":410},{"textAlign":16},[411],{"text":412,"type":44},"Direct traffic to your site increases",{"type":140,"content":414},[415],{"type":39,"attrs":416,"content":417},{"textAlign":16},[418],{"text":419,"type":44},"At events, people say \"oh yeah, I've seen you\"",{"type":140,"content":421},[422],{"type":39,"attrs":423,"content":424},{"textAlign":16},[425],{"text":426,"type":44},"Your \"noun\" clicks — people can mentally place you: \"Oh, it's like X for Y\"",{"type":39,"attrs":428,"content":429},{"textAlign":16},[430],{"text":431,"type":44},"Interest doesn't show up in vanity metrics. It shows up in how prospects talk to you.",{"type":50,"attrs":433,"content":434},{"level":52,"textAlign":16},[435],{"text":436,"type":44},"What to Stop, What to Start",{"type":39,"attrs":438,"content":439},{"textAlign":16},[440],{"text":441,"type":44,"marks":442},"Stop:",[443],{"type":175},{"type":137,"content":445},[446,453,460],{"type":140,"content":447},[448],{"type":39,"attrs":449,"content":450},{"textAlign":16},[451],{"text":452,"type":44},"Chasing impressions and reach",{"type":140,"content":454},[455],{"type":39,"attrs":456,"content":457},{"textAlign":16},[458],{"text":459,"type":44},"Launching new channels before you've nailed one",{"type":140,"content":461},[462],{"type":39,"attrs":463,"content":464},{"textAlign":16},[465],{"text":466,"type":44},"Explaining your product in every piece of content",{"type":39,"attrs":468,"content":469},{"textAlign":16},[470],{"text":471,"type":44,"marks":472},"Start:",[473],{"type":175},{"type":137,"content":475},[476,483,499,506],{"type":140,"content":477},[478],{"type":39,"attrs":479,"content":480},{"textAlign":16},[481],{"text":482,"type":44},"POV content — what do you believe? Why does it matter?",{"type":140,"content":484},[485],{"type":39,"attrs":486,"content":487},{"textAlign":16},[488,490,497],{"text":489,"type":44},"Clear category placement (if someone can't describe what you do in one sentence, your Interest stage is broken — ",{"text":491,"type":44,"marks":492},"see this post on defining your ICP",[493,496],{"type":170,"attrs":494},{"href":495,"uuid":16,"anchor":16,"target":16,"linktype":173},"https:\u002F\u002Fstickynotestrategy.com\u002Finsights-work\u002Fstop-selling-to-everyone-why-every-founder-needs-an-icp",{"type":175},{"text":498,"type":44},")",{"type":140,"content":500},[501],{"type":39,"attrs":502,"content":503},{"textAlign":16},[504],{"text":505,"type":44},"Focus on 1–2 channels where your ICP already hangs out",{"type":140,"content":507},[508],{"type":39,"attrs":509,"content":510},{"textAlign":16},[511,518],{"text":512,"type":44,"marks":513},"Message clarity",[514,517],{"type":170,"attrs":515},{"href":516,"uuid":16,"anchor":16,"target":16,"linktype":173},"https:\u002F\u002Fstickynotestrategy.com\u002Finsights-work\u002Fthe-three-pillars-of-early-stage-marketing",{"type":175},{"text":519,"type":44}," before pipeline volume",{"type":50,"attrs":521,"content":522},{"level":52,"textAlign":16},[523],{"text":524,"type":44},"The Forcing Function",{"type":39,"attrs":526,"content":527},{"textAlign":16},[528,530,531,533,534],{"text":529,"type":44},"Your team is stretched. Your budget isn't infinite.",{"type":46},{"text":532,"type":44},"\nEvery dollar and hour you spend on the wrong stage is a dollar and hour you're NOT spending on the right one.",{"type":46},{"text":535,"type":44},"\nYou can't fix this by hiring more people or throwing money at ads. You fix it by choosing your battlefield.",{"type":50,"attrs":537,"content":538},{"level":52,"textAlign":16},[539],{"text":540,"type":44},"Your Next Move",{"type":50,"attrs":542,"content":543},{"level":110,"textAlign":16},[544],{"text":545,"type":44},"If you need to focus on Interest:",{"type":137,"content":547},[548,555,562],{"type":140,"content":549},[550],{"type":39,"attrs":551,"content":552},{"textAlign":16},[553],{"text":554,"type":44},"Audit your last 10 sales calls — what did prospects misunderstand?",{"type":140,"content":556},[557],{"type":39,"attrs":558,"content":559},{"textAlign":16},[560],{"text":561,"type":44},"Rewrite your homepage to answer: What is this? Who is it for? Why now?",{"type":140,"content":563},[564],{"type":39,"attrs":565,"content":566},{"textAlign":16},[567],{"text":568,"type":44},"Pick ONE channel and commit for 90 days",{"type":50,"attrs":570,"content":571},{"level":110,"textAlign":16},[572],{"text":573,"type":44},"If you need to focus on Consideration:",{"type":137,"content":575},[576,583],{"type":140,"content":577},[578],{"type":39,"attrs":579,"content":580},{"textAlign":16},[581],{"text":582,"type":44},"Map your product to your ICP's pain using their language, not yours",{"type":140,"content":584},[585],{"type":39,"attrs":586,"content":587},{"textAlign":16},[588],{"text":589,"type":44},"Make positioning dead simple (revisit your ICP work)",{"type":50,"attrs":591,"content":592},{"level":110,"textAlign":16},[593],{"text":594,"type":44},"If you need to focus on Evaluation:",{"type":137,"content":596},[597,604],{"type":140,"content":598},[599],{"type":39,"attrs":600,"content":601},{"textAlign":16},[602],{"text":603,"type":44},"Build proof: real customer stories, before\u002Fafters, ROI examples",{"type":140,"content":605},[606],{"type":39,"attrs":607,"content":608},{"textAlign":16},[609],{"text":610,"type":44},"Show why you're different and why that matters",{"type":50,"attrs":612,"content":613},{"level":52,"textAlign":16},[614],{"text":615,"type":44},"The Real Unlock",{"type":39,"attrs":617,"content":618},{"textAlign":16},[619,621,622,624,625],{"text":620,"type":44},"The funnel isn't the problem. Doing all of it at once is the problem.",{"type":46},{"text":623,"type":44},"\nYou don't need a late-stage playbook. You need an early-stage one. And for most of you, that starts with Interest.",{"type":46},{"text":626,"type":44},"\nPick your stage. Go deep. Get it working. Then move to the next one.",{"type":50,"attrs":628,"content":629},{"level":52,"textAlign":16},[630],{"text":631,"type":44},"Coming Next: The Minimum Viable Marketing Plan (For Each Stage)",{"type":39,"attrs":633,"content":634},{"textAlign":16},[635],{"text":636,"type":44},"Now that you know which stage to focus on, the next question is: what does \"going deep\" actually look like when you're a three-person team?",{"type":39,"attrs":638,"content":639},{"textAlign":16},[640],{"text":641,"type":44},"In the next post, I'll walk you through:",{"type":137,"content":643},[644,651,658,665],{"type":140,"content":645},[646],{"type":39,"attrs":647,"content":648},{"textAlign":16},[649],{"text":650,"type":44},"The 80\u002F20 of each funnel stage — what actually moves the needle",{"type":140,"content":652},[653],{"type":39,"attrs":654,"content":655},{"textAlign":16},[656],{"text":657,"type":44},"Tactical plays you can run without a full marketing team",{"type":140,"content":659},[660],{"type":39,"attrs":661,"content":662},{"textAlign":16},[663],{"text":664,"type":44},"How to know if you need outside help or just need more focus",{"type":140,"content":666},[667],{"type":39,"attrs":668,"content":669},{"textAlign":16},[670],{"text":671,"type":44},"What \"good enough\" looks like at each stage so you know when to move on",{"type":39,"attrs":673,"content":674},{"textAlign":16},[675],{"text":676,"type":44},"You don't need a perfect funnel. You just need the right one stage firing at the right time.","Most early-stage B2B founders try to fix every marketing funnel stage at once. Here's how to diagnose which stage deserves your attention first—and why Interest usually wins.","Strategy & Positioning",{"id":680,"alt":681,"name":681,"focus":681,"title":681,"source":681,"filename":682,"copyright":681,"fieldtype":683,"meta_data":684,"is_external_url":19},199885697912782,"","https:\u002F\u002Fa.storyblok.com\u002Ff\u002F293813301494376\u002F1536x1024\u002F7bdd943b91\u002Fearly-stage-b2b-marketing-interest-hand-raiser.png","asset",{},"blog_post","B2B Marketing Funnel: Where Early-Stage Founders Should Focus First | Sticky Note Strategy","2026-01-13 00:00","b2b-marketing-funnel-focus-early-stage","blog-posts\u002Fb2b-marketing-funnel-focus-early-stage",-190,[692],"Go-to-Market Strategy",198184223050460,"dbd8c8f5-f595-4cac-95c5-2caa8bd04886","2026-07-19T19:37:11.290Z",[],1786498967905]