Carl structures his marketing plans by starting with business objectives first, then stacking marketing objectives that lead directly to them, followed by goals, measurements, and tactics. This framework allows him to trace every single marketing activity back to the company's business goals, making it easier to secure C-level buy-in for initiatives and maintain strategic relevance.

Rather than focusing exclusively on new customer acquisition, Carl is shifting Inbolt's 2026 strategy toward account-based marketing that expands within existing customers. For companies serving large accounts with multiple locations (like automotive manufacturers with dozens of plants), running customer-specific webinars that showcase problem-solving from other locations can drive expansion more efficiently than traditional demand generation.

In manufacturing, word-of-mouth drives most deals. Carl developed specific positioning keywords like "intelligent" that sales teams and engineers use consistently in customer conversations. By creating memorable language that defines what the company should be famous for, marketers can influence peer-to-peer recommendations even without being in the room.

Instead of assuming what content to create, Carl analyzed Google Analytics to identify which existing blog posts drove the most traffic, then used those successful topics to inform future content strategy. The same approach works for social media—identifying high-engagement posts and creating variants. This data-driven approach delivers better results than intuition-based content planning.

When Carl joined Inbolt, stakeholders wanted content for everyone in the buying circle: CFOs, innovation managers, robotics engineers, and plant directors. He deliberately narrowed focus to avoid creating unfocused "AI slop" that tries to please everyone. Targeted messaging for a primary persona outperforms scattered content aimed at multiple audiences simultaneously.

Rather than filling traditional marketing roles, Carl is building a list of specific projects that would deliver business value, then determining what roles could execute those projects. For example, hiring regionally in Japan because he can't localize effectively, or bringing in an events specialist to free him for demand generation work. This project-first approach ensures new hires directly support business objectives.

Carl's first major move was completely rebuilding Inbolt's website to improve user experience, lead capture, messaging clarity, and HubSpot integration. While website projects take longer than expected, getting core infrastructure right enables all future marketing activities to perform better. Quick wins matter, but sustainable growth requires solid foundations.