A Guide to Building a Buying Group Strategy

Shifting to buying groups isn’t just a strategy change. It’s a cultural shift that touches everything from campaigns to content to measurement. In this episode, Yesica Schaaf, VP of Global Demand Generation Marketing at Veeam, joins Adam and Saima to break down how her team made the leap from a traditional lead-based model to a fully operational buying group motion, and why ripping the band-aid was the best decision they made. Yesica shares the end-to-end transformation, starting with persona research and content mapping all the way through to building a new measurement model and redefining campaign execution. She also explains how Veeam is treating AI not just as a content tool, but as an actual member of the buying group and what that means for the future of marketing strategy. In this conversation, you’ll learn:Why Veeam shifted to a buying group model and how they got startedHow they identified and filled content gaps across personas and the buyer journeyHow they evolved their measurement model, including buying group scoring and attributionWhy AI is now considered a “persona” in their buying groupsJump into the conversation:(00:00) Introducing Yesica Schaaf (01:13) Transition to B2B buying groups (02:01) Case study introduction (05:22) Initial strategy and personas (07:21) Content mapping and gaps (11:48) Execution with 6Sense (13:24) Cultural and measurement changes (15:05) Implementing new technologies (17:55) Lessons learned from the transition (19:41) Future of buying group engagement