B2B Marketing Examples from Top SaaS Brands

Most marketing campaigns blend in. They’re not awful, but they’re not exceptional. 

But standout examples do exist, and there’s a lot to learn from them. 

This article looks at six recent B2B marketing campaigns that bring together a powerful mix of creativity, value, and customer understanding. 

What Makes a B2B Marketing Campaign Successful?

While there’s no distinguishing feature that makes a marketing campaign “successful,” the best examples tend to share some important commonalities: a focus on outcomes, a unifying narrative, and (often) personalization.

Lead with the Outcomes

You’ll see that most of the successful campaign examples outlined later don’t even talk about the product itself. Quite often, they lead with real stories of people or teams who succeeded.

To do this well, you need a deep understanding of your ideal customer profile (ICP). Not just their pain points, but their aspirations. Your campaign should feel like it could be their own story.

Multiple Touchpoints, One Narrative

A strong story works across channels. You should aim to share it on email, LinkedIn, and social, then repurpose it in blog posts, case studies, and social updates to reinforce the message.

The same applies when combining inbound and outbound lead generation efforts. A prospect might first come across your story through inbound channels and then receive targeted outbound outreach, or the other way around. To build recognition and positive perception, each touch should stay consistent—across channels, people, and even teams.

Automation, But Make It Feel Personal

Automation touches every part of marketing—it’s nothing new. But automation that feels personal? That’s rare.

What sets great campaigns apart is that they feel relatable and relevant, almost as if the brand truly knows you. Luckily, today’s tech makes this really easy to achieve.

AI platforms like Artisan let you deliver hyper-personalized messages at scale, without manually tracking each lead or writing every email. Artisan’s AI-powered agent, Ava, pulls recent events about your prospects from the web and creates emails that speak directly to each person. 

6 B2B Marketing Examples (And What You Can Steal From Each)

Here are six B2B campaigns that worked, with a full analysis of what made them work. As you’ll  see, there’s no single copy-and-paste template, but all the examples share some important commonalities. 

1. Ahrefs: “How Do You Pronounce Ahrefs?”

This example is a brilliant blend of social listening, brand presence, and user-generated content.

Ahrefs is one of the most popular SEO tools. At one point, B2B marketer (and likely Ahrefs user) Alexis Trammell started a LinkedIn discussion about how to pronounce “Ahrefs.” The post took off, generating hundreds of likes and replies.

A few months later, Ahrefs released a UGC-style video featuring marketers from around the world pronouncing the name in different ways. It’s hard to say for sure, but it’s possible Alexis’s post inspired the idea. 

Either way, the video performed well—almost doubling the engagement of the original post.

Why it works: 

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  Social listening helps the team see what people are interested in and build on it.

  
  
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  The UGC component is naturally more engaging than a fully branded video.

  
  
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  Existing brand recognition makes it all possible.

  
  

2. Slack: Humor in B2B Video Ads

People hate ads!

Nuh-uh, people hate boring ads. In B2B, there’s still this idea that marketing has to be serious because you’re selling to “serious” professionals. 

Slack has proven that’s nonsense.

Their “So Yeah, We Tried Slack” video told a documentary-style story of a company adopting Slack as their communication platform. If you’ve watched The Office, you’ll recognize the vibe right away. If you haven’t, it’s still hilarious and easy to follow.

The video aggregated almost 5M views on YouTube, and even though it’s nearly a decade old, it’s still talked about today.

When COVID hit, they followed up with a sequel called “Sandwich Works from Home — in Slack.” And this is where it became more interesting: the campaign turned into a marketing win for the production company as well. 

The company behind both videos—Sandwich—was also a real Slack customer. When lockdowns started, they expected production work to stall. But they saw how relevant Slack had become for remote work. 

They put together a short teaser, using the same characters from the 2014 video in home office settings, and sent it directly to Slack’s CEO. He approved it, and within days the team worked out a way to shoot the entire commercial from home, using their own gear and working around family life.

The result was both an ad for Slack and a showcase for Sandwich’s new “home-shoot” production method, which they later used for other clients during the pandemic.

Why it works:

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  It’s a story, not an ad.

  
  
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  Slack uses humor to make it memorable.

  
  
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  It’s relevant to what real Slack users are facing.

  
  
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  Bonus takeaway from the sequel ad: Fast pivots and the right partnerships can go a long way.

  
  

3. Olivia Brown: Release Backed by Personal Brand

Now, let’s talk real numbers beyond social media engagement.

Olivia Brown is an AI PR agent created by Fery Kaszony, a digital PR expert. Fery is well-known on LinkedIn—he posts real PR case studies and pushes the idea that PR doesn’t have to cost thousands if you know what you’re doing.

And he’s not just talking. Fery has said that when he launched Olivia Brown, the platform got 50 paying users in 3 weeks. To achieve this, he was consistently posting value-packed LinkedIn posts about the product and the problems it solves.

It’s living proof you don’t need the budget of Ahrefs or Slack to run a strong campaign. You need trust and credibility, which may be harder to earn than money—but that’s a whole different story.

Why it works: 

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  Fery has built an audience that trusts him.

  
  
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  His content is useful on its own, not just salesy.

  
  
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  He ties the product launch to his own expertise and track record.

  
  

4. HubSpot – Inbound Content Machine

HubSpot has turned content into one of the biggest inbound engines in B2B SaaS. Their mix of SEO-driven blog posts, free tools, and HubSpot Academy courses maps cleanly to every stage of the funnel—bringing in millions of organic visitors each month.

I asked HubSpot’s Director of Marketing, Kyle Denhoff, how they’ve kept their content playbook relevant after so many years. His answer was simple: they know their audience. “We don’t start with channels, formats, or tactics. We start by asking, ‘Where are our customers actually spending their time?’”

To figure that out, his team leans on market research—everything from public data (Statista, Nielsen, eMarketer) to paid tools like Ahrefs and SparkToro, plus customer surveys and interviews. 

“When you pull that research together, the patterns start to emerge. Maybe your audience is hooked on industry newsletters. Maybe they binge podcasts daily. Once you know that, you can start to map your channel and content strategy.”

That’s how HubSpot has scaled an inbound engine that still pulls in leads today. But what about smaller teams who can’t replicate HubSpot’s scale? 

Here’s Kyle’s advice:

Kyle mentioned a friend in Buffalo running exactly that model with a weekly video podcast, spun into blogs, social posts, and a newsletter.  “The result? A small team running an industry media product that people actually subscribe to and look forward to.”

Why it works: 

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  HubSpot has built their strategy based on ongoing audience research.

  
  
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  By packaging content like a media product, they’ve built an audience that actively looks forward to engaging with it.

  
  
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  The playbook scales—a three-person team can run a lean version of the same inbound engine.

  
  

Automate your outbound with an AI BDR

Meet Ava—your AI BDR who handles prospecting, outreach, and follow-ups, so your team can focus on closing.

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5. Mailchimp:  Branded Content Series

Mailchimp went beyond traditional, product-led marketing with “Mailchimp Presents”—a series of podcasts and videos featuring artists like Björk. 

In a 9-episode podcast with Björk, you don’t see Mailchimp lead with features or sales pitches. You see storytelling about how the artist creates her albums, the textures and timbres of her music, and the emotional landscapes behind her work.

What an email marketing platform gets from this kind of campaign is a positive association. They didn’t give a case study of how Björk set up an email sequence to promote her new album, yet they managed to position themselves as a brand that inspires and supports creative professionals.

Why it works:

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  Focuses on true storytelling, no brand mentions whatsoever.

  
  
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  The use of high-profile creative partnerships sparks interest.

  
  
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  The campaign drives long-term engagement and positive brand perception versus immediate conversions.

  
  

6. Loom:  ABM with Personalized LinkedIn Ads

The preceding examples are primarily brand-building and demand generation campaigns. For marketing that connects immediately to pipeline results, the next one’s a good source of inspo.

Loom, the well-known video messaging tool, ran account-based marketing (ABM) campaigns targeted at a shortlist of high-value accounts.

Each LinkedIn ad dynamically swapped in the target company’s logo and adjusted the copy to match. That small detail was enough to catch attention and make the ads feel like they were made just for that audience.

CTRs landed between 2% and 3.5%—well above average for B2B ads—and CPC stayed in the $4–$10 range. And more importantly, the clicks were from the right people inside the right companies.

Why it works:

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  Personalization, even something as simple as a logo swap, made the ads stand out.

  
  
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  Messaging stayed consistent from ad to landing page

  
  
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  Loom shows how outbound ads, when done thoughtfully, can feel like a personalized pitch.

  
  

7. (Bonus) Chain of Events: Ava by Artisan

Chain of Events, the team behind the RAISE conference, needed to scale outreach to sponsors and speakers without hiring a full SDR team. Their old setup with Apollo and HubSpot meant hours of manual LinkedIn research and cleanup—not scalable at all.

With Artisan’s AI BDR Ava, they achieved the following:

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  Automated outreach end-to-end.

  
  
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  Replaced the workload of 5 SDRs

  
  
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  Cut manual LinkedIn work entirely

  
  
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  Sourced $700K+ ARR in 6 months

  
  

That’s a 20× ROI on their $28K investment. Now, instead of managing five SDRs, one team member spends a few hours a week refining personas and campaigns.

Why it worked:

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  Instead of connecting the dots across several tools, the team adopted an effective, centralized solution.

  
  
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  They focused on quality over sheer volume of outreach.

  
  
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  Automation freed time to refine personas and targeting.

  
  

How to Apply These Strategies to Your Marketing Team

Looking at Ahrefs, Slack, or Loom is inspiring—but what does that mean for your team tomorrow morning? 

Here’s how to actually put these plays into practice.

Audit Your Current Marketing Funnel

Look at where deals are slowing down or falling apart. Is your reply rate too low? Are leads engaging but never converting? Or maybe opportunities take forever to move through the pipeline.

Your analytics and CRM data already hold the answers—just dig in. Pinpoint the weaknesses first, then decide which of the strategies already described could help address them.

Here’s how to “fix” your funnel: 

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  If your brand feels invisible in a crowded space, borrow from Ahrefs or Slack—lean on storytelling or humor to cut through.

  
  
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  If leads open your emails but don’t respond, learn from Loom and experiment with small-scale personalization that makes your outreach feel built for them.

  
  
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  If you’re struggling to build a strong community around your brand, Mailchimp’s approach shows how to connect with your target audience.

  
  
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  And if resources are thin, look at Fery Kaszony’s Olivia Brown launch—sometimes, credibility and consistency beat a huge budget.

  
  

Refine Your Buyer Personas and Journey

Before you double down on campaigns or messaging, take a hard look at who you’re actually selling to—and how they move from curiosity to decision.

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  Are your personas still accurate? 

  
  
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  Do they reflect the pain points your leads experience today?

  
  

Use the data you already have: track which types of leads respond best, what content they engage with, and which touchpoints push them forward. Once you know this, you can tailor messaging, content, and outreach so it actually aligns with your buyers’ path.

Also consider building an anti-persona. Write down the traits of people who shouldn’t use your product. It makes the profile of the right customer stand out more clearly.

Embrace Marketing Automation (The Smart Way)

All you need to execute a successful campaign is an understanding of your target audience. Everything else can be supported with automation tools—there’s a solution for nearly every step. 

The following tools help you research your ICP, create assets, execute campaigns, and analyze performance efficiently:

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  Hunch: AI-driven creative automation.

  
  
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  Metadata.io: AI agents for paid campaigns.

  
  
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  Magai: AI-powered content workflows.

  
  
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  Crystal Knows: Personality insights and communication guidance.

  
  
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  HockeyStack: AI analyst offering unified GTM insights in natural language.

  
  
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  Artisan: Complete outbound campaign automation powered by an AI BDR, Ava.

  
  

Track the Right Metrics

SaaS marketing campaigns tend to fall into one of the following two categories:

1. Brand awareness campaigns focus on visibility, awareness, and engagement. 

These campaigns should track:

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  Impressions and reach

  
  
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  Social media engagement (likes, shares, comments)

  
  
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  Website traffic and unique visitors

  
  
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  Newsletter opens or click-throughs

  
  
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  Content consumption (video views, blog reads)

  
  

2. Pipeline-generation campaigns focus on turning prospects into qualified leads and eventually revenue.

These campaigns should track:

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  MQLs (Marketing Qualified Leads)

  
  
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  SQLs (Sales Qualified Leads)

  
  
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  Reply rates to outreach or email campaigns

  
  
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  Conversion rates per funnel stage

  
  
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  Opportunities created

  
  
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  Pipeline influenced and revenue generated

  
  

Also consider tracking these additional metrics for both types of campaigns:

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  Lead source breakdown (which channels deliver the best leads)

  
  
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  Cost per lead or acquisition

  
  
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  Time to convert or sales cycle length

  
  
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  Engagement with assets (downloads, demo requests, content interactions)

  
  
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  Churn or retention impact 

  
  

Always start by defining your campaign goal. Are you aiming to build awareness or generate pipeline? Once you know that, focus on the metrics that directly reflect that goal. 

Monitor your numbers consistently using dashboards and real-time reporting so you can see what’s working and adjust quickly. AI tools like HockeyStack help turn raw data into actionable insights in plain language, making it easier to optimize campaigns as they run.

Why Tools Like Artisan Help You Repeat the Win

No matter what type of campaign you run, the goal is the same: a strong pipeline, whether through brand building or direct sales. To keep that engine running consistently, you need the right system. 

Let’s have a look at how Artisan helps you execute effective campaigns in a fraction of the time it usually takes. 

Built for Multi-Channel Outreach

Artisan lets you connect with your B2B leads across email and LinkedIn without switching between platforms. Even more, you don’t need to manage your multi-channel campaigns yourself—AI BDR Ava handles those.

Ava Is Your AI BDR

At the heart of Artisan is AI-powered BDR Ava. She manages the entire outbound workflow for your team. Ava handles prospecting, enriches lead data automatically, and follows up intelligently. Just provide her with your ICP, and she’s ready to go.

Outbound That Actually Scales

Campaigns that once required multiple apps, spreadsheets, and manual updates now run smoothly in a single environment.

Artisan reduces tool fatigue by centralizing all campaign management in one platform. You get operational simplicity, faster execution, and the ability to personalize at scale. 

You Don’t Need Luck, You Need a Smarter Stack

When a lean team shares a success story, it can look like they’ve hit the jackpot. In an overcrowded market, it might feel like only luck can get you noticed. 

But it’s hardly ever luck—it’s strategy and a solid tech stack. 

With tools like Artisan that handle automation, analytics, and multi-channel outreach, even a small team can punch well above its weight.

Automate your outbound with an AI BDR

Meet Ava—your AI BDR who handles prospecting, outreach, and follow-ups, so your team can focus on closing.

Book a Demo