Data Beats Opinion

AI is trained to be average. So how can you deliver above-average marketing at AI-speeds? In this episode of Data Beats Opinion, SegMetrics founder Keith Perhac sits down with Brandon Shelton — who drove a record $28M year as CMO of GearBubble, scaled it past $165M as CEO, and now builds AI systems for growth teams. They break down what separates real AI leverage from expensive AI busywork. If you already use AI but suspect you're leaving results on the table, this one's for you. Brandon Shelton is the founder of Buddy Prompt and builds AI systems for marketing and growth teams. He's been in marketing since 2007, working with B2C and B2B software companies as a CMO, chief growth officer, and CEO. As CMO of GearBubble he drove a record $28M year, then stepped into the CEO seat and scaled the company past $165M in total revenue — and has been working on getting above AI's "average line" since 2022. Connect with Brandon on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/brandonshelton1) or at BuddyPrompt.com. ABOUT SEGMETRICS Why Choose SegMetrics?• Instant clarity on what is and isn’t working in your business• Full-funnel analytics that lets you optimize every marketing touch point for revenue• Unify your cross-platform data into a single source of truth Better data → Smarter decisions → Faster growth. Accelerate your growth with SegMetrics. Get Started Today:• Learn how SegMetrics can uncover your hidden profits: https://segmetrics.io/• Start a 14-day free trial: https://segmetrics.io/pricing• Book a demo: https://segmetrics.io/book-a-demo

Your website ranks for your name. The problem is, nobody who'd hire you is searching your name. They're searching your topic — or asking AI who to hire. If you're not the answer to that search, your site isn't working, no matter how polished it looks. So how do coaches and speakers actually get discovered now? In this episode of Data Beats Opinion, SegMetrics founder Keith Perhac talks with Benas Leonavicius, founder of Avium, a search and AI visibility expert for people instead of companies. They dig into why ranking for your name is useless, why AI search is easier to win than everyone thinks, and the one habit that keeps most experts off every shortlist — being too scattered to be known for a single thing. If your reputation is bigger offline than it is online, this episode is about closing that gap. Show Notes [00:00] Meet Benas [00:49] How Benas got into personal branding [05:55] Why you need a personal website for AI [10:29] AI search feels like old Google [13:43] Build versus rent for personal brands [17:34] What Avium does for speakers and founders [19:47] When founders get too scattered [22:52] Why being known for one thing wins [24:40] How long it takes someone to buy [30:41] Does an email list still matter [32:39] How to get started without burning out [37:34] What if you don't like posting online [44:02] Being human beats AI content [46:06] Benas's biggest takeaway [48:33] Where to find Benas Subscribe for monthly episodes covering conversion optimization, content strategy, copywriting, and other growth tactics that actually move the needle. About the Guest: Benas Leonavicius is the founder of Avium, a personal-branding agency that builds online visibility for keynote speakers, book authors, and founders whose real-world authority outpaces their online presence. A longtime SEO specialist, he shifted from ranking companies to ranking people — engineering a client's website, LinkedIn, and podcast presence into one system where each channel lifts the others. His clients include names like Jay Baer and Dr. David Burkus. Connect with Benas at Avium (https://avium.vip/) or on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/benasleo/). ABOUT SEGMETRICS Why Choose SegMetrics? Instant clarity on what is and isn’t working in your business Full-funnel analytics that lets you optimize every marketing touch point for revenue Unify your cross-platform data into a single source of truth Better data → Smarter decisions → Faster growth. Accelerate your growth with SegMetrics. Get Started Today: Learn how SegMetrics can uncover your hidden profits: https://segmetrics.io/ Start a 14-day free trial: https://segmetrics.io/pricing Book a demo:

More than half of your new leads may never see a single email you send.It’s not your subject line, offer or copy. It's something happening silently before your email ever reaches an inbox. In this episode of Data Beats Opinion, SegMetrics founder Keith Perhac talks with Adrian Savage, co-founder of EmailSmart and one of the sharpest minds in inbox visibility. They dig into why the open rate you're tracking is probably lying to you, the single most-overlooked engagement metric, and why blasting your entire list could be quietly wrecking the one marketing asset you actually own. If email is core to how you sell — and it should be — this episode will change how you read your own numbers. Show Notes[00:00] Introduction[00:53] Catching up with Adrian[01:34] How Adrian got into email deliverability[02:52] How email deliverability rules have changed[04:23] Why deliverability is such a confusing word[05:54] Why you can't measure if an email is actually seen[08:31] Getting people to rescue emails from spam[12:44] Tracking engagement instead of guessing[14:43] The 30-day metric nobody tracks[16:50] A real launch that failed from bad visibility[19:41] Attention spans and the point of no return[22:21] Reply rates, sending addresses, and domain reputation[28:20] Cold outreach and staying under Google's radar[30:44] The future of AI and personalized email[35:30] “List size is vanity. Engagement is sanity.”[40:06] Why AI can't handle deliverability[44:18] Where to find Adrian Subscribe for monthly episodes covering conversion optimization, content strategy, copywriting, and other growth tactics that actually move the needle. About the Guest:Adrian Savage is co-founder of EmailSmart, maker of the Deliverability Dashboard, where he helps senders diagnose email visibility problems that mailbox providers won't reveal. He’s analyzed thousands of email accounts and pioneered rolling 30-day engagement tracking as a way to measure list health that open rate alone can't capture. Connect with Adrian at EmailSmart (https://emailsmart.com/). Why Choose SegMetrics?• Instant clarity on what is and isn’t working in your business• Full-funnel analytics that lets you optimize every marketing touch point for revenue• Unify your cross-platform data into a single source of truth Better data → Smarter decisions → Faster growth. Accelerate your growth with SegMetrics. Get Started Today:• Learn how SegMetrics can uncover your hidden profits: https://segmetrics.io/• Start a 14-day free trial: https://segmetrics.io/pricing• Book a demo: https://segmetrics.io/book-a-demo #email #deliverability #marketinganalytics #emailsmart #segmetrics

Is your retention making or breaking your lifetime revenue? After the first purchase, most e-commerce brands go quiet — or start blasting discount codes. But the brands that win long-term treat every purchase as the beginning of a relationship, not the end of one. In this episode of Data Beats Opinion, SegMetrics founder Keith Perhac sits down with Ishita Agarwal — founder of Tapp — to dig into why retention is the biggest untapped lever in business, why CAC math is breaking for most brands, and what it actually looks like to turn one-time buyers into loyal fans. What you'll discover: Why your retention tools are only working for 10% of your customers — and what to do about the other 90% From customer to member: the post-purchase mindset shift that changes everything Why discount codes are the wrong retention lever (and what drives real brand loyalty) The CAC math that's quietly bankrupting e-commerce brands — and the LTV fix most brands are ignoring How NFC tags outperform QR codes by 40x — and why physical packaging is an underrated engagement channel About the Guest: Ishita Agarwal is the founder of Tapp, a post-purchase engagement platform that helps e-commerce brands turn one-time buyers into loyal fans. With roots in M&A consulting and emerging technology, she went on to study design and behavioral science at Stanford before zeroing in on the post-purchase gap in commerce. Ishita brings a tech-world playbook — onboarding flows, habit loops, and gamification — to the e-commerce brands that need it most. Connect with Ishita at thetapp.io or on LinkedIn. About SegMetrics: Why Choose SegMetrics? Instant clarity on what is and isn’t working in your business Full-funnel analytics that lets you optimize every marketing touch point for revenue Unify your cross-platform data into a single source of truth Better data → Smarter decisions → Faster growth. Accelerate your growth with SegMetrics. Get Started Today: Learn how SegMetrics can uncover your hidden profits: https://segmetrics.io/ Start a 14-day free trial: https://segmetrics.io/pricing Book a demo: https://segmetrics.io/book-a-demo

Why does every marketing channel feel broken right now?⚠️ Ads are expensive. SEO is getting buried under AI overviews. Cold outreach is noise. So what actually works? Turns out, it's the same thing that worked before Facebook ads existed: relationships and owned distribution. In this episode of Data Beats Opinion, SegMetrics founder Keith Perhac sits down with Greg Digneo — founder of Content Guppy and a 20-year marketing veteran — to break down the owned distribution revolution. Greg makes the case that one good partnership conversation can replace a thousand cold emails, why founder-led content consistently outperforms polished marketing, and how to build a growth engine that doesn't break every time an algorithm changes. E-commerce success means learning the new rules for trust, security and growth in 2026 What you'll discover: Three street-tested strategies to grow your email list (even if you’re starting small) How to take control of your own distribution (no more “walled gardens” or “Google Tax”) Strategies to streamline founder-led content with AI How to measure the value of different lead sources Show Notes[00:00] Meet Greg Digneo [02:00] How cheap Facebook ads killed affiliate marketing [03:00] The partnership revolution [06:13] What a modern partnership looks like [09:31] Why the internet is becoming a walled garden [13:53] How Google killed the affiliate listicle game [17:43] Owned distribution explained [19:32] What most people get wrong about their email list [20:46] How Greg actually builds owned distribution [24:27] Finding qualified leads hiding in your email list [27:00] One to one to many [28:18] How creators vs SaaS think about owned distribution [29:00] Why the old SaaS playbook is breaking down[32:21] How SegMetrics turned off $15K in ads and grew [33:46] When Greg stopped recommending SEO [36:04] People follow people, not brands [38:00] Parasocial relationships and founder-led content [40:22] Founders who get out there grow faster [42:02] How to create content when you hate creating content [44:40] Repurposing conversations into newsletters and posts [45:49] How to use AI to streamline founder-led content[49:41] Where to find Greg Subscribe for monthly episodes covering conversion optimization, content strategy, copywriting, and other growth tactics that actually move the needle. About the Guest:Greg Digneo is the founder of Content Guppy, which helps B2B SaaS companies grow through owned distribution and organic visibility. With 20+ years of marketing experience, Greg has evolved Content Guppy from a traditional SEO agency into a partnership-first growth model — helping SaaS brands build audience presence that outlasts algorithm changes and paid ad volatility. Connect with Greg on LinkedIn or at Content Guppy. About SegMetrics: Why Choose SegMetrics?• Instant clarity on what is and isn’t working in your business• Full-funnel analytics that lets you optimize every marketing touch point for revenue• Unify your cross-platform data into a single source of truth Better data → Smarter decisions → Faster growth. Accelerate your growth with SegMetrics. Learn more https://segmetrics.io/ Get Started Today:• Learn how SegMetrics can uncover your hidden profits: https://segmetrics.io/• Start a 14-day free trial: https://segmetrics.io/pricing• Book a demo: https://segmetrics.io/book-a-demo #partnerships #growthmarketing #SEO #ai #segmetrics