What Marketers Think Works vs. What the Data Says

Marketing has more tools, more data, and more AI than ever before. But are those things actually making marketing more effective?In this episode of The Channel Buzz, Amiee Keenan sits down with Michelle Glennie of The Partner Marketing Group to dig into the latest Technology Marketing Benchmark & Trends Report and some of the findings might make you rethink where your marketing time and budget are going.Why are referrals one of the most effective lead generation tactics, yet so few companies have a formal referral program? Why do marketers say blogging delivers results while ranking it low for lead generation? And with AI adoption at an all-time high, where is it actually helping—and where is the human perspective still essential?Amiee and Michelle also talk about why events continue to perform, the disconnect between generating leads and converting them into opportunities, customer advocacy, content repurposing, and why showing up consistently may matter more than constantly chasing the next marketing tactic.If you’re planning your 2027 marketing strategy, this conversation offers a data-backed look at what marketers think is working, what the numbers actually say, and where some of the biggest opportunities may be hiding.Chapters00:00 – Welcome & What the Marketing Data Says03:03 – The Biggest Surprise in This Year’s Report04:37 – Why Aren’t More Companies Using Referral Programs?06:11 – Is Marketing Getting Harder—or Just More Complicated?07:29 – Why Marketers Need to Repeat Themselves More09:16 – The Lead Generation vs. Conversion Problem12:16 – Shared Visibility & the Power of the Community13:18 – 89% of Marketers Are Using AI—But Are We Using It Well?17:23 – Why Events Are Still Winning20:17 – Stop Measuring Event Success by Badge Scans22:31 – The Surprising Data Behind Blogging25:11 – Why Your Content Needs to Show Up in More Places28:07 – Final Takeaways for Your 2027 Marketing StrategyDownload The Technology Marketing Benchmark & Trends Report.🔗 Connect with Amiee on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ 🎧 Listen & follow to get future episodes on marketing, partnerships, and channel growth.Learn more about ⁠The ISV Society⁠