Content Amplified

In this episode we interview Paul Hemingway, a marketing leader at Lighthouse Foods, about how smart brands choose media channels when budgets are tight and competitors are loud. 

What you'll learn in this episode:

• How to pick channels based on who you want to reach 
• Why “share of voice” changes your media strategy 
• How to think about competitors before you spend a dollar 
• What to measure at the top vs bottom of the funnel 
• How to use pre post studies and A B test markets 
• When it makes sense to lean on agencies and third party mix modeling

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In this episode we interview Val Capone, Director of Marketing and Communications at civil engineering and planning firm, Matrix Design Group, in Phoenix, about what has and has not changed in marketing since 1987. 

What you'll learn in this episode:

• How print first workflows and hard deadlines created intentional marketers before metrics existed
• Ways to apply old school rigor to modern tools so campaigns do not rely on guesswork
• How to treat AI and ChatGPT as a sharp assistant instead of a crutch that flattens your voice
• Practical ideas to adapt your message for Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, and boomers at the same time
• How to use data to push back on trend chasing and decide which channels you should actually keep
• Why loving the craft of marketing matters when expectations keep rising with every new tool

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Are you tired of "feature dumping" on prospects only to see their eyes glaze over? In this episode of Content Amplified, Ben Ard sits down with Kelsey Smith, Director of Digital Marketing at FranConnect, to discuss why your marketing should stop leading with the product—and start leading with the customer.

Kelsey shares his strategic pivot from traditional product-led pitches to authentic, customer-led storytelling. He explains why future customers trust the voices of their peers over sales decks and reveals the specific strategies he uses to capture video testimonials that actually move the needle on revenue.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The "Win-Win" Ask: How to get more customers to say "yes" to testimonials by framing the content as a promotional tool for their brand, not just yours.
• Production Tactics: When to use high-end professional videography versus when a candid iPhone video is actually more effective.
• The Interview Strategy: Why you should never ask "What’s your favorite feature?" and what to ask instead to uncover the real business impact.
• Measuring ROI: How Kelsey tracks the success of customer stories, from a 10x increase in web traffic to shortening sales cycles for the revenue team.

Connect with the Guest: Find Kelsey Smith on LinkedIn to continue the conversation or discuss strategy.

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In this episode we interview Matthew Scales, Seafood Marketing Director at the Maryland Department of Agriculture, about how he uses creative campaigns to get people to eat invasive blue catfish. 

What you'll learn in this episode:

• How a state agency turned a serious environmental problem into a memorable content story anchored in a blue catfish eating competition at the Maryland State Fair
• Why Matthew pushed the initial amateur contest idea further by partnering with Major League Eating, Maryland Lottery, Maryland Sports Commission, tourism groups, and local businesses to build a bigger moment
• Ways to engineer user generated content by inviting creators and competitive eaters who show up ready with phones, tripods, and engaged audiences
• How to think beyond traditional press releases and social posts and design events that naturally produce B roll, photos, blogs, and media hooks
• The mindset of saying “yes and” in brainstorms so you stack ideas instead of shrinking them
• Practical metrics you can use to judge a stunt style campaign: impressions, earned media, time on key web pages, and shifts in product movement
• How Matthew connects content performance back to real world outcomes like demand for blue catfish from processors and restaurants

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In this episode we interview Matt Dornfeld, Global AI Go-To-Market Lead at Commerce, about using workflow automation and large language models to personalize webinars from registration to recap. He and host Ben Ard walk through the exact systems he uses to turn a “standard” webinar into a tailored experience that actually drives action. 

What you'll learn in this episode:

• How to build dynamic registration forms that change questions based on who is signing up
• Simple ways to enrich attendee data so you know who they are and what they care about before they join
• How to send pre-webinar content that feels handcrafted for each segment, not copied and pasted
• Tactics for using LLMs to route questions, draft replies, and power smart follow ups at scale
• Ideas for breaking your webinar into focused breakout rooms so B2B and B2C attendees each get relevant discussions
• How to treat every click, chat message, and breakout as a signal that guides sales outreach
• A lightweight tech stack Matt actually uses: forms, workflow automation tools, and an enterprise LLM setup
• Why “getting your data house in order” matters before you plug AI into your revenue engine

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In this episode we interview Rosemary Ajuka-LeCroy, about how marketers can use AI to cut through content overwhelm instead of adding to it. 

What you'll learn in this episode:

• How to shift AI from content factory to research assistant so you actually understand your customers instead of guessing
• Why overwhelm is the default state for modern buyers and how to create content that feels like a relief, not more spam
• Practical ways to use AI for audience insights: behaviors, channels, timing, and formats that actually match how people buy
• How to build data-informed personas that go beyond vague labels and turn into living, breathing guides for your strategy
• A simple mental model for judging if your content is noise or value by watching how the right people respond
• Why small businesses (like your local bagel shop) should protect their human voice while letting AI do the heavy research
• Which AI tools Rosemary trusts for deeper, more nuanced strategic thinking and why she treats them like thought partners, not magic wands

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In this episode we interview Laliv Hadar, SVP of Marketing at Invision Communications, an experiential marketing agency, about how brands can use live experiences to build real human connection in B2B. 

What you'll learn in this episode:

• How experiential shifted from “nice to have” booths and dinners to a core channel in the B2B marketing mix
• Ways to use content before, during, and after events so your experience becomes an ongoing conversation, not a single moment
• How to think about human to human interaction as a strategic advantage in a world full of automation and AI
• Practical ideas to repurpose event content into targeted clips for different audience segments and channels
• A clear method to connect your business objectives to the right experiential format, from trade shows to intimate customer roundtables
• How to map event goals to KPIs across the full sales funnel so you can confidently talk ROI with leadership
• Why AI should act as an enabler for personalization, production, and operations while people still own the story and the relationships
• Simple starting points for “small but mighty” experiments such as quarterly customer advisory dinners that prove value without huge budgets

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In this episode we interview Crystalee Beck, founder of Comma Copywriters, a content marketing agency, and a long-time champion of words that connect. She shares how her team blends AI tools with human creativity while protecting what makes a brand’s voice worth reading.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why Crystalee believes every piece of content still needs a human touch before it goes live.
• The phases of content production and where AI truly shines—research, ideation, and short-form support.
• Insights from real-world tests comparing long-form content written with and without AI, using multiple tools.
• How to define “publish ready” content and why editing and polishing are non-negotiable human steps.
• Ways to keep quality high as you scale, including peer review and clear standards for brand voice.
• How some brands that sell AI still insist on fully human-written content to protect credibility and search performance.
• Why small imperfections and natural voice often build more trust than perfectly polished, robotic prose.
• How marketers can talk about AI with leadership: setting expectations, protecting quality, and choosing where automation fits.

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In this episode we interview Sarah Renner, VP of Marketing Strategy and Analytics at MarketBridge, a go-to-market growth firm. She shares two decades of experience helping brands shift from shallow lead gen to trust-building content that actually wins deals.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why prospects no longer trust forms, blast emails, and banner ads—and what that distrust reveals about your funnel.
• The three traits of truly quality content: detailed, data-backed, and unmistakably authentic to your brand.
• How to create content your competitors can’t copy by leaning into unique perspectives and real expertise.
• Why over-gating content damages trust and how ungated authority pieces still generate high-intent leads.
• Where AI can support your workflow (and why Sarah believes it can’t produce real quality on its own).
• Why most “top-of-funnel” content underperforms and how to refocus efforts on mid and lower funnel material.
• Practical metrics to track content performance when you move beyond form fills: time on page, referrals, sharing, and event-driven engagement.
• How to turn internal experts into visible creators without overwhelming them or diluting your core message.

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In this episode we interview Paramita Bhattacharya, a full stack marketing leader with 25 years in technology, spanning Fortune 500 giants and high growth startups across brand, product marketing, demand generation, and go to market. 

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why AI has shifted content discovery from search rankings to credibility and citations across analysts, PR, and trusted channels. 
• How to use AI for first drafts while keeping humans in charge of storytelling, accuracy, and brand nuance. 
• Practical ways to expand your content mix with tutorials, product overviews, customer references, and proprietary data that LLMs cannot easily copy. 
• How to think about authority at the level of ideas and expertise, not just domain rating or page count. 
• Why distinct points of view from leaders across finance, product, and technology cut through generic AI generated noise. 
• How the rise of AI powered summaries changes what you publish, what you prioritize, and how you package insight.

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