For The Daring Growth Seekers - Marketing In The AI Era

B2B marketing has become a completely different beast.

While e-commerce businesses can launch products and see sales within weeks, B2B companies are spending months crafting perfect email sequences and hosting webinars - only to hear crickets.

The divide between B2C and B2B marketing success is widening, especially as AI reshapes how buyers discover and evaluate businesses. Traditional tactics that worked five years ago are failing, and many B2B marketers are struggling to adapt.

In this episode, we explore why 69% of B2B professionals report sales becoming more difficult, and what's actually working for businesses that are thriving in this new landscape.

We dive deep into the practical strategies that move the needle:

01:35 - Challenges in B2B Marketing: Why traditional tactics are failing and buyer expectations have shifted

02:53 - The Role of AI in Marketing: How AI is creating both opportunities and cynicism in B2B spaces

04:43 - Effective B2B Marketing Tactics: The return of face-to-face events and omnichannel touchpoint strategies

11:39 - The Importance of Personal Branding: Why sales teams and founders need LinkedIn presence beyond just CEOs

13:00 - Key Takeaways for B2B Marketing: Understanding your ICP better than ever and adjusting expectations

19:57 - The Power of Referrals and Networking: How existing relationships can dramatically shorten sales cycles

Running a business while raising four kids isn't Instagram-worthy - it's messy, stressful, and requires systems most people never talk about.

In this raw conversation, we want to share the reality behind building Done By Nine while parenting 4 children aged 5-13.

From using a stress scale to communicate with each other, to why device-free mealtimes are non-negotiable, we break down what actually work for us.

We've discovered how parenting skills transfer directly to business challenges, why "good enough" beats perfectionism every time, and the unexpected ways our kids are learning work ethic by watching us navigate building a company during economic uncertainty.

This behind-the-scenes look offers an honest perspective you won't find in typical business content.

No sugar-coating, no perfect morning routines - just real talk about making it work when everything feels like controlled chaos.

00:54 Balancing Business and Family Life

02:25 Parenting Challenges and Strategies

03:55 Managing Work-Life Boundaries

09:25 Finding Personal Time and Motivation

12:30 Lessons from Parenting for Business

The way people search online has fundamentally changed, but most businesses are still marketing like it's 2015.

We're no longer typing simple keywords into Google - we're having full conversations, asking complex questions, and expecting AI to understand exactly what we need.

Recently, Google launch AI Max within Google Ads, alongside AI Mode (a ChatGPT like search within Google). This means that they are moving away from traditional keyword matching.

In this episode, we break down Google's four types of search intent and why understanding the "why" behind every search is now more important than the keywords themselves.

You'll discover how to stop wasting money on irrelevant traffic and start connecting with customers who genuinely need what you offer.

Key insights you'll learn:

- Why Google's AI Max is changing everything about online advertising

- The four types of search intent that drive every customer query

- How to discover what your customers are really thinking when they search

- Simple strategies to match your content with customer intent

- Why keyword-focused marketing is becoming obsolete

Whether you're running Google Ads or just trying to understand how customers find your business, this episode will help you adapt to the new reality of AI-powered search and ensure your marketing stays relevant as the landscape continues to evolve.

00:00 Are Keywords Dead?

00:35 Google's AI Revolution

01:50 Introduction to Keywordless Search

03:32 Understanding User Intent

06:50 Practical Steps to Discover Customer Intent

12:20 Using Intent to Improve Ads and Website

We're going behind the scenes of how we're building our business as a couple in the AI era - and why human relationships matter more than ever.

After running workshops with 18+ business owners across New Zealand, we discovered something surprising: while everyone's obsessing over AI tools, the real breakthroughs are happening in old-fashioned human conversations.

In this episode, we share how we're building community, why our clients stopped wanting JUST monthly reports and started demanding partnership, and what we learned by testing our ideas through real workshops instead of assumptions.

You'll hear about the vulnerability factor that's stopping business owners from asking important questions publicly, how we're using community events as market research, and why that random coffee shop conversation might be more valuable than any AI prompt.

00:39 Building a Business in the AI Era

01:56 The Importance of Relationships and Community

04:28 Shifts in Business and Marketing Strategies

08:03 Workshops and Collaborative Learning

14:40 Encouragement and Final Thoughts

Google's AI Mode launched in the US, and it's completely disrupted the search experience that you've been optimising for years.

While you've been fighting for page one rankings, Google has been building a system where there literally is no page one anymore - no blue links, potentially no clicks to your website, just AI answering questions directly in search.

This is a fundamental shift in how customer discovery works, and it's already rolling out globally.

In this episode, we break down exactly what Google's AI Mode means for your business:

• Why traditional SEO rankings are becoming obsolete overnight
• How "query fan-out" is replacing keyword-based search forever
• Why some businesses are becoming invisible to AI search while others dominate
• The new marketing superpower you need to develop (hint: it's not what you think)
• Practical steps to adapt your strategy before your competitors catch on

The question isn't whether AI will change how customers find you - it's whether they'll be able to find you at all.

00:00 Introduction: Google's AI Mode Revolution00:51 Google I/O Announcement and Initial Reactions01:53 Understanding AI Mode and Its Implications05:12 Personalization and Its Impact on Search07:56 Adapting Your Marketing Strategy13:15 Key Takeaways and Final Thoughts

[Off Mic] Go behind the scenes of how we run our marketing business (Done By Nine) during the AI-era.

In this episode, we chat about the pressures of running a business with young kids while juggling client work and growth goals.

After five years of late-night laptop sessions and scattered priorities, we've implemented a business operating system that's helping us work ON our business, not just IN it.

In this behind-the-scenes episode, we share the start of our journey implementing EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) over the past six months.

We break down the practical tools that are helping us align our team, prioritise, and actually achieve our business goals.

You'll learn about:

• The Visionary vs Integrator roles and how they've changed their dynamic
• How "Rocks" are helping them focus on what matters most
• Why their new scorecard system is replacing gut-feel decision making
• The reality of rolling out new systems to a small but growing team

Whether you're drowning in daily client work or struggling to implement the big ideas that could grow your business, this episode shows you exactly how two busy parents are building better processes while maintaining our sanity.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

01:02 Reflecting on Business Beginnings

02:21 Navigating Parenthood and Business

03:44 Late Night Work and Business Juggling

05:13 Introduction to EOS and Business Processes

08:02 Implementing EOS in Our Business

10:44 Understanding the Concept of Rocks

11:35 Implementing Rocks in the Team

13:34 Introducing the Scorecard System

14:57 Customising the Scorecard for Team Members

18:49 Challenges and Benefits of the EOS System

Google just revealed the future of search, advertising, and customer discovery - and it's happening faster than most business owners realise.

At Google I/O 2025, the tech giant made it crystal clear that AI isn't just another feature - it's now the foundation of everything they do. From AI-generated search summaries that answer questions without users clicking through to websites, to AI agents that can complete purchases on behalf of customers, the way people find and buy from businesses is fundamentally changing.

The companies that understand and adapt to these shifts now will dominate the next five years, while those who wait will struggle to catch up.

In this episode, we dive deep into the most important announcements from Google I/O 2025, exploring:

How AI Mode and AI Overviews are replacing traditional keyword search with conversational discoveryWhy your local business needs hyperlocal optimisation beyond just city-level targetingHow advertising is shifting from top-of-page placements to AI-generated summary integrationsWhat "agentic AI" means for your customer journey and why your website needs to be "agent-ready"Five actionable steps you can take today to prepare your business for this AI-first future

Whether you're a small business owner trying to stay competitive or leading a marketing team that needs to adapt quickly, this episode will show you exactly what these changes mean for your business and how to position yourself to win in this new landscape.

00:00 Introduction to Google's Future in Search and Ads

00:48 Key Takeaways from Google IO 2025

01:53 The Shift to AI-Driven Search

02:45 Understanding Google's New AI Search Features

07:04 Deep Search and Live Search: The Next Frontier

08:37 Personalised Search and First-Party Data

09:36 Local Search Optimisation

11:34 The Evolution of Advertising with AI

13:05 Agentic AI: The Future of Customer Interaction1

4:56 Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways

In this episode, we ditch Marketing Mindset and launch For the Daring Growth Seekers.

Marketing in the AI era stays front and centre, but now you also get the unfiltered story of building an agency as a married team.

This is your go-to show for ambitious leaders in Australia and New Zealand who want clear, actionable marketing strategies and honest conversations about the real journey behind building a business with purpose.

🎙️ Each week, we bring you two types of episodes:

• [Strategy]: Tactical episodes packed with AI-smart marketing advice, brand clarity, and our proven Marketing Blend™ framework.

• [Off Mic]: Raw, behind-the-scenes episodes where we share what it’s really like to grow a business together — the decisions, challenges, and dynamics most leaders don’t talk about.

Every episode is rooted in our values: inspiring curiosity, daring growth, and passionate dedication.

Episode timeline
00:00 Intro and big news
00:29 Meet Jacqueline + direction shift
01:18 Why we dropped the old name
02:25 The three-value filter
03:21 Behind the scenes at Done By Nine
11:42 Next-episode preview

Join the entire Done By Nine team - Jordan, Jac, Renee, Aarti, and Flynn - for a special anniversary episode celebrating five years in business!

In this roundtable discussion, the team reflects on how marketing and design have transformed since Done By Nine's inception, from the early Canva days to today's AI-driven landscape.

Discover the challenges of constant platform changes and how staying adaptable has been crucial to their success.

The team shares memorable client success stories and discusses the privilege of having a front-row seat to their clients' growth journeys along with the satisfaction of long-term client relationships.

For business owners, this episode offers valuable insights on marketing evolution, the importance of authenticity in an AI-driven world, and why staying agile is essential for future success.

Whether you're a marketer or business leader, you'll appreciate this honest conversation about adapting to industry changes while maintaining core values.

Episode Timeline:

00:00 Introduction and Team Introductions

00:38 Reflecting on Five Years of Business

02:35 Changes in Marketing and Design

06:45 Impact of COVID-19 on Business

14:40 Client Success Stories

28:39 Core Values and Company Culture

31:43 Future Predictions and Closing Remarks

Google's latest marketing research has destroyed "Hello [First Name]" emails, revealing only 18% of consumers care about seeing their name on product recommendations.

What customers actually want is content relevance in digital marketing - messaging that directly addresses their problems, pain points, and desires at the right moment in their buyer journey.

In this episode, I break down Google's surprising consumer behaviour research that challenges conventional personalisation wisdom and explain why focusing on relevance outperforms basic personalisation tactics in your marketing strategy.

You'll discover:

• How a fictional airline captured 41% market share from established competitors using relevant messaging and content marketing
• Why the "Messy Middle" of customer decision-making requires relevance, not personalisation in your email marketing
• Practical ways to shift your marketing automation from shallow personalisation to genuinely helpful relevance

For SMEs and marketing teams, this research delivers good news: you don't need sophisticated personalisation technology to win customers - you just need to be more relevant than your competition with targeted content.

Listen for actionable digital marketing insights on building relevant communications that demonstrate you truly understand your customers' needs and drive better marketing ROI.

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