CEO The Good – Optimization for top brands like Nike, Xerox, Adobe, The Economist & many more | Author & Speaker | 6'7" 🏀 | Jr Olympic 🥇🥋 | jonmacdonald.com | 📘 Latest Book 👉 thegood.com/oito

Every bad digital experience costs you money. My mission is simple: remove them all until conversion becomes inevitable.

I founded The Good 16+ years ago to turn user insights into revenue. We're the trusted Digital Experience Optimization advisory for household names like Adobe, Nike, Xerox, Intel, and The Economist.

Together, we've generated hundreds of millions in additional revenue by optimizing the full digital journey from first touch to retention.

I've written three best-selling books on conversion optimization and am a frequent keynote speaker at Google, Autodesk, and industry events worldwide.

Folks will tell you I love to compete: I'm a former college basketball player (and still playing on a club travel team) and won the USA Jr Olympic gold medal in Taekwondo when I was 10. But, business is the ultimate sport.

Book a 15-minute optimization strategy call → https://thegood.com/contact/

📨 DM me to start improving the digital journey of your website or app… or to debate LeBron vs Jordan as the GOAT.

Jon MacDonald

Sales and Marketing at CBF Labels

I'm passionate about sharing content & ideas on sales + marketing to help you level up your professional knowledge.

Outside my main role, I've been helping Ecommerce SaaS and AI companies with distribution and promotion.

If you’re looking to advertise to my audience, please send me a message so we can chat further. Thanks!

Jamie Dimond

99% of people get a degree, get a job, then stop learning.

High performers ensure after-hours learning is a habit. They're obsessed with learning and becoming 1% better each day.

I used to waste my lunch breaks while working in finance binge-watching Youtube. My people leader at the time suggested I make a change.

He gave me Ted Talks to watch instead. Later on he assigned me books to read like Carol Dweck "Mindset."

Over the next 2 years I got promoted constantly. 

All the learning changed how I viewed the world. It help me develop EQ instead of IQ. 

Bizarrely, the learning journey also helped me heal from mental illness. 

You don't learn once then earn for the rest of your career. No. Use self-learning to upgrade your career and explode your value.

Am I missing anything?

Credit: Tim Denning ( go follow him )

One day, you’ll look back and realize…

You did it.

👉You stopped waiting for the perfect time.
👉You stopped asking for permission.
👉You got tired of "maybe someday".
And you finally bet on yourself.

It wasn’t luck. It was courage.
You chose the hard thing.

AND 

It worked.

The truth? Most people never start because they fear failure.
But the real regret isn’t failing.
It’s never finding out what could’ve happened if you tried.

Keep going.
Your future self is already proud of you.

Image Credit: Dearme2_ on Twitter/X

Working with smart people is great.
But it is not enough.

Because intelligence can solve problems.
But humility and kindness build cultures where problems don’t have to exist in the first place.

Here’s why it matters so much 👇

Kind and humble people:

They make collaboration effortless.
You don’t waste energy defending ideas or egos. 
You build together - faster, cleaner, and with more trust.

They create psychological safety.
When people feel respected, they speak up, share bold ideas, 
and admit mistakes early. 
That’s how teams innovate and grow.

They inspire long-term loyalty.
People don’t leave companies - they leave toxic dynamics. 
Working with grounded, genuine teammates keeps great talent around.

 Ways to practice kindness and humility at work:

Listen more than you talk.
You don’t need to have the loudest voice to have the strongest impact. 
Listening builds connection and earns respect.

Give credit - generously.
Acknowledging others’ work doesn’t diminish your own. 
It multiplies the trust and energy in your team.

Keep learning.
The moment you think you’ve “arrived,” you stop growing. 
Stay curious, stay open, and never let success make you unapproachable.

Kind people build strong teams.
Strong teams create big results.

Credit: Chase Dimond

Most people think social media managers just “post content.”

A nice graphic here, a caption there… and somehow, followers appear.

If only it were that simple.

The truth?
Social media managers are the Swiss army knives of modern marketing.

Behind every single post, there’s:
🧭 Strategy – understanding who you’re talking to and why.
✍️ Copywriting – turning thoughts into emotions that move people.
🎨 Design – making ideas visual, memorable, and on-brand.
📊 Analytics – reading the data, not just the comments.
📢 Ads – amplifying what works (and killing what doesn’t).
💬 Community – replying, engaging, connecting human to human.

It’s not just about pressing “publish.”

It’s about building trust, consistency, and brand recall one post at a time.

So the next time someone says “you just post memes all day,” smile, sip your coffee, and remember:
you’re not just managing social media.
You’re managing perception, connection, and growth.

👉 To every social media manager out there keep the brand alive, one post at a time.

Credit: Bind Reka (go follow him)

Once you understand this, you'll never look at logos the same way

Color psychology in marketing leverages the emotional and behavioral impact of colors to influence consumers

shaping perceptions of a brand and driving purchasing decisions

Colors can evoke feelings of trust (blue), energy (red), or health (green), but their meaning can vary by individual experience, culture, and context

Marketers use color strategically in logos, websites, and packaging to build brand recognition, create atmosphere, and promote specific actions, such as impulse buys or calls to action

Credit: Edgar Bitencourt

The future of ads is PERSONAL ✌️ 

US digital ad spend just hit $309.3 billion.


For the very first time in history at that benchmark!

eMarketer compiled all the aggregate market spend for digital ad products across the US at the end of 2024. That's a 15.1% increase since 2023 btw.


But there's a gap still...
 
58% of consumers do NOT trust the ads they get on social.



So what's working?

Ads that feel personal.

Forrester has found that more than 85% of companies that use intent data harvest higher response rates and other benefits. AKA, personalized ads that feel relevant and consumers are willing to share their info to get a more personal experience. The 2024 United States Consumer Trends Index shows that 91% of consumers are willing to share information in exchange for reward.

And that aligned closely with the preference <> ad engagement meta data analysis with 84% of consumers cite they are likely to engage with a personalized offer tailored to their interests.

The more important piece is THIS imo. 91% of consumers say their favorite brand treats them like an individual. That's what personalization has the power to do. Where you don't show up like a "brand". You should up like a friend would in the group chat.


So...


What personalization do people want most?

How consumers stack ranked their top options

👇 

Consumers were willing to swap info for promos:

1) Discounts/coupons (90%)
2) Early/exclusive access to offers (88%)
3) A chance to win something (84%)

Gated content and brand community plays lagged behind at 69% and 67% respectively so the TLDR here is that personalized offers related to immediate shopping value are still the most valuable from a consumer POV.


Digital ad spend is forecast to reach $460.5 billion by 2028 with display advertising forecasted to capture 85.7% of the $90 billion in additional ad spending between 2024 and 2028.

If you're not investing in personalization.

Now is the time...

Credit: Varun Kundra

Managers may have status.

But leaders create true impact.

Here is what impactful leadership is not:

- Neglecting professional development and training
- Not acknowledging and actioning feedback
- Micro-managing every single detail
- Avoiding difficult conversations
- Favouring people over others
- Setting unclear expectations
- Taking all the credit
- Ignoring team input
- Being inaccessible
- Resisting change

Impactful leadership is:

- Listening actively
- Taking full responsibility
- Treating everyone equally
- Being friendly and approachable
- Empowering everyone around you
- Having difficult but necessary talks
- Embracing change and adapting fast
- Accepting feedback and taking action on it
- Celebrating achievements no matter what size
- Providing clear guidance, especially in difficult times

The best leaders focus on:

↳ Setting the example
↳ How they make people feel
↳ Bringing the best out of everyone

It’s far more than a title.

Know a leader who’s changed your life?
Tag them below to show them they are appreciated! ⬇️

♻️ Repost this to support the leaders in your network.
Credit:  Chris Donnelly

Uncomfortable truth.. 

Work is NOT a family

A red flag we don't talk about enough? 

🚩 Companies that say "family" when they really mean "team" 

(Especially the big ones) 

I have worked in cultures like this, and I know how toxic it can be

This is a lesson I learned the hard way, but you don't have to

The "work-family" mindset : 

🚫 Blurs the lines between home and work 
Saying "no" feels like a betrayal and creates burnout
 
🚫 Makes feedback feel personal and targeted
This can drive internal divisions and personal attacks 

🚫 Sets unrealistic expectations 
People don't owe anything to the company except what they're paid for 
 

Work is important, but it's not on par with your family 

No matter how collaborative and supportive your team is 

Here's what a healthy workplace looks like:

● There are clear boundaries 
↳ A real work-life balance is nurtured and encouraged 

● Everyone maintains their perspective 
↳ Work comes first in the office, but life comes first outside

● There is a focus on respect, not "love." 
↳ You don't need to be family to trust and support each other 

Your family loves you unconditionally and is your support system 

Your team respects you and works with you toward shared goals 

P.S. Have you been part of a "work-family" culture? 

Credit: Hamza Rauf Khan

The fastest way to learn anything?

Start before you're ready.

Here's what most people do: 

→ Research for months 
→ Plan every detail 
→ Wait for the "perfect" moment 
→ Never actually begin

Meanwhile, the people who succeed are already figuring it out.

You can't learn to swim by reading about water.
You can't learn to code without writing messy code. 
You can't learn to sell without making awkward pitches.

The real education happens when you're doing the work.

Every successful person has this in common: 

→ They started with incomplete knowledge 
→ They learned by making mistakes 
→ They adjusted as they went 
→ They got better through repetition

The market is the best teacher. 

Customers are the best feedback. 

Experience is the best education.

Planning has its place, but action has the power.

Your idea doesn't need to be perfect. 
Your plan doesn't need to be bulletproof. 

Your skills don't need to be complete.
You just need to begin.

The road reveals itself as you walk.

Сredit: Noemi Kis✨

Your reputation might open doors, but your character decides which ones stay open. 

Stop being selectively kind. 
The true measure of a leader is found in these 7 actions 👇

1️⃣ Respect everyone, regardless of title or influence.
Treat the intern, the cleaner, and the CEO with the same attention and humanity. Titles fade, but the impression of respect lasts.

2️⃣ Be honest even when it’s uncomfortable or costly.
Integrity often requires walking away from shortcuts and easy wins. The price might be high in the moment, but it compounds into credibility over time.

3️⃣ Offer help without expecting anything in return.
True generosity is when your motive isn’t recognition or reciprocity - it’s the simple belief that doing good adds value to the world.

4️⃣ Keep your promises, especially the small ones.
Following through on the minor commitments - the emails, the deadlines, the callbacks - shows reliability more than grand declarations ever could.

5️⃣ Give credit loudly and sincerely.
When someone else does great work, say so. The most confident leaders amplify others because they’re not afraid to share the spotlight.

6️⃣ Stay kind when you’re under pressure.
How you act when stressed, tired, or frustrated reveals more than how you act when everything is easy. Grace in chaos is a quiet form of strength.

7️⃣ Do what’s right when no one’s watching.
Reputation is built in public, but character is shaped in private. The choices you make alone define the person people trust when it matters.

Because in the long run -
your title fades, your metrics change, your results evolve.

But the way you made people feel?
That’s what your name will stand for.

Most of your audience is not ready to buy.

The goal of marketing is that when they are ready to buy, your brand is top of mind.

Credit: Dmurr68 on Twitter/X

And the award for most creative resume goes to...





Credit: Libby Moyer

Marketing is a humbling profession.

Sometimes the idea you’re certain is going to work doesn’t work. Or the idea you know definitely won’t work for some reason does work. Or the thing that used to work stops working. You need to continuously learn, re-learn, and un-learn.

Credit: mkobach on Twitter/X

After two successful exits (Google & Zynga)

you need THIS "Decision Layer" to win deals 👇



What I call "Layer 3"

Let me explain:


1️⃣ Surface Layer (Table Stakes)
→ Company data
→ Basic tech stack
→ Team structure
→ Recent news
→ Public metrics


But this is where most stop.

Because it's easy to automate this research.

If you want your outreach to land?

You need to hit these layers:


2️⃣ Strategic Layer (The Context)
→ Growth vectors
→ Tech architecture
→ Market position
→ Competition map
→ Customer sentiment
→ Investment areas
→ Product roadmap


And how you really stand out?

Layer 3 "Decision Layer" data:

3️⃣ Decision Layer
→ Stakeholder dynamics
→ Internal processes
→ Budget ownership
→ Success metrics
→ Career motivators
→ Risk tolerance
→ Change appetite



👀 The reality in my experience?

95% of sales teams never reach Layer 3.

Because it requires:

→ Systematic thinking
→ Pattern recognition
→ Deep industry knowledge
→ Cross-functional understanding
→ Technical acumen

Most teams are under pressure to deliver.

And can't create the space / resources to hit layer 3.



But...

Those who master all 3 layers?

They don't just sell. They consult.


That’s how you’re seen as a strategic advisor in your deals.

That’s how you up your ACV and your win rate.

Credit: Jeff Chen

Some years test your patience more than your skills.

And that’s okay👊 
Not every season is about growth charts and wins.

Steve Jobs said it best:
"Some years you win, some years you build character".

Some years are meant to shape you, not scale you.

The comeback always hits harder when the foundation’s solid.

So if this year feels heavy…

It’s not punishment. It’s preparation.

Keep building. The wins will catch up.

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Jon MacDonald

Jamie Dimond

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Jamie Dimond's LinkedIn Performance

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