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Recent episodes
Guiding Buyers Through Year-Long Decisions: The Continuum Strategy w/B2B Strategy Consultant Ardath Albee
May 5, 2026
Unknown duration
Stop Chasing Efficiency: A Marketing Leader's Guide to Real Innovation w/Whitney Goldstein @ Gorilla Logic
Apr 21, 2026
Unknown duration
AI Search: How to Measure Success in the Age of Zero-Clicks w/Mike Witham and Blake Nielson @ 97th Floor
Apr 7, 2026
Unknown duration
Spotting the Wave: How to Build Before the Market Knows It Needs You w/Daniel Nissan @ Structured.ai
Mar 24, 2026
Unknown duration
Punch Above Your Weight: Enterprise Marketing on a Startup Budget w/Udi Ledergor, Chief Evangelist & Former CMO @ Gong
Mar 10, 2026
Unknown duration
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| Date | Episode | Description | Length | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/5/26 |  Guiding Buyers Through Year-Long Decisions: The Continuum Strategy w/B2B Strategy Consultant Ardath Albee | Personas have earned a bad reputation in B2B marketing—and for good reason. Most sit unused on hard drives, filled with irrelevant demographic data like "married with two kids, drives a Volvo." Ardath Albee, author of Digital Relevance and a pioneer in buyer persona development since 2000, explains why most personas fail and what actually makes them work. Key takeaways for marketing leaders: Why 12 personas is too many: How to consolidate by focusing on roles (not titles) to focus your efforts.The questions framework: Why the most valuable part of a persona is the list of questions buyers need answered—and how to sequence them so one answer naturally prompts the next question. Building the continuum: How to engage buyers across a year-long journey by mapping content from trigger event through implementation (including the challenges nobody wants to disclose). Personal vs. personalized: Why "Hi [First Name]" is creepy and useless, while understanding context, stage, and challenges is actually personal. AI for semantic connections: How Ardath uses AI for research and a new tool (VizX) to build the entity relationships that get you into AI knowledge graph. If your personas are gathering dust—or if you're starting from scratch in 2026—this episode is your roadmap to building buyer understanding that actually drives content strategy, engagement, and revenue. Resources: See Ardath’s work and writings here: https://marketinginteractions.com/ Find Ardath on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ardathalbee/ Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. About Ardath Albee: Ardath brings over 30 years of business management and marketing experience to help B2B companies with complex sales use digital marketing strategy and compelling content to turn prospects into buyers. She’s a strategist, storyteller, speaker, blogger, teacher, and content geek who is obsessed with helping companies become so damn relevant that buyers can’t help but choose to become customers and, once a customer, making sure they’d never think of leaving. Ardath has written two books about her obsession, Digital Relevance and eMarketing Strategies for the Complex Sale. Timestamps:00:25 - How fiction writing skills translate to building buyer personas02:24 - Why most personas fail (and how to spot a bad one)10:44 - What actually belongs in a B2B persona14:32 - The continuum framework: guiding year-long buying journeys25:38 - Making personas useful instead of shelf-ware38:29 - Personal vs. personalization: the difference that matters | — | ||||||
| 4/21/26 |  Stop Chasing Efficiency: A Marketing Leader's Guide to Real Innovation w/Whitney Goldstein @ Gorilla Logic | When Whitney joined Gorilla Logic a year ago, she inherited a team facing the same pressure every marketing organization feels right now: prove you're using AI or fall behind. But instead of chasing efficiency metrics, Whitney asked a harder question: "If we can't definitively say why it's making progress and showing up better and making incremental change that helps the bottom line, why are we doing it?" Her solution was to stop the daily AI scrambling. Give the team four dedicated hours every two weeks to explore, experiment, and learn—with zero pressure to show immediate ROI. In this episode, Whitney also shares hard-won lessons on leading teams through change, why "we're not saving lives" creates the psychological safety needed for innovation, and how to give team members space to bring their whole selves to work while still pushing for growth. If you're tired of AI adoption theater and want to build a marketing team that actually innovates (instead of just moving faster), this episode offers a refreshingly honest roadmap. Key takeaways for marketing leaders: The Swiss Army Marketer philosophy: Why the shift from specialist to generalist is essential for career growth, and how leaders can create opportunities for team members to expand beyond their comfort zones The contrarian positioning play: How Gorilla Logic differentiated itself by NOT jumping on the AI agent bandwagon, and why the market responded with relief instead of skepticism Getting marketing back to the C-suite: The two fundamental things holding marketers back from board-level conversations—and how to bridge the gap between marketing metrics and business goals Resources: GorillaLogic.com Connect with Whitney on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitneygoldsteinmba/ Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. About Whitney Goldstein: With nearly 10 years of marketing experience, Whitney’s strategic direction as a B2B Marketing leader encompasses mission, vision, and strategy. Currently, Whitney serves as Director of Marketing at Gorilla Logic. Timestamps: 02:48 - Leading with truth and honesty when taking over a team 05:06 - The biggest mistakes marketing leaders make: moving too fast or too slow 13:38 - Why Gorilla Logic isn't "just another AI company" 18:46 - The dedicated exploration time approach: 4 hours every two weeks 35:20 - The Swiss Army Marketer: why specialists won't make it to the boardroom 43:50 - Creating space for teams: "This is PR, not ER" | — | ||||||
| 4/7/26 |  AI Search: How to Measure Success in the Age of Zero-Clicks w/Mike Witham and Blake Nielson @ 97th Floor | Organic traffic is down. Click-through rates are dropping. And every marketer is panicking about whether their SEO strategy is dead. Mike Witham and Blake Nielson from 97th Floor's AI Task Force are here to set the record straight: 80% of what worked in SEO still works for AI search—but that 20% difference is critical. In this tactical breakdown, Mike and Blake share what they're seeing across dozens of client accounts as they test, measure, and optimize for the new reality of AI-powered search. Spoiler: if you're still only measuring organic traffic, you're missing the entire story. Key takeaways for marketers: The new KPI framework: Why impression data, brand mentions, and citations matter more than organic traffic now—and how to track them in Google Search Console The follow-up search strategy: How to identify and measure the branded queries that happen after someone reads about you in an AI overview (and why this is your new conversion path) Topic clusters 2.0: Why the old hub-and-spoke model isn't enough—you need cohesive messaging across product pages, blog posts, comparison pages, AND social profiles for LLMs to validate your authority Resources: - Request a free AI Search Audit: https://97thfloor.com/ai-audit/ - Connect with Mike Witham on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-o-witham/ - Connect with Blake Nielson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blakejnielson/ - Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ - Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. About Mike Witham: Mike Witham is the Head of Search at 97th Floor, where he has spent the past seven years leading SEO strategy and performance for enterprise and high-growth brands. Based in Lehi, UT, he specializes in building data-driven search campaigns that achieve bottom-line results for clients. With his ability to create holistic, full-funnel marketing campaigns, Mike helps teams turn organic search into a highly profitable, revenue-driving channel. About Blake Nielson: Blake Nielson is the Head of Accounts at 97th Floor, where he partners with enterprise and high-growth brands to turn organic search into a measurable revenue channel. With deep expertise in SEO and AI search, he helps clients translate complex shifts in the search landscape into clear business strategy. Blake specializes in building strong client relationships, aligning teams around growth goals, and making sure every campaign ties back to bottom-line results.Timestamps: 1:13 - AI search vs. SEO 5:22 - Measuring impact in the AI age 10:47 - Follow-up searches & Search Console 16:05 - Rethinking topic clusters 23:31 - Offsite strategy: Reddit, YouTube, LinkedIn 30:18 - Hot takes & schema markup experiment | — | ||||||
| 3/24/26 |  Spotting the Wave: How to Build Before the Market Knows It Needs You w/Daniel Nissan @ Structured.ai | What does it take to build groundbreaking companies across three decades of tech evolution? Daniel Nissan, founder of Structured (formerly Structured Web), made the first internet phone call in 1993, launched the first nationwide grocery delivery service before Amazon, and is now rebuilding his 26-year-old platform from for the AI era. In this episode, Daniel shares hard-won lessons from the frontlines of innovation—from cold-emailing the CEO of FedEx to secure a nationwide delivery partnership, to navigating two major market crashes, to recognizing when "bolting on" AI isn't enough. Key takeaways for marketing leaders: Why "AI-first" requires a complete rebuild: Learn the difference between bolting on AI features versus architecting for conversational interfaces from the ground up Timing the market: Daniel's framework for knowing when to jump on emerging technology (even when it feels too early) Building conviction in your team: How to rally skeptical teams around radical platform changes and get them to believe the impossible is possible Daniel also reveals his prediction for when AI will finally be able to generate human-approved marketing content at scale—and why the real transformation comes when AI moves from generative to agentic. If you're a marketing leader wondering how to think about AI beyond the hype, this conversation offers a rare perspective from someone who's successfully navigated multiple technology revolutions. Resources: See what Daniel’s up to at https://structured.ai/. Find Daniel Nissan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielnissan/ Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. About Daniel Nissan: Daniel founded Structured in 1999 and leads the company’s strategic vision across marketing, engineering, and product development efforts. From 1996 to 1999, Daniel was the President and CEO of NetGrocer, which he led to be a highly recognized and established leader in the field of eCommerce. He served as a Vice President of Marketing for VocalTec Communications, Ltd. (VOCL) from 1993 to 1996. Part of the original VocalTec group that created the Internet Phone, Daniel was responsible for its breakthrough product concept, marketing, and strategy development. Timestamps: 04:27 - Why join a "stupid idea" startup 05:03 - Making the first VoIP call 51:20 - Traditional platforms vs AI conversation 52:38 - Agentic AI timeline 55:10 - Getting teams to believe 57:50 - The lamplighter analogy | — | ||||||
| 3/10/26 |  Punch Above Your Weight: Enterprise Marketing on a Startup Budget w/Udi Ledergor, Chief Evangelist & Former CMO @ Gong | Most B2B marketers are stuck playing it safe, following "best practices" that guarantee mediocre results. Udi Ledergor, former CMO of Gong and author of Courageous Marketing, has spent his career doing the opposite—running Super Bowl ads for 5% of the expected cost, getting Times Square billboards for $500, and building a marketing machine that made Gong impossible to ignore. In this conversation, Udi breaks down the exact six-step formula he's used repeatedly to make companies appear years ahead of where they actually are—and why this matters more than ever for early-stage companies trying to cross the chasm to enterprise buyers. Key takeaways for B2B marketers: The six-step formula for punching above your weight: How to leverage iconic advertising mediums (Times Square, Wall Street Journal, Super Bowl) for a fraction of what you'd expect—then amplify that investment through your owned channels and employee networks Getting experimental budgets approved: Why every marketing budget should have a 10% line item for "marketing experiments" and the two arguments that get it past skeptical CFOs every time Attribution without obsession: How Udi used Gong's own platform to track that 452 sales conversations mentioned their Super Bowl ad—and why you shouldn't let attribution fears stop bold campaigns Sales as your secret creative weapon: Why Gong's best content marketers were former salespeople, not traditional marketers, and how to tap into your sales team's market knowledge AI for creativity (the right way): Kyle Lacy's framework for using ChatGPT in brainstorming—get 10 ideas, table them all, then create something original Udi also addresses when it's time to move on from a company that won't let you be courageous, how to vet product-market fit before joining a startup, and why the "medium is the message" principle is more powerful than ever in an era of digital dashboards. If you're tired of blending in with every other B2B company and want permission (plus a playbook) to do something bold, this episode is your rallying cry. Resources: Get your copy of Courageous Marketing: The B2B Marketer’s Playbook for Career Success here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F22HWR3C See what Gong can do for your business: https://www.gong.io/ Follow Udi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/udiledergor/ Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. About Udi Ledergor: Udi Ledergor, a five-time B2B marketing leader, served as CMO during Gong’s rise from new SaaS startup to industry dominance. By building a playful, human-centric brand with a lighthearted tone, he captured buyers’ attention and dollars and turned them into raving fans. He later led the creation of the revenue intelligence category, which helped Gong go from zero to hundreds of millions in revenue, earning major industry awards and achieving a multi-billion-dollar valuation. Over his 20-year career, Udi has led marketing teams at successful companies, advised startups, served as a board member and angel investor, and mentored hundreds of marketers. His work reveals how courage and creativity can build iconic brands, connect with audiences, and drive measurable results. Timestamps... | — | ||||||
| 2/24/26 |  Build Your Own Channel: The Anti-Playbook for Early-Stage Marketing w/Sterling Snow, Co-Founder and CEO @ Redo | Most early-stage startups fail at the same place: they can't figure out marketing. Sterling Snow, former CMO at Divvy (acquired for $2.5B), has cracked the code on what actually works when you're searching for your first scalable channel—and it's not what the playbooks tell you. Sterling calls it "the haystack phase"—that brutal early period where you're testing everything, burning through budget, and desperately searching for the needle of a channel that actually works. Most marketers try to be "data-driven" during this phase, which Sterling argues is impossible when you have no data yet. In this tactical conversation, Sterling shares the unconventional approaches that took Divvy from zero to acquisition and what he's building at Redo with AI-powered personalization at scale. Key takeaways for marketing leaders: The haystack phase framework: Why activity (not analysis) is what matters when searching for your first scalable channel. Creating proprietary lead flow: The newsletter sponsorship story that became Divvy's #1 channel for years (before everyone else figured it out). Comp marketers on revenue: Sterling's controversial take on why marketing should be paid one level deeper in the funnel. Zigging when everyone zags: Why Sterling believes the rise of AI search means doubling down on high-touch, human interactions (micro-events, partnerships, in-person)—the exact opposite of what most marketers are doing. Sterling also addresses what he looks for when hiring "haystack phase" marketers (hint: it's the 14-year-old who 5x'd his lawn mowing business through guerrilla tactics), why he believes freemium can work if you're creative enough to monetize usage, and how marketing team composition needs to shift from "button-pushers" to strategists and orchestrators. If you're tired of being told to follow best practices that produce mediocre results, this episode is a masterclass in finding alpha where others aren't looking. Resources: See what Sterling is building at https://redo.com/en Connect with Sterling on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sterling-snow-051baab5/ Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. About Sterling Snow: Sterling Snow is the CEO and Co-founder of Redo, a customer experience platform for online brands. He's a member of Utah's oldest and largest early-stage venture firm. He was a former Senior VP or Revenue at BILL, a former Chief Revenue Officer at Divvy, and a former Marketing and Sales Director at LogMeln. Sterling is also an angel investor mainly in the seed and Series A rounds His investment portfolio includes Kaedim (AI for 2D and 3D image modeling) and Trinsic (full-stack identity platform). Timestamps: 00:41 - The haystack phase: activity beats strategy 04:07 - Creating proprietary channels vs. following playbooks 05:25 - The $1,000 newsletter ad that changed everything 26:23 - Why SDRs are becoming extinct 28:42 - Making freemium actually profitable | — | ||||||
| 2/10/26 |  What SEO Actually Looks Like in 2026 w/ Eli Schwartz, SEO Consultant and Growth Advisor | The Apple-Gemini announcement changed everything—but not in the way most people think. Eli Schwartz, author of Product-Led SEO, explains why this partnership doesn't signal the death of SEO but rather Google's complete dominance over search for the foreseeable future. In this wide-ranging conversation, Eli challenges nearly every assumption marketers hold about SEO in 2026. From why your thin content strategy is obsolete to why some multi-billion dollar companies shouldn't spend a dime on SEO (while others should spend freely), Eli offers a refreshingly honest take on what's actually changing versus what's just hype. Key takeaways for marketers: The expanding definition of SEO: Why your smart alarm clock, car dashboard, and eventually your pillow will all be search surfaces you need to optimize for The 2020 vs. 2026 playbook: Why generic listicles ("top winter vacations") are dead, and personal, emotional, middle-of-funnel content is where SEO belongs now The pizza shop principle: How online and offline worlds are finally aligning—you wouldn't walk into a diner for the best pizza, so why try to rank for everything online? Bottom-line goals vs. mushy emotional goals: The two types of SEO objectives every company has (including making sure the CEO sees you rank when they Google on the way to work) Who shouldn't invest in SEO: The framework for deciding if your company should spend money on SEO (hint: if you're Boeing selling F-35s, the answer is complicated) Resources: Sign up for Eli’s newsletter at productledSEO.com Connect with Eli Schwartz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwartze/ Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. About Eli Schwartz: Eli Schwartz is an SEO expert and consultant with over a decade of experience driving SEO and growth programs for B2B and B2C companies. Eli’s clients have included WordPress, Shutterstock, BlueNile, and Zendesk, all of which he has helped build Global SEO strategies to increase organic conversions at scale. He is the author of the book Product Led SEO. Timestamps: 02:03 - SEO is everywhere 03:58 - Why Google won 11:22 - How to invest in SEO in 2026 13:45 - The content playbook shift 19:36 - When NOT to invest in SEO 26:56 - LLM visibility is brand budget | — | ||||||
| 1/27/26 |  The 2026 B2B Playbook: Brand, Pricing, and How to Build an Unfair Advantage w/CMO Advisor Bill Macaitis | With AI making it easier than ever to launch startups, B2B SaaS companies are facing an unprecedented wave of competition. Bill Macaitis, former CMO of Slack and Zendesk, shares exactly what marketers need to do in 2026 to not just survive—but dominate. Bill brings decades of experience taking companies from startup to IPO, and his perspective on what's coming is both sobering and energizing. The old B2B playbook of white papers, analyst relations, and enterprise sales cycles isn't going to cut it anymore. The companies that win will be the ones bold enough to rebuild their entire go-to-market strategy. Key takeaways for B2B SaaS marketers: Why brand is your competitive moat: How to measure brand metrics (aided recall, sentiment, share of voice) and prove ROI to skeptical boards—including the hidden impact on deal velocity, deal size, and churn Put your marketing where the eyeballs actually are: Why B2B marketers need to stop hiding behind "serious" channels and start creating content on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram (with tactical examples) The pricing revolution: Why per-user pricing is dying and how to transition to usage-based, outcome-based, or token-based models before your competitors do it first Product-led sales for mid-market: How to combine freemium with enterprise upsells by differentiating on compliance features (not functionality) to mine product-qualified leads Bill also addresses the fear many B2B marketers have about being "too consumer-like" with their marketing, explaining why that risk-averse thinking is exactly what will make you invisible in an overcrowded market. If you're planning your 2026 strategy and wondering whether to play it safe or go bold, this episode makes a compelling case for the latter. Resources: Follow Bill’s YouTube Channel SaaS CMO Pro: https://www.youtube.com/@SaaSCMOPro Find Bill Macaitis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bmacaitis/ Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. About Bill Macaitis: Bill Macaitis has led marketing and growth for the three of the fastest ever growing SaaS companies. At Slack he served as the CRO leading up the marketing, sales, success and support teams. Before that he served as the CMO of Zendesk taking the company through a successful IPO. Before that he served as SVP of Marketing for Salesforce where he helped grow revenues to $3B. Currently, Bill serves as board advisor and independent board member to aspiring unicorns and decacorns. Timestamps: 01:48 - Brand is your only real moat 08:58 - Move B2B marketing to social + video 12:53 - Stop being boring; buyers are people 18:01 - SEO is dying; shift to AIO 21:32 - Use AI imagery when it improves UX 28:34 - Product-led sales makes deals easier | — | ||||||
| 1/13/26 |  The AI Reality Check: What's Actually Working vs. What's Just Hype w/Marie Haynes, SEO & AI Consultant | While everyone's talking about AI, very few are actually making it work. Marie Haynes, renowned SEO expert and AI experimentalist, is one of the rare practitioners who's gone beyond the hype—building 50+ custom AI tools (gems), testing workflows daily, and learning what actually ships versus what crashes and burns. In this candid conversation, Marie shares the unglamorous reality of AI implementation: the deleted emails, the abandoned projects, the hours of frustration—and why pushing through that wall is the only way to gain an unfair advantage. Key takeaways for marketing leaders: The 5% rule: Why most AI projects fail and what separates the builders who succeed from those who give up after the first failure User signals over algorithm optimization: Why understanding vector search can actually hurt your SEO if you're not paying attention to engagement metrics The code-without-coding revolution: How Marie went from zero programming knowledge to building custom tools in weeks (and why every marketer should learn to "vibe code") Agents vs. gems: What's actually ready for production right now versus what's still 6-12 months away from being reliable Marie also addresses the elephant in the room: Is the AI bubble real? With Gartner predicting 40% of current AI projects will be canceled by 2027, she shares why she's betting her investment portfolio entirely on AI companies—and what signals she's watching from industry leaders like Zuckerberg and Musk. If you're exhausted by AI hype but still believe there's something real underneath, this episode cuts through the noise with hard-earned lessons from someone actually building in the trenches. Resources: Learn about Marie’s work and join her community at https://www.mariehaynes.com/ Google’s Python Class: https://developers.google.com/edu/python Google’s Agent Development Kit: https://google.github.io/adk-docs/ Connect with Marie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-haynes Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. About Marie Haynes: Marie Haynes is a leading expert in AI and Search. She helps her clients prepare for agentic search, surfacing more often in LLM tools like ChatGPT and using AI in their workflows.Timestamps: 01:26 - Working on AI agents and Google's development course 04:34 - AI overviews change every 2 days 06:10 - Industry missing user interaction signals 41:11 - AI creating work-free future 43:51 - Tips: Use LLMs daily, learn to code | — | ||||||
| 9/8/25 |  How to Turn Audience Insights into Marketing Wins w/ Rand Fishkin @ Sparktoro | A staggering 41% of marketers admit they don't do audience research nearly enough, and over half do it very infrequently. In this conversation, SparkToro co-founder Rand Fishkin breaks down why audience research has become marketing's orphaned responsibility and what it's costing companies in missed opportunities. From Fortune 500s sitting on unused data to marketers relying on ChatGPT for audience insights, Rand reveals the systematic problems preventing teams from understanding their customers. He shares how his own company discovered their biggest growth opportunity by actually talking to users, and why the channels you can't easily measure might be your biggest competitive advantage. What You’ll Learn: Why audience research consistently falls through the cracks The hidden dangers of using AI for customer insights How to identify the most underinvested marketing channels Resources: Try Sparktoro for audience research: https://sparktoro.com/ Request a free AI Audit: https://97thfloor.com/ai-audit/ Connect with Rand on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randfishkin Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. About Rand Fishkin: Rand Fishkin is the co-founder and CEO of audience research platform SparkToro and indie game developer Snackbar Studio. He’s dedicated his professional life to helping people do better marketing through the Whiteboard Friday video series, his blog, and his book, Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World. Rand was previously the cofounder of Moz, and Inbound.org, and a co-author on The Art of SEO. He’s keynoted over 100 events around the world on marketing, technology, and startup topics. Timestamps: 00:08 - Problem with audience research adoption 03:24 - SEO analogy for audience research 10:20 - Who should own audience research 19:17 - AI's role in audience research 31:35 - Serendipitous insights from research 39:51 - Google, AI, and search trends “I want to know who my potential customers are and what they do on the web so that I can target, reach them with the best possible messaging in the best places at the right time. That's marketing 101.” - Rand Fishkin | — | ||||||
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| 9/2/25 |  From Disney Magic to Marketing Impact: The Power of Storytelling w/ Matt Frisbie, CMO @ Axomo | Matt Frisbee went from Disney performer to marketing executive, and is one of the best storytellers around. In this conversation, Matt breaks down the art of storytelling in marketing, shares how he built breakthrough campaigns at Little Giant Ladder Systems, and explains why "feeling understood is the sexiest feeling in the universe." This is a masterclass in taking calculated risks, doing the deep research work that most people skip, and why feeling understood by a brand is what drives real customer loyalty. What You’ll Learn: The "Queen Vicky" Method - Build your entire strategy around one real customer instead of fictional personas The Dangerous Jobs Breakthrough - Why respecting your audience beats safety messaging (and how it stole market share from giants) The COVID Studio Innovation - How a 9-camera setup got Zoom asking questions and kept sales growing during lockdown Resources: "Story" by Robert McKee - Matt's go-to storytelling reference "So God Made a Farmer" Super Bowl ad - Perfect example of honoring an underappreciated audience FREE Content Consolidation Tools: https://97thfloor.com/articles/podcasts/how-to-consolidate-optimize-and-finally-see-seo-results/ Request a free AI Audit: https://97thfloor.com/ai-audit/ Connect with Matt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewfrisbie/ Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. About Matt Frisbie: Matt Frisbie started his career as a classically trained illustrator at Disney, where he learned that a picture truly is worth a thousand words – but more importantly, he learned how to architect experiences that make people want to participate in a story. After a stint in Hollywood selling films, Matt found his way into marketing, where he discovered that brands tell stories just as powerful as any movie – stories about solving problems and transforming lives. As CMO at companies including Blendtec and Little Giant Ladder Systems, Matt has overseen marketing strategies that don't just move products – they move people. He's currently leading marketing at Axomo, a go-to-mark... | — | ||||||
| 8/26/25 |  Reddit Listening: Turn Audience Problems into Content w/ Kiersten Gaffney, Deep Tech CMO Advisor | Most B2B marketers are missing a goldmine of audience insights hiding in plain sight. While everyone flocks to LinkedIn, 68% of Reddit users aren't even on the platform—meaning there's a massive chunk of your audience having authentic conversations about their real problems elsewhere. Deep tech CMO Kiersten Gaffney has cracked the code on mining Reddit for content that actually converts. In this episode, she reveals her systematic approach to turning Reddit threads into pillar content that resonates with technical audiences. What You'll Learn: The Reddit advantage: Why Reddit conversations are more honest and actionable than other social platforms Kiersten's listening workflow: Her exact process using tools like Octolens to track keywords across Reddit, Hacker News, and other platforms AI-powered content creation: How she uses Claude and ChatGPT strategically—one for research, one for writing—to turn insights into content The 70% success rate formula: Her systematic approach that delivers results 7 out of 10 times Technical audience secrets: Why developers and engineers hate being sold to and how to market to them authentically Resources: Attend a free 60-minute live demo with Kiersten on September 12, 2025 to see her whole in-depth process for transforming tiny insights into incredible content. Register here: https://maven.com/p/a3bef8/turn-dev-complaints-into-content-gold-with-ai Request a free AI Audit: https://97thfloor.com/ai-audit/ Connect with Kiersten on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kierstengaffney Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. About Kiersten Gaffney: Kiersten Gaffney is a CMO advisor helping deep tech software companies build their marketing growth engines. She’s advised hundreds of founders from companies like Airbyte, DragonflyDB, and Codefresh to build systematic, measurable approaches to marketing. Timestamps: 03:05 - Reddit's honest opinions vs. other platforms 07:23 - Keyword monitoring with Octalens tool 08:31 - AI analysis: Reddit threads to content ideas 20:55 - Director vs. directed: controlling AI tools 25:28 | — | ||||||
| 8/19/25 |  Audience-First: the New Standard for Marketing Growth w/ Rachel Bascom, Head of Content Marketing @ 97th Floor | Most marketers think they know their audience — but they stop at surface-level demographics and wonder why their campaigns plateau. In this conversation, Rachel Bascom and Paxton Gray break down what it really means to be audience-first, why the “big research lift” mindset is holding you back, and how to turn existing knowledge into exponential results over time. If you’ve ever felt stuck in the “research → big deck → nothing changes” loop, this episode will change how you think about audience understanding. You’ll walk away with a practical, ongoing approach to learning about your audience — and turning that knowledge into high-performing creative, content, and campaigns. Resources: FREE Content Consolidation Tools: https://97thfloor.com/articles/podcasts/how-to-consolidate-optimize-and-finally-see-seo-results/ Learn about how to create high-quality content that is audience-focused: https://97thfloor.com/articles/high-quality-content-or-ai-slop/ Connect with Rachel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelbascom/ Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ Read the full article: https://97thfloor.com/articles/podcasts/audience-first-marketing-the-new-standard-for-growth Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. About Rachel Bascom: Rachel Bascom is the Head of Content Marketing at 97th Floor, boasting over a decade of expertise in the realm of digital marketing and a fervent dedication to crafting audience-centric content strategies. In her tenure, Rachel has been a trailblazer in the development of the content marketing department, playing an integral role in the transformative journey that positioned 97th Floor as a comprehensive, award-winning, holistic marketing agency. Timestamps: 02:27 - What it means to truly know your audience 12:43 - The zodiac campaign breakthrough 18:22 - "It's cumulative, not cyclical" 24:17 - Start by auditing what you already have 27:35 | — | ||||||
| 8/12/25 |  How to Turn AI Potential into Performance w/ Aby Varma, Founder and Principal at Spark Novus | CMOs are more optimistic about AI than ever—yet many organizations are still stuck at the starting line. In this episode, Aby Varma, founder of Spark Novus, joins us to share how marketing leaders can move from AI curiosity to meaningful adoption. Drawing on real-world examples from Fortune 500 companies, Aby reveals why asking “Can AI do this?” is the wrong place to start, how to build a strategy anchored in business value, and what cultural shifts are essential for lasting change. If you’re a marketing leader looking to integrate AI into your team’s workflows without the chaos, this conversation will give you the mindset, frameworks, and practical steps you need. What You’ll Learn: The four mindset shifts CMOs must make to drive effective AI adoption. How to align AI initiatives with your strategic “North Star” for maximum impact. Proven ways to overcome internal resistance and build a culture of AI experimentation. Resources: FREE Content Consolidation Tools: https://97thfloor.com/articles/podcasts/how-to-consolidate-optimize-and-finally-see-seo-results/ Request a free AI Audit: https://97thfloor.com/ai-audit/ Join Spark Novus's Marketing AI Pulse Community: https://sparknovus.com/marketing-ai-pulse Connect with Aby on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abyvarma/ Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. About Aby Varma: Aby is the founder and principal at Spark Novus, transforming marketing through AI, digital, content, and brand strategies. He aligns marketing, sales, and product teams to drive brand positioning and demand activation. Known for his strategic vision and energy, Aby builds inclusive, high-performing teams. He advances AI in marketing through the 'Marketing AI SparkCast' podcast and as the founder of the Marketing AI Pulse and Future Crafters communities. Aby is a member of the Forbes Communication Council. Timestamps: 02:51 - Why "Can AI do this?" is the wrong question 06:22 - Enterprise case study: asset management vs. cold pr... | — | ||||||
| 8/5/25 |  How to Lead Your Team Through the AI Shift w/Nick Cawthon at Gauge | In this conversation, Pax and Nick Cawthon explore the evolution of technology, particularly focusing on the impact of AI on workplaces and team dynamics. They discuss the importance of adapting to new technologies, the challenges of AI adoption, and the need for collaboration and skill augmentation within teams. Nick emphasizes the significance of understanding the hype cycle surrounding new technologies and the necessity of preparing teams for future transformations. The conversation also touches on the role of surveys in assessing AI readiness and the importance of fostering a culture that embraces change. Resources: FREE Content Consolidation Tools: https://97thfloor.com/articles/podcasts/how-to-consolidate-optimize-and-finally-see-seo-results/ Request a free AI Audit: https://97thfloor.com/ai-audit/ Connect with Nick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickcawthon-ux-digital-agency-product-design-leadership/ Fill out Nick’s AI Maturity Assessment to receive a report with a readiness score benchmarking your team against similar organizations: https://retrain.gauge.io/ Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ Read the full article: https://97thfloor.com/articles/podcasts/how-to-lead-your-team-through-the-ai-shift/ Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. About Nick Cawthon: Nick helps design teams stay ahead of the curve with their AI transformation. He has been curating self-assessments for UX & Design Teams at retrain.gauge.io, helping analyze industry trends and removing barriers to adoption. Nick founded Gauge in 2001 in the San Francisco Bay Area to help organizations with evidence-based strategy and product decisions. Clients have grown to include Electronic Arts, Genentech, Airbnb, Adobe and many others. Nick is a professor in Data Literacy and Visualization in the Design Strategy MBA program at his alma mater, California College of the Arts. Timestamps: 02:38 - Early tech career lessons from AltaVista to Google transition 06:55 - Internet paradigm shifts and building for new vs. old thinking 12:30 - AI workflow changes with prompting replacing search s... | — | ||||||
| 7/29/25 |  SEO at Scale: Lessons from Disney, Realtor.com, and ESPN w/ Patrick Kajirian, Senior Product Manager of SEO at Walmart | In this conversation, Patrick Kajirian shares his extensive experience in enterprise SEO, particularly in large organizations like Walmart and Disney. He discusses the unique challenges and strategies involved in managing SEO at scale, including the importance of product management, indexation, and internal linking. The conversation also explores the impact of AI and new agentic browsers on the future of SEO and digital marketing, emphasizing the need for adaptability and a focus on fundamentals in an evolving landscape. Resources: Request a free AI Audit: https://97thfloor.com/ai-audit/ Connect with Patrick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickkajirian/ Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ Read the full article: https://97thfloor.com/articles/podcasts/seo-at-scale-how-enterprise-seo-works-and-where-ai-is-taking-it/ Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. About Patrick Kajirian: Patrick Kajirian honed his career in technology and media in a broad range of roles that involved managing a full-service web design agency, operating world-class e-commerce and media websites, and driving user acquisition initiatives for global brands and fortune 500 companies. Patrick facilitated over a million daily Google searches as a principal product manager for SEO at Realtor.com. He currently works as a senior product manager in SEO at Walmart in the San Francisco Bay area. Timestamps: 02:26 - Enterprise SEO as a product function vs marketing function 06:24 - Google's indexation challenges and internal linking strategies at scale 16:47 - AI agents and agentic browser automation discussion 30:38 - Disney and ESPN migration war stories 46:51 - Traffic quality vs quantity in the AI era "This is a really great time to be thinking about SEO in general... We're thrown back into the Wild West days where you just had to study and test and experiment and see what works. The fundamentals are still the same." - Patrick Kajirian | — | ||||||
| 7/23/25 |  How to Actually Be a Data-Driven Marketer (Without a Data Team) w/Growth Advisor Gallant Chen | Everyone wants to be “data-driven.” But what does that actually look like when you’re a marketer without a data warehouse, a team of analysts, or endless resources? In this episode, we talk with Gallant Chen, a marketing strategist who helps companies make better decisions with imperfect data. From messy attribution models to marketing CRMs that don’t talk to your ad platforms, we get honest about the real-world barriers marketers face—and how to work around them. If you’ve ever wasted hours in a spreadsheet or fought with your team over who “gets credit,” this one’s for you. We’ll talk systems, shortcuts, and how to build the simplest version of a marketing data engine that actually drives results. What you’ll learn: How to set up a marketing system that delivers insights—even if your tools are limited The dangers of over-optimizing for data (and when to just make a call and act) What kind of attribution model actually works for most marketing teams Resources: Connect with Gallant on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gallantc/ Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ Check out Gallant’s work: https://gallant.co/ Request a free AI Audit: https://97thfloor.com/ai-audit/ Read the full article: https://97thfloor.com/articles/podcasts/how-to-actually-be-a-data-driven-marketer-without-a-data-team/ Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. About Gallant Chen: Gallant is the Founding Partner of Gallant Growth and a seasoned Marketing Executive with a track record of scaling growth for B2B SaaS and marketplace businesses. He has served as an Advisor and Consultant for companies including Docusign, Shopify, New Relic, Mixpanel, Nutanix, Upwork, and Thumbtack on marketing strategy, customer acquisition, retention, and monetization. He has deep expertise in demand gen and paid acquisition, but also supports areas including the hiring of internal/agency teams, lifecycle and email marketing, CRO, marketing analytics, and marketing operations. Prior to founding Gallant Growth, he ran Digital Marketing at Zendesk and held marketing roles at SurveyMonkey and Apple. He started his career as a strategy cons... | — | ||||||
| 7/15/25 |  How to Turn Customer Insight into High-Converting Copy with AI w/ Chris Silvestri, Founder and Conversion Copywriter @ Conversion Alchemy | If your messaging isn’t clicking, your conversions won’t either. In this episode, we’re joined by Chris Silvestri—conversion copywriter, SaaS strategist, and founder of Conversion Alchemy—to talk about how AI is changing the way top teams do message-market fit. With a background in both engineering and UX, Chris has helped companies like Moz Crimes turn deep customer insight into high-performing SaaS copy. He shares how AI can accelerate—not replace—the research and writing process, and how to train it to think more like your customers than your competitors. You’ll learn: How to use AI for smarter, faster customer research Why most messaging fails—and how to fix it with data How to align your copy with what your customers are actually thinking Whether you're rewriting a homepage, launching a new product, or rethinking your entire brand voice, this episode will show you how to turn AI into your most valuable copywriting assistant.Resources: Get a free scorecard to assess your messaging fit on Chris’ website here: conversionalchemy.net Connect with Chris on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophersilvestri Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ AI platforms Chris uses for audience research: https://www.syntheticusers.com https://askrally.com Read the full article:https://97thfloor.com/articles/podcasts/how-to-turn-customer-insight-into-high-converting-copy-with-ai↗ Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. About Chris Silvestri: Chris is the Conversion Alchemist. A SaaS message-market fit specialist and conversion copywriter, he worked 10 years as a software engineer in industrial automation. Then, took a sharp turn to enter the digital marketing world as UX lead at the usability testing startup Conversion Crimes (and previously at the conversion design agency Zeda Labs). Chris has been working as a messaging strategist and copywriter for B2B SaaS brands like Moz since 2016.<... | — | ||||||
| 7/8/25 |  How to Blend Brand, Behavior Data, and AI to Win in Modern Marketing w Adam Gunn, VP of Brand at Fullstory | Clicks aren’t enough. Today’s marketing funnels need to account for real user behavior, changing customer journeys, and how people find and interact with your brand in AI search engines. In this episode, Adam Gunn, VP of Marketing at FullStory, joins 97th Floor CEO Paxton Gray to break down what a modern, optimized funnel really looks like. You’ll hear how to identify friction points, rethink old metrics, and build digital experiences that work for both humans and AI. What You’ll Learn: How to use behavioral data to diagnose funnel issues Where AI is changing what marketers should track (and ignore) Which metrics actually matter—and which ones are misleading Why your site needs to be ready for AI agents, not just users Adam Gunn is the VP of Marketing at FullStory, a behavioral analytics platform that’s changing the way teams understand and act on user behavior. He brings a unique perspective around data, storytelling, and how marketing teams can evolve alongside AI. Resources: Request a free AI Audit: https://97thfloor.com/ai-audit/ Connect with Adam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamgunn Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ Read the article: https://97thfloor.com/articles/podcasts/how-to-blend-brand-behavior-data-and-ai-to-win-in-modern-marketing/ Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. "The future is customer-based agents surfing our website. Historically we've built all of our experiences for humans, but agents are often going to be now going out and doing business on our behalf... we'll have to build web experiences that serve the good traffic." About Adam Gunn: Adam Gunn is the VP of Marketing at FullStory, a behavioral analytics platform that’s changing the way teams understand and act on user behavior. He brings a unique perspective around data, storytelling, and how marketing teams can evolve alongside AI. Timestamps: 02:35 - From Disney animator to marketing leader 06:51 - Creative skills in the boardroom 13:08 - "Rage clicks" and user frustration signals 23:44 - AI reality check vs. hype 31:47 - Reactive vs. proactive analytics 41:53 - Stay nimble for industry changes | — | ||||||
| 7/1/25 |  Internal Search: The Conversion Channel You’re Not Tracking w/ Justin Loera, Owner of Loera Consulting and Search Expert | In this episode Pax and Justin Loera discuss internal site search–a forgotten gold mine of data and audience insights to inform content strategy and sales enablement. Data from internal search can help improve conversion rates, reveal gaps in the content journey or optimization needs, and increase customer loyalty and trust as they find what they need right on your site. What You’ll Learn: If your brand should be investing in internal site search The massive missed opportunities for companies that don’t take this seriously How to use internal site search data to make improvements for marketing, sales, and company-wide How to balance on-site search with traditional SEO Resources: Request a free AIO Audit: http://97thfloor.com/ai-audit Connect with Justin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-loera-a156969 Connect with Paxton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paxtongray/ Read the article: https://97thfloor.com/articles/podcasts/how-to-blend-brand-behavior-data-and-ai-to-win-in-modern-marketing/ Read the article: https://97thfloor.com/articles/podcasts/internal-search-the-conversion-channel-youre-not-tracking↗ Looking for an agency that'll be worth the investment? 97th Floor creates custom, audience-first campaigns that drive pipeline and conversions. Get started here: https://97thfloor.com/lets-talk/. Timestamps: 02:43 - Which companies need internal search 05:44 - The data goldmine vs. Google Analytics16:51 - Building the C-suite business case 23:53 - Teams that benefit from search data 25:15 - Breaking down team silos "You could have the best search engine in the world, but if your content isn't good, it doesn't matter. And it's an inverse relationship too. You could have great content, poor search, and still have the same problem." - Justin Loera | — | ||||||
| 5/30/25 |  How Users Really Interact With AI Search — And What to Do About It w/ Kevin Indig, Organic Growth Advisor | As Google rolls out AI‑powered summaries at the top of search results, we’re seeing clicks on traditional blue links evaporate—and with them, the traffic and revenue models we’ve all relied on. Kevin Indig and his team recently completed the very first large‑scale UX study of Google’s new AI Overviews, revealing how users are actually using the new SERP feature. Kevin’s team tracked 70 real users across eight search tasks, captured 29 hours of think‑aloud sessions, and coded over 400 AI Overview encounters. They measured scroll depth, click behavior, emotional reactions, and trust signals—data no one else has compiled at this scale. We’ll dig into what this study reveals about how people actually read AI Overviews, how brands can win—or lose—visibility in this new world, and what every SEO and content strategist needs to do right now to adapt. What You’ll Learn: What makes users engage with AI Overviews — and what makes them bounce How this behavior is shifting the value of traditional SEO What kinds of queries are most affected Practical strategies to future-proof your content in an AI-first search world Resources: Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinindig/ Check out Kevin's study: https://www.growth-memo.com/p/the-first-ever-ux-study-of-googles Sign up for the Growth Memo Newsletter: https://www.growth-memo.com/subscribe?utm_source=menu&simple=true&next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.growth-memo.com%2Fp%2Fthe-first-ever-ux-study-of-googles "Clicks are empty calories, which means that clicks are always just a means to an end... Only 20% of the time does the AIO give participants the final answer. But 80% of the time they clicked on other results, mostly organic results." - Kevin Indig Timestamps: 03:32 - Study design explanation 04:12 - Trust as primary user filter 11:48 - Clicks as "empty calories" 15:42 - Brand mentions vs citations 25:50 - "Answer first content" doesn't work | — | ||||||
| 5/23/25 |  Why Trust is the Fastest Way to Long-Term ROI w/ Ashley Faus, Head of Lifecycle Marketing, Portfolio @ Atlassian | AI is everywhere. Budgets are tight. Audiences are skeptical. So how do you get people to actually trust your brand—and stick around? In this episode, Ashley Faus joins us to talk about what trust really looks like in marketing today. We get into how common language like “lead capture” and “MQLs” is working against us, and why rethinking your buyer’s journey—starting with intent and ending with long-term value—can lead to better results. We also talk about her new book, Human-Centered Marketing, and why building trust isn’t fluffy—it’s a strategic advantage. Register now to attend live and to receive show notes and a special pre-order bonus from Ashley. What You’ll Learn: What trends in public trust mean for marketers The language and practices marketers are using internally that hurt their chances for connecting with their audience A new way to think about the audience journey that honors the intelligence and curiosity of your audience Resources: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyfaus/ If you'd like to buy Ashley's new book, you can order it here and get 25% off when you use code: KOGANPAGE25 https://97thfloor.com/articles/podcasts/why-trust-is-the-fastest-way-to-long-term-roi↗ "People trust people like themselves and people buy from people they trust. And so how do you showcase the humans? Which work remains important for the humans to do and having the thoughts and connecting with folks continues to be something that I think even in the age of AI is gonna be more important." - Ashley Faus Timestamps: 08:36 - Why trust is essential for business results 13:58 - The content playground vs. traditional funnel 20:54 - The case against gated content 23:13 - Data-informed vs. data-driven measurement 34:56 - Short vs. long-term content strategy 41:22 - Book discount and final takeaways | — | ||||||
| 5/16/25 |  How Smart B2B Teams Evaluate, Launch, and Win on New Channels w/ Ryan Nelsen, CMO @ StackAdapt | How Smart B2B Teams Evaluate, Launch, and Win on New Channels w/ Ryan Nelsen, CMO @ StackAdapt Most B2B marketers stick to LinkedIn and Google Ads, but buyers are everywhere. A multi-channel strategy ensures you reach them at the right time, in the right place. In this episode of The Campaign, Ryan Nelsen, CMO of StackAdapt, joins 97th Floor’s CEO Paxton Gray to break down the Multi-Channel B2B Growth Framework—a step-by-step approach to mapping the buyer’s journey, selecting the right channels, and optimizing ad spend for maximum ROI. Plus, we’ll take you behind the scenes of a real-world campaign and show you exactly how we built and executed a high-performing multi-channel strategy. What You’ll Learn: How to audit your current media mix to uncover untapped opportunities How to go beyond LinkedIn & Google—find your buyers where they actually spend time How to use programmatic advertising to optimize campaigns in real time and scale efficiently Real-world case study of how multi-channel strategies drive measurable results Resources: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanelsen https://97thfloor.com/articles/podcasts/how-smart-b2b-teams-evaluate-launch-and-win-on-new-channels/ "It's such a fun time to be a marketer, to start literally the sky's the limit in terms of creativity and the ability to target and measure that." - Ryan Nelsen Timestamps: 06:52 - What spurs brands to add new channels 09:39 - Multi-channel conversion data and results 14:03 - Balancing brand vs. performance marketing 19:42 - Creative digital out-of-home trends 25:09 - How AI is lowering video creation costs 29:10 - Key takeaways for channel expansion | — | ||||||
| 5/9/25 |  How to Build Predictable Marketing the C-Suite Will Bet On w/ Karl Van den Bergh, CMO @ Illumio | In this episode, we’re joined by Karl Van den Bergh, 2024 Cybersecurity Marketer of the Year and CMO at Illumio, to talk about how marketing leaders can build credibility, keep budgets, and turn uncertainty into a competitive edge. Karl shares the playbook he used to align marketing with the way sales is measured: building forecasts, hitting targets, and earning trust from even the ever-skeptical CFO. We’ll show you how to make the intangible measurable with the one-page marketing plan that maps business goals directly to marketing execution. If you’re trying to defend long-term strategy while your executive team needs short-term ROI, this episode will give you the language, framework, and tools to do it. What You’ll Learn: The exact template Karl uses to connect every marketing move back to business objectives The most crucial thing that a CMO can do to build trust with other executives How a shift to treating marketing more like sales can transform internal perception and relationships Resources: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlvandenbergh https://97thfloor.com/articles/podcasts/how-to-build-predictable-marketing-the-c-suite-will-bet-on/ "If you want to be successful through a downturn and coming out of the downturn, is to take and maintain a long-term perspective... the bigger opportunity actually is to build your brand because the rest of the competition is likely to be doing the same." - Karl Van den Bergh Timestamps: 03:13 - Why CMO is the Hardest C-Suite Role 07:26 - Finding Growth During Economic Downturns 10:07 - Investing in Brand During Recessions 18:20 - Running Marketing Like Sales 26:02 - Marketing Dollars = Sales Investment 28:38 - The One-Page Marketing Plan 22:52 - First-Time CMO Survival Guide | — | ||||||
| 5/2/25 |  How to Consolidate, Optimize, and Finally See SEO Results w/ Mike Witham, Head of SEO @ 97th Floor | If you’re investing in SEO but not seeing results, your content might be the problem. 97th Floor’s Head of SEO, Mike Witham, built the Content Consolidation Audit to cut waste, boost rankings, and drive real results. In this episode of The Campaign, Mike joins 97th Floor CEO Paxton Gray to break down the audit process and show how consolidation and optimization can have an immediate impact on organic revenue. What You’ll Learn: How to fix SEO that isn't delivering results Strategies to recover from Google algorithm updates Best practices for site migrations and merges How to optimize legacy sites with complex content histories Solutions for "crawled, not indexed" page issues Resources: https://97thfloor.com/articles/podcasts/how-to-consolidate-optimize-and-finally-see-seo-results/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-o-witham "The more content that you produce, the more you're going to stray from your core topic. And the harder it's going to be for crawlers for these LLMs to understand what it is you do." - Mike Witham Timestamps: 02:49 - What content consolidation audit is 07:19 - Benefits of consolidating content 10:20 - How thin content hurts AI visibility 16:42 - When to redirect vs. optimize pages 28:00 - Using Search Console to find problems 32:31 - Evaluating new content strategy | — | ||||||
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