Hive: The Publicare Blog for Digital Marketing

12 August 2026

6 min

The Myth of the German Email Account

Which email services do Germans use when shopping online? In our latest market analysis, we examined 49.2 million anonymized email addresses from German e-commerce mailing lists. Our findings clearly contradict those of common surveys. In this article, we outline the implications for email marketing professionals.

15 July 2026

8 min

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Next: A Reality Check of the New Email Editor

Since summer 2025, Salesforce Marketing Cloud Next (Growth and Advanced) has been available as a marketing automation solution built directly on the Salesforce Core platform. It includes a newly developed email editor. Users of the legacy Marketing Cloud Engagement solution (formerly ExactTarget), accustomed to the Content Builder's features, will find significant changes in the new editor. While the drag-and-drop interface may seem familiar at first, it quickly becomes apparent during template development that the “Next” editor currently falls significantly short of Content Builder's capabilities. In its current state, the Next editor appears conceptually and technically immature. In the following analysis, we examine its capabilities, limitations, and implications for email production.

29 May 2026

5 min

Streamlining Salesforce Marketing Cloud: Delete Data Extensions and Efficiently Update Content

One of the biggest administrative challenges in Salesforce Marketing Cloud ) is the management of ever-growing inventories of data and assets. If complex data structures, automations and content assets (such as scripts, templates and images) are not regularly cleaned up, performance losses and operational inefficiencies are inevitable. This article highlights the limitations of the native delete function and data retention policy feature, presenting a complementary best-practice solution for housekeeping in 'Salesforce Marketing Cloud Engagement'

12 May 2026

11 min

B2B Newsletter: Avoid the pitfalls of content creation by combining human expertise with AI

The email newsletter is the cornerstone of digital customer engagement in B2B marketing. In practice, however, it often falls far short of its potential, as developing technically sound, relevant content for diverse audiences is time-consuming and costly. A clearly structured editorial process that makes targeted use of AI tools can transform the newsletter into a solid foundation for the digital strategy.

03 May 2026

min

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Expert Knowledge

Multichannel digital marketing with Salesforce Marketing Cloud - Our certified Salesforce Marketing Cloud consultants regularly post about new Marketing Cloud features and releases, share their practical knowledge, user tips, tricks about Salesforce Marketing Cloud

29 April 2026

8 min

Do email templates stifle creativity — or is the problem somewhere else?

Brand managers often view email templates as rigid frameworks with limited design possibilities. This article dispels the misconception that modular templates for drag-and-drop editors are “killsuits” for visually compelling campaigns—and shows how a modular system protects your brand while opening up new creative possibilities.

14 April 2026

5 min

Performance optimization in Salesforce Marketing Cloud: When complexity delays delivery

Complex email campaigns with a high degree of personalization place special demands on the architecture of Salesforce Marketing Cloud Engagement. In practice, a specific issue arises time and again: response times within the SFMC user interface slow down noticeably. After the campaign launches as scheduled, the actual delivery process gets off to a slow start.

17 March 2026

15 min

B2B Visitor Identification: A side-by-side comparison of Leadfeeder, Leadinfo and SalesViewer

Anyone who wants to exploit the unused potential of their website in B2B sales can hardly ignore tools for visitor identification. They unmask anonymous traffic and provide valuable buying signals to existing and prospective customers. As a vendor-independent digital marketing agency, we pitted various common solution providers against each other in three empirical comparative tests in 2019, 2020 and 2022. Since then, we have been recommending the former test winner SalesViewer in German-speaking countries. But the market has changed massively: Offensive players such as Leadinfo and Leadfeeder (now part of Dealfront) have expanded their market shares through heavy investments.

17 March 2026

11 min

Ghost leads: Behind the scenes of B2B visitor identification

In our comparative test of the B2B visitor identification platforms from Leadfeeder, Leadinfo and SalesViewer, we came across a worrying phenomenon: High nominal identifcation rates are often associated with significant error rates. While SalesViewer impressed with its high level of data precision in the test, companies suddenly appeared in the Leadinfo and Leadfeeder dashboards that had in fact never visited our website. But how do such “ghost leads” actually come about technically? In this forensic deep dive, we explore the question of which detection mechanisms running in the background can cause these errors. We take a look at the complex data transfer and show how the industry is trying to de-anonymize anonymous traffic. ‍

17 March 2026

8 min

Website visitor identification on autopilot: The GDPR and UWG traps

In addition to identifying companies, platforms such as Leadinfo and Leadfinder also provide the names, positions and direct email addresses of potential contacts for carrying out cold calling campaigns. We take a closer look at the data protection and competition law pitfalls surrounding scraping of contact data, misleading cookie consent handling and the possible incitement to breach of law through illegal cold calling infrastructures. ‍

20 February 2026

5 min

Speed instead of standstill: How B2B marketing optimally positions law, risk and relevance

If you want to score points in B2B marketing, you must learn to precisely coordinate the three decisive factors — law, risk and relevance. In this article, we dispel myths about existing customer privilege and show why pragmatic cleverness ultimately brings more success than blindly retreating from formal gaps. ‍

26 January 2026

4 min

System-relevant B2B marketing: From cost center to profit engine

When economic conditions get tougher, a painful reflex ensues in many B2B companies: The marketing budget is cut first. Why? Because marketing is often not perceived as business-critical. Anyone who wants to pass this “dismissal test” must free themselves from dysfunctional lead acquisition processes and the crippling fear of data protection.

22 January 2026

5 min

10 success factors for B2B marketing: How to get your CRM up to speed

Strategie ist Theorie, Performance ist Praxis. Für systemrelevantes Marketing sollten B2B-Unternehmen auf Maßnahmen setzen, die sich auszahlen. Wir nennen Ihnen zehn entscheidende Stellschrauben, um Ihr CRM-Marketing aus dem Dornröschenschlaf zu wecken.

07 January 2026

1 min

Digital marketing and lead generation in B2B

The three most important expansion stages in multichannel digital marketing for more leads and sustainable success. Which instruments should B2B companies choose from the huge toolbox of digital marketing

23 December 2025

7 min

What's “Next,” Salesforce? What to consider before running a new and old SFMC platform in parallel

The switch to the new marketing cloud world is tempting: With the Growth and Advanced editions, Salesforce promises deeper platform integration and comprehensive AI support. Existing customers of Marketing Cloud Engagement and Account Engagement should use old and new solutions in parallel and thus migrate very gently. While new channels such as WhatsApp attract, the technical maturity of established platforms and the mandatory Data 360 as a new core raise important questions. The change towards consumption billing also requires precise calculation. Find out which factors should be considered before deciding on parallel operation.

23 December 2025

min

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Expert Knowledge

Marketing automation with Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement - Our certified Salesforce Marketing Cloud account engagement specialists regularly post here about new features and releases, share their practical knowledge, user tips and tricks about Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement

24 November 2025

11 min

The four underrated mechanisms for generating sustainable leads

How much should a lead cost, and which lead generation methods are worth the investment? These are questions that come up time and again in our discussions with marketing managers. However, before companies allocate ever-larger budgets to external lead acquisition, they should consider their own channels: where can more and better-quality leads be generated using simple means?

17 November 2025

10 min

Study: Email marketing of the 1,000 top-selling German online shops 2025

Are online shops staying loyal to their marketing technology provider — or are they switching? Our latest e-commerce study shows how the market for email marketing has changed in 2025. Proven platforms are defending their shares, while agile newcomers are catching up with smart technology and attractive pricing. We also show where shops could make much more of their existing tools.

04 September 2025

7 min

From “On no, my colors!” to clever solutions: Make brand colors barrier-free and darkmode-aware.

What has priority in email design — corporate design or accessibility? Many corporate colors do not meet WCAG contrast requirements. Find out what options email marketers have and what dark mode has to do with them!

04 June 2025

19 min

Was there anything else? Turn cart abandonments into successful sales

The figures speak for themselves: Over 73% of all online purchases are canceled before check-out. Potential buyers are just a few clicks away from completing a purchase, but then they leave the website. What can marketers do to turn these seemingly lost opportunities into successful sales and ensure that lost customers are happy to come back?

30 May 2025

10 min

Risk or opportunity? Use your primary domain for marketing emails

All companies that send email marketing campaigns in addition to business email correspondence are faced with an important question when configuring the delivery settings of their email delivery tool: “Should all emails from my company be sent via the same domain?

07 March 2025

9 min

Salesforce Marketing Cloud - Why Einstein Engagement Scoring alone isn't enough

Learn everything about the benefits and limits of Einstein Engagement Scoring and when customized scoring models are beneficial.

11 February 2025

9 min

More efficiency in B2B marketing and sales: Systematically develop lead qualification

This is how you overcome the challenges of lead qualification in B2B marketing. Checklist for a successful lead qualification strategy. Imagine: Your sales team works on a promising lead for weeks, only to find out at the end that the company doesn't even fit into your target customer profile.

07 January 2025

9 min

What impact does iOS 18 have on email marketing

With the release of iOS 18.2 in December 2024, there are some changes in Apple Mail that are also relevant for email marketing managers. For iPhone and iPad, Apple has announced the EU launch for April 2025. According to media reports, the start in Great Britain in December 2024 was rather bumpy

16 December 2024

6 min

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Release Highlights Winter '25

Salesforce has announced its Marketing Cloud release for winter 2025, which brings a number of interesting new features. We provide an overview of the most important highlights.

25 October 2024

14 min

The 10 biggest pitfalls when setting up a marketing automation platform

From data protection to data models: These pitfalls jeopardize the success of your marketing platform

24 October 2024

min

Marketing automation: 13 critical mistakes when choosing a platform

Successful platform selection: You should avoid these 13 mistakes: How to make the right decision for a new marketing platform

23 October 2024

min

Email marketing of the 1,000 top-selling German online shops 2024

Publicare market overview 2024: The EHI Top 1,000 e-commerce companies in Germany are using these email marketing solutions.

21 October 2024

min

Revolution in the mailbox: Gmail replaces GMX and Web.de

Revolution in the mailbox. GMail displaces GMX and Web.de in Germany. Are Germans turning away from German email providers?

24 September 2024

7 min

From customer focus to customer loyalty: Does your company need a loyalty program?

From customer focus to customer loyalty: Does your company need a loyalty program? Marketers know that it costs up to five times more to get a new customer

Hive — The Publicare blog

The Myth of the German Email Account

All Articles

The Myth of the German Email Account

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Next: A Reality Check of the New Email Editor

Streamlining Salesforce Marketing Cloud: Delete Data Extensions and Efficiently Update Content

B2B Newsletter: Avoid the pitfalls of content creation by combining human expertise with AI

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Expert Knowledge

Do email templates stifle creativity — or is the problem somewhere else?

Performance optimization in Salesforce Marketing Cloud: When complexity delays delivery

B2B Visitor Identification: A side-by-side comparison of Leadfeeder, Leadinfo and SalesViewer

Ghost leads: Behind the scenes of B2B visitor identification

Website visitor identification on autopilot: The GDPR and UWG traps

Speed instead of standstill: How B2B marketing optimally positions law, risk and relevance

System-relevant B2B marketing: From cost center to profit engine

10 success factors for B2B marketing: How to get your CRM up to speed

Digital marketing and lead generation in B2B

What's “Next,” Salesforce? What to consider before running a new and old SFMC platform in parallel

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Expert Knowledge

The four underrated mechanisms for generating sustainable leads

Study: Email marketing of the 1,000 top-selling German online shops 2025

From “On no, my colors!” to clever solutions: Make brand colors barrier-free and darkmode-aware.

Was there anything else? Turn cart abandonments into successful sales

Risk or opportunity? Use your primary domain for marketing emails

Salesforce Marketing Cloud - Why Einstein Engagement Scoring alone isn't enough

More efficiency in B2B marketing and sales: Systematically develop lead qualification

What impact does iOS 18 have on email marketing

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Release Highlights Winter '25

The 10 biggest pitfalls when setting up a marketing automation platform

Marketing automation: 13 critical mistakes when choosing a platform

Email marketing of the 1,000 top-selling German online shops 2024

Revolution in the mailbox: Gmail replaces GMX and Web.de

From customer focus to customer loyalty: Does your company need a loyalty program?