Today, more and more buyers are beginning their journey with an AI-search. They may ask ChatGPT to compare products or use an AI-powered platform like Perplexity. Or, they're just Googling an offering and reading the AI Overview, all without clicking a link. 
HubSpot realized that our buyers were moving from search engines to answer engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity — but we had no reliable way to measure AI visibility and understand whether our AEO plays were working.

Most marketing teams I talk to are doing genuinely good SEO, and yet when they open ChatGPT or Perplexity and type in the prompts their buyers are actually using, their brand is nowhere to be found. This is the exact problem the FSA Framework was built to solve.

An AEO strategy for SaaS won’t stray too far from a good SEO strategy, but some tactics benefit AI search more than others, and it helps to know what these are. We all know that AI has shifted how brands earn visibility, and how visibility doesn’t equal clicks. But for SaaS, the way buyers conduct discovery and evaluation has changed disproportionately.

Two-thirds of marketers say that marketing has changed more in the past three years than in the past 50. Understanding Loop Marketing versus traditional marketing has become essential for marketers in 2026. The two frameworks differ fundamentally in how brands reach, engage, and retain customers in an AI-driven world.

A marketing forecast estimates future marketing results, such as leads, pipeline, and revenue, using historical data and conversion assumptions. Marketing forecasting connects planned activity to expected outcomes, helping teams understand what performance is likely to look like before campaigns are executed. This approach supports clearer planning, more predictable growth, and stronger alignment between marketing inputs and revenue targets.

The best marketing isn't chiseled in stone. Apative marketing is alive, responding to new tools, shifting consumer preferences, trends, and real-time data. Changing with the trends gives brands a competitive edge, if marketing teams handle it correctly.

Here’s a (maybe) mildly spicy hot take: Email marketing reporting is the backbone of any performance-focused email strategy. Without it, you’re sending campaigns into a void, unable to see what’s working, what’s falling flat, and most importantly, what’s driving revenue.

The Gap Between Output and Outcomes
Over the past two years, I've had hundreds of conversations with business leaders about AI. The pattern is always the same: initial excitement about what AI can do, followed by frustration about what it actually delivers.

The way consumers search for answers online has changed over the years. Instead of typing a keyword or query into search engines like Google, people are typing their questions directly into engines like ChatGPT to get direct, no-frills answers.

A couple of decades ago, “voice search optimization” sounded like something out of a science fiction movie.

If you‘ve ever wondered why B2B email marketing still dominates as a revenue-driving channel in 2025, you’re not alone. Despite the rise of new marketing platforms and AI-powered tools, B2B email marketing remains one of the most reliable ways to nurture leads, accelerate pipeline, and actually close deals.

At 23, I walked into BlackRock‘s New York office fresh out of Wesleyan University, ready to conquer Wall Street. By 28, I had traded my corporate badge for a ring light and a mission to empower women through content creation. Along the way, I learned that the biggest impact doesn’t always come from the biggest institutions.

Selecting an email marketing automation platform goes far beyond choosing where marketers will send emails. The right tool becomes the backbone of lifecycle marketing — powering personalized workflows and driving revenue. Email marketing automation platforms help businesses send targeted, personalized emails at scale by automating workflows, segmenting audiences, and integrating with CRM and ecommerce tools.

HubSpot’s 2026 State of Marketing report uncovered some good news: 65% of marketers are meeting or exceeding their performance benchmarks. But that success doesn’t happen by accident. Behind those results are clear priorities, rigorous testing, and a sharp focus on the right metrics.

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