In an era where every B2B tech company seems to sound the same, building a distinctive brand has never been more critical—or more challenging. Michelle Huff, Chief Marketing Officer at Alteryx, brings over two decades of experience navigating the complexities of B2B SaaS marketing, from the early days of building intranets to today’s AI-driven revolution.
“The heart of it is really who are you speaking to, who are you after, what message do you have that’s unique and different, and that needs to shine through.”
– Michelle Huff, Chief Marketing Officer at Alteryx
With a career spanning leadership roles at Salesforce, Oracle, User Testing, and Act-On Software, Michelle’s insights offer a unique perspective on what it takes to build meaningful brands and leverage AI effectively in today’s B2B landscape.
About Alteryx: Alteryx is a data analytics and AI company that helps organisations get the most value of their data. Marketers use Alteryx to improve ROI, strengthen revenue intelligence, and accelerate the integration of AI into their programs. Today, Alteryx serves more than 8,000 customers and has a global community of over 760,000 members.
Michelle’s journey through B2B SaaS reveals an important truth about marketing leadership: different phases of company growth require different types of CMOs. According to Forbes Agency Council, understanding these growth stages is crucial for marketing success.
“There’s different phases of companies and the different kind of C-level or CMO you’re looking for,” Michelle explains. Early-stage startups often need demand generation experts focused on proving product-market fit. But as companies mature, they need leaders who can reposition the brand for growth, resonate with higher-level buyers, or prepare for major milestones like IPOs or mergers.
We’re seeing a resurgence of brand investment across the B2B tech landscape. Companies that previously viewed brand as a “nice-to-have” are now creating dedicated head of brand positions, even at the VC-backed level.
The reason? Differentiation has become increasingly difficult.
“When everyone sounds the same, what’s you and what’s different, what’s unique? And I think that’s where brand starts to come back.”
Michelle emphasises that brand isn’t just logos and campaigns—it’s fundamentally about message. “The heart of it is really who are you speaking to, who are you after, what message do you have that’s unique and different, and that needs to shine through.”
One of the persistent challenges in B2B tech marketing is making complex, technical products feel engaging without oversimplifying them. HubSpot’s marketing research shows that storytelling and customer success are key differentiators.
Michelle acknowledges this struggle, joking about the B2B marketing dream: “I’ve sometimes done the daydream, you know, I wonder what it’d be like to be a B2B marketer marketing apples. Everyone knows what an apple is and everyone knows you eat apples and why you would want to have an apple.”
The reality is that B2B buyers often don’t realise they have a problem, let alone understand the technology solutions available. The key? Tell stories through customer success.
“When you have technology that’s a little lower in the stack, it’s data—it’s harder to understand, but it’s also so much more creative because it can do so many different things,” Michelle notes. “It’s really how you tell that story through the success of your customers and shining a light on all those different use cases.”
Customer advocacy remains one of the most powerful—and authentic—ways to build brand equity. But it can’t be forced, and it can’t be just a marketing initiative.
“It’s kind of like if people think a brand is just marketing, it falls flat. How you show up in sales and customer success, how the product shows up—all these moments are what people think about when they think of your company and your brand over time.”
Michelle’s approach to customer advocacy is refreshingly human. She emphasises helping customers tell their stories by:
When done right, advocacy becomes organic. “We don’t just want customers who pay for our product. We want customers who are truly successful with it – customers who solve real problems using our solution. When customers are genuinely successful, they naturally become advocates without us having to ask them, because they’re excited to share their wins.”
The AI conversation in marketing has shifted from “what if” to “what works”. Michelle’s experience at Alteryx provides concrete examples of how AI can drive measurable results.
One of the most impressive implementations Michelle shared involves reimagining the SDR prospecting process. Traditionally, SDRs spend significant time manually researching prospects across multiple platforms—CRM, LinkedIn, ZoomInfo—before crafting personalised outreach.
Alteryx built what they call “Personalised AI”—an automated workflow that:
The results? A 4% lift in response rates, along with improved open rates and scalability.
“It’s been kind of mind-blowing,” Michelle notes. “There’s certain things where you’re just using Gen AI, but this is one I think is great where it’s taken almost an end-to-end process.”
Michelle categorises AI opportunities in marketing into three areas:
According to Gartner’s research on marketing AI, these applications represent the future of marketing efficiency.
Every B2B tech company seems to be adding “AI” to their product messaging. Standing out requires more than buzzwords—it requires demonstrating practical value.
“I think people get it at a high level, and they get it at a most technical level. But I think where people are getting kind of stuck is at that practical—I want to start doing.”
Michelle’s approach focuses on the “showing the how” rather than just using the industry jargon. She draws a helpful analogy: implementing AI is like bringing on an intern. You wouldn’t give them unfettered access to all systems and check back in three months. You’d define specific jobs to be done, establish policies and processes, and check in regularly.
“I think that’s this mindset of helping people define: What things are you wanting to build agents for? What are the jobs to be done?” she explains.
For marketers looking to advance their careers in this rapidly evolving landscape, Michelle’s advice is clear: lean in and experiment.
“It’s so new to everyone, it kind of almost evens the playing field all over again,” she observes. “So then, it’s up to you to really decide how much you want to start experimenting and doing and learning on your own.”
Even if your company isn’t ready to fully embrace AI, experiment on your own. Try using AI for content creation, campaign templates, or solution briefs. Learn where it excels and where it falls short. When you’re interviewing for your next role, being able to say “here’s what I tried, this is what I learned, and these are the things I’d do differently” will set you apart.
For marketers ready to experiment, Michelle recommends starting with content creation. Use AI to accelerate solution briefs, campaign templates, and the “data entry” work that consumes so much time. It’s a practical starting point that allows you to understand AI’s capabilities and limitations in a domain where you already have expertise.
As B2B SaaS marketing continues to evolve, success requires balancing timeless brand-building principles with emerging AI capabilities. The companies that will win are those that:
The playing field has been levelled by AI. The question is: how will you use this moment to differentiate yourself and your brand?
Want to explore how to build your B2B tech marketing career or discuss these strategies further? Connect with us to continue the conversation.
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