
A Google Marketer's Best Channel Isn't Online
From The Jo Show by Jo McKee
May 14, 2026 · 35 min · Episode 25
About this episode
Ashley Woods, a marketing strategist at Google, shares insights on effective marketing strategies for small businesses compared to large corporations.
Ashley Woods is a marketing strategist at Google and YouTube who built her own business — Primer Libro, a Spanish-language children's book company — on the side. In this episode, she breaks down what works at Google scale that's a complete waste of time for a small business, and what small businesses can do that Google can't. You'll hear how she had a wake-up call running Amazon ads, why mom-and-pop events outperformed every paid channel she tried, and the one marketing principle that holds true at every scale. Plus: how Jo cancelled $850 a month of marketing software and rebuilt it with AI agents. You'll learn: - Why most small business advertising spend is unprofitable, and the wake-up call that proved it - What a marketer at Google does when she's spending her own money - The data advantage small businesses have over billion-dollar companies - Incrementality vs attribution, plainly explained - Why a Google strategist is spending zero on advertising for two months - The one thing to do if you're sitting on an idea and afraid to start - How to use AI for more than just "give me ideas" and "write this email" - The $850 a month marketing software Jo cancelled (and what she runs…
People in this episode
Host: Jo McKee
Guest: Ashley Woods
Topics covered
- small business marketing
- advertising strategies
- Google marketing insights
- AI in marketing
- incrementality vs attribution
- cost-effective marketing
Keywords
- small business
- marketing strategies
- YouTube
- AI agents
- advertising spend
- incrementality
- attribution
- Primer Libro
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Google, YouTube, Primer Libro, Amazon, McKee Creative
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