Vimeo CEO and SaaS veteran Adam Gross and Jason Lemkin, SaaStr founder and CEO, recently hosted a fireside chat at SaaStr Miami, discussing how to run a profitable public company with $400 million in revenue. They covered topics such as:
- Utilizing a mix of self-serve and sales-led strategies
- Managing multiple Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs)
- Avoiding over-monetization during challenging times
- Addressing ownership of “free”
- Exploring the role of AI in the near future
Adam has a rich background in Cloud and SaaS, having worked at companies like Personify, Salesforce, Dropbox, and Heroku before becoming CEO at Vimeo. The discussion delves into the unique aspects of making a large public SaaS company profitable quickly.
What’s It Like Running a Company Like Vimeo Today?
Vimeo, celebrating its 20th anniversary, stands out as a long-standing internet brand. However, misconceptions about the company still prevail. Vimeo’s emphasis on video hosting and its position as the second-largest video player after YouTube are key points of distinction. The discussion also mentions the recent launch of Vimeo Central and highlights Vimeo’s focus on giving companies more control over their video content.
The conversation covers how Vimeo serves various ICPs, mainly marketers, and how it balances its PLG and sales-led strategies. The evolving landscape of free video hosting and the importance of customer engagement are also discussed.
How Does Vimeo Handle Long-Tail PLG vs. a Very Sales-Led Motion?
Adam’s experience with PLG at Dropbox and Heroku informs Vimeo’s approach to connecting consumer-style customer activity with monetization opportunities. The discussion highlights the challenges and rewards of blending self-serve and enterprise business models.
Vimeo’s diverse ICPs are explored, with a focus on marketers as a core demographic. Strategies to enhance synergy between the long tail and PLG segments are discussed, along with the importance of customer acquisition and retention.
Vimeo Has Several ICPs, but Are Marketers the Core One?
The conversation delves into Vimeo’s multiple ICPs and the significance of marketers within this ecosystem. Insights are shared on the relationship between free and self-serve business models and the importance of maintaining brand recognition while adapting to changing market dynamics.
The discussion also touches on the challenges of avoiding over-monetization during tough times and the role of AI in reshaping workplace dynamics and product innovation.
