August, 2024

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Product Marketing Is Broken — Fix It With Thematic Product Launches

FastSpring

Is your product marketing team struggling to coordinate marketing resources to support an endless stream of product launches, with vague release dates and a chorus of product managers demanding tons of marketing attention for each release? What if there were a better way? In this episode of Growth Stage, we interview Braden Steel , Sr. Product Marketing Manager at FastSpring , to discuss his thoughts on what is wrong with traditional product marketing and how FastSpring is using quarterly themat

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Types of Social Media Content: 30+ Ideas for Your Next Post (With Examples)

Buffer Resources

Remember when social media content was limited to Facebook statuses and, er, “pokes?” Even a few years later, cutting-edge content was limited to a blurry photo with an oversaturated filter on Instagram. It seems bizarre now, given how much you can do with social media today. With the ever-growing list of platforms releasing new features daily, it's an exciting time to build a following online — but it's not an easy one.

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The Official Guide to SaaStr Annual 2024 Official, Semi-Official and Unofficial Parties and Side Events!!

SaaStr

By the time we get to SaaStr Annual 2024, Sep 10-12 in SF Bay , we’ll be overloaded with side events, official, semi-official and unofficial parties, and so much more! We’ll update this list at least weekly but here are some of the events already lined up you can sign up for! Tuesday, September 10 Taco Tuesday on-site!! 4-7pm at SaaStr Annua l. We’ve have the best gourmet tacos, margaritas and more right at the venue, Come on Tuesday, join some braindates and mentoring sessions, and then grab

Finance 331
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Higher Levels of Abstraction

Tom Tunguz

Over the weekend, Andrej Karpathy shared this tweet & it inspired me to conduct the 2024 GTM Survey Analysis this way. I use a language called R to analyze data because of its ability to generate pretty charts & the depth of its statistical analysis tools. Within 90 minutes I had found 9 key data points in the data that were statistically significant & runs more than 50 analyses.

Data 298
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State of AI in Sales & Marketing 2025

AI adoption is reshaping sales and marketing. But is it delivering real results? We surveyed 1,000+ GTM professionals to find out. The data is clear: AI users report 47% higher productivity and an average of 12 hours saved per week. But leaders say mainstream AI tools still fall short on accuracy and business impact. Download the full report today to see how AI is being used — and where go-to-market professionals think there are gaps and opportunities.

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Clouded Judgement 8.30.24 - Incrementalism vs Transformative Leaps

Clouded Judgement

Every week I’ll provide updates on the latest trends in cloud software companies. Follow along to stay up to date! Subscribe now Incrementalism vs Transformative Leaps Over the last 5-10 years, software markets have become increasingly crowded. Simultaneously, venture markets have expanded dramatically, contributing to this overcrowding. In a world without venture capital (or other sources of external financing for startups), each company would have to grow solely based on the merits of th

Cloud 274

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Avoid Global Tax Headaches With FastSpring: A Customer Success Story

FastSpring

We spoke with FastSpring’s Senior Director of Tax Rachel Harding about why having FastSpring serve as your merchant of record greatly simplifies your relationship to managing indirect global taxes. She recently assisted a European software company that was contacted by African taxing authorities inquiring about an unpaid tax liability. It became complicated quickly, but by partnering with FastSpring as a merchant of record , we were able to simplify it back down for them.

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How to Become a Thought Leader as a Business Owner (and Why You Should)

Buffer Resources

Early in my career, the idea of “thought leadership” wasn’t on my radar. At that time, my focus was primarily on traditional PR strategies tailored to the restaurant and hospitality industry. This included media outreach, event planning, and reputation management to help my clients gain online visibility and attract new and repeat clientele.

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MongoDB, Elastic, Okta: Things Are Tough Out There; Monday, CrowdStrike, Shopify: Not So Fast

SaaStr

So is it a downturn in SaaS or Cloud — or not? There are so many mixed signals: Unicorn product is up 2x over last year, but layoffs continue AI spend is fast and furious, with Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, etc. seeing record acceleration in growth. The U.S. economy overall still has record low unemployment and strong growth Gartner is seeing overall Cloud spend up 20% this year But : Overall, SaaS leaders are seeing their lowest growth ever.

Azure 328
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The Dislocation Between Public & Private Web3 Markets

Tom Tunguz

With the rise of AI, web3 has become a quieter part of the venture ecosystem. I was curious about the current state of affairs. The launch of the Bitcoin ETF has amassed roughly $58b. Meanwhile, the Ethereum ETFs has about $500m, two orders of magnitude smaller. The some major Web3 tokens have done pretty well in 2024 ; others have underperformed the Nasdaq (+19% YTD).

Marketing 286
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5 Ways to Improve Revenue from Integrated Payments

Speaker: Pete Uselman, Director of Partner Experience at Wind River Payments

Most integrated payments providers share a percent of the payment revenue with their software partners. But, oftentimes, that revenue share is only a fraction of the true income potential software providers can realize. If you want to maximize income opportunities from your payments program, check out Wind River Payments’ webinar-on-demand.

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Clouded Judgement 8.16.24 - The Great Services-To-Software Rotation

Clouded Judgement

Every week I’ll provide updates on the latest trends in cloud software companies. Follow along to stay up to date! Subscribe now The Great Services-To-Software Rotation There's a lot of debate right now about the economic impact of GenAI. Some critics argue that it's deflationary—that by making it possible to do more with less, GenAI will shrink markets, particularly in software.

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SaaS Payment Integration for Software Companies

USIO

SaaS Payment Integration for Software Companies In the ever-evolving landscape of software companies, effective payment integration is crucial for success. Comprehensive SaaS payment integration for software companies prioritizes seamless payment solutions, helping businesses streamline their financial operations and enhance their revenue streams. Cutting-Edge Technology and Robust APIs Utilizing cutting-edge technology and robust APIs ensures that your software can handle a variety of payment m

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News: Apple Revises App Store Link-Out Rules per EU DMA, but New Fees Still High

FastSpring

Apple has revised its App Store rules to be better compliant with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), but the fees associated with Apple’s revisions are still considerably high according to an article from The Verge. After Apple was charged in June by EU antitrust regulators for not complying with the DMA , Apple released updates to their StoreLink External Purchase Link Entitlement on August 8, 2024.

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Buffer vs. Hootsuite: Which Social Media Management Tool is Right For You?

Buffer Resources

If you’re on the hunt for a social media management tool, chances are that Buffer and Hootsuite are some of the first names that pop up — with good reason. These two options are among the best, and both come packed with features that will help you make your social media workflows more efficient and, ultimately, grow your audience.  So, which one is best?

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How to Achieve High-Accuracy Results When Using LLMs

Speaker: Ben Epstein, Stealth Founder & CTO | Tony Karrer, Founder & CTO, Aggregage

When tasked with building a fundamentally new product line with deeper insights than previously achievable for a high-value client, Ben Epstein and his team faced a significant challenge: how to harness LLMs to produce consistent, high-accuracy outputs at scale. In this new session, Ben will share how he and his team engineered a system (based on proven software engineering approaches) that employs reproducible test variations (via temperature 0 and fixed seeds), and enables non-LLM evaluation m

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The Cloud 100 is Hiring For 7,300 Roles. That’s Up From 4,400 Last Year.

SaaStr

So layoffs are still happening and it’s harder in many spaces in SaaS. But don’t let that be too big of an excuse for looking for your next role. Many, many folks in SaaS and Cloud are still growing like a weed. And because SaaS and Cloud overall is still growing a stunning +20% a year, that means tons of jobs are still being created. Even as the drive for more efficiency is leading to layoffs as well.

Cloud 326
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AI Public & Private Premia for AI Companies

Tom Tunguz

We’ve been tracking the performance of publicly traded AI companies since the beginning of the year. Publicly traded companies with AI products or strategies trade at about twice the forward multiple of non-AI peers. 1 Within the private markets, the same is true within the Series A. GenAI startup companies raise at about 1.5-2x the post-money valuations of all software companies. 2 These businesses represent about 30% of Series As in 2024.

AI 278
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Clouded Judgement 8.23.24 - Don't Wait

Clouded Judgement

Every week I’ll provide updates on the latest trends in cloud software companies. Follow along to stay up to date! Subscribe now Don’t Wait Two weeks ago I wrote about the growing number of private zombies. A common question I got after that post was “what should I do if I’m in that position?” A couple thoughts below. Most importantly - don’t wait.

Cloud 176
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How Digital Wallets Transform Consumer Behavior

USIO

In the dynamic world of financial technology, digital wallets have emerged as a powerful tool in transaction management. By simplifying transactions, they have significantly altered consumer behavior. This blog post explores the impact of digital wallets on the transaction management landscape and how they are reshaping the way consumers interact with businesses.

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SaaS Essentials: Failed Payment Solution Guide

For SaaS businesses, improving retention is one of the easiest and most effective ways to drive revenue and profits. With a clear link between failed payments and customer churn, having a robust failed payment recovery solution isn’t optional—it’s essential. Achieving your retention goals starts with the right solution.

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Join Us at Tokyo Game Show 2024!

FastSpring

FastSpring is thrilled to announce our participation in the Tokyo Game Show 2024 (TGS2024), one of the world’s premier gaming events. Join us at Booth: 03-C11 at Makuhari Messe (Chiba, Japan). The theme for TGS2024 is “Trailblaze the World with Gaming” and will take place in a hybrid format, which will include both physical and virtual venues along with official streaming.

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How to Find Influencers or Creators for Your Next Campaign (+Best Practices for Partnerships)

Buffer Resources

Influencers have become powerful voices in shaping consumer behavior and brand perception. In a report by CreatorIQ , 55 percent of TikTok users state that they trust a brand more when it's shared by a creator – and we can assume the same rings true for other platforms. Data like this proves that influencer marketing is a valuable strategy for brands looking to reach a large, engaged audience.

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Dear SaaStr: Does It Make Sense to Have Post-Sales Functions Report into Sales?

SaaStr

Dear SaaStr: Does It Make Sense to Have Post-Sales Functions Report into Sales? In theory — maybe. In theory, why not let sales “keep” the customer longer? They already know the customer, after all. But in practice — this doesn’t work that well. Even if having a CRO own post-sales and CS is becoming much more common these days. A “true” VP of Sales often wants nothing more to do with a customer after a deal closes.

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Snowflake's 4 Areas of Investment in AI

Tom Tunguz

In a recent Office Hours, Baris Gultekin, Head of AI at Snowflake & a friend from Google, shared his insights into Snowflake’s approach to AI. It was a great conversation to understand how one of the leading data companies is pushing AI forward. The video for the session is here & the audio is here. There are four major pushes for Snowflake within AI.

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An Omnichannel Payment Solution––Without the Complexity

Simplify omnichannel payments with a solution that unifies every channel through your platform. By integrating front-end systems like online, mobile, and in-store payments with robust back-end infrastructure, you can deliver a seamless payments experience without the need for heavy engineering. Omnitoken technology enhances security by tokenizing card transactions for reuse, enabling merchants to drive cross-selling opportunities.

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Clouded Judgement 8.2.24 - Uncertainty Everywhere

Clouded Judgement

Every week I’ll provide updates on the latest trends in cloud software companies. Follow along to stay up to date! Subscribe now Uncertainty Everywhere The 10Y has been falling recently, and dipped below 4% for the first time since early Feb. Back then the median software NTM rev multiple was ~6x. Today it’s ~5x. Interestingly, as rates have fallen (10Y went from 4.5% at start of July to 4.0% at end of July) multiples have stayed flat.

Cloud 157
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New Research: So Far, AI is Not Disrupting Search or Making a Dent in Google

Sparktoro

The good folks at Sonata Insights recently analyzed Datos‘ clickstream panel to uncover consumer search behavior insights in the “age of AI” If you’re in the digital marketing world, it’s probably worth your time to download and read.

AI Search 145
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US Sales Tax Nexus Changes in 2024: What You Need to Know

FastSpring

The landscape of sales tax regulations is constantly evolving, and 2024 has ushered in significant changes that could impact your business. Recent legislative adjustments have seen several states altering their criteria for establishing a sales tax nexus, which could affect the ways in which many online businesses manage their tax obligations. Historically, most states have used a combination of sales thresholds and transaction counts to determine whether out-of-state businesses should collect a

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From Platforms to Protocols: Making Sense of Decentralized Social Media (and What it Means for the Future)

Buffer Resources

Social media users are facing some pretty big challenges today. They’re frustrated by being at the mercy of changeable algorithms or having their data sold to the highest bidder. And the idea that, should a platform move in a direction they don’t like (as is the case with some disillusioned folks on X/Twitter) or disappear from the market completely (which would happen in the case of the U.S.

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Usage-Based Monetization Musts: A Roadmap for Sustainable Revenue Growth

Speaker: David Warren and Kevin O'Neill Stoll

Transitioning to a usage-based business model offers powerful growth opportunities but comes with unique challenges. How do you validate strategies, reduce risks, and ensure alignment with customer value? Join us for a deep dive into designing effective pilots that test the waters and drive success in usage-based revenue. Discover how to develop a pilot that captures real customer feedback, aligns internal teams with usage metrics, and rethinks sales incentives to prioritize lasting customer eng

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The Biggest Challenge With Vertical SaaS: Your Sales Team Has to Be Domain Experts

SaaStr

Probably the biggest challenge in vertical SaaS I see is scaling the sales team. It’s pretty easy to hire SaaS sales execs to sell … a SaaS sales product. That’s what they know. It often takes little training, and they already have a lot of domain expertise. But who do you hire to sell a very complex piece of vertical software? In vertical SaaS, most customers demand to talk to a domain expert.

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Things that Used to be Impossible, but are Now Really Hard

Tom Tunguz

Kevin Scott, CTO of Microsoft, framed the opportunity in AI this way : work on problems that used to be impossible, but are now really hard. My immediate reaction : what technical problems are now possible but still hard? What can computers achieve by themselves that two or three years ago would be intractable? But, this point isn’t purely about technical innovation.

CTO Hire 223
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How Links Impact Organic Results and Local Packs — Whiteboard Friday

The Moz Blog

In this episode, Joy talks about the world of link building as it pertains to local SEO, specifically touching on how links impact local pack rankings.

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