User Experience for Digital Marketing

After 19 years building marketing automation, I can finally see what replaces it: AI systems that reason, not just execute rules. That's why the entire martech stack is about to be rebuilt. Legacy marketing automation platforms remain what they've always been: rules engines wearing a user interface. Those rules are brittle. They can't learn from outcomes. They break when market conditions shift. They require expert-level knowledge and constant maintenance. And they can't handle the ambiguity that defines real buyer behavior. Consider data management. Simple capitalization logic turns MCCOY into Mccoy (instead of McCoy). "Director of Operations" could mean IT Ops, RevOps, or Business Ops? In L2A, a consultant using personal email can't match to their Fortune 500 client. Rules can't handle that ambiguity. THE REASONING BREAKTHROUGH GPT-5 shows 80% fewer hallucinations with Ph.D.-level performance. Claude Sonnet 4.5 runs autonomously for 30+ hours on complex tasks, up from 7 hours four months earlier. DeepSeek R1 achieves comparable performance while being open source. These models reason through problems, understand context, test hypotheses. And the pace of improvement shows no signs of slowing. Applying this to marketing automation, reasoning models can recognize patterns across similar situations without explicit rules, infer relationships from available data, and handle ambiguity by considering multiple signals simultaneously. Journey orchestration becomes adaptive. Today we build flowcharts: if industry = SaaS AND role = VP, send email series A. Reasoning AI orchestrates personalized lists of actions based on actual behavior patterns — understanding when someone is researching versus ready to buy without programmed triggers. Personalization becomes dynamic. Current systems require paths for every persona, stage, industry, personality. Reasoning models determine relevance contextually based on each individual’s history, context, and behavioral patterns. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR MOPS Marketing ops teams won't disappear. But their role will shift from configuring rules-based MAPs to providing context: setting business goals, defining success metrics, establishing guardrails. They'll build data pipelines that give AI access to engagement data, intent signals, product usage, CRM data. The technical work changes. The strategic value increases. After helping build Marketo and watching marketing automation define the last era of martech, I'm seeing the next one take shape. What parts of your rules-based MAP could benefit from reasoning AI? Let me know in the comments, and if you found this useful, please comment or reshare! ♻️ #MarketingAutomation

Welp, Gmail’s done it again. More new updates to make the inbox experience better *for recipients*, much to the chagrin of some senders. The Promotions tab is getting ranked by relevance (hell yeah), post-purchase mail is getting its own swim lane with a dedicated Purchases tab (just in time for the holiday email season!), and Manage Subscriptions makes pruning senders you no longer want to hear from effortless. Why does *this* change matter, given all the new features they’ve been rolling out recently? Because it means delivery ≠ visibility… even if you send at the “perfect” time for your subscribers. In this new reality, two people can open at the same time and see different stacks. If you’re not in their regular rotation, you’re headed to the Promotions basement (or shuffled to page two)… send-time optimization be damned. Tabs are optional, but the consequences of not sending it right are universal. Ranked visibility rewards usefulness and consistency, not hacks or send-time optimization. Here are some things you can do right meowww… 1️⃣ Separate (and de-glam) your transactional. This one’s all about business up front and (promotions) party in the back. Dedicated subdomain/IPs, and kill the promo pixie dust that might make your business-critical mail seem promotional: upsell CTAs, cross-sell banners, and “while you’re here” copy. 2️⃣ Lean into easier unsubscribes Allowing users to easily “Manage Subscriptions” will accelerate list churn, whether you like it or not. But they don’t hurt deliverability (unless there are a TON), and there are ways you can encourage would-be unsubscribers to stay with you by getting in front of it, like offering a preference center where subscribers can opt-down instead of out. 3️⃣ Adjust your Promotions presentation for “Most Relevant” You can’t force… really anything in your recipients these days. But you can encourage them to engage by making it super clear what your message is about and why they need it in their lives with very little effort. For example, instead of: “Our Fall Drop is Here”, get specific! Say the outcome: “24-hr restock on [X] you favorited” 4️⃣ Update your scorecard to match how Gmail ranks mail Unlike the “Most Recent” view, where your visibility’s been mostly about timing, getting mail delivered under a “Most Relevant” reality doesn’t equate to a fair shot at being seen (even if you land in the inbox). 💌 Optimize for speed of engagement, reach (how many engage), and stickiness (how often they engage). Metrics like Time-to-First-Open, First-6-Hour Click Share, Active Gmail Reach (30d), Click Reach (30/60/90), Replies/“helpful” signals, and Persistence (opened 2+ of last 4) will help you figure out how your mail’s really landing. 5️⃣ Stop blasting to everyone. No, seriously. Stop it. I wrote all about this in my recent Send It Right blog post (and newsletter). Get the full scoop: https://lnkd.in/gSP5GtgE

Your pipeline problem won't be solved with more leads. Most B2B teams this year don't have a campaign or even a budget problem, they have an orchestration problem. Pipeline is coming in from more channels than ever. Buyer signals are everywhere. AI tools promise faster content, smarter routing, better scoring, cleaner data. And yet… revenue predictability still feels fragile. Spend is up and performance is down! Why? Because most organizations are layering AI and new campaigns on top of workflows that were never designed to move at machine speed. AI-powered revenue orchestration isn’t about automation for its own sake. It’s about designing how marketing, sales, and customer teams operate when signals are abundant and response time is compressed. Here’s what that really means. 1️⃣ Signals without orchestration create noise. Intent data, engagement scores, product usage alerts, website behavior — they only matter if someone knows what to do next. Orchestration turns signals into prioritized action. It connects insight to workflow, not just dashboards. 2️⃣ Speed-to-lead is now speed-to-confidence. Responding in five minutes is table stakes. The real advantage comes from helping buyers gain clarity faster — through relevant proof, tailored messaging, and coordinated follow-up. AI can accelerate this, but only if the underlying plays are aligned across teams. 3️⃣ Static playbooks break under dynamic buying journeys. Buyers don’t move in neat, linear stages. AI-powered orchestration allows plays to adapt based on behavior and engagement. The system evolves as the opportunity evolves. 4️⃣ Alignment can’t rely on meetings anymore. Revenue teams still spend too much time reconciling definitions, debating attribution, and manually coordinating next steps. Orchestration embeds alignment into the operating model. It reduces collaboration drag and frees teams to focus on actual selling. 5️⃣ Efficiency is no longer the only KPI. Yes, AI can reduce content cycle time, improve routing, and increase SDR productivity. But the bigger impact is on pipeline velocity and win rates. The goal isn’t just doing more with less. It’s converting clarity into revenue. The companies that win over the next year won’t be the ones with the most AI tools. They’ll be the ones that design their revenue engine around how AI and humans work together — intentionally, measurably, and with shared accountability. Revenue orchestration is the bridge between experimentation and predictable growth. This is infrastructure. This is essential.

1 out of 5 CRO agencies I've worked with actually focused on website design/experience. The rest relied on tactics like: - Creating urgency - Adding key product USPs - Making social proof more prominent While these strategies do give results, many practitioners tend to overlook a key aspect. That's UX/UI design. It's likely the least talked about topic at a CRO agency. Despite its significant potential to increase conversion rates. In this example, using Crafts Mill India Technologies Pvt. Ltd. PDP, I've implemented UX/UI and other changes that can increase conversion rates. Below are the 6 changes I recommend a/b testing - 1. Maintain your logo, hamburger menu icon, and cart icons on top at all times. Logo emphasis it's a credible brand. The hamburger menu helps in product discovery. And cart icon informs them it's an e-commerce store. 2. Highlight 1-2 key features in the product image. This creates value and justifies the price point. 3. If your brand sells fashion, cosmetics, or home-decor–consider showing product thumbnails. More so if they have some important information like features, celeb images. 4. Show the color swatch along with the color name. Make sure your images also mention the color name to eliminate any confusion on this important aspect. 5. Add an option for the user to check the delivery date. A closer delivery date can motivate a user to complete their purchase. 6. Highlight key USPs of your product or brand. Make sure they're easy to find and simple to understand. A few other changes I made: - Replaced the Pinterest share option on the image with an 'On Sale' badge. - Optimized the area around the add-to-cart by mentioning the warranty, free shipping information. - Made it easier for the visitor to contact the business by showing the icons and removing the copy clutter. Success lies in attention to detail. Don't forget to keep things intuitive and simple. Found this useful? Let me know in the comments! P.S. The learning curve for UX/UI design is quite different from that of CRO. If you want to get started with CRO, a book I'd recommend reading is Making Websites Win by the founders of Conversion Rate Experts. #conversionrateoptimization #uxdesign

5-Minute Website Audit: Check Your Mobile Friendliness Why Mobile-Friendliness Matters in SEO With Google’s mobile-first indexing, your site’s mobile version is the main focus for rankings. Mobile-friendliness impacts page speed, user experience, and accessibility, making it crucial for engagement, better rankings, and a broader reach. Using the Mobile-Friendly Test Tool Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test is free and easy to use. By entering your URL, you get a report on mobile usability issues, including text readability, tap target size, page speed, and design responsiveness—all key for mobile interactions. Key Mobile Optimization Concepts -Responsive Design: Adjusts layout to fit all screen sizes, improving accessibility. -Page Load Speed: Faster loading enhances retention and SEO; optimize images, scripts, and servers. -Tap Targets & Navigation: Easy-to-tap buttons and intuitive navigation prevent misclicks. -Text Readability: Fonts should adjust for clarity without needing zoom. -Challenges in Mobile Optimization -Responsive Design Complexity: Converting to responsive design may require significant changes. -Load Speed Optimization: Mobile networks are slower, so optimizing speed is challenging. -Aesthetic vs. Functionality: Balancing visuals with fast performance. -Cross-Device Testing: Testing on multiple devices and browsers is crucial but time-intensive. Running the Mobile-Friendly Test -Visit the Tool: Enter your URL on Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test page. -Run the Test: Click “Test URL.” -Review Results: View mobile-friendliness and address any issues, like small text or crowded elements. Strategies for Mobile Optimization -Responsive Frameworks: Use Bootstrap or Foundation for adaptable layouts. -Image Compression: TinyPNG and similar tools reduce image sizes for faster loads. -Simplified Navigation: Large, clear buttons and straightforward menus. -Prioritize Key Content: Show critical info above the fold for visibility. -Optimized Font & Spacing: Use at least 16px font with ample spacing. Benefits of Mobile Optimization -Higher SEO Rankings: Google rewards mobile-friendly sites. -Better User Experience: Smooth navigation lowers bounce rates. -Higher Conversions: Improved mobile experience encourages actions. -Broader Reach: Mobile optimization expands accessibility. -Competitive Edge: A seamless mobile experience sets you apart. Conclusion Optimizing for mobile is essential. Regularly run Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to catch issues early and keep your site competitive. NEXT STEPS -Test mobile-friendliness regularly -Implement responsive design for flexibility -Monitor mobile performance. Consider professional audits if challenges persist. #MobileSEO #MobileFriendly #WebsiteOptimization

Most GTM teams bleed revenue in the handoffs. Marketing drives leads → sales closes deals → CS handles the fallout. But what if all of that worked as one system? At AppFolio, CRO Marcy Campbell owns the entire customer journey – from first touch to long-term retention. She built “stream teams” that pull in marketing, sales, onboarding, CS, and support to run big initiatives together, end to end. The result: fewer silos, faster execution, and better outcomes for the business and the customer. Marcy (ex-PayPal, Boomi) came on the podcast to share how to build a truly unified GTM motion. Key takeaways any operator or founder can swipe: 1️⃣ Map the customer journey before you touch the org chart. Every CRO’s first job is to understand how customers discover, evaluate, buy, and use the product. Without this map, your GTM motions will misfire and misalign. 2️⃣ You can’t scale revenue with siloed execution. AppFolio built “stream teams” to run cross-functional initiatives end-to-end. Marketing, sales, onboarding, CS, and product move as one unit across the full journey. 3️⃣ Campaign performance = revenue + retention + LTV. Don’t stop at pipeline metrics. Track onboarding velocity, CS touch requirements, and downstream churn to understand the true ROI of your GTM motions. 4️⃣ Great CROs speak in customer verbs, not sales stages. Your process should mirror how the customer thinks – evaluating, comparing, adopting – not how your CRM is set up. Messaging and journey design should reflect their language. 5️⃣ Show your customer a single company, not your org chart. Buyers don’t care about internal handoffs. A unified experience means marketing ops, sales ops, and CS ops must operate from the same data and workflow foundation. 6️⃣ CRO success depends on the CMO relationship. AppFolio’s unified customer experience initiative started because of trust between CRO and CMO. Without mutual respect and shared metrics, sales and marketing stay misaligned. 7️⃣ Your best GTM asset might be your sales engineer. In one early startup, it was an engineer (not a seller) who gave the sharpest ICP filters based on what the product could actually deliver. Bring your builders into discovery. 8️⃣ Founders are de facto PMs until a repeatable motion exists. Early GTM is product management disguised as selling. Your job is to surface sharp use cases, value thresholds, and repeatable customer needs. 9️⃣ High-performing teams win because of process, not heroics. Individuals can brute-force short-term results. But consistent revenue growth comes from teams that operate with shared rituals, clear priorities, and metrics that matter. You'll also learn invaluable leadership lessons. More from Marcy in the full episode, available on the GTMnow website or wherever you get your podcasts by searching "The GTM Podcast" 🎧

One of the most effective ways to define your brand is by mapping it to a specific person. Not just a vague demographic, but an actual persona—real or fictional—who embodies everything your company stands for. When I launched my activewear brand, Ellie, we created Amy, a 27-year-old woman from California who represented our ideal customer. Every marketing decision we made was filtered through the question: Would Amy be into this? Amy loved the outdoors, so our ads featured scenic landscapes. She wasn’t too serious, so our content was lighthearted and casual. She had big aspirations but also made time for fun. Getting specific with her persona made our messaging feel natural and authentic. And it worked. When defining Hawke Media’s persona, we landed on me because I am the customer we serve. Before launching Hawke, I built, scaled, and sold e-commerce brands. I know firsthand the pain points our clients face, from tight budgets to inefficient marketing strategies to the constant pressure to grow. That perspective shaped the way we built Hawke Media. We are not a buttoned-up, corporate agency. We take marketing seriously, but we also have fun, challenge norms, and embrace creativity. That personality attracts the right clients and the right talent because it reflects exactly who we are built to serve. Defining your brand’s persona, whether it is a fictional character, a celebrity, or even yourself, keeps your messaging sharp and consistent. It gives your company a voice, a personality, and a clear direction. Without it, your marketing risks being generic and forgettable.

Why Buyer Personas Are Often Useless (Unless You Do Them Right) Buyer personas. Every marketer talks about them, but how many of us actually use them to drive real results? Too often, buyer personas are treated as an exercise in check-box marketing: Create a template, fill in some basic demographics, and call it a day. But this is a recipe for wasting time and burning calories. The real power of buyer personas lies in the depth of insight they provide about the emotional, psychological, and behavioral triggers of your target audience. When done right, personas become your roadmap for everything—product decisions, messaging, marketing strategies, and sales enablement. But when done wrong, they’re useless. So, how should you approach Buyer Personas? 1. Go Beyond Demographics It’s easy to create personas based on age, job title, and income. But that’s not what actually drives a purchase decision. You need to understand why your customers buy your product—what pain points are they solving, what motivates them, and what stands in their way. 2. Focus on Behavior and Needs Instead of just a “one-size-fits-all” persona, segment by behavior and customer journey stage. Are they early-stage prospects or ready to buy? How do they interact with your product? Behavior speaks volumes. 3. Constantly Evolve Your personas shouldn’t be static! The market, technology, and customer needs evolve—so should your personas. Continuously gather feedback from your users, sales teams, and customer support. Buyer personas done right can drive growth, shape product development, and create hyper-targeted marketing strategies. But done poorly? They’re just another file on the shelf. #growthmarketing #buyerpersonas #marketing

We’ve all heard of audience personas. But what if you could look beyond demographics and see how a persona thinks, behaves, and buys in real time? That’s exactly what I did today using Momentro, diving into the “Coffee Lovers” persona while comparing Barista Coffee Company Limited and t-Lounge by Dilmah but instead of focusing on search or content, I went deeper into behaviour. ☕ The “Coffee Lovers” Persona in Sri Lanka. 📌 Behavioural Trends: Actively follow slow living, café culture, and minimalism creators on YouTube. Prefer review led content over ads. Blend indulgence with wellness interested in both high-end desserts and clean living. 📌 Influencer Signals: Gravitate towards authentic, often micro-influencers who feel like trusted voices. Example: I checked out Alison Wijemanne who popped up in the F&B influencer space. Momentro provided me her category strength (food, beverage & travel) her brand history, her sentiment index (largely green = safe bet for partnerships) and some of the brands she has worked with in the past too. 📌 Brand Affinities: Engage with Barista, Dilmah T-Lounge, Java Lounge (Pvt) Ltd, Peppermint Cafe, Ibsons Choice Cafe, and even Starbucks — suggesting they blend local pride with global taste. 📌 Pain Points & Opportunities of coffee lovers in Sri Lanka: Tired of copy-paste content Seek genuine café experiences and behind-the-scenes narratives Want to feel spoken to, not marketed at For Content Teams: This is a Gold Mine. Most content teams are briefed with assumptions: “Target millennials,” “Make it Gen Z-friendly,” “Do something trendy.” But with Momentro, your creative team gets the nuance: -What this persona wants to hear -What frustrates them -What formats they consume -What tone feels authentic vs performative -Build campaigns based on what this persona already consumes -Choose influencers that align with their behavioural identity -Tailor content formats (YouTube > Facebook, micro > macro) No more content roulette. You build stories rooted in reality, pain points, motivations, peer influence, and preferred channels. Suddenly, your next campaign isn’t just more relevant. It’s more wanted! #marketing #influencermarketing #personaanalysis #microinfluencers #momentro