Modern marketing leaders face the same challenge: proving which activities actually drive pipeline and revenue. From event sign-ups to social media engagement, the ability to connect the dots between marketing activity and sales outcomes is what separates guesswork from data-driven growth. This is where Marketing Operations plays a central role, creating systems and processes to capture, track, and report on impact.

We break down the most common marketing channels and activities, and explore how attribution works in practice.

When most people think of marketing, they picture creative campaigns, clever social media, and compelling content. These are all essential parts of the function, but there is a crucial layer that often gets overlooked: Marketing Operations.

Many organisations assume that anyone in marketing can also manage technology, data, and processes. In reality, these are distinct skills that require dedicated expertise. So, how exactly is Marketing Operations different, and why is it so important today?

AI is everywhere right now. Every product launch, every SaaS update, every pitch deck seems to include it. But here’s the reality: customers don’t care that your solution has AI built in.

That might sound brutal, but it’s true. AI is already no longer the shiny differentiator it once was. For many buyers, it’s assumed. If your competitors are already using it, then the question isn’t “does your product have AI?” but “what does it actually do for me?”

And if you’re working with a business solution that doesn’t leverage AI in some way, then buyers will increasingly ask why not? It’s becoming one of the biggest questions in the room.

Whenever you launch a campaign, one of the first questions you’ll be asked is: What’s the ROI going to be? It’s a chicken and egg scenario. The truth is, you can only forecast return on investment by looking at what’s gone before. That’s why post-campaign analysis is so important: it’s the foundation for planning the next one.

The term “AI” gets thrown around a lot these days as I have mentioned in my other recent Insights topics on AI, and while it promises to revolutionise sales and marketing, the reality is this: if you're not careful, adding AI into your sales process can quickly feel like bolting on a shiny toy rather than building a smarter, more human pipeline.

So how do you bring AI into your sales tech stack in a way that actually supports your team, amplifies the right parts of your process, and still puts people first? Let’s break it down.

Over the years I have had the privilege of working with some brilliant businesses. Forward thinking teams, the right people in the right roles, and critically, the right technology stack already in place. CRM? Present and correct. Marketing automation? Ticking along. Customer success tools? Absolutely. On the surface, it is all there.

So why do things still break?

Everyone is talking about AI right now. It’s on every product page, all over sales decks, and regularly thrown into boardroom conversations. “We need to bring AI into the business” is becoming a common theme. But let’s be honest. What does that actually mean?

This piece is for those who want to understand the difference between real AI and marketing spin, how that affects the tools you’re already using, and what your responsibilities are when it comes to data privacy and regulation, especially with the EU AI Act now in place.

Marketing has never been more complex.

From campaign strategy and brand storytelling to SEO, paid media, data tracking, content operations and funnel experimentation, the modern marketing function is no longer just a creative department. It is a commercially driven, technology-enabled growth engine. Yet the path to senior marketing leadership is still largely shaped by generalist experience rather than operational expertise.

So what does that mean for growing businesses trying to make sense of it all?

When it comes to choosing the right CRM platform to support your B2B sales and marketing efforts, two tools consistently stand out from the crowd: HubSpot and Salesforce (SFDC).

This is not a comparison designed to criticise either tool. It is about highlighting the strengths and benefits of each platform from a B2B commercial perspective, focusing on how they support sales, marketing, and the wider revenue function.

At first glance, Outreach and Salesloft do very similar things. And that is because they do. Both tools are built to help sales teams manage multistep prospecting workflows, track activity, and measure what is working. Outreach calls it a sequence, while Salesloft prefers cadence, but ultimately they are both talking about the same thing, structured repeatable outreach across email, phone, LinkedIn and other channels.

So if the differences are minor, what actually matters when choosing or using a platform like this?

One of the most common questions I am asked is what a modern, high-performing B2B sales and marketing technology stack should look like. There is no one-size-fits-all answer, but there are fundamental layers that every successful B2B sales and marketing team should build around. Whether you are scaling your go-to-market strategy or refreshing your existing systems, the right technology stack can make all the difference.

The rise of the fractional model is no accident. More and more companies are turning to experienced professionals on a part-time or project basis to fill senior roles without taking on the cost or commitment of a full-time hire. Not forever, just long enough to get things under control and moving in the right direction.

When I speak with businesses, there is usually a familiar theme. Either the CRM has become far too complicated over time, or no one really knows what to add to the tech stack to make it more effective. There is a desire to improve things, but not always a clear plan.