Marketing Operators Series: Martech & Software Stack

Most marketers spend far too much time obsessing over CTR, CPC, CPM and other platform-level metrics. But if you want to understand whether your marketing is actually driving profitable growth, the numbers that really matter sit deeper in the business: customer acquisition cost (CAC), customer lifetime value (LTV), payback period, profit margins and your overall unit economics. In this episode, Tom and Jane break down the marketing KPIs founders and marketing teams should actually pay attention to, why seemingly “good” advertising metrics can be misleading, and how to connect your marketing performance back to the economics of the business. We cover: • Why CAC and LTV matter more than most marketing KPIs • What unit economics actually means in practical terms • Why a lower CPC or CPM isn't necessarily a good thing • How CAC can become your North Star metric • How to think about LTV windows and CAC payback periods • Why acquisition costs naturally rise as you scale • How seasonality can create surprisingly cheap opportunities to acquire customers • Using offers, retention and customer experience to increase LTV • Why website changes and ad platform performance are interconnected • Testing, attribution and the growing importance of incrementality in Meta Ads • The potential trade-off when feeding advertising platforms more customer and value data

Getting more traffic isn’t much use if your website isn’t turning that attention into customers. In this episode, we dig into some of the most common conversion rate optimisation mistakes businesses make, from changing the wrong things to relying on generic CRO best practices without properly understanding why customers aren’t converting in the first place. We discuss how to diagnose where conversion is actually breaking down, what businesses should look at before jumping into a redesign, and why seemingly small issues across messaging, offers, customer journeys and user experience can have a significant commercial impact. We also explore the role of customer research, how to prioritise CRO opportunities, and why conversion shouldn’t be treated as an isolated website problem. Paid media, creative, messaging, analytics and the wider customer journey all influence whether somebody ultimately buys. If you’re responsible for growth, marketing, ecommerce or website performance, this episode will help you think more clearly about what’s stopping customers from converting, and what you should fix first. In this episode: The CRO mistakes businesses repeatedly make Why a low conversion rate isn’t necessarily a design problem What to investigate before changing your website Why blindly following CRO best practices can backfire How customer research improves conversion decisions How to prioritise tests and opportunities Why CRO needs to connect with the rest of your marketing funnel

In this episode, the hosts argue that while AI and automation dominate marketing conversations, the real competitive edge comes from genuine human interaction. They discuss strategies like calling customers, hosting live events and webinars, using targeted live chats and surveys, and creating memorable physical experiences to boost retention, lifetime value and word-of-mouth. The episode also covers budgeting for experimentation (an "R&D" or "fuck around" budget), the risks of letting AI interpret raw data without context, and practical examples of how small, personal touches can deliver outsized returns.

AI agents and automated workflows are being pitched as the obvious next step for almost every business. But should they be? In this episode, we look at the other side of the AI automation conversation: where agentic workflows can create genuine leverage, where they can introduce unnecessary complexity, and why automating a bad process rarely makes it a better one. We explore the questions businesses should be asking before introducing AI into their operations, from whether a workflow actually needs automating to where human judgement, context and accountability still matter. The goal isn’t to argue against AI. It’s to use it more intelligently. Because the best use of AI isn’t necessarily replacing as much human work as possible. It’s identifying where machines can do the repetitive digging while people stay responsible for the thinking, decisions and relationships. If you’re considering AI agents, workflow automation or a wider AI transformation inside your business, this episode should give you a useful framework for deciding what to automate, what not to automate, and what to fix first.

Video games are one of the fastest growing entertainment mediums on the planet...and there is a LOT that marketers of businesses in almost any industry can learn from them. The major publishers and even some savvy indie studios are masters are hijacking attention, building anticipation and creating demand. The truth is, most of the fastest growing, and most disruptive companies out there know that true breakthrough growth doesn't come from copying others in your industry or sector, it comes from looking for outside inspiration (even in the least expected places...) That's why in this video I sat down with an ex-marketer from two of the biggest video game publishers in the world, EA Games & WB Games, who is now runs Skill Tree Marketing to help independent developers cut through the noise even with smaller budgets. Regardless of whether you're a marketer at a small-medium size business or start-up, or even if you're an small development studio looking to release a new game, you'll find a tonne of value from this video. You can connect with Jon & Skill Tree Marketing at: https://skilltree-marketing.com/