Darrell Alfonso's Linkedin Analytics

Join us next week to learn real strategies on succeeding in marketing ops through times of chaos and uncertainty. We'll talk through: Uncertain Times - Key things to think about in marketing ops How to Grow Career - Even when everything is changing Layoffs & Reorgs - Continue to make impact when things shift Leadership in Marketing Ops - How to Navigate Change and Prove Business Value Hear real strategies from marketing ops professionals from Google, Nvidia, Meta, and Miro. Join us June 11 at 9 AM PST. Register for free here: https://lnkd.in/gx67HZVa via Thao Ngo #marketing #martech #marketingoperations

I've seen a ton of poor leadership practices. Hell, I've made some of these mistakes too. So here are some tactical ways marketing leaders can avoid the 7 common mistakes in the post: ✅ Instead of being too prescriptive: Ask, “What would you do?” Let your team pitch solutions first. Coach, don’t dictate. ✅ Instead of assuming you know the answer: Pause and get context. Say: “Walk me through what you’re seeing. What are we missing?” ✅ Instead of blaming users for process failures: Audit the friction. Rewrite the instructions. Build guardrails. If users keep failing, the system is broken. ✅ Instead of hoarding information: Use public Slack channels, team updates, and shared docs as defaults. Make transparency the norm. ✅ Instead of treating your team like they can’t handle the truth: Share what you know—even when it’s not final. People prefer clarity over silence. ✅ Instead of delaying decisions: Set a timer. Give yourself 48 hours to decide on “B-minus” items. Don’t let the small stuff clog the system. ✅ Instead of projecting perfection: Say “I don’t know” or “I was wrong” when it’s true. Vulnerability doesn’t weaken you—it builds credibility. Leadership is built on hundreds of small choices like these. What do you most often see? What would you add? PS: I'm writing more about this in my weekly newsletter, search "The Marketing Operations Leader" on Google and subscribe for free to keep leveling up your knowledge. #marketing #martech #marketingoperations #leadership

Do you think an AI agent can replace campaign building today? Tell us in the comments. PS: Joseph Peters at Revenue Pulse (RP) says it's possible. Check it out and see if it will change your mind: https://lnkd.in/gz5mDNKH #marketing #martech #marketingoperations #aiagent

I’m both nervous and excited when I hear about groundbreaking marketing ops tech. Will it fundamentally change the way we build systems and campaigns? Revenue Pulse (RP) invited me to help showcase their new AI solution, Otto. From the brief description I got, I’m definitely looking forward to deciding how this will affect the martech and marketing ops profession. Join us on June 25th here: https://lnkd.in/gePeUuFb #marketing #martech #marketingoperations #ai via Joseph Peters

Why is proving marketing ROI still so hard? Something else? Tell us in the comments! Would to see your answer Thao Ngo 💜 #marketing #martech #marketingoperations #attribution

What’s the most common thing missing from sales and marketing dashboards? Something else? Tell us in the comments! #marketing #martech #marketingoperations #revops

Where should the Martech team sit in an organization? Something else? Tell us in the comments! #marketing #martech #marketingoperations

There’s a whole world of tech that powers email marketing. A tech stack within a tech stack. At the center is the core—the tools that help teams build, manage, and send emails. - Knak is a no-brainer here. It enables marketers to build modular, on-brand emails fast, without relying on developers. - Bynder keeps creative assets organized and brand-aligned. - Grammarly keeps copy polished. - Phrase supports global programs with localization. - Monday keeps workflows on track. - Everest, Validity, and your ESP/MAP (like Marketo, HubSpot, or SFMC) help you send, track, and optimize. In the data & optimization layer, you’ll find tools like: - Segment, Salesforce Data Cloud, and GrowthLoop—which unify and activate audience data. - Litmus, which ensures emails render correctly before sending. - Movable Ink, which powers dynamic, personalized content. - Tableau, PathFactory, and others that help with analytics and engagement. The integration & governance layer includes: - Email on Acid for QA and accessibility checks. - Ziflow and Adobe Workfront for creative review and approvals. - Cloudflare, Proofpoint, TrustArc, OneTrust, and Vanta for security, compliance, and privacy. And yes, Knak again—because it also helps enforce templates, guardrails, and approval workflows. Important note: this isn’t a definitive list, but a representative one. Every enterprise stack looks different, and every decision involves tradeoffs. Which tools do you recommend? What would you change? What would you add? #marketing #martech #marketingoperations #emailmarketing PS: Thanks to Knak for helping me with this post. They're a no-brainer for enterprise email, check them out at https://lnkd.in/gdHecGZu via Nick Donaldson

Here’s a framework you can use to create your Martech roadmap. It’s called the P.A.P.E.R. Framework, and it comes from The Customer Engagement Book by MoEngage, shared by Mirala Ciala, Director at Equinox. It’s practical, straightforward, and helps turn strategy into action. 🟢 Plan: Start with business goals. Identify key Martech capabilities you actually need—like personalization, lead routing, or reporting. 🔍 Audit: Map your existing tools, integrations, and data flows. Look at adoption and gaps in your current stack. 📊 Prioritize: Focus on projects that deliver value. Think platform upgrades, automation, and workflow improvements. 🚀 Execute: Roll out changes in phases—starting with foundational fixes like data hygiene, followed by enhancements like AI-powered personalization. 🔁 Refine: Review performance, retire unused tools, and update your roadmap as business priorities evolve. This is one of the best ways I’ve seen to get Martech strategy out of a doc and into practice. What would you add or change? #martech #marketingops #customerengagement #strategy PS: This framework is just the tip of the iceberg of the Customer Engagement Book, make sure to get your free copy at moengage(dot)com/book via Aditya Vempaty and Phil Gamache

What should the official name of the team be? Marketing Ops? RevOps? GTM Ops? Here’s something only operators in the trenches will tell you 👇 The team name doesn’t matter. The best operators I’ve worked with look across the entire customer journey and buying process, regardless of what team they’re on. They understand the tools, the processes, and the org dynamics. And they aren’t afraid to call out gaps in any area. Honestly, with all the reorgs and shifting structures, I’ll often work with sharp, collaborative teammates and forget what team they’re even on. The best work happens cross-functionally. It comes from people who care more about solving problems than protecting titles. Think of it this way - at a startup, there’s only one ops person. Is that marketing ops or revenue ops? It doesn’t matter. What matters is identifying the right problems and using people, processes, and technology to solve them quickly. Yes—clear ownership and remits are important. But most companies don’t suffer from too much overlap. They suffer from not enough accountability. So if you’re getting lost with trendy team names and structures, remember that working together to solve top problems for your customers is an excellent north star to help you find your way. Besides, if you work at the same company, you’re all actually on the same team. 😉 Thoughts? What do you think of the team name and structure dilemma? #marketing #martech #marketingoperations #revops PS: I’m writing more about this in my weekly newsletter, search “The Marketing Operations Leader” on Google and subscribe for free to keep leveling up your knowledge.

Tracking the progress and impact of marketing operations is challenging. Big thanks to Stack Moxie and Josh Hill for helping me put together this dashboard. Here are the 7 Go-To reports of the VP of Martech/GTM Tech. 1️⃣ Strategic Roadmap & Impact Projects Tracks high-impact initiatives across quarters. Helps leaders see what’s at risk, what’s running smoothly, and where to intervene early. 2️⃣ ROI & Budget Waterfall Shows the return on investment of Martech-powered initiatives. In this diagram, lifecycle emails are supported by the marketing automation platform, display and social ads are supported by the ad platform, and web personalization is supported by the Customer Data Platform (CDP). Helps teams understand which tools and campaigns are delivering the most impact relative to their spend. 3️⃣ Speed to Lead & Latency Measures time-to-response for new leads across sources. Helps reduce friction in lead routing and improve conversion velocity across the funnel. 4️⃣ System Availability + Reliability Monitors uptime and error rates for key Martech systems. Helps ensure consistent platform performance and reduces GTM disruptions. 5️⃣ Sprint Velocity & Deployment Frequency Tracks the volume and cadence of Martech team output. Helps identify bottlenecks, reduce rework, and improve speed to value. 6️⃣ Platform Adoption Reveals which teams are using Martech tools effectively. Helps prioritize enablement and ensure better return on the tech stack. 7️⃣ Marketing & Sales Enablement Metrics Shows operational handoff quality between marketing and sales. Helps identify where automation, process, or data gaps are slowing down revenue generation. Which resonates with you? What would you add? What is missing? Via M.H. Lines and Ariel Sasso - Make sure to check out Stack Moxie who can automate most of this reporting! #marketing #martech #marketingoperations #gtm PS: I'm writing more about this in my weekly newsletter, search "the marketing operations leader" on Google and subscribe for free to stay updated.

Effective ops leaders stay connected to the details and aren't afraid to get tactical. Here’s a tactical dashboard you can use to keep a pulse on marketing/revenue operations. Here’s what it includes: 🔹 Bowtie Funnel Report The expansion of the traditional funnel to include post-sale efforts. Tracks lead progression from initial engagement to expansion. Makes it easier to connect early funnel volume with downstream revenue. 🔹 Cohort Analysis This track a group of people overtime, in this case MQLs. Highlights how MQLs convert which can help diagnose outreach, nurture, and follow up. 🔹 Sales Insight Analytics Shows changes in sales activity across months. Useful for spotting shifts in outreach volume and pipeline creation. 🔹 Buyer Pattern Analytics Reveals which job titles and industries are engaging and/or converting. Helps improve audience targeting, content, campaign planning, and outreach. 🔹 Full Funnel Forecast Compares current, needed, and predicted funnel metrics across paid and organic channels. Ties channel performance to deals, ACV, and revenue outcomes. Which reports are most helpful? Which would you add if you could? Thanks to the team Revlitix and Madhu Puranik for helping me with this dashboard! Revlitix helps automate most of these reports, make sure to check them out, link in the comments. #marketing #martech #marketingoperations #revops

My prediction: By this time next year, 80%+ of GTM executives will be scratching their heads, wondering why AI hasn’t yielded tangible business results. Here are the four big reasons 👇 1 - No one fixed the data Can you guess what AI needs to do ANYTHING? Complete and accurate data. Good luck letting your AI SDRs loose on the wrong data. Companies are still investing minimally in data enrichment, normalization, and accessibility - and it’s literally the most important thing. 2 - Ops is still undervalued and underinvested The narrative that AI replaces ops is dead wrong. In reality, AI adoption increases the need for skilled MOPs and RevOps professionals. To get AI right, you need the right integrations, orchestration, governance, and reporting - who do you think will do that for you? Hire ops now. 3 - Execs are asking for the wrong things Top-down AI mandates are disconnected from what the team actually needs. Use AI to generate more leads instead of helping sales align with marketing. Use AI to spam more people instead of niching down to the right buyer. AI transcription notes from meetings that could have been an email in the first place. Want to know where AI can actually help? The most useful applications of AI usually come from the people closest to the work. 4 - Security concerns are slowing down enterprise Enterprise leaders force their teams to use inferior AI tools because of data privacy concerns. Look, security concerns are real, but overreactions are killing innovation. If your teams aren’t using the latest, most powerful AI tools, you’re riding a bike while everyone else is on a jet airplane. The race won’t even be close. We’ve seen this movie before. Just like the exec who thinks the latest tech will solve all the company's problems. Just like the VP who forces a platform change because “this is what he used last time.” Everyone forgets that tech is only as good as the strategy and ops behind it. Agree? Or disagree? What do you think? #marketing #martech #marketingoperations #AI PS: I’m writing more about this in my weekly newsletter, search “The Marketing Operations Leader” on Google and subscribe for free to keep leveling up your knowledge.