Brendan Hufford

Director of SEO

Growth Sprints

We Help Take SaaS Companies From $10M to $100M ARR. Using our SaaS Growth Sprint Framework, we help Saas companies increase revenue from Google through short, focused marketing sprints.

Founder

ALL IN (allinhouse.co)

The #1 community for career-focused in house SaaS marketers.

Founder & Community Lead

Growing Up

A weekly SaaS marketing newsletter curing CMO FOMO for current and future marketing leaders.

Navattic

Advisor

SEO for the Rest of Us

Banzai

Strategic Advisor

Copy.ai

Adobe

This diverse group includes top executives, industry experts, major media correspondents, contributing journalists and pioneers in technology.

Adobe Insider

SparkToro

Interim Head of Marketing

The Blueprint Training

Head of Agency Coaching

Exploring how SaaS companies *actually* get customers

Getting results via my 4-part SaaS growth framework is what I do.

Having led and scaled growth teams at two agencies, most of the clients I worked with didn’t want (or need) 6-12 month marketing engagements. I knew there was a better way, so I created this service.

My best clients could be incredibly successful if only they just had a little help guiding them along the path of making sure they had a strong website and were perfectly positioned to rank in Google.

It’s why so many of them double, or even triple leads and MQLs after working together:

📈  +2,750% MQLs for ETL Software company

📈  Launched content marketing campaign that brought in 100k site visitors, 1,000 new backlinks and  $130,000 in monthly traffic value for Cloud Operations software company

📈  Led strategy for a multi-pronged SEO and content marketing campaign for an established software company resulting in +100% website traffic in only 3 months.

Sam Altman just asked for enough money to buy Japan.
He wants...

$7 trillion (more than Japan's GDP).

The biggest financial ask in human history.

And we don't even know... why?

Here's what's breaking my brain:

Kennedy's moon money? Gotta beat the Soviets.

The Manhattan Project? End the war.

Bank bailouts in '08? Prevent collapse.

$7 trillion. For what enemy? What crisis? What future are we building?

"AGI will change everything."

Cool story, bro. Change it how? For who?

And when Altman gets pressed on it in interviews?

He defends it with the arrogance of a Gringotts goblin.

This is me handing my kid 13 bucks for allowance and him holding out his other hand for 7,000.

Stone-faced. Like it’s normal.

Also a 13X multiple (Google is only 6x).

But we're not united around... anything.

Not a mission. Not a villain. Not even a clear promise.

Apple said "1,000 songs in your pocket."

Google said "organize the world's information."

OpenAI says "give us $7 trillion or get left behind."

Venture capital fanfiction.

At this scale, real marketing HAS to do one thing: unite us.

⚡️

PS - What's the Content IP (named problem) for OpenAI?

I genuinely can't think of it without drifting into Theranos/WeWork/FTX territory.

For those of us bad at math (me), 7 trillions would end world hunger for the next 175 years.

So the problem's gotta be bigger than that?

SaaS Marketing - Content, AEO & SEO | Newsletter: How SaaS companies *actually* get customers

Middle school. Elementary. Preschool. 4 kids. 3 schools. 1 dad slowly losing his mind.

7:42am - Drop off oldest at middle school. He forgot his project. Again.

8:20am - Preschool drop-off. Different school. Different side of town. "Dad, you're going the wrong way."

8:46am - Elementary. Third school. Third parking lot. Third sign-in process. I've written the wrong kid's name twice this week.

9:23am - Finally at my desk. Call in 7 minutes. Would've loved more prep time.

Here's what you see on LinkedIn:

Me at conferences. Speaking on stages. "SaaS marketing" in my bio.

48K followers watching me share frameworks and hot takes.

What you don't see:

My wife, Liz, does the above routine 99.999% of the time.

Liz handling the 12:30pm classroom party I didn't even know existed.

Liz managing three different school calendars while I'm "building my brand."

The 47 text messages she sends daily coordinating our chaos while I worry about clients.

Last week at Adobe Max, someone said: "Must be nice having that flexibility."

I laughed.

Because at that exact moment, Liz was simultaneously:

- At a parent-teacher conference
- Coordinating tomorrow's early dismissal  
- Explaining to our 5-year-old why dad's in LA again

Behind every thought leader is someone actually leading the thoughts at home.

I talk about work-life balance.

While my partner actually creates it.

Perspective is a hell of a drug.

Bad news: I don't have a framework for this.

Just a partner who makes my "flexibility" possible.

Who never gets the credit she deserves.

Who somehow makes three schools, four boys, and one chaotic business look manageable.

While I get the LinkedIn likes for talking about it.

⚡️

PS - Liz doesn't have LinkedIn. Probably because she's too busy actually running things while I'm here talking about running things. If you see her, tell her she's the real MVP. She already knows, but still.

I turned down 3 clients last month. Not because I don't need the revenue (I do).

But because they failed my 3-question test.

(note: your entire marketing team should also know the answers to these - make sure they do)

Here's the framework that saves me (and clients) from checkbox marketing doom every single time:

1. Do you know your ICP?

What did they do at work yesterday?

If you can't picture their actual workday, you're guessing at their problems.

2. Do you know their pain?

Can you tell me what keeps them stuck at work at 5pm when they wish they were with their kids?

The problem they can't quite articulate but know is slowly ruining their work

Last week a founder told me their customers need "better ROI."

That's not a pain. That's a checkbox.

The pain? Their CFO just cut their budget by 40% and they're trying to hit the same targets.

See the difference?

3. Are you willing to own one problem?

This is where 90% bail.

"But we solve 17 different problems!"

Cool. So does everyone else.

Content IP isn't about being everything to everyone. It's about being THE solution to one specific problem.

Sendoso owns digital fatigue.

UserEvidence owns the evidence gap.

One problem. Deeply owned.

Honestly, these aren't just client qualification questions.

They're the difference between content that changes businesses and content that just... exists.

Between building actual authority and playing checkbox marketing games.

So before you hire anyone (including me), ask yourself these 3 questions.

Because if you can't answer them clearly, no amount of content strategy will save you.

⚡️

PS - Marketers: Bookmark this. 

Next time someone asks you to "just create more content," run them through these questions first. 

Watch what happens.

Boomers got pensions.
Gen X got stability.
Millennials got gaslit.
Gen Z went, “lol never again.”

We labeled an entire generation "entitled" without asking the one question that matters.

And that question is: Where did that come from?

I worked my butt off, then asked for a job - or a raise.

Their generation asks for the raise upfront.

And we're shocked.

But here's what the boomers missed:

Gen Z watched their parents get laid off from profitable companies.

Not for screwing up. 

Because they only grew +28% that quarter, missing projections by 2%.

Gen Z saw "shareholder value" become the only value.

Gen Z learned loyalty was a one-way street.

Company demands it. Offers none.

The gold watch became a pink slip.

Job security? Never heard of him.

So when they say "pay me first, then I'll show you what I can do"...

They're not entitled.

They're adapting.

To the world we built.

So do I love it?

No. But i can sure empathize with it and realize whose fault it is.

I get being cynical - thinking working hard guarantees nothing and Excel decides your fate.

Corporate execs burned the social contract and wonder why they won't sign the ashes.

So they're playing by the new rules.

And I gotta be honest...

I respect that.

⚡️

PS - I really hope this helps marketing leaders navigating hiring young talent right now.

They aren't entitled.

It's just my job, your job, OUR job... to make sure we attract and retain them better than anybody else.

The debate about SEO vs AEO is missing the point entirely.

For software buyers, Google search starts are UP from 42% to 79% year-over-year.

Meanwhile, AI tool usage sits at 58%.

You know what that math tells me?

People are using both.

Not either/or. Both.

Yet every week I see another "SEO is dead" post or "AI search will kill Google" prediction.

Here's what's actually happening:

Your buyers aren't choosing sides. They're doubling up.

They ask ChatGPT for recommendations.

Then verify on Google.

They Google for options.

Then ask AI for comparisons.

They find you through SEO.

Then ask AI about your competitors.

I use Ahrefs Brand Radar to measure AI discovery and visibility.

It shows you how your brand (and your competitors) appear in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Copilot… right alongside the Google data you already track.

The smart play isn't picking a lane.

It's owning both highways.

YOU HAVE TO OWN BOTH, PEOPLE.

Because while everyone's debating which one wins, your buyers are already using both to make decisions.

And if you're only optimizing for one?

You're invisible to half your market.

The brands winning tomorrow aren't choosing between SEO or AEO.

They're dominating both.

Simple as that.

⚡️

PS - If you haven’t checked how AI already describes your brand, Brand Radar will probably surprise you.

Flexera

VP of Global Growth Marketing

GTMfund

GTMramp Member

Marketing Sidekick

I’m your growth sidekick for B2B companies who need clarity + alignment + results.

Advise and provide B2B marketing strategy and execution support for companies who need demand gen, sales alignment, and scalable GTM.

Founder & Growth Advisor

Pavilion

Member

PathFactory

VP of Marketing & RevOps

HYCU, Inc.

VP, Global Demand Generation

Alyce

Then served as an advisor to Alyce prior to acquisition by Sendoso.

VP of Marketing (Head)

Avid

VP of Marketing & Business Development

Iron Mountain

OPPORTUNITY: Led marketing for target business segments & verticals. Manage a team of 15. 

RESULTS:
⇨ Contributed $60M in marketing generated new logo sales in 2019, overachieving goal by $10M 
⇨ Increased marketing-sourced pipeline to $142M, sourcing 25% of net new sales pipeline
⇨ Increased web traffic 100%+ and 20% sales increases in target markets through radio ads
⇨ Sourced BDR team that generated 2.5K new sales meetings and $18M in net new sales pipeline in 6 months.
⇨ Established growth plans for team, providing clear steps that enabled 5 direct reports to get promoted.

Director of Marketing

OPPORTUNITY: Established marketing function for SMB business unit. Operated entrepreneurially to research target market, lead segmentation, create brand messaging, and activate demand generation with $2.5M budget. Led 1 employee. 

RESULTS:
⇨ Grew net new sales from $3M to $40M
⇨ Provided a personalized SMB customer journey thru a separate SMB microsite with content including "How it Works" videos that later expanded to enterprise use. 
⇨ Launched eCommerce site and secured 250 deals within a 3-month pilot.
⇨ Drove engagement and advocacy through SMB customer community.

Marketing Manager, Small & Medium Business (SMB)

HP Autonomy

OPPORTUNITY: Led demand generation for NA cloud backup solutions. Led 2 consultants. Retained by Iron Mountain Corporate after sale to HP Autonomy.

RESULTS:
⇨ Generated $16M in marketing generated pipeline.
⇨ Achieved $5.2 in marketing generated revenue.

Demand and Content Marketing Manager, Cloud Backup

VP of Marketing @ HYCU | #5to9: Keeping Up With 2 Kiddos

My first job was bussing tables at my dad’s restaurant, where I quickly learned: it’s not just the food that keeps people coming back—it’s the experience.

Now I work in marketing, but the philosophy hasn’t changed:
Create standout experiences that make people care and want to come back for more.

I combine customer feedback, data, and a willingness to try new things (and fail) to craft programs that drive pipeline and boost retention. And I've done this for large & mid-size enterprises and scrappy startups across SaaS, tech, and beyond.

Most recently, I led marketing at PathFactory, where I oversaw the merger of Uberflip—unifying messaging, content, and teams to position the business for its next phase of growth. Before that? I led marketing at HYCU, Alyce, Avid Technology, Iron Mountain, and EMC. I've rebranded companies, built revenue engines, and scaled teams.

I also advise B2B startups and mid-size companies on how to simplify their strategy, find their edge, and develop programs that generate pipeline.

Contact:  lorenco.pete@gmail.com

Pete Lorenco

📣 I'm Hiring: Director of Lifecycle Marketing 📣 

We’re evolving how we think about global campaigns at Flexera —> moving from acquisition-only to a full lifecycle approach that connects with customers well beyond the first touch.

This new role will partner closely with the amazing Courtney Struthers and Customer Experience (CX) Marketing team, along with the broader marketing org, to build creative, data-informed programs that connect key moments across the customer journey.

This could be a great match if you've:
- Led a team and built both acquisition and customer programs
- Driven campaign orchestration across global initiatives, launches, and strategic priorities
- Partnered with Field and Partner Marketing to localize and package programs for regions and partners
- Love pushing for bold, creative ideas that drive results
- Thrive collaborating across teams to turn ideas into impact

At Flexera, we help companies get smarter about their technology spend and risk and there’s never been a more important time for that.

If this sounds like a fun challenge and good fit, let’s connect 👇

https://lnkd.in/e9QZWbTW

VP Growth Marketing @ Flexera || Startup & Enterprise GTM Leader || Also: toy negotiating dad

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