[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":703},["ShallowReactive",2],{"site-settings":3,"insight-b2b-marketing-funnel-focus-early-stage":33},{"name":4,"created_at":5,"published_at":6,"updated_at":7,"id":8,"uuid":9,"content":10,"slug":24,"full_slug":24,"sort_by_date":25,"position":26,"tag_list":27,"is_startpage":18,"parent_id":28,"meta_data":25,"group_id":29,"first_published_at":30,"release_id":25,"lang":31,"path":25,"alternates":32,"default_full_slug":25,"translated_slugs":25},"Site Settings","2026-08-11T23:57:11.458Z","2026-09-03T23:47:20.114Z","2026-09-03T23:47:20.123Z",208089216888663,"a39b65e3-46fd-4011-80f2-74ab1466afff",{"_uid":11,"favicon":12,"component":19,"hubspot_portal_id":20,"zoominfo_websights_site_id":21,"google_analytics_measurement_id":22,"google_tag_manager_container_id":23},"7827dd1b-cc4e-47d1-96ce-e047a4eb6cf7",{"id":13,"alt":14,"name":14,"focus":14,"title":14,"source":14,"filename":15,"copyright":14,"fieldtype":16,"meta_data":17,"is_external_url":18},208677301879514,"","https:\u002F\u002Fa.storyblok.com\u002Ff\u002F293813301494376\u002F180x180\u002F5008d266be\u002Fsticky_note_favicon.svg","asset",{},false,"site_settings","243307040","35e58408c41712102760","G-KBXJEWDEHG","GTM-W72X9QJR","site-settings",null,-20,[],0,"c029b672-c701-468e-90b6-3e6212c1d64b","2026-08-11T23:57:11.498Z","default",[],{"name":34,"created_at":35,"published_at":36,"updated_at":37,"id":38,"uuid":39,"content":40,"slug":694,"full_slug":695,"sort_by_date":25,"position":696,"tag_list":697,"is_startpage":18,"parent_id":699,"meta_data":25,"group_id":700,"first_published_at":701,"release_id":25,"lang":31,"path":25,"alternates":702,"default_full_slug":25,"translated_slugs":25},"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":41,"body":42,"title":34,"excerpt":685,"category":686,"og_image":687,"component":691,"seo_title":692,"published_date":693,"seo_description":685},"3b888663-5ee8-4bab-9aa6-9b2104e0a791",{"type":43,"attrs":44,"content":45},"doc",{"backgroundColor":25},[46,57,64,69,74,79,84,111,116,122,144,169,186,232,237,242,247,252,257,262,267,272,321,326,363,368,373,378,383,388,393,398,435,440,445,452,475,482,528,533,544,549,554,577,582,598,603,619,624,635,640,645,650,680],{"type":47,"attrs":48,"content":49},"paragraph",{"textAlign":25},[50,53,55],{"text":51,"type":52},"Most founders think their marketing problem is \"we need more leads.\"","text",{"type":54},"hard_break",{"text":56,"type":52},"\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":58,"attrs":59,"content":61},"heading",{"level":60,"textAlign":25},2,[62],{"text":63,"type":52},"The Pattern You're Stuck In",{"type":47,"attrs":65,"content":66},{"textAlign":25},[67],{"text":68,"type":52},"You're posting on LinkedIn. Running ads. Redoing your homepage. Building case studies.",{"type":47,"attrs":70,"content":71},{"textAlign":25},[72],{"text":73,"type":52},"All at the same time. With a team of three people.",{"type":47,"attrs":75,"content":76},{"textAlign":25},[77],{"text":78,"type":52},"No wonder nothing's moving.",{"type":58,"attrs":80,"content":81},{"level":60,"textAlign":25},[82],{"text":83,"type":52},"The B2B Marketing Funnel Mistake: Wrong Sequence for Early-Stage",{"type":47,"attrs":85,"content":86},{"textAlign":25},[87,89,96,98,103,105,109],{"text":88,"type":52},"The textbook funnel says: Awareness ",{"text":90,"type":52,"marks":91},"→ ",[92],{"type":93,"attrs":94},"textStyle",{"color":95},"#9E9E9E",{"text":97,"type":52},"Interest ",{"text":99,"type":52,"marks":100},"→",[101],{"type":93,"attrs":102},{"color":95},{"text":104,"type":52}," Consideration ",{"text":99,"type":52,"marks":106},[107],{"type":93,"attrs":108},{"color":95},{"text":110,"type":52}," Evaluation. That works if you're Nike. Or if you have budget, brand recognition, and a marketing team.",{"type":47,"attrs":112,"content":113},{"textAlign":25},[114],{"text":115,"type":52},"But if you're early-stage B2B SaaS? That sequence will burn you out before it builds pipeline.",{"type":58,"attrs":117,"content":119},{"level":118,"textAlign":25},3,[120],{"text":121,"type":52},"What Actually Works for Seed Stage Marketing",{"type":47,"attrs":123,"content":124},{"textAlign":25},[125,126,130,132,136,138,142],{"text":97,"type":52},{"text":90,"type":52,"marks":127},[128],{"type":93,"attrs":129},{"color":95},{"text":131,"type":52},"Awareness ",{"text":90,"type":52,"marks":133},[134],{"type":93,"attrs":135},{"color":95},{"text":137,"type":52},"Consideration ",{"text":90,"type":52,"marks":139},[140],{"type":93,"attrs":141},{"color":95},{"text":143,"type":52},"Evaluation. Why?",{"type":145,"content":146},"bullet_list",[147,155,162],{"type":148,"content":149},"list_item",[150],{"type":47,"attrs":151,"content":152},{"textAlign":25},[153],{"text":154,"type":52},"If no one raises their hand, awareness is hollow.",{"type":148,"content":156},[157],{"type":47,"attrs":158,"content":159},{"textAlign":25},[160],{"text":161,"type":52},"If no one understands you, consideration collapses.",{"type":148,"content":163},[164],{"type":47,"attrs":165,"content":166},{"textAlign":25},[167],{"text":168,"type":52},"If no one has a category anchor, evaluation never happens.",{"type":47,"attrs":170,"content":171},{"textAlign":25},[172,174,184],{"text":173,"type":52},"Let's break it down using ",{"text":175,"type":52,"marks":176},"the marketing funnel stages",[177,182],{"type":178,"attrs":179},"link",{"href":180,"uuid":25,"anchor":25,"target":25,"linktype":181},"https:\u002F\u002Fstickynotestrategy.com\u002Finsights-work\u002Fmarketing-101-buyers-journey-how-marketing-influences","url",{"type":183},"bold",{"text":185,"type":52},":",{"type":145,"content":187},[188,199,210,221],{"type":148,"content":189},[190],{"type":47,"attrs":191,"content":192},{"textAlign":25},[193,197],{"text":194,"type":52,"marks":195},"Interest",[196],{"type":183},{"text":198,"type":52}," = \"I recognize myself in this.\"",{"type":148,"content":200},[201],{"type":47,"attrs":202,"content":203},{"textAlign":25},[204,208],{"text":205,"type":52,"marks":206},"Awareness",[207],{"type":183},{"text":209,"type":52}," = \"I've seen them before.\"",{"type":148,"content":211},[212],{"type":47,"attrs":213,"content":214},{"textAlign":25},[215,219],{"text":216,"type":52,"marks":217},"Consideration",[218],{"type":183},{"text":220,"type":52}," = \"I understand what they are.\"",{"type":148,"content":222},[223],{"type":47,"attrs":224,"content":225},{"textAlign":25},[226,230],{"text":227,"type":52,"marks":228},"Evaluation",[229],{"type":183},{"text":231,"type":52}," = \"Is this the best option for me?\"",{"type":47,"attrs":233,"content":234},{"textAlign":25},[235],{"text":236,"type":52},"Most early-stage founders skip straight to Awareness or Evaluation. Then wonder why pipeline is empty or full of bad-fit leads.",{"type":58,"attrs":238,"content":239},{"level":60,"textAlign":25},[240],{"text":241,"type":52},"The Hand-Raiser Rule",{"type":47,"attrs":243,"content":244},{"textAlign":25},[245],{"text":246,"type":52},"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":47,"attrs":248,"content":249},{"textAlign":25},[250],{"text":251,"type":52},"That's Interest.",{"type":47,"attrs":253,"content":254},{"textAlign":25},[255],{"text":256,"type":52},"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":47,"attrs":258,"content":259},{"textAlign":25},[260],{"text":261,"type":52},"When you nail Interest, everything downstream gets easier.",{"type":58,"attrs":263,"content":264},{"level":60,"textAlign":25},[265],{"text":266,"type":52},"The Diagnostic: Where Should You Focus Your B2B Marketing Funnel?",{"type":47,"attrs":268,"content":269},{"textAlign":25},[270],{"text":271,"type":52},"When prospects get on a call with you, what happens?",{"type":145,"content":273},[274,289,304],{"type":148,"content":275},[276],{"type":47,"attrs":277,"content":278},{"textAlign":25},[279,281,285],{"text":280,"type":52},"They say \"oh, I don't need that\" or \"that's not what I thought you did\"? ",{"text":90,"type":52,"marks":282},[283],{"type":93,"attrs":284},{"color":95},{"text":286,"type":52,"marks":287},"Interest problem",[288],{"type":183},{"type":148,"content":290},[291],{"type":47,"attrs":292,"content":293},{"textAlign":25},[294,296,300],{"text":295,"type":52},"They ghost after the first call? ",{"text":90,"type":52,"marks":297},[298],{"type":93,"attrs":299},{"color":95},{"text":301,"type":52,"marks":302},"Consideration problem",[303],{"type":183},{"type":148,"content":305},[306],{"type":47,"attrs":307,"content":308},{"textAlign":25},[309,311,315,317],{"text":310,"type":52},"They compare you to five other vendors and you lose on price? ",{"text":99,"type":52,"marks":312},[313],{"type":93,"attrs":314},{"color":95},{"text":316,"type":52}," ",{"text":318,"type":52,"marks":319},"Evaluation problem",[320],{"type":183},{"type":47,"attrs":322,"content":323},{"textAlign":25},[324],{"text":325,"type":52},"What does your pipeline look like?",{"type":47,"attrs":327,"content":328},{"textAlign":25},[329,331,335,336,340,341,343,347,348,351,352,353,355,359],{"text":330,"type":52},"Struggling to get any meetings? ",{"text":99,"type":52,"marks":332},[333],{"type":93,"attrs":334},{"color":95},{"text":316,"type":52},{"text":337,"type":52,"marks":338},"Awareness problem",[339],{"type":183},{"type":54},{"text":342,"type":52},"\nMeetings easy to book but go nowhere? ",{"text":99,"type":52,"marks":344},[345],{"type":93,"attrs":346},{"color":95},{"text":316,"type":52},{"text":286,"type":52,"marks":349},[350],{"type":183},{"type":54},{"type":54},{"text":354,"type":52},"Deals stall during evaluation? ",{"text":90,"type":52,"marks":356},[357],{"type":93,"attrs":358},{"color":95},{"text":360,"type":52,"marks":361},"Consideration\u002FEvaluation problem",[362],{"type":183},{"type":47,"attrs":364,"content":365},{"textAlign":25},[366],{"text":367,"type":52},"If you're not sure, default to Interest.",{"type":58,"attrs":369,"content":370},{"level":60,"textAlign":25},[371],{"text":372,"type":52},"Why Interest Is Usually the Right Answer",{"type":47,"attrs":374,"content":375},{"textAlign":25},[376],{"text":377,"type":52},"Awareness won't create pipeline. You're not Nike.",{"type":47,"attrs":379,"content":380},{"textAlign":25},[381],{"text":382,"type":52},"Consideration can't work if people don't understand what you do first.",{"type":47,"attrs":384,"content":385},{"textAlign":25},[386],{"text":387,"type":52},"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":47,"attrs":389,"content":390},{"textAlign":25},[391],{"text":392,"type":52},"Reality: people do know about you. They just don't understand why they should care.",{"type":58,"attrs":394,"content":395},{"level":118,"textAlign":25},[396],{"text":397,"type":52},"What Good Interest Work Looks Like",{"type":145,"content":399},[400,407,414,421,428],{"type":148,"content":401},[402],{"type":47,"attrs":403,"content":404},{"textAlign":25},[405],{"text":406,"type":52},"Prospects self-qualify before they book a call",{"type":148,"content":408},[409],{"type":47,"attrs":410,"content":411},{"textAlign":25},[412],{"text":413,"type":52},"Discovery calls feel like info-gathering, not explaining",{"type":148,"content":415},[416],{"type":47,"attrs":417,"content":418},{"textAlign":25},[419],{"text":420,"type":52},"Direct traffic to your site increases",{"type":148,"content":422},[423],{"type":47,"attrs":424,"content":425},{"textAlign":25},[426],{"text":427,"type":52},"At events, people say \"oh yeah, I've seen you\"",{"type":148,"content":429},[430],{"type":47,"attrs":431,"content":432},{"textAlign":25},[433],{"text":434,"type":52},"Your \"noun\" clicks — people can mentally place you: \"Oh, it's like X for Y\"",{"type":47,"attrs":436,"content":437},{"textAlign":25},[438],{"text":439,"type":52},"Interest doesn't show up in vanity metrics. It shows up in how prospects talk to you.",{"type":58,"attrs":441,"content":442},{"level":60,"textAlign":25},[443],{"text":444,"type":52},"What to Stop, What to Start",{"type":47,"attrs":446,"content":447},{"textAlign":25},[448],{"text":449,"type":52,"marks":450},"Stop:",[451],{"type":183},{"type":145,"content":453},[454,461,468],{"type":148,"content":455},[456],{"type":47,"attrs":457,"content":458},{"textAlign":25},[459],{"text":460,"type":52},"Chasing impressions and reach",{"type":148,"content":462},[463],{"type":47,"attrs":464,"content":465},{"textAlign":25},[466],{"text":467,"type":52},"Launching new channels before you've nailed one",{"type":148,"content":469},[470],{"type":47,"attrs":471,"content":472},{"textAlign":25},[473],{"text":474,"type":52},"Explaining your product in every piece of content",{"type":47,"attrs":476,"content":477},{"textAlign":25},[478],{"text":479,"type":52,"marks":480},"Start:",[481],{"type":183},{"type":145,"content":483},[484,491,507,514],{"type":148,"content":485},[486],{"type":47,"attrs":487,"content":488},{"textAlign":25},[489],{"text":490,"type":52},"POV content — what do you believe? Why does it matter?",{"type":148,"content":492},[493],{"type":47,"attrs":494,"content":495},{"textAlign":25},[496,498,505],{"text":497,"type":52},"Clear category placement (if someone can't describe what you do in one sentence, your Interest stage is broken — ",{"text":499,"type":52,"marks":500},"see this post on defining your ICP",[501,504],{"type":178,"attrs":502},{"href":503,"uuid":25,"anchor":25,"target":25,"linktype":181},"https:\u002F\u002Fstickynotestrategy.com\u002Finsights-work\u002Fstop-selling-to-everyone-why-every-founder-needs-an-icp",{"type":183},{"text":506,"type":52},")",{"type":148,"content":508},[509],{"type":47,"attrs":510,"content":511},{"textAlign":25},[512],{"text":513,"type":52},"Focus on 1–2 channels where your ICP already hangs out",{"type":148,"content":515},[516],{"type":47,"attrs":517,"content":518},{"textAlign":25},[519,526],{"text":520,"type":52,"marks":521},"Message clarity",[522,525],{"type":178,"attrs":523},{"href":524,"uuid":25,"anchor":25,"target":25,"linktype":181},"https:\u002F\u002Fstickynotestrategy.com\u002Finsights-work\u002Fthe-three-pillars-of-early-stage-marketing",{"type":183},{"text":527,"type":52}," before pipeline volume",{"type":58,"attrs":529,"content":530},{"level":60,"textAlign":25},[531],{"text":532,"type":52},"The Forcing Function",{"type":47,"attrs":534,"content":535},{"textAlign":25},[536,538,539,541,542],{"text":537,"type":52},"Your team is stretched. Your budget isn't infinite.",{"type":54},{"text":540,"type":52},"\nEvery dollar and hour you spend on the wrong stage is a dollar and hour you're NOT spending on the right one.",{"type":54},{"text":543,"type":52},"\nYou can't fix this by hiring more people or throwing money at ads. You fix it by choosing your battlefield.",{"type":58,"attrs":545,"content":546},{"level":60,"textAlign":25},[547],{"text":548,"type":52},"Your Next Move",{"type":58,"attrs":550,"content":551},{"level":118,"textAlign":25},[552],{"text":553,"type":52},"If you need to focus on Interest:",{"type":145,"content":555},[556,563,570],{"type":148,"content":557},[558],{"type":47,"attrs":559,"content":560},{"textAlign":25},[561],{"text":562,"type":52},"Audit your last 10 sales calls — what did prospects misunderstand?",{"type":148,"content":564},[565],{"type":47,"attrs":566,"content":567},{"textAlign":25},[568],{"text":569,"type":52},"Rewrite your homepage to answer: What is this? Who is it for? Why now?",{"type":148,"content":571},[572],{"type":47,"attrs":573,"content":574},{"textAlign":25},[575],{"text":576,"type":52},"Pick ONE channel and commit for 90 days",{"type":58,"attrs":578,"content":579},{"level":118,"textAlign":25},[580],{"text":581,"type":52},"If you need to focus on Consideration:",{"type":145,"content":583},[584,591],{"type":148,"content":585},[586],{"type":47,"attrs":587,"content":588},{"textAlign":25},[589],{"text":590,"type":52},"Map your product to your ICP's pain using their language, not yours",{"type":148,"content":592},[593],{"type":47,"attrs":594,"content":595},{"textAlign":25},[596],{"text":597,"type":52},"Make positioning dead simple (revisit your ICP work)",{"type":58,"attrs":599,"content":600},{"level":118,"textAlign":25},[601],{"text":602,"type":52},"If you need to focus on Evaluation:",{"type":145,"content":604},[605,612],{"type":148,"content":606},[607],{"type":47,"attrs":608,"content":609},{"textAlign":25},[610],{"text":611,"type":52},"Build proof: real customer stories, before\u002Fafters, ROI examples",{"type":148,"content":613},[614],{"type":47,"attrs":615,"content":616},{"textAlign":25},[617],{"text":618,"type":52},"Show why you're different and why that matters",{"type":58,"attrs":620,"content":621},{"level":60,"textAlign":25},[622],{"text":623,"type":52},"The Real Unlock",{"type":47,"attrs":625,"content":626},{"textAlign":25},[627,629,630,632,633],{"text":628,"type":52},"The funnel isn't the problem. Doing all of it at once is the problem.",{"type":54},{"text":631,"type":52},"\nYou don't need a late-stage playbook. You need an early-stage one. And for most of you, that starts with Interest.",{"type":54},{"text":634,"type":52},"\nPick your stage. Go deep. Get it working. Then move to the next one.",{"type":58,"attrs":636,"content":637},{"level":60,"textAlign":25},[638],{"text":639,"type":52},"Coming Next: The Minimum Viable Marketing Plan (For Each Stage)",{"type":47,"attrs":641,"content":642},{"textAlign":25},[643],{"text":644,"type":52},"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":47,"attrs":646,"content":647},{"textAlign":25},[648],{"text":649,"type":52},"In the next post, I'll walk you through:",{"type":145,"content":651},[652,659,666,673],{"type":148,"content":653},[654],{"type":47,"attrs":655,"content":656},{"textAlign":25},[657],{"text":658,"type":52},"The 80\u002F20 of each funnel stage — what actually moves the needle",{"type":148,"content":660},[661],{"type":47,"attrs":662,"content":663},{"textAlign":25},[664],{"text":665,"type":52},"Tactical plays you can run without a full marketing team",{"type":148,"content":667},[668],{"type":47,"attrs":669,"content":670},{"textAlign":25},[671],{"text":672,"type":52},"How to know if you need outside help or just need more focus",{"type":148,"content":674},[675],{"type":47,"attrs":676,"content":677},{"textAlign":25},[678],{"text":679,"type":52},"What \"good enough\" looks like at each stage so you know when to move on",{"type":47,"attrs":681,"content":682},{"textAlign":25},[683],{"text":684,"type":52},"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":688,"alt":14,"name":14,"focus":14,"title":14,"source":14,"filename":689,"copyright":14,"fieldtype":16,"meta_data":690,"is_external_url":18},199885697912782,"https:\u002F\u002Fa.storyblok.com\u002Ff\u002F293813301494376\u002F1536x1024\u002F7bdd943b91\u002Fearly-stage-b2b-marketing-interest-hand-raiser.png",{},"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,[698],"Go-to-Market Strategy",198184223050460,"dbd8c8f5-f595-4cac-95c5-2caa8bd04886","2026-07-19T19:37:11.290Z",[],1788480114530]