Shows
The Collective#054 - Is Gen AI Snake Oil?Are you sick and tired of hearing about Generative AI and how different it is than traditional SEO? If so, this is the episode for you.In this episode we had Christian Hustle, founder of Woobound Marketing, joined Steve to discuss the evolving landscape of SEO in the age of AI. In this convo, they discuss the importance of content creation, the challenges of tracking and reporting in an AI-driven world, and the need for a human touch in digital marketing. Analytics these days are a nightmare, but we’re in...2025-06-0650 minThe Collective#053 - Google Launches AI ModeThis episode has a couple funny experiences recently with AI and how it muddies up cold out reach. But, the big news is Google’s AI Mode announcement! The company released their AI Mode experience which looks like an LLM you’re used to with the bland text based experience and not the typical Google Search Results Pages with a ton of blue links.If you think about it, Google generated one of the most profitable, money printing businesses of all time with their blue link results page…. And now that...2025-05-3038 minThe Collective#052 - AI Noise in Digital MarketingTrev & Steve discuss the challenges Google faces in promoting its products like Gemini, the implications of AI in advertising, and the ongoing issues with customer service in the ad industry. If you’ve worked in Google Ads and used their support team, you know what challenges we are talking about!The guys then explore integrations of e-commerce platforms into LLMs with Perplexities recent announcement of their partnership with PayPal and the overwhelming number of updates in digital marketing, emphasizing the need to discern valuable changes from mere noise. The conv...2025-05-1939 minThe Collective#051 - Are LLMs Destroying Google Search?Trev & Steve discuss the challenges and realities of agency life, the perception of time in relation to productivity, and the evolving landscape of search engines and advertising in the age of AI. They explore the implications of AI on job performance, branding ethics, and the future of Google search amidst increasing competition. The conversation also touches on the societal impact of AI and the balance between digital and analog experiences.If you run an agency, work in one or do a lot of freelance consulting type work you can a...2025-05-1238 minThe CollectiveS3 #050 - How ChatGPT Ranks WebsitesTrev & Steve go down the rabbit hole of exploring the evolving landscape of digital marketing, particularly focusing on the impact of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT on lead generation and SEO. Steve had a couple legit leads pull through his site that were influenced by ChatGPT queries where C42 ranked well in those LLM sessions. He then had a conversation with ChatGPT about ranking factors for websites and presented the weighted factors in these results. Turns out ranking in LLMs stem from best practice SEO tactics that have been established for years. 2025-05-0554 minThe CollectiveS3 #049 - How We Handle Attribution in EcommerceTrev got married so Steve & Ricardo held it down!The guys mainly discuss the challenges of attribution in e-commerce, particularly after the introduction of iOS 14 and they chat about the evolution of attribution tools & mention a few new SEO tools. Conversation then shifts to the cultural differences in communication, especially the dominance of WhatsApp in Brazil. The discussion also touches on the effectiveness of cold emails in reaching potential clients and the global impact of WhatsApp as a communication tool. In total, Ricardo & Steve di...2025-04-2555 minThe CollectiveS3 #048 - AI Impacts to SEO & Reporting AttributionSteve & Trev chat about the transformative impact of AI on personal finance, content creation, and marketing. Steve shares an interesting story of a specific use case of AI tools like ChatGPT for personal decision-making with a home investment decision. They then discuss the competitive advantages of Google's Gemini, and the evolving landscape of brand loyalty and engagement metrics. The dialogue highlights the complexities of attribution in the age of AI and how marketers and SEOs might want to consider reporting on the success of the...2025-04-1834 minThe CollectiveS3 #047 - Be Productive: Future Looking, Backwards Planning.In today’s pod Trev & Steve discuss various topics related to health, fitness, and productivity. They chat about Trevor's first half marathon he ran in Philadelphia and then delve into the benefits of running and exercise on mental clarity. The discussion transitions to the use of technology in training, including wearables like Garmin watches, and the benefits of mouth taping for better breathing. They also explore the advantages of creatine supplementation for recovery and mental acuity. The conversation shifts to productivity hacks, emphasizing the impor...2025-04-1154 minThe CollectiveS3 #046 - Drive Sales & Close DealsIn this episode Trev is joined by a friend and business owner, Nick Flamini. Nick is the founder & CEO of Sales Tycoons (https://mysalestycoons.com/) which is a fractional sales organization that helps businesses grow.Sales Tycoons works on a pay per closed deal business model where their sales team only gets paid when their client earns a sale. This means Nick takes on 100% of the risk because he is paying his employees salary and benefits and is compensated purely on the success of his sales team to deliver for his clients.2025-04-031h 04The CollectiveS3 #045 - Growing Our Viewership on YouTube & SpotifyTrev & Steve discuss their experiences with content creation, the impact of algorithms on viewership, and the challenges of navigating political and economic changes in the marketing landscape. They discuss the general trends they’ve seen within organic views from YouTube Shorts, to YouTube and Spotify and how they’ve been approaching growing the podcast. They then explore the evolving role of AI in marketing and search, and reflect on the implications of AI advancements for the future of digital marketing and consumer behavior.Want to learn more about us and ou...2025-04-0243 minThe CollectiveS3 #044 - How to Master SEO for Shopify Ecommerce SitesSteve held this one down!Steve took us through his entire step by step approach to SEO for ecommerce sites - specifically Shopify. There are a ton of golden nuggets in this episode. Drop your questions in the comments! Want to learn more about us and our services? Reach out!Steve:https://collective42.com/Trevor:https://www.r40collective.com/#digitalmarketing #ai #aimarketing #ppc #seo #growthhacking #googleads #searchenginemarketing #sem #ga4 #googleanalytics #growthmarketing #demandgen #pmax #performancemax #gtm #tagm...2025-03-2130 minThe CollectiveS3 #043 - Nostalgia for the Early Internet Marketing DaysWe covered a few topics lol:Bluetooth health concerns, Digg, early internet marketing, social media evolution, LinkedIn advertising, AI in marketing, future of search, critical thinking, big pharma advertising, out of home advertising, local advertising trends, display ads, human interaction and AIAnnnnd we had our boy Ricardo join the show! We discussed a ton of topics ranging from the rise and fall of Digg (and how Kevin Rose is bringing it back), early internet marketing nostalgia, and the evolution of personal branding on social media. We do...2025-03-1449 minThe CollectiveS3 #042 - How we are thinking about AI within our Agency businessReturn of season 3!In this episode, Steve and Trev kick off Season Three by discussing the evolution of their podcast and the importance of maintaining connections in the industry. They dive into the impact of AI on agency life, exploring how it can streamline processes and enhance client management. And generally how they are thinking about incorporating AI into their business and how you should too if you’re in the digital marketing agency world. The conversation then shifts to the significance of local brand...2025-03-0744 minThe CollectiveS2 #041 - Meta Ad Headaches & Why I hate AI Note takersJam packed episode!
Trev and Steve speak about the nightmare that is Facebook Ads Business Manager. Steve shares a person experience with Meta ad supports and gives some valuable tips on how to improve the client onboarding experience when running Facebook ads.
They then discuss the rise of AI note takers in meetings, with Trev expressing concerns about privacy and the effectiveness of these tools. We don’t want bots listening to everything we say all the time! Lol. Figure out how to take your own notes people, it’s not that hard and...2024-11-2837 minThe CollectiveS2 #040 - Maintaining Your Composure in the Consulting WorldJam packed episode!
Trev & Steve discuss how they approach difficult client conversations because if you work in the digital marketing / consulting industry you’re going to have some tough calls. Whether that be a difficult person or just struggling to drive results those tough client conversations are bound to happen and the guys discuss their approach prior to those meetings and also some things to keep in mind during the meeting itself.
They chat about Darmesh the co-founder of Hubspot and how he sold chat.com to OpenAI for a ri...2024-11-2242 minThe CollectiveS2 #039 - AI Tools for Non-Coders & Elon Musk is a Top GamerJam packed episode!
In this episode, Trev & Steve discuss various topics related to content creation, the streaming economy, and the impact of AI tools on non-coders.
They chat about the importance of consistency in content release and how it can be challenging putting yourself out there with your personal content.
Then, they discussed Elon’s comments on Joe Rogan’s podcast how video gaming medical professionals are significantly better at their job compared to non gamers which was fascinating to hear. Also, apparently Elon is a top ranked...2024-11-1445 minThe CollectiveS2 #038 - How to Survive the SEO Algo UpdateHalloween themed pod!
In this lively Halloween-themed podcast, hosts Steve and Ricardo discuss a recent theft of Halloween decorations from Steve's yard, the community's response, and the awkwardness of being interviewed by the news.
They also delve into the latest earnings reports from major tech companies, the impact of political advertising on revenue, and the upcoming Google algorithm updates affecting SEO. The conversation highlights the intersection of community, media, and marketing in today's digital landscape.
Takeaways
Halloween decorations were stolen from Steve's yard.
...2024-11-0744 minThe CollectiveS2 #037 - How To Rank Your Brand in ChatGPT & LLMsWe covered a lot from macro trends in the economy to how brands can appear in LLM results:
In this conversation, Trev & Steve discuss various topics including consumer spending trends, the impact of elections on financial decisions, and the evolving landscape of SEO in relation to AI and brand mentions.
They also explore how economic conditions and political climates influence consumer behavior, the importance of brand visibility in the age of AI, and the future of technology in everyday life.
The discussion highlights the...2024-10-3154 minThe CollectiveS2 #036 - Use these AI Tools for your Social ContentWe covered a lot from AI tools to saunas to the FTC’s click-to-cancel Ruling
Trev and Steve bounce around a bit in this one, but they come with some great topics!
This episodes ranges from sound quality improvements in the podcast to fitness routines and the recent FTC ruling on subscription cancellations.
They delve into the implications of the Click-to-Cancel rule, the actions of Lena Kahn and the FTC, and the transition of Google's Gemini product.
The conversation also covers innovative cont...2024-10-2442 minThe CollectiveS2 #035 - Google’s Ad Marketshare Below 50% by 2025 & The Dead Internet TheoryRucking, how the WSJ’s headline for Google losing 50% of the ad market to Tik Tok & AI startups is misleading & the dead internet theory explained:
Steve shares his recent fitness ventures in rucking and the guys discuss some American brands like GoRuck. Steve consistently runs each week and started testing rucking as of late to switch up training methods that might be easier on the back and knees while still getting a great workout.
They then dive into the WSJ’s somewhat misleading article of how Google’s share of the ad market...2024-10-1754 minThe CollectiveS2 #034 - Google Hides Your Search Term DataThis was a wide ranging conversation across recent travel, OpenAI’s Canvas & the Data Google Hides:
In this conversation, Trevor and Steve explore various topics ranging from their recent trip to Austin, reflections on their podcasting journey, and the implications of OpenAI's new Canvas tool for content creation.
They then dive into Google's mobile-first indexing and the ethical concerns surrounding data collection and user privacy. The discussion also covers the complexities of Google Ads and the future of search engines, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in the evolving digital landscape.
2024-10-1055 minThe CollectiveS2 #033 - OpenAi’s Leadership Team is OutOpenAi is valued at $150 billion, yet their entire executive team from the founding days have left:
In this conversation, Trevor and Steve discuss their experiences with podcasting, the evolution of AI, and the implications of Sam Altman's leadership at OpenAI. It’s been interesting to follow along with Sam’s journey, through the Elon drama and now to see the company raise the largest round of funding of all time just to see the entire leadership team leave. Something seems fishy. The guys also highlight how Sam publicly has stated he doesn’t need or care about money ye...2024-10-0853 minThe CollectiveS2 #032 - LinkedIn is Your Personal Consulting Business’s WebsiteHow we use LinkedIn for business development and personal branding
In this episode, Trevor shares a personal story of a recent business development through a LinkedIn DM and how he optimizes his profile for business development.
Steve states how your LinkedIn can be used as a remarketing tactic to stay top of mind for your audience.
The guys then turn the discussion into a bit of a health related conversation discussing some supplements they’ve recently been testing and how Mr. Beast started an ultra-processed foods company.
...2024-09-3047 minThe CollectiveS2 #031 - Using PPC for Agency Inbound & the Struggles of Keyword Bidding CampaignsWe spoke through a recent shadow ban we experienced and then shifted to a conversation about Steve’s agency doing keyword testing for inbound:
In this episode, Steve discusses his recent experience from a trip to Texas for a bachelor weekend.
The guys then shift to speak about an update from a recent shadow ban they experienced on YouTube.
They explore the importance of collaboration in client experiences and the idea of creating a community through a Slack channel. The goal here is to create a community of t...2024-09-1837 minThe CollectiveS2 #030 - How to Build a Cash Flowing Agency & Invest in other Businesses - Leon Hitchen’s Story as an Agency FounderLeon Hitchen’s founder story & POV on building a great agency business:
Leon Hitchens, co-founder of Ruskin Consulting, shares his journey from tech blogging to starting a marketing agency.
The agency primarily focuses on white-label marketing services for other agencies, offering Google ads, SEO, and web work.
Leon and his business partner have also diversified their business by investing in other ventures, including a tax business, a hiring business, and real estate. They aim to build an agency that provides cash flows and then use those cash flows to invest in ot...2024-09-1351 minThe CollectiveS2 #029 - Balancing Authenticity While Posting Organic Social Content to Grow Your Agency’s PipelineStriking a balance between being authentic & providing value with our personal organic social content:
In this conversation, Steve and Trevor discuss their experiences with posting content on platforms like YouTube and LinkedIn. They talk about the importance of being authentic and providing value in their posts. They also touch on the topic of LinkedIn strategies, including commenting on other people's posts and connecting with past clients.
The conversation covers various topics including the templatization of social posts, loyalty to companies, the impact of LinkedIn on job hopping, the future of work, and th...2024-09-0548 minThe CollectiveS2 #028 - WooBound’s Founder Joins to Talk Running an Agency, Programmatic SEO & SEO Best Practices in the World of AIChristian Hustle, founder of WooBound Marketing joins the show: Christian Hustle, founder of WooBound Marketing, joins Trevor and Steve to discuss SEO and the challenges of running an agency. They talk about the importance of creating quality content, dealing with haters, and the concept of programmatic SEO.
They also touch on:
> The limitations of automated SEO tools and the value of Google Search Console emails.
> Challenges of dealing with SEO errors and the importance of having a mentor or experienced professional to guide you.
2024-08-2747 minThe CollectiveS2 #027 - Harris Campaign’s Controversial Google Ads StrategyHarris campaign manipulates headlines to highlight favorable news coverage: The conversation discusses the topic of political advertising, specifically focusing on the recent controversy surrounding the Harris campaign's use of text ads on search results pages. The hosts explore the tactics used by the campaign, such as buying keywords and creating misleading headlines to promote positive news articles about Kamala Harris. They also question how the campaign was able to send traffic to websites they don't own, which goes against Google's advertising policies. The conversation highlights the lack of transparency and ethical concerns surrounding this practice.
2024-08-2248 minThe CollectiveS2 #026 - Lending Tree Deploys tons of “Sub” Brands for Their Marketing FunnelLending Tree has a sophisticated marketing funnel: The guys did a live audit for the “auto insurance” industry and came across a wild one
During their live audit the guys broke down what they liked and didn’t like about the auto insurance industry, specifically through the lens of SEO and PPC. And during the pod the guys discussed a brand that has the simplest form submission action and quickly discovered Lending Tree owned it and has dozens of “brands” they deploy for their marketing funnel.
Tons of golden insights in...2024-08-1248 minThe CollectiveS2 #025 - Is AI a Net Positive for Society?Is AI Positive for Society: The guys had one of their most interesting conversations on the podcast to date.
They covered the wide ranging topic of is AI positive for society and in general how we think about success in society. For example, is building a social app that gamifies the experience to get users addicted to the platform and destroys people’s attention spans a net positive on the world? Will AI further reduce human’s attention spans? Will AI ruin or vastly reduce human’s critical thinking abilities?
Overall, it...2024-08-0250 minThe CollectiveS2 #024 - We Audited CrowdStrike’s PPC & SEO ApproachCrowdStrike Audit: The guys have been chatting about doing a live audit for some time and figured they’d use CrowdStrike as a prime example considering what happened with their recent software update. They discuss tools they use to evaluate their approach to paid media as well as SEO and discuss throughout the episodes how they would approach the audit and some initial recommendations they would make.
#digitalmarketing #ai #aimarketing #ppc #seo #growthhacking #googleads #searchenginemarketing #sem
2024-07-3042 minThe CollectiveS2 #023 - Digital Marketing Tools we useDigital marketing tools: The guys discuss which digital marketing tools they use in their day to day, during competitive research, informing RFPs, doing keyword research, etc. The guys rattled off tools from LLMs to Google Keyword Planner to Keyword Ranking trackers to reporting tools to Similar Web and a ton of others. They also get into specific use cases for each tool.
#digitalmarketing #ai #aimarketing #ppc #seo #growthhacking #googleads #searchenginemarketing #sem
Trev mentioned on the show the settings he applied to his GPT. Feel free to copy...2024-07-2144 minThe CollectiveS2 #022 - Agency Service Offerings that create long lasting client relationshipsSticky Services: The guys discuss how they think about their service offerings to create long lasting relationships with their clients. They discussed 3 specific services an agency can offer that creates a long term partnership with clients and positions their businesses for upsell opportunities. They also spoke about how the rise in zero click and AI impact their approach to their offerings.
#digitalmarketing #ai #aimarketing #ppc #seo #growthhacking #googleads #searchenginemarketing #sem
2024-07-1624 minThe CollectiveS2 #021 - Overreactions: “Find out before you flip out”Overreaction: The guys discuss how overreacting can negatively affect your day to day and your team’s motivation. We discuss how running ad agencies and working with clients can feel like the world is falling apart at times and how this relates to our personal lives.
#digitalmarketing #ai #aimarketing #ppc #seo #growthhacking #googleads #searchenginemarketing #sem2024-07-0242 minThe CollectiveS2 #020 - Our Content DietContent diet: The guys discuss their content diets on today’s episode. They do a deep dive into which podcasts they listen to, audio book recommendations, which newsletters they subscribe to and their take on how much content you should consume.
#digitalmarketing #ai #aimarketing #ppc #seo #growthhacking #googleads #searchenginemarketing #sem2024-06-1439 minThe CollectiveS2 #019 - Our Daily Routines, Workout Splits, Spirituality, Personal ResponsibilityInterested in learning more about Steve & Trev?: The guys discuss their daily routines, workout splits, how their views on spirituality have evolved and general personal responsibility in their lives and community.
#digitalmarketing #ai #aimarketing #ppc #seo #growthhacking #googleads #searchenginemarketing #sem
2024-06-1258 minThe CollectiveS2 #018 - Klarna Saves $25 Mill/Yr with AI & How We Use AI In Digital Marketing on the Day to DayYou ever wonder how to actually use AI on the day to day basis?: The guys discuss how Klarna apparently saved $25 mill per year in agency fees using AI. The guys then go rapid fire with how they use AI in their day to day as digital markers.
#digitalmarketing #ai #aimarketing #ppc #seo #growthhacking #googleads #searchenginemarketing #sem
2024-06-0640 minThe CollectiveS2 #017 - Bots vs. Budgets: Why CPC Quality Sucks (& What to Do About It)Are you getting less quality and more bot traffic from your CPC?: The guys discuss some issues they’ve recently seen from both Google & Microsoft search. Not only has bot form submissions risen but the overall quality of traffic from these search engines seems to have declined. They discussed first hand experiences with search becoming much more difficult than it once was and how they are combatting this in real time. 2024-05-0243 minThe Collective#016 - How to Make Monthly Reporting Suck lessMonthly Reporting: Anyone in this digital marketing space knows that the first week of the month is usually reporting time and honestly, it can really suck. We break down which software tools you can use and general best practices for how to approach reporting with your clients to hopefully make it suck a bit less! 2024-03-1151 minThe Collective#015 - One Man Running 2 Mill ARR Agency, OpenAI’s Sora Unveil & Microsoft Ads Brings Back LinkedIn AudiencesOne Man, 2 Mill ARR: We discuss the YouTube Channel “Starter Story” & one their episodes about the founder of Designjoy. The founder shares his story about how he started his subscription service design agency and scaled to 2 million in ARR with no employees.
Sora: OpenAI unveiled their new text to video prompt tool and some of the initial examples are incredible. LinkedIn Audiences: Microsoft Ads recently brought LinkedIn audiences back to the platform. We discussed how you could test in B2B and other scenarios. 2024-02-2142 minThe Collective#014 - How to Stay Up to Date in This Fast Paced Media IndustryIndustry updates: If you work for an agency, own one or just do marketing work in general, you know how rapid things change. There’s constant movement within algorithms, new campaign formats and trends.
And if you’re in this game the key is to stay up to date so you can produce results for your clients. In this episode Steve shares results from a recent LinkedIn poll he ran and the guys discuss who they follow on social and how they stay up to date with all things media.
2024-02-1129 minThe Collective#013 - How to Generate Business As an Agency OwnerHow to get leads as an agency owner: Quite possibly the most important thing in running your own agency business is acquiring new customers. But how do you do that?
The guys discuss 7 different ways in which they’ve been able to acquire new customers to grow their agency businesses. This is not a nonsense fluffy episode! Lol. The guys dove into specific examples of exactly how they’ve generated new customers reaching out for their services and how you can too. 2024-01-3146 minThe Collective#012 - Google’s Creepy Policy Update, Google’s Auto Updates to be Weary of, Shopify Partners with X & Social Posting DeclinesGoogle’s Creepy Policy Update: Google announced an update to their ‘Inappropriate content policy’ that seemed eerie heading into 2024.
Google Ads Auto Updates: We speak about two cases in which Google automatically creates extension assets as well as video assets with Performance Max campaigns. This is a huge one to keep in mind for your clients.
Shopify & X Partnership: We discussed the potential impacts of this partnership.
Is Social Media Posting Declining: We discussed recent data that shows daily posting across social media accounts per account on average...2024-01-2446 minThe Collective#011 - How Plunge Scaled to $100 mill in 3 Years Using Influencers & Hacks To Be More Productive in the Agency GamePlunge’s Success Story: We discuss how this cold plunge company scaled to $100mill in 3 years using Andrew Hubberman and other key influencers.
How to be more productive: We brought on Ricardo Figueiredo, co-founder of Collective 42, to discuss hacks to be more productive. If you’re running an agency or working for one you know how insane things get working on tons of different projects. We discuss tactics on how to improve your efficiency when it comes to cranking out work and accomplishing what you need to on the daily and weekly basis.2023-12-1548 minThe Collective#010 - Newsletters Are Blowing Up, Founder of Beehiiv’s Story, SNPL & Economic Trends, Top YouTube Content & Shorts on SocialRSS Feeds: Steve shares how he built a custom RSS feed of his favorite blogs to stay up to date on the latest industry news and trends.
Newsletters are blowing up: We take a deep dive into the founder on Beehiiv from Morning Brew and how they’re looking to change how newsletters monetize and their goals to become the Facebook ads of newsletters.
Shop Now Pay Later: Cyber Monday & Black Friday showed strong sales data across the U.S. but does it come at a cost to the Ame...2023-12-0852 minThe Collective#009 - Wil Reynolds Joins & We Talk All Things AI, SGE, How Seer is Adapting and Marathon Training
Which tools & LLMs Seer has been testing
How Seer’s data warehouse has been impactful for analyzing changes in SGE
Wil’s general thoughts around AI & LLM’s impacts
How you can use LLMs for presentation feedback & daily life
Training for marathons
2023-12-0153 minThe Collective#008 - Another Google Core Update, Backlinks Deep Dive, Starlink Update & The Importance of Companies Driving Innovation
.ING Top-Level Domains: Cool update for top-level domains where you can now purchase domains ending with “ing”. The guys discuss potential marketing tactics.
Google leaks most profitable terms: Google’s currently in court for their antitrust case and a PDF leaked with their most profitable search queries for a week in 2018. There’s a surprising trend within these search queries.
ChatGPT Update: Coming soon to ChatGPT are “context connectors” where you will be able to scan your Google Drive & Microsoft 365 drive. Tons of possibilities here with these integrations.
Google Core Update: Google announced yet another core update and the guys discuss potenti...2023-11-0653 minThe Collective#007 - Holiday Season Ad Prep, Keywords are Dying, Pmax Search Themes Beta, How Recessions Impact Agencies
Preparing for Holiday Season: The guys recommend a bunch of things to consider if you’re advertising during Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the greater holiday season.
Ads appear in Google’s SGE: Surprise, surprise! Google controls SGE and shockingly is testing ad placements in the experience. We saw this coming but it’s interesting to see when and where these ads are beginning to appear.
Performance Max Beta: Google just released a Performance Max Beta where advertisers can now add “Search Themes” to their asset groups. These are different from search terms, but it does beg the q...2023-10-3045 minThe Collective#006 - Tik Tok & Google Partnership, ChatGPT Can See & Hear, $84 Bill in Ad Fraud
Tik Tok & Google partnership?: Tik Tok previewed links to Google within search results which we’ve hinted at in previous episodes. We give a preview of what this looks like and how it might impact your strategy.
Google’s Legal Issues: Google’s in court and there are massive implications on the line with the possibility that Google search might not be the default of search engine on Apple’s iPhones. We spoke about the implications of this and how difficult it is in general to build a search engine.
ChatGPT can see & hear: Really cool updates...2023-10-0256 minThe Collective#005 - Google Admits to Inflating CPCs, Bard 2.0, Bing launched Connected TV adsTopics covered:
Google’s Auto Apply Tab: Be careful with this one! Located on the ‘Recommendations’ tab Google will auto-apply certain things that are preset, like enabling search partners network and display network for search campaigns. Make sure you take a look at these settings before launching campaigns.
Google Testifies to Inflating CPCs: Google admits in court to inflating cost per clicks by 5% in order to meet revenue targets. We discussed how testing manual bidding vs smart bidding could be a nice tactic to save ad dollars and maintain performance.
Bard 2.0: ...2023-09-2547 minThe Collective#004 - Tik Tok for Search, Using AI to Create Content, We Hate Bing's Audience NetworkTopics covered:
TikTok's Search Potential: 51% of Gen Z users prefer TikTok over Google for search, which shows the growing importance of "zero-click" content on TikTok. We spoke about how Tik Tok is now showing Wikipedia links within search results and our thoughts for how these search results will evolve.
AI in Content Creation: Using AI tools to create or assist in content production, be it video or written. We mention tools like ChatGPT for summarizing and extracting insights, and other tools and use cases for AI when it comes to producing content.2023-09-1843 minThe Collective#003 - GA4 Reporting Confusion Explained with Workshop Digital's Chris LaRoche, Performance Max Campaigns, Zero-click ContentOur first ever guest, Chris LaRoche, joins the show! Chris is the Head of Small Business Solutions team while also leading paid media efforts at Workshop Digital.
Chris recently published a blog post titled 'Your GA4 Conversions May Not Be Giving Enough Credit to Paid & Organic Channels' and we had to bring him on the show to discuss. Our host Steve is calling this one of the most crucial topics in digital marketing right now that isn't being talked about.
Topics covered:
GA4's Shift and Challenges: GA4...2023-09-1148 minThe Collective#002 - Exploring Zero-Click Content, LinkedIn's Algorithm, and Shopify's Holiday Readiness
First, we take a deep dive into the world of zero-click content and share one of the most impressive examples we've come across.
Curious about how LinkedIn's organic algorithm really works? We'll provide a clear and straightforward explanation to help you better understand how it influences your feed.
We'll also discuss Shopify's recent move to introduce "Buy with Prime" and how this might impact your online shopping experience.
And, as the holiday season approaches, we'll help you prepare your online store with insights on Advantage Plus, Performance Max, and AI Domains, setting you up for success in the busiest shopping...2023-09-0546 minThe Collective#001 - The InceptionThe founders Trevor Norton & Steve Peron discuss the inception for creating this digital marketing podcast. Topics also discussed:
The rise of dark social & zero-click: Ideas for how brands and businesses need to adapt.
How to retain clients and generate more referral business by being a better consultant.
Weird GA4 attribution settings and how you can make updates in the admin section to find hidden conversion values.
2023-08-3136 min