Are you actually marketing to your customers? | Episode 117 with Janis Thomas

Are you actually marketing to your customers… or the customers you wish you had? 👀In this episode of Blame It On Marketing, Emma and Ruta are joined by Janis Thomas to talk about one of marketing’s favourite delusions: thinking we know exactly who our customers are.Because apparently our customers are always younger, richer, more sophisticated and far more interested in our product than they actually are. Funny that. We get into:🔥 Why businesses become delusional about their ideal customer📊 How customer research can expose some uncomfortable truths💸 What happens when you chase the sexy customer instead of the profitable one🎯 Why your actual customers might want something completely different from your product roadmap🧠 How our own biases completely screw with customer understanding🔬 The simple research questions that can transform your marketing👀 Why “Is there anything else you'd like to tell us?” might be the most useful question you ask🪄 Where personalisation goes wrong when your customer insight is rubbish🚩 And why sometimes proving an idea DOESN'T work is incredibly valuablePlus, we discover why the number one cancellation reason for one publication was literally death, learn far more than expected about fabric conditioner, and get extremely invested in chickpeas.It's educational. Promise.If you've ever sat in a meeting while someone confidently announces “our ideal customer is enterprise” based on one massive deal they closed three years ago, this episode is for you.👇 Tell us in the comments: what's the biggest assumption you've seen a business make about its customers?And if you enjoy the episode, subscribe to Blame It On Marketing for more marketing confessions, questionable opinions and conversations about the stuff marketers are actually dealing with. We’re Ruta and Emma, the marketing consultants behind Blame it on Marketing. If you’re in B2B SaaS or professional services and looking to do marketing that actually drives revenue and profit, we’re here for it.Visit blameitonmarketing.com and let’s get this show on the road.

What if spending more on marketing is actually making your marketing worse? 😅In this episode of Blame It On Marketing, Emma and Ruta are joined by Steve Armenti, lifelong marketer and founder of twelth agency, to talk about the big B2B trap: more budget, more leads, more outbound, more tools… but somehow worse results.Steve has worked across agency, Google, DigitalOcean and now ABM, so he’s seen the demand gen machine from multiple sides — including the part where everyone realises the MQL spreadsheet looked great, but the leads were absolute rubbish.Marketing confession of the episode: Steve used to fully believe in the volume-based demand gen model: more leads, more MQLs, more scoring, more sales complaints. Then he manually reviewed around 1,000 MQLs and realised most of them were not leads sales should ever call. Career-changing. Ego-humbling.We get into: ✅ Why B2B has become addicted to “more” ✅ The demand gen trap: volume, MQLs and rigged scoring models ✅ Why more leads are not better leads ✅ How AI and outbound automation are making everyone noisier ✅ Why inbound funnels are earned, not simply “built” ✅ The difference between third-party, first-party and manufactured intent data ✅ Why third-party intent platforms might not be the silver bullet marketers were sold ✅ The weird economics of paying to create data… then buying it back ✅ How to think about real intent using your own channels and smarter signals ✅ Why G2 is both unavoidable and deeply annoying ✅ Experiential ABM: what it is, when it works, and why it beats lazy spam ✅ How real-life, personalised experiences can create stronger relationships and better meeting rates ✅ Why the future of marketing is asking better questions, scrutinising more, and refusing to take vendor claims at face valueIf you’re being pushed to buy more leads, pump more outbound, or “just add intent data” to fix pipeline — this episode is your permission slip to pause, ask better questions, and stop feeding the machine.Like, subscribe, and comment with the worst “more leads will fix it” moment you’ve lived through.#B2BMarketing #DemandGen #ABM #MarketingStrategy #IntentData #MarketingOps #RevenueMarketing #AIinMarketing We’re Ruta and Emma, the marketing consultants behind Blame it on Marketing. If you’re in B2B SaaS or professional services and looking to do marketing that actually drives revenue and profit, we’re here for it.Visit blameitonmarketing.com and let’s get this show on the road.

Is creativity really about coming up with beautiful campaigns—or is it simply finding clever ways to solve difficult problems?In this special in-person episode, Emma and Ruta are joined by the team behind Technology for Marketing and eCommerce Expo to explore this year’s theme: Creative Intelligence in Action.We talk about what creativity actually looks like inside a modern marketing team, particularly when budgets are tight, workloads are growing and AI can produce almost anything at the click of a button.Marketing confessions include telling a senior stakeholder that a budget cut felt like “a slap in the face” and repeatedly cloning email campaigns without checking the subject line, sender details or reply-to address. Cue 30,000 emails—and one very unhappy inbox owner.We get into:✅ Why creativity is much broader than design, copy and campaign concepts✅ How problem-solving, communication and data storytelling are creative skills✅ Using AI to brainstorm, sense-check ideas and adapt campaigns across channels✅ The risk of outsourcing your critical thinking and personal judgement to ChatGPT✅ Why audiences are pushing back against AI influencers, artwork and synthetic content✅ How marketers can use AI for learning, admin and the work they genuinely struggle with✅ Efficiency versus effectiveness—and why giving people more tools often just creates more work✅ Why growth requires experimentation, waste and the occasional failed campaign✅ How to test properly instead of changing everything and declaring that marketing “didn’t work”✅ Burnout, boundaries and the importance of having colleagues you can have a proper moan withPlus, we discuss parasocial relationships with creators, senior salespeople misusing the term “demand generation,” and why nobody should leave their dinner getting cold after being told it’s ready.Technology for Marketing and eCommerce Expo take place on 23–24 September 2026. Emma and Ruta will also be there with the Blame It On Marketing confession wall, ready to hear your marketing sins—and validate how much you hate your boss.#MarketingPodcast #CreativeMarketing #AIinMarketing #MarketingLeadership #MarketingBurnout #TechnologyForMarketing We’re Ruta and Emma, the marketing consultants behind Blame it on Marketing. If you’re in B2B SaaS or professional services and looking to do marketing that actually drives revenue and profit, we’re here for it.Visit blameitonmarketing.com and let’s get this show on the road.

Why are we still having to prove that marketing contributes to revenue? 😅 In this episode of Blame It On Marketing, Emma and Ruta are joined by Karen Lloyd, podcast host, recruiter, headhunter and founder of Armstrong Lloyd, to finally give revenue the dedicated airtime it deserves.We talk about why marketing needs to be commercially accountable, how to prove contribution without getting lost in attribution drama, and what happens when sales and marketing stop trusting each other.Marketing confession of the episode: Karen over-scripted an early podcast episode so much that her guest was visibly shaking. They ditched the script, had a real conversation, and it became one of the best-performing episodes. A lesson in letting things breathe.We get into: ✅ Why marketing has to contribute to revenue if it wants a seat at the table ✅ The danger of being seen as the “colouring-in department” ✅ Attribution fights: events vs digital vs sales touchpoints ✅ Why every marketer needs access to the CRM ✅ What to do when you don’t trust the data ✅ Short-term revenue vs long-term revenue: why you need both brand and demand ✅ Why “the sales cycle is three months” usually ignores the whole marketing journey ✅ Sales and marketing politics: what happens when trust breaks down ✅ Why the CEO or founder has to help fix the sales-marketing relationship ✅ The importance of having receipts when you need to challenge bad behaviour ✅ Commercial acumen: why marketers need to understand revenue, pipeline and business impact ✅ AI gossip: why asking Claude to make strategic marketing and hiring decisions is not the flex some founders think it isIf you’ve ever been asked to prove ROI while being blocked from the CRM, or watched sales ring the bell for a deal marketing helped create six months ago, this one’s for you.Like, subscribe, and comment with your biggest “where did the revenue come from?” battle.#B2BMarketing #MarketingStrategy #RevenueMarketing #SalesAndMarketing #MarketingLeadership #CRM #Attribution #MarketingROI

Live recording from the Leadoo Big Conversion Meetup! This episode focuses on the content portion of websites and how that leads to better conversions. We are joined by Joe Rogers, Fractional Head of Content, and Jonny Kenyon Head of Marketing at Jungle IT.

Is your ICP actually an ICP… or is it just “women aged 25 to 45” in a trench coat? 😅 In this episode of Blame It On Marketing, Emma and Ruta are joined by Ada, CMO of the Year in Lithuania and marketing leader at Norcurrent, the biggest Baltic mobile gaming company, to talk about ideal customer profiles and why most companies still get them painfully wrong.We get into what ICPs really are, how gaming uses customer behaviour to understand value, and why B2B marketers need to stop confusing personas, demographics, target audiences and actual profitable customer segments.Marketing confession of the episode: Ada once billed a client £1 million instead of £100,000. A tiny extra zero. A very large panic.We get into: ✅ What an ICP actually is: the customers who bring the most mutual value ✅ ICP vs target audience vs persona — and why mixing them up causes chaos ✅ Why your ICP should not live only in marketing ✅ How gaming uses behaviour, retention and spend to identify “whales” ✅ Why usage data should be part of every B2B SaaS ICP ✅ The big B2B problem: marketing often doesn’t get enough product or adoption data ✅ How to find your ICP: start with revenue, look for patterns, then interview customers ✅ Why “we can sell to everyone” usually means wasted budget ✅ Buyer vs user: why the person who signs the contract isn’t always the person who drives retention ✅ How customer service, product, sales and marketing should all use ICP insights ✅ Why retention data and usage signals can help you spot the customers worth keepingIf your company still thinks an ICP is “anyone with budget,” this one’s for you.Like, subscribe, and comment with the worst ICP you’ve ever been handed.#B2BMarketing #ICP #MarketingStrategy #SaaSMarketing #CustomerResearch #ProductMarketing #MarketingLeadership #AIinMarketing

Going after a new segment sounds sexy… until you actually try to do it. 😅 New vertical, new geography, new buyer, new motion — and suddenly everything breaks: messaging, pricing, onboarding, customer success, and your sanity.In this episode, Emma and Ruta are joined by Anastasia, founder of B2B Practitioners, to talk about when segment expansion is actually smart — and when it’s a fast track to chaos (especially in seed and Series A land).Marketing confession of the episode: Anastasia changed lead scoring in HubSpot and accidentally applied it to older contacts… nuking the MQL and SQL stages. Reversible, but emotionally scarring.We get into: ✅ The first question to ask: why do you want a new segment — and have you actually exhausted the current one? ✅ The 18-month reality test: how likely are you to win this segment in the next year and a half? ✅ ICP validation when you have no customers there yet: 10 to 15 interviews, then patterns and buying triggers ✅ Disqualifying hard: why 60 percent ICP fit should often be a no ✅ Expansion myths: “Let’s just break into the US” and why CAC and competition explode ✅ Partnerships and relationships: the fastest way into a segment (and why cold entry is brutal) ✅ AI positioning: “AI-enabled” is not differentiation — outcomes are ✅ Product vs marketing: how to spot a product-market fit problem (Sean Ellis test, discount dependence, early churn) ✅ Service vs software tension: when customers want the service but investors want SaaS ARR ✅ Operational readiness: what must change across product, pricing, marketing, sales, and CS when you pick a new segment ✅ The vertical-agnostic trap: why “we can sell to everyone” usually means wasted spend and worse retention ✅ Healthy churn: why letting bad-fit customers go can actually strengthen your brand and flywheelIf your team is about to say “Let’s go after a new segment” — play this first. It’ll save you six months of pain.#B2BMarketing #GTM #StartupMarketing #ICP #ProductMarketFit #ABM #MarketingStrategy #RevOps #AIinMarketing We’re Ruta and Emma, the marketing consultants behind Blame it on Marketing. If you’re in B2B SaaS or professional services and looking to do marketing that actually drives revenue and profit, we’re here for it.Visit blameitonmarketing.com and let’s get this show on the road.

B2B influencer marketing is having a moment… but most teams are still treating it like a vibes-based experiment. 😅 In this episode, we take a different angle: B2B influencers as a paid media channel, and what changes when you treat it like a proper media buy.We’re joined by Will and Chris from Moon at Dawn to break down paid, owned, and earned media, where influencers sit across all three, and how to measure impact without pretending a single post is going to “drive pipeline” on its own.Marketing confessions included: Chris dropped an uncomfortable truth bomb to a client at 3pm on a Friday  Will accidentally copied an influencer into a brutal client feedback email thread (nightmare fuel) We get into: ✅ Paid vs owned vs earned, and why influencer sits across all three ✅ Why “pay-to-play” is only the starting point (collaboration beats basic promotion) ✅ The real problem with influencer selection: too much gut feel, not enough data ✅ Moneyball for influencers: choosing creators based on outcomes, not hype ✅ New measurement thinking: “resonance” and depth of impact with hard-to-reach ICPs ✅ How to make influencer work in B2B with paid distribution, not just organic reach ✅ When celebrity speakers work (and when they’re just expensive entertainment) ✅ How to start small: plug influencers into what you are already doing and test messaging pillars ✅ Beyond LinkedIn: why YouTube and Substack matter, plus LLM discoverability and citations ✅ Marketing gossip: talent agencies slowing deals, and LinkedIn building a creator marketplaceIf you’ve been told to “just work with a few influencers” but nobody can explain how to measure it, budget it, or scale it… this episode will save you a lot of pain.Like, subscribe, and drop your biggest B2B influencer question in the comments.#B2BMarketing #InfluencerMarketing #PaidMedia #MarketingStrategy #LinkedInMarketing #ABM #MarketingOps

Side hustles used to be the vibe… but are they still “allowed” now? 😅In this episode of Blame It On Marketing, Emma and Ruta are joined by Liz Maguire (email marketer for SMEs) to unpack the reality of side hustles in 2026 — what’s healthy, what’s risky, and what it actually teaches you as a marketer.Liz shares her passion project, Flea Market Love Letters — a digital archive of vintage love letters — and we get into the messy middle: monetisation, boundaries, employer perceptions, and why marketers can’t stop marketing… even on their days off.Marketing confessions included: Liz accidentally wrote “lay of your life” instead of “lady of your life” (auto-scheduled… tragic)  Emma asked a male guest live on-air: “Is there anything else that’s hard right now?” and mentally left her body We get into: ✅ Are side hustles a distraction — or a sanity saver? ✅ The monetisation line: why hobbies feel “fine” until money shows up ✅ What’s actually not okay (hint: doing your side hustle on company time) ✅ Why side hustles make you a better marketer: experimentation, reps, confidence, ownership ✅ The one mindset shift that improves your marketing instantly: stop “I, I, I” and write “you” ✅ Side hustles vs business ideas: why it’s easy to dream and hard to run something real ✅ Ethics and impact: are you building something meaningful or just more landfill? ✅ Marketing gossip: the downfall of ugly AI posters and the return of human designIf you’ve been thinking about starting something on the side — or you’re worried your boss will freak out if they find out — this one’s for you.Like, subscribe, and comment: what’s your side hustle (or your dream one)?#Marketing #B2BMarketing #SideHustle #EmailMarketing #CareerAdvice #SmallBusinessMarketing #AIinMarketing We’re Ruta and Emma, the marketing consultants behind Blame it on Marketing. If you’re in B2B SaaS or professional services and looking to do marketing that actually drives revenue and profit, we’re here for it.Visit blameitonmarketing.com and let’s get this show on the road.

Should you stay… or should you go? 😅With the job market doing the absolute most, marketers are stuck in the same loop: tolerate the chaos, or risk jumping into something worse.In this episode, Emma and Ruta are joined by Ana Rogerson — B2B marketer turned career coach and mentor — to unpack the real decision framework behind leaving a role, staying put, or going freelance. No “just manifest it” nonsense. Just practical advice for marketers who are tired.Marketing confession of the episode:Ana accidentally sent an email attachment that she very much wishes she hadn’t. The kind of mistake that ages you three years in 24 hours.We get into:✅ The simplest test: am I learning and am I still smiling?✅ Why rushing into the next job is the fastest way to repeat the same nightmare✅ How to research company culture properly: employees, ex-employees, and what to look for✅ Why “quiet quitting” is a terrible strategy when you’re job hunting✅ The hidden career game: performance keeps you employed, but image and exposure get you promoted✅ Freelance and fractional reality: it’s not instant freedom, it’s sales, resilience, and cashflow swings✅ Practical stay strategies: boundaries, communication, reporting rhythm, and meeting leaders where they are✅ Protect your peace: coping routines so work doesn’t eat your evenings and relationships✅ Why having a work bestie is not optional — it’s survivalIf you’re sitting at your laptop thinking “I can’t do this anymore” — this episode will help you slow down, get clear, and make the next move a smart one.Like and subscribe for more Blame It On Marketing episodes.Comment below: are you in a stay, go, or “plotting quietly” phase right now?#MarketingCareers #B2BMarketing #CareerAdvice #MarketingLeadership #JobSearch #FreelanceMarketing #WorkCulture We’re Ruta and Emma, the marketing consultants behind Blame it on Marketing. If you’re in B2B SaaS or professional services and looking to do marketing that actually drives revenue and profit, we’re here for it.Visit blameitonmarketing.com and let’s get this show on the road.