One universal truth of marketing for B2B Tech companies

Summary

MarTech Podcast: One Universal Truth of Marketing for B2B Tech Companies

Host: Benjamin Shapiro
Guest: Dave Steer, CMO of Webflow
Date: October 23, 2025
Episode Theme: Navigating Change: The Ever-Evolving Landscape of B2B Tech Marketing

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Benjamin Shapiro hosts Dave Steer, Chief Marketing Officer at Webflow, for a focused conversation on the “one universal truth” underpinning successful marketing in B2B tech. Drawing from a rich career spanning both B2C and B2B (including leadership roles at GitLab, Cloudflare, and Webflow), Steer shares insights on embracing change as a constant and how adaptability distinguishes winning companies.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Universal Truth: Constant Change in Marketing

[01:47 – 02:31]

• Dave Steer asserts that the core reality in B2B tech marketing is perpetual change:

  • “Everything is changing all the time. It's what makes it so exciting. It's not like marketing is not static. [...] Seeing the amount of change that has happened in B2B technology and B2B marketing more broadly, this thing is, is not stopping. It's changing all the time.”

• This perspective extends beyond B2B—change is just as prevalent in B2C.

• Adaptability is the key trait for organizations and marketers:

  • “The winners I think in this space are going to be the ones who can adapt to change the quickest."
  • Experimentation is crucial, but the underlying principle is recognizing and responding to the dynamic nature of markets and technology.

2. The Stock Market Analogy

[02:31 – 03:04]

• Benjamin Shapiro draws an analogy between marketing and the stock market:
  • “You can have your long plays, you can have things that you anchor on, but nothing's ever certain. Right. You know, Apple ate Xerox and now it might be OpenAI is eating Apple, like who knows? But you know, for a long period of time you could bet on the stability. But there's a lot of up and comers that come and they go and some have high growth rates and some are slow burns."
• The only constant is that “nothing lasts forever. And it's always going to change.”

3. Emphasizing Experimentation and Integration

[00:25 – 00:48]

• Dave Steer references successful marketing tactics:
  • Integrated content marketing (brands embedded authentically into content) consistently outperforms traditional formats such as TV ads.
  • Concrete metric: “Across all of our programs and clients, we've seen a 55 to 65% open rate.”
    • This highlights the power of personalized outreach and timing.

4. AI and the Evolution of Digital Experiences

(Brief mention; details implied for further exploration)

• Dave’s work at Webflow focuses on AI-driven personalization and delivering impactful digital experiences—a nod to the new playing field of B2B tech marketing where technology and automation define the frontier.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On change as the only constant:
  • “Everything is changing all the time. It's what makes it so exciting. It's not like marketing is not static.”
    — Dave Steer [01:47]
• On adaptability:
  • “The winners I think in this space are going to be the ones who can adapt to change the quickest.”
    — Dave Steer [02:02]
• On the stock market analogy:
  • “The only thing that is certain is that nothing lasts forever. And it's always going to change.”
    — Benjamin Shapiro [02:52]
• On authentic content integration:
  • “Getting brands authentically integrated into content performs better than TV advertising.”
    — Dave Steer [00:25]

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Important Timestamps

• 00:25: Dave Steer discusses integrated content and engagement metrics.
• 01:15: Introduction of Dave Steer and episode theme.
• 01:47: Dave shares the universal truth of B2B tech marketing—constant change.
• 02:31: Benjamin Shapiro explains the stock market analogy.
• 03:04: Emphasis on the inevitability of change in marketing.

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Tone & Language

The conversation is candid and energetic, reflecting excitement for the field’s dynamism. Both speakers use plain-language analogies and real-world examples, making advanced marketing concepts accessible and relatable.

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Takeaway for Listeners

In B2B tech marketing, standing still isn’t an option—the landscape evolves at breakneck speed. The companies and marketers who thrive are those who embrace experimentation and adapt rapidly to new realities. Memorable analogies and actionable metrics underscore the imperative: be ready for change, because that’s the only certainty.

Transcript

[Podcast Announcer]

The Martech Podcast is a proud member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast, I Hear Everything delivers podcast production, growth and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a voice? Then visit iheareverything.com.

[Dave Steer]

From advertising to software as a service to data, across all of our programs and clients, we've seen a 55 to 65% open rate. Getting brands authentically integrated into content performs better than TV advertising.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

Typical lifespan of an article is about 24 to 36 hours. We're reaching out to the right person.

[Dave Steer]

With the right message and a clear call to action. Then it's just a matter of timing.

[Podcast Announcer]

Welcome to the Martech Podcast, a member of the I Hear Everything Podcast network. In this podcast, you'll hear the stories of world class marketers that used technology to drive business results and achieve career success. Here's a host of the Martech Podcast, Benjamin Shapiro.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

I'm Benjamin Shapiro and joining me today is Dave Steer, the CMO of webflow, which is a platform helping marketing teams build and optimize websites with enterprise grade performance and AI driven personalization. And today Dave is going to show us how to navigate the AI boom and deliver digital experiences that move the needle. Okay, let's move on to our next question. Based on your experience at GitLab, Cloudflare and now Webflow, what is your one universal truth for marketing B2B tech companies?

[Dave Steer]

Oh, everything is changing all the time. It's what makes it so exciting. It's not like marketing is not static. I believe that, by the way, not just B2B but B2C as well. And I've had it. You know, I had a great career in B2C as we just talked about. But then that jump from B2C to B2B has been phenomenal. Seeing the amount of change that has happened in B2B technology and B2B marketing more broadly, this thing is, is not stopping, it's changing all the time. And the, the winners I think in this space are going to be the ones who can adapt to change the quickest. We talked about experimentation, but it's really this idea of like things are never static in this world.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

Yeah, I think of marketing very much like I think about the stock market. Right. You can have your long plays, you can have things that you anchor on, but nothing's ever certain. Right. You know, Apple ate Xerox and now it might be OpenAI is eating apple, like who knows? But you know, for a long period of time you could bet on the stability. But there's a lot of up and comers that come and they go and some have high growth rates and some are slow burns. And the only thing that is certain is that nothing lasts forever. And it's always going to change.

[Dave Steer]

It's always going to change. It's always going to change.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

Yep, that wraps up this episode of the Martech Podcast. Thanks for listening to my conversation with Dave Steer, the CMO of webflow. If you'd like to get in touch with Dave, you can find a link to his LinkedIn profile in our shownotes or on martechpod.com or you could visit his company's website, which is webflow.com and if you haven't subscribed yet and you want a daily stream of marketing and technology knowledge in your podcast feed, hit the subscribe button in your podcast app. Or Visit us on YouTube, where we'll be back in your feed next week. All right, that's it for today, but until next time, my advice is to just focus on keeping your customers happy.

[Dave Steer]

Foreign.

[Podcast Announcer]

Thanks for listening to the Martech Podcast and I hear everything. Production Looking to launch or scale a podcast like this one for your brand? Then visit iheareverything.com.