Directive

⚠️ Is your lead scoring strategy holding you back? HubSpot’s legacy “𝗛𝘂𝗯𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲” is going away — and if your model isn’t built for what’s next, your pipeline could take the hit. 🗓️ Key dates to know: • M͟a͟y͟ ͟1͟,͟ ͟2͟0͟2͟5͟ – legacy score field becomes read-only • A͟u͟g͟u͟s͟t͟ ͟3͟1͟,͟ ͟2͟0͟2͟5͟ – full deprecation 💡 What this means: Outdated lead scoring can cause: – Misalignment between marketing & sales – Poor lead prioritization – Wasted ad spend – Lower pipeline efficiency 📉 But it doesn’t have to. Our Director of Revenue Operations, Kristina Brown, breaks down: ✅ How to rebuild your model in HubSpot ✅ The signals that matter most in 2025 ✅ How Directive ties scoring to real revenue outcomes 🔗 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲: 👉 https://lnkd.in/gfucW6wa

April R. was tasked with a really difficult challenge. ROI positive events in an industry where events are VERY expensive. In just a few short months, she is already making this happen... and this is just a portion of her role. April is constantly steps ahead of me and as her manager it's one of the best feelings. This week on our all hands, we chose her as our Player of the Week and I can't think of someone who deserves it more. Thank you for all you do April! We appreciate you!

Congrats to Gong on crossing $300M ARR! I am so proud to be able to service you for the last 3 years. It’s quite special when you get to do the marketing for one of your favorite SaaS products. Here’s an awesome case study that Gong, Google, and Directive crafted together:

Introducing: 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲’𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗽 🚨 Welcome to our new monthly drop of the most in-demand roles at Directive, giving top talent a direct line to join the team powering the future of marketing. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gK8t-Z3 OR apply directly 👇 🎯 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗥𝗢 (Canada & US) Lead A/B testing strategy and drive revenue lift across global SaaS brands. Canada - https://lnkd.in/gFhNKTt8 US - https://lnkd.in/gwWfqgxg 🎯 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿, 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 (Canada & US) Own programmatic strategy from start to scale—targeting, automation, and innovation. Canada - https://lnkd.in/gCjsdx_S US - https://lnkd.in/ggDWhkC4 🎯 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 (Canada & Mexico) Run full-funnel demand strategies that convert interest into pipeline. Canada - https://lnkd.in/gRHrKYZx Mexico - https://lnkd.in/gYArxmaz 🎯 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁 (Canada & Mexico) Manage paid media channels with precision, performance, and scale. Canada - https://lnkd.in/gGv6DGvQ Mexico - https://lnkd.in/gRp9-FwF 🎯 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁 (Canada) Elevate our clients’ paid media performance with senior-level execution. Canada - https://lnkd.in/gPtV82wX 🎯 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁 (Canada) Turn LinkedIn into a pipeline machine for our clients. Canada - https://lnkd.in/g4Bt-w_5

No spray and pray—just pure ICP precision. Six months ago, I launched a hyper-targeted LinkedIn Conversation Ads campaign for a customer. The approach? Targeting LinkedIn interest groups where their ideal buyers actually hang out. The results? 📈: 66 leads at $210 CPL ✉️ 50% open rate (yes, people read these) 👀 4 Opps, 9 SQLs 💰 $17M+ in influenced pipeline And here’s the kicker: Beyond sales, the campaign also surfaced 3 vendors and 4 suppliers who could become strategic partners. This wasn’t just a demand gen play. It was a full-fledged revenue play. When you get your targeting and messaging right, LinkedIn Conversation Ads work.🚀

We are happy to announce that Directive is partnering with Netcraft, a global leader in cybercrime detection and takedown. 🔐 Netcraft is transforming the cybersecurity landscape by proactively identifying online threats, disrupting cyber attacks, and protecting some of the world’s most recognized brands. Their powerful platform analyzes millions of URLs daily, blocks malicious content in real-time, and enables swift action to neutralize threats—often within hours. Together, we’ll be working to amplify Netcraft’s digital presence by boosting search visibility, accelerating growth through paid media, and driving engagement with high-performance creative and SEO-focused content. We’re thrilled to support their continued success and expanding impact in the cybersecurity industry! 🙌

In 18 months, Directive grew from 40 to 150 people. It all started when my Director of Marketing called me in a panic, "We have $10,000 in Sendoso credits and we have to spend them by Friday." But she had a wild idea... "What if we ran convo ads and gave people a $100 gift card for an intro call?" I said something like, “Let’s give it a shot”. Then in the next 18 months, we held sales calls with 6,800 of our top 10,000 target accounts. And went from a small boutique to a global player overnight. The craziest part? We didn’t close a deal for the first 6 months of the gift card campaigns. The part I am proud of most is that we NEVER lowered spend. We dug deep and optimized our way to success. Here are the major pivots we made along the way: 1. I hopped on every gift card intro call for months. I tested new scripts. Got stood up daily. Wasted countless days of my life. After each call, I reflected on the quality of each call based on title, industry, sub-industry, and company size of who I was speaking with. We eventually found one question that helped get the prospect from just wanting the gift card to actually actively listening to our pitch: “Hey Mike, you are obviously successful. What made you prioritize this call given you don’t need the cash?” 2. We tested countless rounds of copy, offers, and subject lines. We always thought we could beat our top performing ad and never stopped pushing. 3. We routed leads to AEs directly instead of SDRs. By personally hopping on the calls I was able to build a proper sales process for the unique nature and cost of these leads. 4. We applied the Winning by Design sales process to our services business. While not a SaaS, we found their rigor + practical approach to selling recurring value to be applicable. 5. We crafted an intro call deck. We took what was working for myself and top reps and we standardized. No more hero selling. We had a consistent pitch deck for intro calls and optimized the deck after each call. TAKEAWAY: Directive is a living case study. I don’t have a rolodex. I’m not an ex-CMO. I’ve never worked as a full-time employee for anyone else. We grew from 40 to 150 people by eating our own dog food—investing millions of our own cash into the exact services we sell clients. I'm obsessed with being the best at B2B marketing. And I refuse to sell anything to customers that hasn’t first worked for my own company.

Directive does a cool thing where we highlight the exceptional folks on our team, dubbing a new Player of the Week every Tuesday. I'm fortunate to have this week's A-player on my team: Michaela Wong. Michaela rules. She's a consummate professional with a keen mind for content. Faced with the complexity of our B2B SaaS portfolio, she is quick to absorb the ins and outs of our clients' businesses and brings winning strategic insights to the table. Michaela's clients and teammates love working with her, and I've no doubts that she's a rising star in the digital marketing world. Congrats, Michaela!

Big shoutout to Benjamin Glass-Liu on his well-deserved promotion to Senior Account Strategist, SEO at Directive! 🎉 In his role as Content Strategist, Ben was the driving force behind SEO and content programs that were rooted in data and built around client priorities. From leading content roadmaps to executing high-impact organic strategies, he consistently delivered results and kept his clients in the loop with thoughtful insights. Now, in his new role, Ben is stepping into a bigger strategic seat—expanding his influence across accounts, strengthening client relationships, and continuing to push organic performance forward. His passion for SEO and deep curiosity about how users find and engage with content make him a powerful asset to the team. Huge thanks to Ben for the energy, focus, and expertise he brings every day—we’re thrilled to see what’s next! 🚀

B2B marketers still sleep on Facebook Ads. (But your buyers? They’re scrolling.) The trick isn’t where you run ads — it’s how you run them. Here’s how to make Facebook Ads work for B2B, straight from our CEO Garrett Mehrguth👇 1. Stop selling. Start warming. Don’t go straight for the demo. Educate first. Then convert. 2. Write like a human. Hook → Value → CTA. No corporate speak. No fluff. 3. Target behavior, not just job titles. Your ICP leaves digital breadcrumbs. Retarget. Refine. Repeat. 4. Think beyond the lead form. Offer value first: → Guides → Webinars → Case studies Facebook isn’t just for B2C. It’s a full-funnel B2B goldmine — if you know how to use it. 👉 Full playbook here: https://lnkd.in/gttP7twG P.S. Repost this ♻️ for your team to check out later.