How to Build Real Connections in an AI-Driven World

AI vs SEO: What B2B Marketers Still Don’t Understand

Is SEO Dead… or Just Growing Up? EVERYONE’S ASKING IF SEO STILL MATTERS IN THE AGE OF AI, BUT THAT QUESTION MISSES THE BIGGER SHIFT. IN THIS EPISODE OF MARKETING IN THE RAW, ADAM SITS DOWN WITH RYAN BROCK TO GO BEYOND THE “SEO VS AI” DEBATE AND UNPACK HOW SEARCH, CONTENT, AND BUYER BEHAVIOR HAVE BEEN EVOLVING FOR YEARS AND WHY MOST MARKETERS ARE STILL THINKING ABOUT IT WRONG. WE EXPLORE RYAN’S JOURNEY FROM STORYTELLER TO AGENCY OWNER DURING SEO’S WILD WEST, AND WHAT HE LEARNED WATCHING THE INDUSTRY MOVE FROM HACKS TO SOMETHING FAR MORE SOPHISTICATED. BECAUSE THE REAL QUESTION ISN’T ABOUT TRAFFIC, IT’S THIS: IF AI IS RESHAPING DISCOVERY AND TECH IS NO LONGER A MOAT… WHAT ACTUALLY MAKES A BRAND WIN TODAY? THIS CONVERSATION BREAKS DOWN WHY TRUST, STRUCTURE, AND REAL MARKET UNDERSTANDING ARE NOW THE COMPETITIVE EDGE AND WHY CONTENT IS NO LONGER JUST MARKETING… IT’S PART OF THE PRODUCT ITSELF. THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF: * You’re wondering whether SEO is still worth investing in * You feel like AI is changing the rules, but no one can clearly explain how * You’ve relied on tactics in the past and are starting to question what actually works long-term * You want to understand how to show up in both search and AI-driven discovery * You’re trying to build a marketing strategy that won’t break every time the algorithm changes 00:45 BALD GUY BANTER 02:35 FROM ART TO MARKETING 04:49 FIRST PAID WRITING GIGS 07:17 LEARNING MARKETING FAST 11:37 SEO ARMS RACE ERA 13:52 PANDA UPDATE FALLOUT 15:39 MODERN SEO CONTEXT SHIFT 16:51 DEMANDJUMP AND PILLARS 21:57 BOOK RELEVANCE AND GEO 24:24 LINKS MATTER LESS 25:07 PILLAR CONTENT WINS AI 28:28 SEO STILL WORTH IT 29:02 AGENTIC AI WAVE 30:26 NEW MOATS TRUST 33:21 MARKET RESEARCH CONTENT 36:45 WEBSITE ROLE SHIFTS 38:46 COVID TESTING CASE STUDY 45:23 AGENCY BUYING CHANGES 51:51 WHERE TO FIND RYAN 52:50 FINAL WRAP UP 53:14 WELCOME TO MARKETING IN THE RAW CONNECT WITH RYAN BROCK Website: https://pillar-and-co.comhttps://pillar-and-co.com [https://pillar-and-co.com] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-m-brock/ CONNECT WITH ADAM: Twitter: /adamhelweh LinkedIn: /adamhelweh Instagram: /adamhelweh YouTube: /adamhelweh Learn more about my digital marketing agency, Secret Sushi: https://secretsushi.com/ [https://secretsushi.com/]

How to Build Real Connections in an AI-Driven World

WHY MOST BRANDS GET STORYTELLING WRONG (AND HOW TO ACTUALLY BREAK THROUGH) MOST ORGANIZATIONS THINK THEY HAVE A MESSAGING PROBLEM. THEY DON’T. THEY HAVE A STORY PROBLEM AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, A FAILURE TO TRULY UNDERSTAND THE PEOPLE THEY’RE TRYING TO REACH. IN THIS EPISODE OF MARKETING IN THE RAW, ADAM SITS DOWN WITH DON MARTELLI, FOUNDER OF PR BUNKER, TO UNPACK WHAT IT REALLY TAKES TO CUT THROUGH THE NOISE IN TODAY’S NONSTOP, AI-DRIVEN, ALWAYS-ON CONTENT ENVIRONMENT. THEY GET INTO WHY MOST BRANDS DEFAULT TO “PUSH” MARKETING INSTEAD OF REAL CONNECTION… HOW THE BEST STORIES ARE UNCOVERED (NOT CREATED)… AND WHY EMOTIONAL, HUMAN NARRATIVES STILL OUTPERFORM DATA EVERY TIME. BUT THE CONVERSATION GOES DEEPER THAN STORYTELLING. THEY ALSO EXPLORE HOW AI IS CHANGING THE WAY CONTENT GETS CREATED, MANAGED, AND SCALED—AND WHY THE REAL ADVANTAGE ISN’T THE TOOLS THEMSELVES, BUT HOW YOU THINK, STRUCTURE, AND REFINE WHAT THEY PRODUCE. BECAUSE IN A WORLD FLOODED WITH CONTENT, THE BRANDS THAT WIN AREN’T LOUDER… THEY’RE MORE HUMAN. THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF: YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR MESSAGING ISN’T LANDING THE WAY IT SHOULD YOU’RE PRODUCING CONTENT, BUT NOT SEEING REAL ENGAGEMENT OR IMPACT YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW STORYTELLING ACTUALLY DRIVES REVENUE, NOT JUST AWARENESS YOU’RE TRYING TO BALANCE AI EFFICIENCY WITH AUTHENTIC, HUMAN COMMUNICATION YOU WANT TO BUILD STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS THAT GO BEYOND TRANSACTIONAL NETWORKING 00:46 MEET DON MARTELLI 01:09 ACCIDENTAL MARKETING PATH 02:22 BUILDING PR BUNKER 05:51 STORIES THAT CONVERT 07:07 THREE PS FRAMEWORK 08:20 LISA STORY CASE STUDY 09:44 PUSH VERSUS DIALOGUE 12:14 MEDIA BLIND SPOTS 16:16 LOVING AND HATING VOLUME 19:12 FROM FAX TO LLMS 20:21 AI WORKFLOW AND TRAINING 25:37 AGENTS MONITORING SYSTEMS 28:01 AI AS PERSONAL COACH 30:56 SPEEDING UP WORKFLOW 31:38 EVERNOTE DAILY JOURNAL SYSTEM 33:35 AI INSIGHTS FROM NOTES 34:20 BUILDING REAL RELATIONSHIPS 36:20 CONSISTENCY AND NETWORK EQUITY 39:09 TOOLS FOR STAYING CONNECTED 42:19 WHY ALIGNABLE WORKS 45:10 ALIGNABLE REFERRAL PLAYBOOK 52:11 PLATFORM ORIGINS AND PURPLE 53:22 WHERE TO FIND HIM 53:56 FUN CLOSING QUESTIONS 55:51 FINAL GOODBYE CONNECT WITH DON MARTELLI WEBSITE: https://prbunker.comHTTPS://PRBUNKER.COM [https://prbunker.com] LINKEDIN: HTTPS://WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/DONMARTELLI/ CONNECT WITH ADAM: TWITTER: /ADAMHELWEH LINKEDIN: /ADAMHELWEH INSTAGRAM: /ADAMHELWEH YOUTUBE: /ADAMHELWEH LEARN MORE ABOUT MY DIGITAL MARKETING AGENCY, SECRET SUSHI: HTTPS://SECRETSUSHI.COM/ [https://secretsushi.com/]

Between Data and Insight: Harnessing Six Sigma in Marketing

IS YOUR REVENUE PROBLEM ACTUALLY A TIMING PROBLEM? Most marketing teams assume revenue slowdowns come from bad messaging, weak demand, or sales execution issues. But what if the real problem is hiding somewhere else, buried in your data, your timing, or your assumptions about the buyer journey? In this episode of Marketing in the Raw, Adam Helweh sits down with Tracy Wehringer, Fractional CMO and founder of Moonshot Strategy, for a conversation that challenges how most B2B leaders diagnose growth problems. Tracy has led marketing inside cybersecurity firms, billion-dollar financial organizations, and high-growth tech startups. She’s also Six Sigma–trained which means she doesn’t guess where problems live. She finds them. This conversation explores what happens when you stop treating marketing as a channel problem and start treating it as a systems, timing, and revenue-velocity problem. WHAT IF YOUR SLOWDOWN ISN’T SALES… OR MESSAGING… BUT LATENCY? Tracy explains how she uses CRM data, sales cycle analysis, and efficiency ratios to uncover bottlenecks most teams never look for, especially the quiet moments where deals stall, momentum fades, and revenue quietly leaks out of the funnel. This episode is for you if: 1. Your funnel looks healthy, but revenue feels slower than it should 2. You suspect alignment issues, but can’t pinpoint where they start 3. You’re tired of chasing tactics instead of fixing systems 4. You want marketing to drive velocity, not just activity 5. You’re thinking more seriously about AI but don’t want hype-driven decisions 🎧 Listen now and rethink how revenue really moves through your marketing engine. CONNECT WITH TRACY WEHRINGER 1. Website: https://moonshot-strategy.comhttps://moonshot-strategy.com [https://moonshot-strategy.com] 2. LinkedIn Newsletter: Revenue Accelerator [https://www.linkedin.com/company/revenueaccelerator/] Connect with me: 1. Twitter: /adamhelweh 2. LinkedIn: /adamhelweh 3. Instagram: /adamhelweh 4. YouTube: /adamhelweh 5. Learn more about my digital marketing agency, Secret Sushi: https://secretsushi.com/ 01:30 Meet Tracy Weinger: Marketing Expert 02:36 Tracy's Journey into Marketing 04:51 Early Career and Mentorship 08:55 Marketing Strategies and Insights 20:04 The Importance of Mentorship 23:11 Challenges and Trends in 2024 31:15 Excitement for 2025 and AI Tools 36:42 Conclusion and Contact Information

How Top CMOs Navigate Chaos Without Losing Strategy

In this episode, Adam Helweh is joined by a fractional CMO and marketing leader William Collins for a conversation that goes beyond the usual playbook. They unpack the hidden layers of modern marketing leadership, the often-overlooked traps of quick wins, and why the best CMOs are doing something most aren’t talking about. From client psychology to cross-industry insight, William reveals how top marketers are staying sharp in a time of constant change—without losing their edge or their humanity. This episode is for B2B leaders who: ✅ Feel the pressure to move faster, but don’t want to sacrifice long-term vision ✅ Wonder how to earn—and keep—a seat at the leadership table ✅ Are curious about how fractional CMOs really operate across multiple organizations ✅ Are rethinking how AI fits into the strategic mix (and what it can never replace) There’s a lot more going on behind the scenes of great marketing leadership than most realize. This conversation pulls back the curtain. Listen in and find out what might be missing from your current B2B marketing approach. 00:39 Introduction and Guest Overview 01:06 Meet Will Collins: A Seasoned Fractional CMO 02:09 The Realities of Fractional Leadership 03:48 Will's Journey into Marketing 07:03 Guiding Principles in Marketing 10:32 Challenges and Lessons in Leadership 14:20 Differences Between Fractional and Full-Time CMO Roles 20:03 Balancing Quick Wins and Sustainable Growth 23:13 The Challenge of Quick Wins in Marketing 24:08 Building Trust and Confidence with Leadership 24:56 Avoiding Random Acts of Marketing 27:34 Handling Client Expectations 28:20 Surprising Outcomes in Marketing Strategies 29:39 Validating Client Understanding and Needs 31:52 The Role of AI in Marketing 38:27 Looking Ahead to 2025 40:19 The Importance of Client Feedback and Strategic Thinking 42:35 Final Thoughts and Reflections Talk to me: • Twitter: /adamhelweh • LinkedIn: /adamhelweh • Instagram: /adamhelweh • Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel: / adamhelweh Learn more about my digital marketing agency, Secret Sushi: • https://secretsushi.com/

From GE to Girl Scouts: How Marketing Leadership Creates Impact

What does it take to successfully lead marketing for some of the world's most iconic brands? Jocelyn Renee Johnson, former GE executive and CMO of Girl Scouts of the USA, and now Chief Marketing Officer of the American Bar Association, joins Adam Helweh to share her marketing playbook for success across Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, and global organizations. 💡 In this episode, Jocelyn dives into: ✅ The marketing fundamentals that apply to every industry ✅ How she helped Girl Scouts host their first-ever profitable convention ✅ The biggest challenges facing marketers in 2025 ✅ How to build a high-performing marketing team and strategy ✅ Why customer experience and branding are more critical than ever This episode is packed with insights on scaling brands, driving revenue, and creating meaningful customer connections. 00:37 Meet Jocelyn Renee Johnson 02:39 Jocelyn's Career Journey 03:59 Transition from Tech to Marketing 05:27 Marketing at GE 12:11 Joining Girl Scouts of America 20:25 Challenges and Insights at ABA 27:09 Nonprofit Challenges and Cost Management 27:42 Technology Adoption and Shiny Object Syndrome 29:25 Nonprofit vs Corporate: Strategic Differences 31:58 Measuring Success in Nonprofits 34:19 Unexpected Wins at Girl Scouts 39:03 Excitement for Future Marketing Strategies 41:22 Favorite Podcasts and Personal Insights 48:04 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Talk to me: • Twitter: /adamhelweh • LinkedIn: /adamhelweh • Instagram: /adamhelweh • Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel: / adamhelweh Learn more about my digital marketing agency, Secret Sushi: • https://secretsushi.com/