Matt Bell was born and raised in the UK, has lived on 4 continents, worked in, or visited, over 50 countries, and now calls Houston, Texas, home. His career journey has taken him from field operations to company leadership and corporate venture capital, from startup to growth stage, and on to strategy consulting, marketing, and angel investing.
As co-founder of MessageUp and Strategic Piece, Matt works with B2B companies to make messaging and content more effective without overburdening their teams. This reflects his belief that content marketing has become mission-critical and will differentiate successful B2B companies from the rest in an increasingly digital-first world.
As Vice President of the Imperial College Foundation, he helps enable tax-efficient giving from US-based alumni and friends that supports ground-breaking research and the highest quality education at Imperial College.
During our conversation, he discusses:
The concept and challenges of content marketing for early-stage B2B companies
The importance of brand awareness and building a consistent audience early
The pitfalls of poorly executed marketing strategies
Aligning corporate and marketing objectives to measure effectiveness
The impact of AI on content creation and the need for authenticity
Key considerations for investors evaluating a startup's marketing strategy
The evolution of the CMO role and strategic marketing importance
The future trends in marketing and buyer behavior
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
What We Cover:
00:00 Introduction to Matt Bell
05:36 Introduction to Content Marketing Strategy
07:38 Importance of Early Brand Building
12:07 Balancing Marketing Spend and ROI
15:14 Case Study: Geodynamics
22:39 Avoiding Random Acts of Marketing
26:43 The Rise of Authenticity in Content
30:51 Authenticity in Entrepreneurial Pitches
35:53 Advice for New Angel Investors
39:56 The Evolving Role of Marketing
44:22 Matt's Current Work and MessageUp
46:18 Challenges for Traditional Businesses
49:31 Matt's Books on Content Marketing
Connect with Matt Bell
Get access to expert coaching from Matt with the B2B Marketing Tune Up, an online cohort for B2B business leaders: https://www.messageup.com/tune-up
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattbell
Website: https://www.messageup.com/
Newsletter: https://messageup.substack.com/
Voice Acting: https://mattbell.icanvoice.com/
Connect with Andrew
Newsletter: https://thediligentobserver.substack.com
Website: https://pitchfact.com/
Stuff We Reference
GeoDynamics: https://www.hartenergy.com/news/oil-states-agrees-acquire-geodynamics-525-million-115619
Houston Angel Network: https://www.houstonangelnetwork.org/
Imperial College: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/
Owl Spark at Rice University: https://alliance.rice.edu/owlspark
Red Labs University of Houston: https://www.bauer.uh.edu/centers/wce/programs/accelerator.php
Rice Business Plan Competition: https://rbpc.rice.edu/
To Sell is Human by Daniel Pink: https://www.danpink.com/books/to-sell-is-human/
All opinions expressed are personal and may not reflect the views of the individual’s organization or of The Diligent Observer. Not investment advice.
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