It’s no secret that category creation is all the rage if you’re in B2B marketing or you’ve simply opened LinkedIn recently.

But many B2B marketers are working within companies that have never ventured into category creation.

Neither Mark Huber, Head of Brand & Product Marketing or Jason Widup, VP of Marketing at Metadata, had created a category before.

So, in this episode of Demand Gen U, Mark and Jason outline Metadata’s quest to create a category. They also discuss what they’ve learned so far and their pledge to re-launch the category at DEMAND 2022.

Find out:

• Why Metadata set out to create a category
• How to do it well – without a step-by-step guide
• Why planning is the most essential part

For more of Mark and Jason’s tips on the good, the bad, and the ugly of category creation, listen to the full episode.

Top three takeaways:

Takeaway 1: Balancing the present and future state of your product

It’s really important to think about the future and explain your projections when you create your category – it’s often what gets investors most excited.

However, it can be a challenge to navigate the tug-of-war between knowing what your audience wants and what your investors are interested in.

Metadata spent a long while working on this…something to really focus on if you’re creating a category. It’s all about finding balance.

Takeaway 2: Map out your plans

It’s crucial that you’re not just showing plans for what your product will look like in 2030 or 2035.

The next few years should be mapped out to some degree to give audiences and investors a clear view of your plans, step-by-step.

Metadata didn’t quite nail this last time around, but we’ve stepped up since then and feel much more coordinated around our category.

Takeaway 3: Ensure planning at every stage

When creating your category and attending press conferences, it’s essential to have planned every stage and not rush into things.

Mark Huber and Jason Widup have admitted they felt Metadata’s category creation process was previously rushed. But they feel much more prepared this time around!