In this special solo edition of The Digital Marketing Podcast, Daniel introduces a new regular feature: a fast-paced roundup of the most critical AI and digital marketing news. With the rate of change accelerating across platforms, tools, and marketing strategy, it’s never been more important to stay ahead, and this episode helps you do just that.

Daniel covers the latest developments from Google, Meta, OpenAI, LinkedIn and more, offering practical commentary on what they mean for marketers right now. From ChatGPT’s new operator functions to Google’s AI-powered search evolution, this episode is packed with insight on how AI is reshaping digital marketing roles, content, advertising, and SEO.

• ChatGPT’s new Connectors and Deep Research tools
  Now you can give ChatGPT secure access to your Google Drive, SharePoint, email, and even CRM platforms like HubSpot. Daniel explains how this lets you build bespoke knowledge bases and bring real organisational context to your AI workflows.

• Operator: OpenAI’s first real step into Agentic AI
  Forget just generating content, Operator can now browse the web and perform actions like posting content or interacting with platforms. Daniel unpacks what this means for junior roles in marketing, and the wider implications for talent development and job design.

• AI Mode and AI Overviews in Google Search
  Google is rolling out AI Mode in search results and now has AI Overviews live in 200 countries. Daniel explores what this means for search strategy, SEO, and advertising - especially as Google plans to inject ads into these AI responses.

• Meta’s Advantage+ and the death of manually-built ads?
  Meta claims its AI-generated ads are outperforming those built by humans, with 100% AI-driven campaign automation arriving in early 2026. Daniel explores the real ROI implications and the future of agency relationships in a world of automated campaign builds.

• LinkedIn integrates with Adobe Express
  Daniel explains how new creative integrations are streamlining video ad production and what that means for in-house and outsourced content teams.

Through it all, Daniel calls for a conscious approach to adopting AI: how to upskill teams, protect strategic thinking, and build marketing operations that are more human, not less.

• AI tools like ChatGPT are now organisationally aware - marketers must learn to harness them.

• Search is changing fast, but traditional SEO fundamentals still matter.

• Automation is pushing paid media roles toward strategic oversight, not just execution.

• AI is starting to replace, not just augment. some junior marketing roles.

• The brands that thrive will be those who rethink job design and talent pipelines now.

🎧 Listen now to get ahead of the curve with the latest AI news and marketing implications.

📥 Access the show notes, tools, and links at: targetinternet.com/podcast

📩 Join the free newsletter for access to Daniel’s monthly AI agent live sessions: https://targetinternet.com/newsletter

In this episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, Daniel, Ciaran, and Louise take a deep dive into the often-misunderstood world of keyword research - one of the most foundational yet complex elements of digital marketing.

What starts as a seemingly simple task (“just pick some keywords, right?”) quickly unravels into a minefield of audience intent, brand positioning, search behaviour shifts, and the sometimes soul-crushing reality of traffic that doesn’t convert. The trio break down the full process with real-world insight, humour, and some very candid reflections on what not to do.

From teaching postgraduate students at Imperial College to running real commercial SEO campaigns, Daniel shares his evolving approach to keyword strategy - highlighting how brand clarity, buyer personas, and mapping the full user journey are essential to getting keyword research right.

• Why volume-based keyword selection is a trap

• How to balance traffic, intent, and competition in your keyword choices

• Why middle-of-the-funnel content is often your secret weapon

• How to prune and optimise your existing content for better conversions

• The problem with vanity metrics (and what to track instead)

• How new AI-powered tools like Content Raptor and Keywords Everywhere are changing the game

• The role of search across Google, YouTube, social and even email

• What to look for in competitor analysis and how to use keyword clustering effectively

Louise brings sharp insight into modern search behaviour and the growing importance of voice, conversational search, and featured snippets, while Ciaran opens up about years of chasing traffic volume before realising conversions are what truly count. (Spoiler: a blog about banana peels and Botox might bring in traffic—but probably not sales.)

The episode ends with a step-by-step process for approaching keyword research in 2025, including content ideation, testing, SEO hooks, and how to integrate what you learn across multiple marketing channels.

• Keyword research isn’t about finding more keywords - it’s about finding the right ones.

• Strategic alignment between brand, content, and intent is critical.

• Most marketers overinvest in top-of-funnel traffic and neglect conversion-focused content.

• Updating and optimising your existing content can often move the needle more than publishing something new.

• A good keyword is one that drives results - not just visits.

With tools, frameworks, and honest advice, this episode is your ultimate keyword research sanity-check. Whether you’re building a content strategy from scratch or refining an existing one, this is the guide you didn’t know you needed.

🎧 Listen now and get your complete step-by-step guide.

You'll find all links on TargetInternet.com

Show notes: https://targetinternet.com/resources/complete-guide-to-keyword-research

Have any feedback on the show? Send us your feedback, tell us what you love and what you think could be better. And, if you are really enjoying the show, please leave us a review.

In this episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, Daniel dives into the world of agile marketing, exploring how a new methodology is helping marketers launch strategic, high-impact campaigns at pace, without compromising on quality.

Joined by Peter Abraham (former Econsultancy leader and founder of Crank), alongside Katherine Torrance and Claire Pankhurst, the creators of Supercharged Marketing Sprints, Daniel unpacks a new approach to growth marketing that blends the speed of agile with the strategic rigour marketing has been missing.

The team explain how their 5-day sprint framework works in practice - coaching marketing teams to develop and launch live, multichannel campaigns in just a week. Unlike traditional brainstorming workshops that leave great ideas gathering dust, this sprint ends with a live campaign in market, backed by real data and customer insight.

Together, they explore how this approach helps businesses:

• Build high-performing campaigns under intense time constraints

• Cut through campaign chaos and internal delays

• Deliver strategic focus without sacrificing speed

• Align stakeholders quickly around a shared goal

• Create minimum viable campaigns (MVCs) that actually launch

More than just a framework, this is a practical, tested process grounded in real-world experience. Peter shares his initial scepticism, and eventual surprise, at seeing these sprints succeed where other methods stall. Catherine and Claire outline how their structure gives marketing teams space for deep thinking and rapid deployment.

They also share how AI tools (like headline generation and campaign planning assistants) are used to speed up the creative process, while still relying on human judgement and strategic thinking.

This episode is packed with lessons for marketers frustrated by slow timelines, campaign bottlenecks, and chaotic execution cycles. Daniel and his guests lay out how to shift away from “tactics-first” thinking and instead build campaigns rooted in buyer insight, stakeholder alignment, and clear, testable outcomes.

• Why agile principles need evolution for modern marketing

• How 5-day sprints help teams go from messy ideas to market-ready campaigns

• The crucial role of stakeholder alignment and constrained planning

• How AI can complement (not replace) creative strategy

• How to build minimum viable campaigns with maximum impact

• Why fast isn’t enough—campaigns must be focused and aligned

Whether you’re a CMO looking for a faster way to deliver results, or a team lead trying to cut through the clutter, this episode offers an inspiring look at what marketing agility really looks like in action.

🎧 Listen now and get your complete step-by-step guide.

You'll find all links on TargetInternet.com

Show notes: https://targetinternet.com/resources/agile-marketing-hands-on

Have any feedback on the show? Send us your feedback, tell us what you love and what you think could be better. And, if you are really enjoying the show, please leave us a review.

In this episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, Ciaran and Daniel explore the next evolutionary leap in artificial intelligencs - Agentic AI. As tools like ChatGPT and Gemini become more capable, we can go beyond content generation and enter an era where AI can reason, plan, take action, and even deploy code on your behalf.

Daniel shares his experience building an interactive Google Algorithm timeline, without any developer or designer help, and explains how tools like Manus (powered by DeepSeek) are revolutionising the way we build websites, visualise data, and even simulate digital marketing campaigns.

The duo dive into how agent-based systems can:

Solve complex, multi-step problems

Deploy fully interactive content and tools

Autonomously analyse, design and publish assets across platforms

The hosts expplore how this isn’t about using AI to do what you’ve always done, faster. It’s about reimagining what’s possible.

They challenge marketers to embrace the creative freedom these tools offer. From timelines and simulations to real-time research visualisations, this episode offers practical insights and inspiration for how to lead anbd not follow the next AI wave.

Key Takeaways:

Why ChatGPT Operator is a game-changer

The future of interactive content powered by AI

How to build a personal culture of learning and experimentation

Why creativity and human curation matter more than ever

🎧 Listen now and discover why AI Agents will change how you work.

You'll find all links on TargetInternet.com

Show notes: https://targetinternet.com/resources/ai-agents-hands-on-guide

Have any feedback on the show? Send us your feedback, tell us what you love and what you think could be better. And, if you are really enjoying the show, please leave us a review.

In this episode of the Digital Marketing Podcast, hosts Ciaran Rogers, Louise Crossley, and Daniel Rowles dive headfirst into a topic that’s reshaping the way brands grow online: creating brand advocates vs. hiring influencers.

💬 How do advocates impact GEO and SEO?
🤝 What makes a true brand advocate?
🧠 How do you build authentic loyalty that actually moves the needle?

You’ll learn why genuine, passionate brand fans are now more powerful than ever and how their voices cut through the cynicism surrounding traditional influencer marketing. From the rise of Reddit and forum-based recommendations, to the impact of AI-generated summaries and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), we explore why building trust and community beats buying attention every time.

Expect plenty of insight, some dubious banter, and even a few host mishaps (including a missing Daniel edit!) that prove just how engaged our audience really is.

Also covered:

Micro-influencers, creators, and the blurry lines between fame and influence

Practical strategies to encourage advocacy (without bribing people with mugs… or maybe with them)

Real-life stories from Liz Earle Beauty and other brands who nailed word-of-mouth

Why being a great friend might just be the best marketing strategy of all

👉 Whether you’re growing a startup or managing a global brand, this episode will get you thinking differently about influence, advocacy, and how to win hearts - not just clicks.

🎧 Listen now and discover why your biggest brand win might be sitting quietly in your DMs.

You'll find all links on TargetInternet.com

Show notes: https://targetinternet.com/resources/infuencers-vs-advocates-building-brand-advocacy

Have any feedback on the show? Send us your feedback, tell us what you love and what you think could be better. And, if you are really enjoying the show, please leave us a review.

Join Daniel and Ciaran for a fast-paced episode where they unpack the latest ChatGPT developments and explore their real-world applications for digital marketers. From image generation breakthroughs to AI-driven research and content production, this episode is your essential briefing on how generative AI is redefining marketing workflows.

The pace of change in generative AI is relentles, and this episode underscores why digital marketers must actively engage with the tools at the forefront. Daniel and Ciaran discuss the strategic value of being early adopters and how leveraging these advancements can deliver competitive advantage. But the conversation goes deeper, exploring what happens once AI adoption becomes widespread. It’s not just about using tools, but integrating them meaningfully into brand ecosystems and operational frameworks.

Daniel and Ciaran share hands-on examples of AI tools in action, from generating fully branded, photorealistic visuals with minimal prompts, to automating repetitive marketing tasks and research with GPT-4’s latest capabilities. Daniel's experiment using ChatGPT to generate brand-consistent creative assets even passed the scrutiny of a notoriously exacting brand manager, an achievement many designers will appreciate.

Ciaran, once an AI sceptic, now openly admits that generative AI is embedded in his daily workflow, dramatically increasing his productivity and creative capabilities as a solo marketer.

This episode provides an authoritative walkthrough of the newest features:

• 4o Image Generation: Create detailed, accurate, and on-brand visuals with unprecedented text and style control.

• In-Context Learning: Upload brand elements for on-brand content creation at scale.

• Image Editing: Photoshop-like features now baked into AI, enabling precision editing directly within ChatGPT.

• Task Automation: Schedule content generation from custom sources to maintain marketing consistency and reduce workload.

• Deep Research Mode: Access iterative, multi-step research capabilities ideal for content strategy, SEO, and thought leadership.

• Knowledge Integration: Tap into Google Drive as a knowledge base for truly personalised outputs, paving the way for CRM and analytics integration.

Amidst the excitement, the hosts tackle difficult questions. What happens to traditional roles in marketing teams? How do we manage the ethical and emotional challenges of automation? The discussion is candid, acknowledging fears while offering a roadmap for future-proofing your skills and your organisation.

The key takeaway? This moment demands a culture of continuous learning, innovation and adaptability. Marketers who invest in understanding and embedding these tools will not only survive but thrive.

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You'll find all links on TargetInternet.com

Show notes: https://targetinternet.com/resources/chatgpt-for-marketing-latest-updates

Have any feedback on the show? Send us your feedback, tell us what you love and what you think could be better. And, if you are really enjoying the show, please leave us a review.

In this episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, Daniel Rowles sits down with LinkedIn Ads legend AJ Wilcox, founder of B2Linked, for a deep-dive into everything you need to know to run effective, budget-friendly campaigns on LinkedIn.AJ has been living and breathing LinkedIn Ads for over a decade and shares insights honed from managing millions in ad spend.

AJ explains why LinkedIn ads often cost like bottom-of-funnel, but act like top-of-funnel. Understanding this difference is critical to setting realistic expectations and structuring your campaigns for success.

From platform recommendations to rep suggestions, AJ breaks down why the default guidance often costs more, and how you can outsmart it. Learn how to bid lower and still reach the right audience with zero drop in lead quality.

Discover AJ’s manual bidding strategy that consistently reduces costs while keeping quality high. AJ explains how to find the sweet spot between visibility and efficiency.

Why target your entire audience in one go when you can break it down into microsegments that act like live focus groups? Learn how to build campaigns that teach you as they perform so you improve as you go.

AJ outlines a simple but powerful three-stage funnel:

• Stage 1: Awareness through video and document ads

• Stage 2: Engagement with deeper content like podcasts, webinars, or YouTube

• Stage 3: Conversion via direct CTAs or sales calls

The result? Up to 5x better conversion rates without wasting budget on premature CTAs.

Find out why “thought leader” video ads and TikTok-style captions are crushing it at the top of the funnelan, and how to retarget strategically using native lead gen forms or your own landing pages (depending on your goals).

Impressions and clicks are just the surface. AJ shares the real KPIs you should be tracking, from engagement rates to cost-per-booked-call, and how to calculate custom metrics that LinkedIn won’t show you.

Discover where the LinkedIn platform is headed and why your organic and paid strategies will need to work hand-in-hand. From thought leader ads to CRM integrations, the future of LinkedIn marketing is more connected, and more powerful than ever.

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You'll find all links on TargetInternet.com

Show notes: https://targetinternet.com/resources/complete-guide-to-linkedin-ads

Have any feedback on the show? Send us your feedback, tell us what you love and what you think could be better. And, if you are really enjoying the show, please leave us a review.

Updated to fix audio gap on Daniels mic!

In this episode Ciaran and Daniel Rowles dive into the most exciting new tools that can transform the way marketers work—from AI-powered social media automation to SEO optimisation and content enhancement tools. They also share a whole range of special offers for listeners for each of the tools. Core topics covered include:

Explore the rise of AI-assisted tools that promise to make marketing more efficient. From Blaze, an AI-driven social media content creator, to advanced AI-powered image generators like Flux, we uncover how artificial intelligence is reshaping content creation.

The hosts explore Content Raptor, a powerful tool that analyses your website’s search performance and suggests improvements to maximise organic traffic. Learn how updating your existing content can drive thousands of additional visits.

Ever wondered what your competitors are doing? Competitors App helps marketers monitor competitors' ad strategies, website updates, social media activity, and even customer reviews—all in one place.

With AI-generated content on the rise, ensuring quality and originality is more important than ever. We explore Surfer’s AI Detector, a tool that helps identify AI-written content and discuss strategies for making AI content feel more human.

Is social media still worth the effort? The team discuss why less is more and how businesses can make social content truly impactful rather than just flooding feeds with generic posts. Learn why YouTube optimisation might be a better investment than traditional social platforms.

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You'll find all links on TargetInternet.com

Show notes: https://targetinternet.com/resources/latest-digital-marketing-tools-and-techniques

Have any feedback on the show? Send us your feedback, tell us what you love and what you think could be better. And, if you are really enjoying the show, please leave us a review.