#253 Lifecycle Marketing | In this episode, we’re joined by two expert lifecycle marketers: Charlotte Hardin, Lifecycle Marketing Manager at Rebuy Engine, and Naomi West, Senior Product Manager at Customer.io. Charlotte and Naomi bring years of hands-on experience running email, onboarding, and retention programs inside B2B SaaS companies.

They break down how B2B teams can use lifecycle marketing to drive more revenue, boost product engagement, and strengthen customer relationships, without needing a massive team.

Charlotte and Naomi cover:

How top B2B teams build high-performing welcome sequences, and why they’re constantly worth revisiting
The role of experimentation and how to prioritize AB tests that deliver learnings (even with small audiences)
Strategic ways to keep users engaged post-onboarding, including behavior-based triggers and surprise-and-delight moments

Timestamps

(00:00) - – Intro
(02:38) - – Meet Charlotte and Naomi
(04:23) - – How they define lifecycle marketing
(06:08) - – What they’ve changed their minds about recently
(09:18) - – Plain text vs. designed emails
(11:08) - – Their frameworks for experimentation
(13:38) - – How to test in low-volume environments
(15:58) - – Common mistakes in A/B testing
(17:08) - – What a day in lifecycle marketing looks like
(19:18) - – How they (actually) use AI in their workflows
(23:08) - – Building a reporting foundation for lifecycle
(27:19) - – Naomi’s example of measuring aha moments
(29:19) - – Quick definitions of lifecycle marketing
(30:49) - – Tips for writing lifecycle campaigns that actually matter
(31:19) - – Favorite lifecycle campaigns they’ve run
(33:19) - – Why revamping welcome flows is always worth it
(35:19) - - Frameworks they use for building new flows
(38:19) - – What to do *after* onboarding ends
(39:49) - – Using behavior-based triggers and milestones
(41:49) - – Surprise and delight moments in B2B
(43:19) - – Creating assets with a lean team
(46:19) - – Systems and templates that save time
(48:19) - – Navigating multi-year sales cycles with lifecycle content
(51:19) - – Why benchmarks are often misleading
(53:19) - – Final advice: audit often, talk to your team, and keep learning
(55:19) - – Wrap-up and where to find Naomi and Charlotte

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Mastering Lifecycle Marketing: Real-World Tactics from Leading B2B Teams

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)