In this episode of the Power Producers Podcast, host David Carothers and
co-host Kyle Houck are joined by Joshua Lauer of Lauer Creatives for a
deep dive into the world of marketing intelligence. Joshua shares
his unique journey from aspiring songwriter to a data-driven marketing
consultant. The conversation focuses on the most common and costly mistake B2B
companies make: losing marketing attribution as leads move from their
website to their CRM. Joshua breaks down the technical solutions for
creating a seamless data flow, discusses the complexities of tracking
"dark social," and offers his perspective on the practical
applications and limitations of AI in marketing analytics.
Key Highlights:
Fixing the Leaky Funnel: Website to CRM Attribution
Joshua
Lauer identifies the critical disconnect between marketing efforts and
sales outcomes as the most common issue he encounters. He explains how crucial
data—like which campaign a lead came from—is often lost as it moves through a
CRM, leaving businesses blind to which marketing channels are actually driving
revenue and resulting in inefficient ad spend.
The Technical Fix: Hidden Inputs and Data Persistence
The conversation dives into the solution for lost
attribution. Joshua details his method of using hidden form fields on websites
to capture UTM parameters and other tracking data. He stresses the importance
of ensuring that this data persists as a lead is converted from a Lead to a
Contact and then to an Opportunity within the CRM, providing true end-to-end
visibility.
Navigating Dark Social and Attribution Models
David
and Joshua discuss the
challenge of tracking word-of-mouth referrals and "dark social,"
which often manifest as an increase in "direct traffic." They also
touch on the pitfalls of platform-specific attribution models, like Facebook's
aggressive view-through credit, highlighting the need for a critical and
nuanced approach to analyzing marketing data.
The Practical Role of AI in Marketing Intelligence
While AI is transforming many areas, Joshua explains its
current role in his field. He sees AI as a powerful tool for content
optimization and creating conversational interfaces for data analysis, but
clarifies that it cannot yet replace the human expertise required for the
complex, business-specific logic of a proper tracking setup.
Connect with:
Joshua Lauer LinkedIn
David CarothersLinkedIn
Kyle Houck LinkedInVisit Websites:
PowerProducer Base Camp
Lauer Creations
Killing Commercial
Crushing Content
Power Producers Podcast
Policytee
The Dirty 130
The Extra 2 Minutes