Helping direct to consumer Beauty & Wellness brands reach their goals by improving the customer journey | Podcast Host | Seven Figure Agency Mentor

After half a decade of assembling elite talent and pushing the boundaries of retention strategy, WeClick Group has grown into one of the most competitive and forward-thinking retention marketing agencies in the eCommerce space.

We're not "just" an email marketing agency-we're retention architects for eComm brands. Through a fierce combination of email, SMS, and direct mail, we build frictionless customer journeys that maximize Lifetime Value and boost Customer Return Rate. Strategy is our superpower. Inbox deliverability is our battleground. And we've helped brands win-over and over again.

We've partnered with 100+ eCommerce brands, launched thousands of hyper-personalized campaigns, and helped generate trillions (yes, trillions) in client revenue. Our clients? Names like Particle for Men, Soon Skincare, Echelon Fitness, UOMA Beauty, Big Wall Decor, and Trophy Smack. We've scaled brands from $2M to $20M+, and helped them break into new international markets with multilingual retention support baked into our process.

We're proud to be Platinum Partners with Klaviyo, and officially partnered with Omnisend, Yotpo, Digioh, Orita, Okendo, Disco, Fairing, and Gorgias-giving our clients access the best-in-class tools and insights.

We've been featured on the Gorgeous Growth Podcast and the Klaviyo blog-but we're just getting started.

And the numbers? They speak for themselves.
Klaviyo dashboards regularly attribute 30-40%+ of total revenue to the flows, campaigns, and lifecycle strategies we build. But we're not just chasing conversion spikes-we're obsessed with customer longevity. We create retention ecosystems that drive deeper loyalty and repeat spend.

If you're looking for the most technical, most strategic, and most obsessed team in the retention game-WeClick is your unfair advantage.

Oscar G.

Mike Allton

Agorapulse

Leading the strategic design and execution of Agorapulse's partner ecosystem. My mission is to build a world-class partnership program that drives significant new revenue and delivers exceptional value to our agency, technology, and referral partners.

🧡 Architecting the new Agorapulse LEAP (Leading Edge Agency Partnership) Program from the ground up.

🧡 Responsible for partner recruitment, onboarding, enablement, and the overall P&L of the partner-led growth channel.

🧡 Focused on building a powerful new growth engine for the company through strategic alliances and a "win-win-win" partnership philosophy.

Director of Partner-led Growth

Served as the primary voice of the Agorapulse brand, responsible for communicating our story and value proposition to the market.

🧡 Hosted the "Social Pulse Podcast," growing our audience and establishing a key channel for industry conversations. Also developed 4 ICP-specific podcasts for Retail, Agency, Hospitality and B2B audiences.

🧡 Developed and scaled our customer success story program, creating a powerful library of social proof that directly supported sales and marketing efforts. Improved the quality of the stories we tell by 25%. Doubled the number of stories we have published, while decreasing the time needed to develop them through the use of AI and systemic processes.

Chief Storyteller

Laid the groundwork for Agorapulse's partnership strategy by identifying and building initial relationships with key brands and influencers in the marketing and SaaS ecosystem. This foundational work set the stage for the development of our formal partner-led growth channel.

Head of Strategic Partnerships

As Agorapulse's Brand Evangelist, I was responsible for championing the brand and building our influencer marketing program from the ground up. My focus was on cultivating strong relationships with social media educators and industry leaders to expand our reach and establish brand partnerships in their critical early stages.

Key accomplishments include:

🧡 Led the social media and community teams, guiding our owned channel strategy and fostering audience growth.

🧡 Launched and was showrunner for the company's first weekly live show, creating a new, consistent content series for community engagement.

🧡 Created and executed Agorapulse's first virtual summit, driving over 1,000 attendees and establishing a new pillar for our event marketing strategy.

🧡 Grew the Agorapulse ambassador program by 5x, transforming it into a powerful network of brand advocates and influencers.

Brand Evangelist

Partnership Leaders

Member

The AI Hat Podcast

I help creators and solopreneurs break free from the "time-for-money" trap and achieve scalable growth using the power of generative AI.

After two decades of wearing all the hats myself—from blogger to podcaster to digital marketing CMO—I know the constant struggle of balancing creative work with the administrative grind.

At The AI Hat, I act as your AI Architect, guiding you to build a business that works smarter, not harder.

My work focuses on:

✨ Reclaiming Your Time: I create and teach AI-powered workflows that automate the repetitive tasks stealing your creative energy, from content ideation and social media management to email marketing and client communication.

✨ Scaling Without Hiring: I empower you to build your own custom AI Assistants (your "AI dream team") to handle entire business functions, allowing you to expand your impact and revenue without adding headcount.

✨ Achieving Strategic Clarity: I cut through the overwhelming world of AI tools, providing a human-centered framework to ensure you're using AI effectively, ethically, and in a way that amplifies your unique genius.

My goal is to give you back the hours you need to focus on the work that truly lights you up.

Connect with me here and follow my journey as I build and test these exact solutions in my own business.

AI for Creators & Solopreneurs

The Social Media Hat

Mike Allton is your navigator through the labyrinth of modern marketing. A renowned Strategic Marketing Leader in AI and Data-Driven Solutions, Mike has dedicated his career to mastering the intersection of technology and human-centric marketing strategies.

With a rich background that spans across various facets of digital marketing, Mike has become a trusted voice in leveraging AI and data analytics to not only predict market trends but to craft marketing strategies that resonate deeply with audiences. His expertise is not just in understanding the tools of the trade but in applying them in innovative ways that ensure businesses stand out in an increasingly crowded digital landscape.

Mike believes that at the heart of successful marketing lies a genuine connection with the audience. This philosophy is the cornerstone of his approach, ensuring that even the most sophisticated AI-driven campaigns retain a personal touch, speaking directly to the needs and desires of the consumer.

Beyond his consulting work, Mike is an engaging speaker and educator, eager to share his insights and learnings with others. Through workshops, keynote speeches, and personalized consulting sessions, he demystifies complex technologies and strategies, empowering businesses to achieve their marketing objectives with confidence.

As a Strategic Marketing Leader, Mike offers a blend of visionary thinking and practical execution, guiding businesses through the ever-evolving digital marketing landscape with clarity and purpose. Whether crafting bespoke AI solutions, delivering compelling presentations, or leading strategic marketing initiatives, Mike Allton is committed to elevating brands and driving meaningful engagement.

Join Mike on a journey toward transforming your marketing efforts, where data meets creativity, and technology amplifies the human connection.

Award-Winning Blogger, Author, and Marketing Strategist

Blogging Brute

🚀 Small Business Content Marketing Strategist | Educator | Growth Catalyst 🌐✨

Welcome to Blogging Brute! I'm Mike Allton, your dedicated guide to unlocking the full potential of content marketing for small businesses.

👨‍🏫 What I Do:
As a Small Business Content Strategist, my mission is to equip entrepreneurs, business owners, and marketing leaders with the tools and knowledge they need to flourish in the digital realm. I specialize in developing tailored content strategies that drive brand awareness, engagement, and conversion.

🌐 Content Marketing Mastery:
Explore our extensive resources, courses, and workshops designed to demystify content marketing. From crafting compelling blog posts to implementing effective social media strategies, we've got you covered.

💼 Services:
Discover personalized services ranging from 1:1 coaching sessions to in-depth content audits. We'll fine-tune your approach, aligning your content strategy with your business objectives.

🔧 Why Work With Me?
I bring over a decade of hands-on expertise in content marketing. I've had the privilege of assisting countless small businesses in navigating the ever-evolving digital landscape.

Ready to transform your content marketing journey? Let's connect and explore the possibilities! 🚀✨

Content Marketing Strategist

360 Marketing Squad

Along with industry experts Jenn Herman, Stephanie Liu and Amanda Robinson, I led a private membership group where business owners can receive live training, ask questions, and get a broad perspective on the latest marketing trends and techniques.

Co-Founder

SiteSell

As the CMO, I lead SiteSell's marketing department and coordinate all marketing initiatives, including content creation, social media activity, search engine optimization, landing page creation, split testing, sales campaigns and more.

The entire focus is on helping everyday people with passions and ideas to turn those ideas into real online businesses using Solo Build It!

Chief Marketing Officer

Freelancer

I built over one hundred dynamic websites for businesses throughout the United States and Canada. Each website was driven by a professional-grade Content Management System: Drupal. Each site included a completely custom design (no templates) and a thorough optimization for search engines and social media integration.

I worked with clients to help them understand how they could leverage the power and flexibility of their new website to promote their business online through content marketing.

I also provided premium website hosting services exclusively to my design clients, and ongoing maintenance and support.

In additional to website development and Drupal implementations, I provided:
- Social Media Marketing
- Social Media Training and Consulting
- Search Engine Optimization
- eCommerce Implementation
- Pay Per Click Consulting and Management
- Blog Coaching and Content Marketing Consulting
- Email Marketing Consulting
- Graphic Design

My focus has now shifted to The Social Media Hat where I provide businesses with the tools and information to promote themselves, and I serve as a consultant. I still provide website development to those clients who need a better web platform on which to built their online presence, and I still provide ongoing maintenance and hosting for my existing web clients.

Internet Marketing

Litehouse Pools

I was responsible for helping customers purchase Swimming Pools, Hot Tubs, Outdoor Furniture, Tanning Beds, Pre-lit Christmas Trees and Billiard Tables, as well as accessories and service for those items.

Sales Associate

Viking Technology, Inc.

Managed retail store as well as preparation of IT Quotes for businesses and residential customers.

Sales Manager

International Keynote Speaker on #InfluencerMarketing, 🎤 Host of Partnership Unpacked podcast & Head of Strategic Partnerships at Agorapulse | former CMO

For over seven years at Agorapulse, I've had a front-row seat to the power of great partnerships. Today, as Director of Partner-led Growth, I'm putting that experience into action.

My mission is simple: to build a world-class partner ecosystem that drives real, measurable growth for both Agorapulse and our partners.

For Agencies: I'm building our new Agorapulse LEAP Program to be a true growth engine for you. We're moving beyond simple referrals to create a partnership that offers a powerful 3-year recurring commission, free seats to manage your clients, and the dedicated support you need to increase your own client retention and LTV.

For Tech & Brand Partners: Our platform sits at the heart of the social media marketing stack. If your tool helps marketers succeed, I'm open to exploring strategic alliances, integrations, and co-marketing opportunities that deliver undeniable value to our shared customers.

My approach is built on a simple philosophy: the best partnerships are win-win-win—a win for us, a win for our partner, and most importantly, a win for the customer.

If you're an agency leader or a potential tech partner who shares that belief, let's connect!

In this capacity, I will be focusing on surfacing and sharing the success stories of our incredible customers and how they are leveraging Agorapulse to achieve their goals.

Storytelling is powerful, and I look forward to showcasing the real impact of our platform through authentic, engaging narratives. Stay tuned for some inspiring stories that highlight the value and capabilities of Agorapulse.

Sitting in the quiet of the car between back-to-school drop-offs, and I can’t shake a specific number from my head.

Zero.

That is the measurable ROI that 95% of companies got from their GenAI pilots last year.

Zero.

It feels like the party is officially over. The bill has arrived.

2025 was "AI Tourism." We all took the trip. We marveled at the scenery. We took selfies with chatbots. It was fun.

But looking at the data this morning, it’s clear that most companies visited the future, but they didn't move in.

Because while we were playing with "magic" tools, our sales teams were still drowning. They are still spending 70% of their week fighting administrative quicksand instead of selling.

Imagine if you could feel that drag lift.

Imagine if your team stopped being data entry clerks and started being sellers again.

Imagine looking at your pipeline and seeing reality, not just hope.

That doesn't happen with another pilot program. It happens when you decide to stop playing with toys and start building architecture.

This is the year of the "Revenue Architect."

I’ve been compiling the data on this for weeks. It’s a confidential briefing I’m calling The 2026 Sales Reckoning.

It explains exactly why the "AI Tourists" failed, and maps out the boring, unsexy, profitable workflows the top 5% are using to actually win.

If you want to see the blueprint, drop RECKONING below.

I’ll DM it to you before I head back to my desk.

AI & Automation Speaker | I Help Teams Stop “Admin Drag” with Custom AI Agents | Director of Partner-led Growth @ Agorapulse

I’m sitting here with my second cup of Earl Grey, and I’ve just scrolled past my fifth "The AI Bubble is Bursting" post of the morning.

I need to get this off my chest.

I see so many leaders using this "bubble talk" as a convenient excuse. The logic is comforting: "It’s just hype. If we wait it out, we don't have to change how we work."

That is a fatal miscalculation.

I’m putting my Historian Hat on. Everyone compares this to the Dot Com crash of 2000. They remember Pets . com - speculative fluff with no revenue.

But the better analogy is the Telecom Bubble.

In the late 90s, companies like WorldCom laid millions of miles of fiber optic cable. They overspent. They went bust. The financial bubble popped.

But the fiber didn't go away.

That cheap, massive infrastructure stayed in the ground. And it paved the way for the real internet - Netflix, Google, Amazon - to take over the world five years later.

We are seeing the exact same thing today. We are building the "Digital Fiber" of the 21st century.

Yes, the "Wrapper Bubble" will pop. Remember when independent "Chat with PDF" apps were the hottest thing? Now, that feature is free in your web browser. Remember when we paid $99/month for basic AI copywriters? Now, Microsoft Copilot does it inside Word for the price of a coffee.

The generic tools ("The Wrappers") will die. The incumbents are eating them alive.

But here is the real risk if you are waiting on the sidelines:

The risk isn't that your CFO cancels a tool. The risk is Structural Obsolescence.

While you are pausing your AI pilots because "it's a bubble," your competitors are decoupling revenue from headcount. They aren't just writing emails faster. They are using this "Digital Fiber" to automate 70% of their admin work.

When the bubble bursts, the market usually tightens. In a tight market, the company with the lower Cost of Goods Sold wins. The company that can scale service without hiring more bodies wins.

If they have built a "Digital Crew" and you are still hiring humans to do data entry, you won't just be behind. You will be unviable.

The Saturday Challenge:

Don't ask if the tool is cool. Ask if the workflow is permanent.

If the bubble popped tomorrow and every "AI startup" vanished, would your revenue architecture survive? Or is it built on rented land?

Your sales team is spending 70% of their week doing robot work.

New newsletter: The 2026 Sales Reckoning - Why Your AI Pilot Is Stuck in Purgatory.

I break down why 95% of enterprise AI pilots deliver zero P&L impact - and what separates the 5% who win from the 95% who fail.

The uncomfortable truth? You're automating the wrong thing.

Most companies gave reps ChatGPT and said "write emails faster." But the 5% who actually win aren't automating customer conversations. They're automating the research, data prep, and CRM hygiene - so their humans can actually sell.

In this edition:

→ Why "Admin Drag" is killing your revenue team
→ The hard truth about replacing headcount with AI (and why it fails)
→ The tactical "Admin Audit" you can run THIS WEEK

What's the biggest friction point slowing your team down right now?

View newsletter: The AI Hat Podcast Newsletter

Your board wants results. They approved the AI budget. They sat through the workshops. They nodded along when you said generative AI would "transform"

Open article: The 2026 Sales Reckoning: Why Your AI Pilot Is Stuck in Purgatory by Mike Allton • 6 min read

The 2026 Sales Reckoning: Why Your AI Pilot Is Stuck in Purgatory

Your sales team is spending 70% of their week doing robot work.

And you're paying them six figures to do it.

That's not an efficiency problem. That's a talent crisis.

I just dropped Episode 01 of the new season of AI for Revenue Leaders: The AI Hat Podcast, and we need to talk about why 95% of enterprise AI pilots are delivering zero P&L impact.

It's not the technology. The models are incredible.

It's not your team. They're working harder than ever.

The problem? Most companies are trying to automate the wrong thing.

They're layering AI on top of broken workflows. They're giving reps ChatGPT and saying "write emails faster." But writing bad emails faster just means you get ignored faster.

Before you build any AI solution - before you talk about agents or governance or automation - you have to start with architecture.

You have to look at your revenue engine and ask: Where is the friction?

→ Is it in the handoff between marketing and sales?
→ Is it in the hour of research a rep does before a demo?
→ Is it in the manual report your team builds every Monday morning?

That friction is your target. That is where the AI goes.

In this episode, I break down:

• Why "Admin Drag" is the invisible productivity killer burying your revenue team
• The "GenAI Divide" - what separates the 5% of Future-Built companies from the 95% stuck in Pilot Purgatory
• How to navigate board pressure to cut headcount while scaling revenue (without replacing your A-players with chatbots)
• The "Admin Audit" framework - a tactical exercise to identify which tasks are bleeding hours from your team

This isn't theory. I'm the Director of Partner-led Growth at Agorapulse. I carry quota pressure. I'm a practitioner who's been architecting AI workflows for revenue teams since 2024.

If you're a VP of Sales, CRO, or Agency Owner tired of AI tools that promise magic but deliver busywork - this episode is your operational playbook.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or grab the link the comments below.

What's the biggest friction point in your revenue engine right now? Drop it in the comments - let's diagnose it together.

#AIforSales #RevenueOperations #SalesProductivity #RevenueArchitecture #AIWorkforce #SalesEnablement

90% of your employees are using AI right now.

And you have no idea which tools they're using, what data they're feeding into them, or what security holes they've just created.

Welcome to Shadow AI.

While you've been waiting for IT to approve enterprise licenses, your sales rep just pasted customer PII into free ChatGPT. Your marketing manager uploaded strategic memos to Claude. Your RevOps analyst fed proprietary data into an unsecured platform.

They're not trying to sabotage you. They're trying to survive.

You buried them in 70% admin work (we talked about that in Episode 1), so they found tools to help them keep up. The problem? They found the unsecured versions.

And here's where most companies make it worse:

They issue a blanket ban. "Effective immediately, AI is prohibited."

You know what happens? Your team doesn't stop using AI. They just stop telling you about it.

You've now driven the behavior completely underground - zero visibility, zero governance, maximum risk.

Congratulations. You just weaponized Shadow AI.

New episode just dropped: Your Team Is Already Using AI. Here's How to Make It Safe.

I break down:

→ Why 90% of employees are "Shadow Users" (and what that reveals about your tech stack)
→ The three real scenarios creating data leaks in revenue orgs right now
→ Why the "ban hammer" fails (and what to do instead)
→ The Traffic Light System - a governance framework employees actually remember
→ How to launch a 30-Day Amnesty Program that brings AI into the light without punishing innovation

This isn't about blocking your team. It's about sanctioning them.

Because when you govern Shadow AI properly, you don't just reduce risk - you unlock velocity.

The companies that win in 2026 aren't the ones fighting AI adoption. They're the ones building the channels for it to flow safely.

You don't ban the river. You build the dam.

Listen to the full episode - link in the first comment. 👇

What's your current approach to Shadow AI? Banning it, ignoring it, or sanctioning it?

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Oscar G.

Mike Allton

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