MarTech contributor Eric Dates wrote about when and how to segment your product messaging today, and one line caught my attention.

The decision to segment your message should come from the audience’s reality, not from internal assumptions or arbitrary personalization goals. 

(Bold is mine.) 

We all spend too much time thinking about the things that matter to us and the way we see them. What matters is how your audience sees things. If you’re not taking the time to look through their eyes, you’re going to have trouble reaching your goals. 

And I’m not the only one who thinks that. Contributor Mark Stouse applies some of the same ideas to GTM strategy in his piece today on the reckoning that’s coming for assumption-based strategy

Mike Pastore
Editorial Director

 
Search Engine Land 2025 Awards banner on a purple abstract background reading ‘Win big. Save big.’, a green starburst badge ‘Best Rates End July 11’, a pink ‘Begin Your Entry’ button, and ‘Sponsored by CallRail’ text

Content marketing

When and how to segment your product messaging 

Gemini_Generated_Image_khuw1ikhuw1ikhuw

The more specific the message, the better it will connect with the audience.

Marketing management

Dashboards don’t win games, coaching does

Gemini_Generated_Image_m3k7cvm3k7cvm3k7

You can tweak the metrics all you want — but if you’re not coaching your team, you’re not changing the game.

Marketing management

Why assumption-based GTM strategy is facing a powerful reckoning

Gemini_Generated_Image_65kceu65kceu65kc-scaled-e1752089877118

It's time to replace familiar, untested, "how we've always done it" methods with ones that are tested and proven.

Marketing operations

The secret strategy behind high-performing Marketo teams

Whats-the-Secret-Click-to-Find-Out

Distributed marketing is the emerging approach helping teams scale execution—without adding headcount or losing control.

Marketing technology

An honest guide to smart martech modernization

Gemini_Generated_Image_v1phtnv1phtnv1ph-scaled-e1751915589469

Stop apologizing for your "outdated" stack. While competitors chase shiny new tools, you can build something lean, effective and profitable.

SEMrush ad encouraging users to analyze competitors' marketing. Features a line chart labeled 'Traffic Channels' with options for data intervals and an orange 'Try Free' button on a purple background.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

What’s new and what’s next in GA4

A-guide-to-attribution-models-in-GA4

Google Analytics 4 is evolving beyond web analytics into an AI-powered tool for measuring the entire customer journey and improving data quality.

MarTech intelligence reports

The era of easy targeting is over. Now what?

shutterstock_606826949

As cookies fade and privacy tightens, this Martech Intelligence Report shows how identity resolution platforms are powering the next era of customer recognition. Get a clear view of the leading vendors, emerging tech, and what it takes to adapt now.

Marketing artificial intelligence (AI)

The latest AI-powered martech news and releases

roundup999

If generative AI companies aren’t an asset bubble, then they've gone to a lot of trouble to look like one.

What else we're reading

Good reads and conversations to help good marketers get better.
 

MarTech research

Surveys and research reports to make you a more-informed marketer
  • Get the 2025 State of Your Stack Survey report by downloading the PDF, flipping through a carousel, listening to a discussion of the results or watching the keynote session from the Spring 2025 MarTech Conference — all without registration.

MarTech Intelligence Reports are in-depth, independent and indispensable. They’re designed to help marketers navigate the martech landscape with questions to ask during the buying process, vendor profiles and more.

Download your Intelligence Report today:

 

What they're saying

  • Across boardrooms, courtrooms and capital markets, assumption-based thinking is being challenged, exposed and replaced by audit trails, causal evidence and fiduciary-grade reasoning. What we’re witnessing isn’t just the rejection of ineffective strategy. It’s the beginning of a structural reckoning for how modern business thinks.” – Mark Stouse in Why assumption-based GTM strategy is facing a powerful reckoning
  • If executives and teams want to improve their performance, they must set aside dashboards and look for clarity in the field. That’s where the patterns are hiding, where the friction lives and where the game of business is won or lost. It’s in the nuance of how deals unfold, the incentives and information reps get that affect how they show up and ultimately — how customers respond.” – Zac Stucki in Dashboards don’t win games, coaching does
 

From Search Engine Land