This Marketer Replaced a 20-Person Team With Claude Code

Understanding AI in Marketing

Introduction to AI Native Marketing

• The episode features Cody Schneider, a highly effective marketer, discussing the integration of AI into marketing strategies.

• Schneider emphasizes the transformative impact of AI on growth marketing and its potential for marketers aiming to be "AI native."

The Power of GTM Engineering

• Schneider shares a tweet highlighting the capabilities of modern Go-To-Market (GTM) engineering, illustrating how much can be accomplished with current tools compared to traditional methods.

• He lists his daily achievements using cloud code and APIs, showcasing productivity that would typically require a large team in a Fortune 500 company.

Addressing Skepticism

• When questioned about skepticism regarding his claims, Schneider insists he is sharing genuine experiences and results from his experiments in marketing.

• He encourages others to adopt similar systems without needing specialized knowledge or skills.

Career Impact and Market Demand

• Schneider notes an increasing demand for roles related to GTM engineering, with founders actively seeking individuals with these skill sets.

• He reflects on how leveraging technology allows individuals to achieve what previously required extensive teams, emphasizing the importance of domain expertise combined with technical skills.

Real-world Applications and Velocity

• Discussing real-world applications, Schneider mentions friends who are achieving more through side projects than their full-time jobs by utilizing efficient systems.

• He expresses concern over the rapid changes in marketing dynamics and acknowledges the excitement among peers about these developments.

Conclusion: Culinary Skills as Metaphor

• In a light-hearted moment, Schneider offers a simple recipe for katsu sandwiches, drawing parallels between culinary skills and mastering new marketing techniques.

What is GTM Engineering?

Overview of GTM Engineering

• GTM (Go-To-Market) engineering emerged around 2023, initially focusing on outbound sales strategies.

• Clay played a pivotal role in defining GTM engineering as a function that treats distribution like software engineering, emphasizing systems and processes over traditional campaign methods.

• The scope of GTM engineering has expanded to encompass inbound marketing, paid ads, organic SEO, and content creation, becoming integral to growth strategies for early-stage companies.

Evolution and Current Relevance

• Companies are integrating GTM processes into their core codebases, allowing continuous operation of marketing strategies as automated agents.

• The term "GTM engineer" is now used broadly; these professionals identify inefficiencies across various business functions beyond just sales and marketing.

Is the Term "GTM Engineering" Still Valuable?

Discussion on Terminology

• The concept of GTM engineering may not be fundamentally new; it parallels roles like growth hackers or heads of growth from previous years.

• Despite changes in terminology and tools, the core activities—finding market positioning and executing data-driven strategies—remain consistent across different roles.

Practical Application

• Professionals in any revenue-generating role can apply GTM principles to enhance their work processes effectively.

How to Start with GTM Engineering

Initial Steps for Implementation

• Begin by creating an environment file (EMV file), which will store API keys necessary for interacting with various tools within your tech stack.

• Organize your workspace by setting up a dedicated directory where you will manage your projects related to GTM engineering.

Workflow Management

• Utilize multiple cloud agents across different desktops to streamline workflow while managing various tasks simultaneously.

Software Development for Facebook Ads

Introduction to the Software

• The speaker introduces a software developed for managing Facebook ads, specifically focusing on static ads before and after campaigns.

• The software is designed to understand file structures and previous work, facilitating local operation and setup.

Ad Creation Process

• The speaker outlines the process of building an ad creation template, emphasizing bulk ad generation capabilities.

• A key insight is that all design elements are essentially code; using React components allows for efficient output generation.

Utilizing AI in Ad Generation

• The use of a library called HTML to Canvas enables exporting React components as downloadable PNG files, enhancing creative flexibility.

• The goal of generating text variations is to test different angles for product positioning, which aids in understanding market needs.

Researching Customer Pain Points

• To create effective ads, the speaker uses tools like Perplexity to identify pain points faced by AI data analysts within GTM teams.

• This research informs the outcomes desired by these teams, providing valuable context for ad content development.

Crafting Targeted Ad Content

• By searching platforms like Reddit for customer conversations, the speaker gathers authentic language reflecting target customers' pain points and desired outcomes.

• Incorporating this language into ad creatives ensures resonance with potential customers.

Workflow Integration with Claude

• The workflow involves using Claude (an AI tool), where the speaker inputs context and requests brainstorming of ad titles and supporting paragraphs based on gathered material.

• Once generated, these variations can be compiled into a zip file ready for upload into Facebook Ads.

Final Steps in Campaign Management

• Although not fully completed yet, there’s an ongoing effort to build a connector that will facilitate uploading images directly into specific campaigns on Facebook Ads.

• This system aims to streamline processes such as changing URLs at scale and creating multiple ad variations efficiently.

Conclusion: Overcoming Creative Bottlenecks

• The overarching goal is to eliminate historical bottlenecks in acquiring quality creative assets necessary for running effective paid marketing campaigns.

AI-Driven Ad Creation and Optimization Process

Understanding Pain Points for AI Data Analysts

• The speaker emphasizes the importance of identifying actual problems or pain points faced by end buyers of AI data analysts, suggesting that online platforms like Reddit can provide valuable insights into these issues.

Generating Ad Variations with AI

• The process involves using Claude to create H1 headers and ad copy, which is then utilized to generate 40 variations of existing ads. This automation aims to streamline ad creation.

Testing and Analyzing Ad Performance

• The speaker discusses the necessity of testing various ad formats to determine audience receptiveness, highlighting that gut intuition alone is insufficient for effective ad performance analysis.

Leveraging Successful Ads for Further Content Creation

• Once winning ads are identified based on metrics like cost-per-click (CPC), the speaker plans to remix successful messaging across different formats, including user-generated content (UGC).

Automating Landing Page Creation

• The use of Strappy, an open-source CMS, allows for scalable landing page creation linked to successful ad formats. This method enables efficient content management and rapid deployment at scale.

Landing Page Development and Ad Strategy

Building Landing Pages Together

• The speaker introduces the session focused on building landing pages collaboratively, indicating a hands-on approach to learning.

Budgeting for Meta Advertising

• A question arises regarding the budget needed for effective testing on Meta platforms. The speaker emphasizes transparency about their limited spending due to being in an early stage of brand development.

Positioning and Target Audience

• The speaker discusses refining their brand's positioning from a broad AI business intelligence software to a specific solution targeting GTM teams needing data unification without hiring engineers.

Testing Ad Creative Effectively

• The speaker outlines their method of testing ad creatives by running click campaigns with a budget of $100 over three days to identify the cheapest cost per click (CPC), which serves as an indicator for future conversion campaigns.

Iterative Creative Process

• Emphasizing continuous testing, the speaker suggests regularly refreshing ad creative by evaluating performance metrics, akin to how successful authors repurpose content based on audience response.

Creative Variations and Human Touch

Importance of Initial Variability in Ads

• The discussion highlights that initial ad variations do not need to be perfect; they can be refined later once successful elements are identified through testing.

Leveraging AI in Ad Creation

• The speaker shares insights into using AI-generated ads, noting that even if viewers recognize them as AI-created, they can still perform well. This reflects a broader acceptance of technology in marketing strategies.

Evolving Messaging Through Testing

• By creating multiple versions of ads using different tools (e.g., Hey GenE), the speaker aims to find winning messages before involving human input for final touches, allowing faster iteration cycles.

Speed vs. Quality in Content Creation

• The importance of speed is emphasized; the ability to quickly test and iterate often leads to better outcomes than waiting for human involvement, showcasing efficiency as a competitive advantage in marketing efforts.

Understanding the Impact of Personal Software in Startups

Leveraging Personal Software for Competitive Advantage

• The speaker discusses how early-stage companies can integrate personal software into their workflows, enhancing individual contributions and overall productivity.

• Emphasizes that joining a company is not just about being an employee; it's about bringing along developed systems and tools that provide leverage in salary negotiations.

Productivity Gains Through Advanced Tools

• The speaker claims to have achieved unprecedented productivity levels, completing more work in two weeks than previously done since October.

• Demonstrates the ability to quickly generate landing pages using AI tools, showcasing the efficiency gained through technology.

Crisis of Overwhelming Possibilities

• Expresses a sense of urgency and anxiety over the vast potential unlocked by these tools, indicating a tipping point in capability due to existing domain knowledge.

• Highlights the compounding effect of applying deep understanding with new technologies to create significant outputs rapidly.

Optimizing Marketing Funnels

• Discusses creating landing pages aligned with ads to improve conversion rates, stressing the importance of cohesive user experiences across platforms.

• Mentions various landing page builders available and emphasizes testing different formats for optimization without needing engineering resources.

Data Management Challenges in Marketing

• Identifies data production as a major bottleneck for marketers today, noting that while generating content has become easier, analyzing its effectiveness remains complex.

• Points out that understanding what works within large datasets is crucial for growth and success in marketing strategies.

Building a Data Workflow from Scratch

Challenges with Large Data Sets

• The speaker discusses the limitations of using an MCP or Facebook API for handling large data sets, specifically mentioning that one customer generates 25 million rows of data monthly with a spend of $180,000.

Demonstrating the Process

• The speaker expresses a desire to demonstrate the process of scraping LinkedIn comments and engaging users through tools like Phantom Buster, Apollo, and Instantly AI.

Starting from Zero

• A live demonstration is planned where the speaker will start from scratch in building a workflow to extract engagers from LinkedIn posts.

Building the Workflow

• The workflow involves using the Apollo API to enrich user data by pulling emails and validating them through Million Verifier before adding them to an Instantly AI campaign.

Simplifying Automation

• The speaker emphasizes how simple it is to create this workflow, stating that within 20 minutes, one can have a fully functional system just by providing necessary inputs.

Identifying Potential Customers

Targeting Job Roles

• Another participant shares their experience in automating job searches on LinkedIn for specific roles (e.g., Chief AI Officer), targeting companies with over 200 employees.

Integrating Tools for Efficiency

• They discuss using Exa as an alternative if direct access to LinkedIn isn't possible and setting up Slack integration for daily updates on job postings.

Competition in Automation

• The conversation shifts towards competition among professionals leveraging automation tools, highlighting the need for continuous adaptation and sophistication in strategies.

Communicating Internal Activities

Opportunity Cost of Inaction

• There’s concern about individuals not adopting these technologies quickly enough, leading to significant opportunity costs in their roles.

Dashboard Creation Example

• An example is provided where the speaker creates a dashboard based on an ad set ID extracted from Facebook ads while multitasking with other projects.

Iterative Development Process

Building New Systems

• The speaker plans to build another system from scratch while demonstrating how existing code can inform new developments.

Step-by-Step Guidance

• Throughout this process, there will be back-and-forth communication regarding necessary API keys and permissions needed for successful implementation.

API Interaction and Cloud Code Insights

Understanding API Interactions

• The speaker discusses the challenges of finding good documentation for APIs, particularly Facebook's, emphasizing that interacting with the API directly can provide clarity on what is needed.

Role of Cloud Code

• The speaker describes cloud code as a tool that allows users to engage in software development without needing extensive knowledge of software engineering, highlighting the importance of clear thinking.

Inferring User Intent

• Cloud code is noted for its ability to infer user needs even when they are not clearly articulated. For example, it can guide users through obtaining necessary API information.

Multi-threaded Work vs. Multitasking

• The discussion shifts to the concept of multi-threaded work, where multiple tasks run in parallel without requiring constant attention from the user, contrasting this with traditional multitasking.

Automation and Server Setup

• The speaker shares an experience setting up a server using cloud code, which autonomously handled tasks like launching software and pushing repositories to GitHub while allowing the user to focus on other activities.

Building LinkedIn Integration

Action Plan Creation

• An action plan for building a LinkedIn integration is created by cloud code, which will implement various functionalities based on user input.

Required API Keys

• To complete the LinkedIn build, several API keys are required: one for scraping data from LinkedIn, another for enriching leads via Apollo, and additional keys for sending outbound emails and validating email addresses.

Error Handling Capabilities

• The power of cloud code lies in its recursive error handling; if an error occurs during deployment (e.g., with railway), it can analyze logs and automatically fix issues to ensure successful execution.

LinkedIn Engagement Strategies

Automating LinkedIn Post Enrichment

• The speaker discusses building a Slack function to automate the process of enriching LinkedIn posts by simply inputting a post URL, which triggers an AI campaign for cold outreach.

• By identifying relevant posts on LinkedIn and engaging with users who interact with them, valuable leads can be generated for the company.

Content Scraping and Targeting

• The idea of using tools like Appy or Rapid API is introduced to automatically scrape viral content within specific categories, enhancing lead generation efforts.

• The speaker shares their strategy of analyzing competitors' CEOs' LinkedIn profiles to identify engaged users as potential leads, indicating they may be in a buying cycle.

Data-Driven Decision Making

• Emphasizing the importance of data in driving activities, the speaker warns against aimless actions without measurable outcomes when utilizing AI tools.

• A call to focus on having clear objectives and metrics in place before creating content or campaigns is made, highlighting that analysis is crucial for scaling efforts effectively.

Engaging with Technical Conversations

• As questions are invited from participants, there’s an emphasis on maintaining a technical tone to encourage high agency individuals to seek answers actively.

• The speaker acknowledges that many attendees may not be familiar with technical terms but encourages engagement through learning and exploration of resources available online.

Discovering New Tools

• When asked about discovering new tools, the speaker mentions relying heavily on Twitter and YouTube as primary sources for finding innovative solutions in real-time.

• They also suggest using platforms like Perplexity to find specific tools tailored to solving particular problems efficiently.

How to Deploy Tools for Team Use?

Sharing Software with Teams

• The discussed tools can be shared as software, allowing teams to access them collectively.

• For instance, a bulk ad generator can be deployed via a URL or through a shared GitHub repository where team members collaborate on the same codebase.

• The approach to sharing depends on the team's sophistication; it could range from simple internal tools to more complex software engineering practices.

• Users do not need extensive technical knowledge; they can simply seek ways to share their tools effectively.

Quality Control in Ad Testing

• When testing ads, it's possible to separate testing from core channels, ensuring that only successful ads are promoted on main accounts.

• Utilizing "burner accounts" for organic social media allows for experimentation before moving successful ideas to primary channels.

• Flexibility within an organization is crucial for implementing effective testing strategies and demonstrating improved performance metrics like CPA reduction.

Steps for Creating Meta Ad Creative

Process Overview

• To create meta ad creative, start by using Claude (an AI tool), providing it with an example of the desired ad format.

• Engage in a back-and-forth dialogue with Claude about variables and specifics needed for the bulk ad generator creation process.

Importance of Language in Design

• Accurately describing design elements is critical; lacking specific vocabulary can hinder the quality of generated content.

• Using personal expertise and additional source material significantly enhances output quality compared to generic prompts given to AI tools.

Acquiring Domain Knowledge

• Gaining domain-specific knowledge is essential for effectively utilizing creative tools; those with deeper understanding achieve better results.

Ad Creation Process and Tools

Steps in Ad Creation

• The process begins by providing the desired ad as source material, which is then used to create variations. Feedback is exchanged with Claude for adjustments.

• Specific brand guidelines are shared to ensure the ad aligns with the company's visual identity, focusing on aspects like color and texture for depth.

• Once the image quality meets expectations, a bulk generator is introduced to modify titles and paragraphs, facilitating brainstorming of ideas for content.

Importance of Email Outreach

• Cold emailing is highlighted as an underrated tool; it allows for extensive information gathering and customized outreach at scale.

• Utilizing hypertide.io enables management of 2,000 inboxes for running multiple email campaigns targeting various audiences such as podcasters and YouTubers.

Tool Stack Overview

• The speaker emphasizes simplicity in their tool stack, primarily using Claude Code along with various APIs integrated into their workflow.

• Graph.com serves as a platform for analytics, allowing real-time tracking of ad performance metrics like spend and conversions.

Dashboard Functionality

• A dashboard is created to monitor campaign outcomes, enabling modifications through chat commands (e.g., changing chart styles).

• This functionality aids in internal communication by presenting KPIs that reflect the effectiveness of marketing efforts.

Final Thoughts on Tools vs. Outcomes

• The speaker concludes that while tools are essential, understanding what actions to take and measuring success are more critical than obsessing over specific tools.