Digital Marketing ROWhy?

37% of consumers are now starting their searches on AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini instead of Google — and that number has doubled in less than a year. So what does that mean for your business?

In this episode, Shannon and Krystal break down exactly how AI decides which local businesses to recommend, and what you need to have in place to be one of them. It comes down to three signals: accurate business listings across the web, a steady stream of recent reviews, and content on your website that AI can actually read and cite. They also get into how AI search is changing the value of your paid search ads in a big way.

The businesses that are showing up in AI recommendations right now are being endorsed to consumers who are already primed and ready to buy. Krystal walks through AI Location Concierge, FDS's solution that brings all three signals together — so when someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity to recommend a business like yours, you're the one they hear about.

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Most business owners want to know their marketing ROI, but very few actually have the systems in place to measure it.

On this episode of Digital Marketing ROWhy?, Shannon and Krystal break down what happens when a client doesn't have a point-of-sale system to tie sales back to marketing, and how they build a reliable ROI estimate anyway. They walk through the difference between hard numbers, industry benchmarks, and the hybrid approach they use most. This episode is for any business owner or marketing director who wants to know their marketing is driving revenue, not just clicks and impressions.

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Programmatic audio is one of those terms that sounds more complicated than it is.

In this episode of Digital Marketing ROWhy?, Shannon Allen and Krystal Vivian break down what programmatic audio actually means, how the buy works, and why it fits so naturally alongside the radio advertising businesses are already running. They walk through the audio consumer journey and explain how ads get placed across streaming music, podcasts, sports, broadcast radio and audiobooks without a business having to pick one platform. And of course, they bring it all back to what the ROI is for local businesses who include programmatic audio in their marketing plans.

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Digital marketing has gotten too big for one person to be the expert at all of it.

Shannon Allen and Krystal Vivian introduce Digital Essentials, four digital products built to work alongside the marketing a business is already doing: digital audio, Live Sports CTV, AI Location Concierge, and social management. Each one solves a problem most local businesses are dealing with right now, from getting recommended in AI search to reaching sports fans who have already cut the cord. That's exactly why we're launching these solutions for Federated Media's radio marketing experts to offer to their clients. If you're building your digital marketing lineup, these four are the starters.

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Football season is here, and the way local businesses buy ads on football games has changed more than most advertisers realize. In this episode, Shannon and Krystal break down the difference between buying spots on cable and buying impressions on streaming — and why that shift usually means reaching more of the audience you're already paying for.

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Fox is buying Roku for $22 billion, Paramount is buying Warner Bros. Discovery, and the biggest names in streaming are racing to own the content, the platforms, and the audience data. Shannon Allen and Krystal Vivian break down what the consolidation wave means for local advertisers, why audience data is the real prize, and whether open programmatic buying survives as more platforms close their doors.

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The 2026 midterms are projected to top $10.8 billion in political ad spend, the highest in US history, and Michigan alone accounts for more than a billion of it. So where should that money actually go?

In this episode, Shannon Allen and Krystal Vivian break down why broadcast TV no longer reaches the voters campaigns think it does, and how streaming and CTV have changed the math. Streaming now owns roughly half of all viewership, and it lets campaigns match a voter file to a household, target undecided voters in a single precinct, and adjust creative in near real time. Broadcast can't do any of that.

Shannon and Krystal cover the lowest unit rate trap that leaves candidates paying for spots that may never air, the voter journey as a framework for smarter spending, and the real-time reporting that shows campaigns exactly who they reached and when to pivot. Whether you're running for school board, backing a ballot measure, or managing a PAC, this is a practical look at where digital strategy wins elections.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

37% of consumers are now starting their searches on AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini instead of Google — and that number has doubled in less than a year. So what does that mean for your business?

In this episode, Shannon and Krystal break down exactly how AI decides which local businesses to recommend, and what you need to have in place to be one of them. It comes down to three signals: accurate business listings across the web, a steady stream of recent reviews, and content on your website that AI can actually read and cite. They also get into how AI search is changing the value of your paid search ads in a big way.

The businesses that are showing up in AI recommendations right now are being endorsed to consumers who are already primed and ready to buy. Krystal walks through AI Location Concierge, FDS's solution that brings all three signals together — so when someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity to recommend a business like yours, you're the one they hear about.

Read Federated Digital Solutions' blog

Federated Digital Solutions on Facebook

Federated Digital Solutions on LinkedIn

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're halfway through 2026. Gas prices jumped 76%, inflation hit its highest rate since May 2023, and consumer spending is splitting in half — with lower and middle-income households pulling back while the top 40% keeps spending.

In this mid-year check-in, Shannon and Krystal walk through what's actually happened in the first six months and what it means for your marketing strategy. They cover the economy, what's shifting in key industries like auto and credit unions, where digital advertising is still growing, and what business owners need to plan for in the second half of the year.

They also address a critical point: what to do with your budget when everything feels uncertain, why cutting might be the wrong move, and how retention becomes your leverage when new business gets harder.

If you've been waiting to see how the year plays out, this conversation gives you the data to make decisions for the rest of 2026.

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Netflix spent over a decade telling the world it would never run ads. Then it did — and in less than three years, 190 million people a month are watching them.

In this episode, Shannon and Krystal break down how Netflix made the shift, who's actually watching on the ad-supported tier, and what that audience means for local businesses looking to add another layer to their CTV strategy. They also walk through what it actually costs to advertise on Netflix in 2026, how FDS is making it accessible for local businesses, and where the platform is headed with targeting and ad technology.

If Netflix has been on your radar, this episode gives you the full picture before CPMs go up.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.