Lifecycle Marketing Manager - Acquisition

Overview

You own the marketing programs that turn awareness into pipeline. This means building email nurture sequences, optimizing paid acquisition campaigns, improving conversion paths on the website, and coordinating with sales on lead handoff. You're working in marketing automation tools daily, analyzing funnel metrics, running A/B tests, and collaborating with content, SDRs, and AEs to improve conversion rates at each stage.

Role Snapshot

Company Context

Stage: Later stage (537 employees suggests Series C/D)

Size: 537 employees

Growth: Hiring in GTM suggests they're scaling acquisition efforts

Market Position: Competing in crowded vertical software space, need efficient acquisition programs to stand out

GTM Reality

Pipeline Sources:

• Inbound marketing (SEO, content, paid ads)
• Outbound SDR efforts (you support with nurture and re-engagement)
• Events and field marketing (you handle post-event follow-up)

Your Focus: Acquisition-focused lifecycle marketing—getting people into the funnel and moving them toward qualified conversations with sales.

Competitive Landscape

Main Competitors: Mindbody, Vagaro, Square Appointments, and other vertical SaaS tools

Marketing Challenge: Breaking through to small business owners who aren't actively researching software—they're busy running their business

Your Job: Create campaigns that resonate with salon/spa owners and get them to engage with sales

What You'll Actually Do

Time Breakdown

Campaign Building (30%) | Analytics & Reporting (25%) | Cross-functional Coordination (25%) | Testing & Optimization (20%)

Key Activities

• Email nurture programs: You build and optimize automated email sequences for different segments—new leads, demo no-shows, trial users, dormant prospects. You're constantly testing subject lines, messaging, and timing.
• Paid campaign optimization: You work with paid media (likely an agency or internal specialist) to improve conversion from ads. You're analyzing which channels and messages drive qualified leads vs junk.
• Conversion rate optimization: You run tests on landing pages, forms, CTAs, and website flows. You're looking at where people drop off and hypothesizing fixes.
• Sales collaboration: You meet with SDR and AE leaders weekly to understand what's working, what lead quality looks like, and where handoffs are breaking. You adjust programs based on their feedback.
• Reporting: You track MQLs, SQL conversion, cost per lead, and pipeline contribution. You're in spreadsheets and dashboards daily, explaining performance to leadership.

The Honest Reality

What's Hard

• Small business owners don't engage with marketing like B2B SaaS buyers do. Open rates and click-through rates are lower. They're not reading your thought leadership.
• Attribution is messy. Did that lead come from an email, an SDR call, a Google search, or all three? You're constantly defending your numbers.
• You're balancing quantity (more leads) with quality (leads sales actually wants). Sales always wants better leads; leadership wants more volume.
• Testing takes time, but you're expected to show results quickly. You need wins while also playing the long game on optimization.

What Success Looks Like

• Hitting MQL and SQL targets month over month
• Improving conversion rates at key funnel stages (demo requests, demo attendance, qualified pipeline)
• Reducing cost per acquisition while maintaining lead quality
• Sales team says your nurture programs are helping—they're seeing engaged, informed prospects

Who You're Supporting

Internal Stakeholders:

• SDR team (you're feeding them leads and helping re-engage cold prospects)
• AE team (you're warming up pipeline and supporting their active deals)
• Content team (you distribute their work and provide data on what performs)
• Paid media/growth marketing (you coordinate on campaign strategy)

End Audience:

• Salon, spa, medspa, barbershop, massage studio owners and managers

Requirements

• 3-5 years in B2B marketing, ideally in lifecycle, demand gen, or growth marketing
• Hands-on experience with marketing automation platforms (Marketo, HubSpot, Pardot)
• Strong analytical skills—you live in Google Analytics, CRM dashboards, and Excel/Sheets
• Experience with email marketing best practices and A/B testing
• Bonus: Experience marketing to SMB audiences or vertical SaaS
• Able to work cross-functionally with sales, product marketing, and content teams