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🛠️ Top 15 podcasts according to 11,000 CMOs

Plus: The rise of free SaaS tools as lead magnets

January 15, 2025

Hello world

Hey there!

The AskCMO team spent the week digging up the best B2B marketing tools and trends so you don’t have to.

And the best part? You can catch up on all of it in the next 3 minutes.

In today’s Tools & Trends roundup:

  • An AI tool that suggests the best leads to follow up

  • Top 15 podcasts according to 11,000 CMOs

  • 10 marketing predictions for a new era of productivity

  • Notion’s quirky LinkedIn takeover

  • How to use generative AI for personalized B2B outreach

  • 10 ways to write hooks (hint: share this with your copywriters)

  • The rise of free SaaS tools as lead magnets

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tools and resources

Folk CRM’s latest update introduced an AI-driven follow-up feature that helps teams stay on top of their pipeline.

🗝️ The key takeaways:

  • AI follow-ups: Based on your past conversations, the tool highlights the best leads to re-engage, ensuring you focus on the right opportunities.

  • Effortless lead capture: Import enriched lead details in seconds using the folkX Chrome extension.

  • Integrated insights: Combine data from emails, calendars, and 6,000+ tools for a complete view of your prospects.

folk CRM

Top 15 podcasts according to 11,000 CMOs

Top Podcasts
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News and Trends

Marketing in 2025 is all about balancing big opportunities with tighter resources. With global ad spend crossing $1 trillion, marketers need to adapt to efficiency-driven strategies while navigating regulatory changes and new technologies.

🗝️ The key takeaways:

  • Generative AI gets practical: AI adoption will focus on subtle, productivity-enhancing roles rather than flashy campaigns.

  • CMOs under pressure: The role is expanding to include driving productivity, proving ROI, and tackling complex data challenges.

  • Regulation challenges: Privacy laws and first-party data will remain critical focus areas for marketers.

Notion ran a bold avatar campaign this week on LinkedIn featuring 50 influencers. Whether you loved the avatars or found them cringey, you can’t deny they got people talking.

🗝️ The key takeaways:

  • Massive reach: Partnering with 50 influencers, Notion strategically launched their campaign to create a buzz, focusing on fun and community.

  • Brand-first approach: Unlike traditional campaigns, this one wasn’t about sales... it was all about making people like the Notion brand.

Notion Faces

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Strategies

Building trust in B2B marketing takes time, but generative AI can fast-track that process. From personalized outreach to real-time campaign management, AI is helping marketers connect with prospects in ways you wouldn’t expect.

🗝️ The key takeaways:

  • Scale smarter: AI refines contact lists with enriched details, tailoring outreach to each prospect's needs.

  • Omnichannel made easy: Effortlessly coordinate email, LinkedIn, and social media campaigns for a seamless prospect journey.

  • Personalization at scale: Craft custom messages that feel handwritten... without the time drain.

Whether you’re writing ads, social posts, emails, or even pitch decks, a strong hook is probably the most important thing you need to get right. This guide gives you 10 proven ways to craft hooks that your audience won’t be able to ignore.

🗝️ The key takeaways:

  • Challenge norms: Flip the script with counter-narratives, like “People don’t have short attention spans.”

  • Make it personal: Call out who your content is for and make them feel like it’s just for them.

  • Play with surprise: Share unexpected facts or stats that make people stop scrolling.

E-books are out, free SaaS tools are in. Savvy B2B marketers are leveraging free, simple software to grab attention, improve SEO, and convert leads. This guide shows you how you can do it too.

🗝️ The key takeaways:

  • What’s a free tool? Think of it like a free sample but in software form. Companies like Wix offer QR code generators to lure in customers for paid services.

  • Go after keywords: Use tools like Ahrefs to find keywords with low difficulty and high search volume. For example, "meme PNG" had 4,000 searches/month with zero competition!

  • Keep it simple: One-feature tools like Beehiiv’s LTV calculator or HubSpot’s AI search grader generate results without being overly complex.

Wix lead magnet
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That’s it for this week,

Speak soon,

The Ask CMO team

P.S. Do you (or someone you know) want to be interviewed for AskCMO? We’re looking for 2025 guests now. If you’re a CMO or senior-level marketer in B2B, please fill out this form and we’ll be in touch.

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