In this Kitchen Side episode of The Long Game Podcast, Alex, David, and Allie continue their in-person discussion in New York City, diving into marketing trends, proprietary data, and the role of differentiation in an AI-dominated landscape. They examine the shifting value of MQLs, how AI is automating SEO and marketing tasks, and why trust and credibility are the new forms of scarcity. The conversation also covers how companies can leverage original data, the intersection of brand and demand, and why marketers must rethink what truly adds value in the era of automation.Key TakeawaysThe Declining Value of MQLs: Traditional lead qualification models are losing effectiveness as buyer behavior evolves.AI and Automation in SEO: AI is automating repetitive SEO and marketing tasks, forcing companies to find new competitive advantages.Trust and Credibility as Scarcity: As automation floods the internet with content, trust and credibility are becoming key differentiators.Proprietary Data as a Competitive Edge: Unique data insights—both structured and unstructured—will be essential for creating valuable, non-generic content.The Future of Content in an AI World: The bar for content quality is rising, making originality and brand-driven storytelling more critical.Brand Affinity vs. Brand Awareness: Companies must focus on deeper brand affinity rather than just broad brand visibility to drive long-term success.Marketing’s Role in Differentiation: Success will come from unique perspectives, creative execution, and human-driven insights rather than automated outputs.Show LinksConnect with David Khim on LinkedIn and TwitterConnect with Alex Birkett on LinkedIn and TwitterConnect with Allie Decker on LinkedIn and TwitterConnect with Omniscient Digital on LinkedIn or TwitterWhat is Kitchen Side?One big benefit of running an agency or working at one is you get to see the “kitchen side” of many different businesses; their revenue, their operations, their automations, and their culture.You understand how things look from the inside and how that differs from the outside.You understand how the sausage is made. As an agency ourselves, we’re working both on growing our clients’ businesses as well as our own. This podcast is one project, but we also blog, make videos, do sales, and have quite a robust portfolio of automations and hacks to run our business.We want to take you behind the curtain, to the kitchen side of our business, to witness our brainstorms, discussions, and internal dialogues behind the public works that we ship.Past guests on The Long Game podcast include: Morgan Brown (Shopify), Ryan Law (Animalz), Dan Shure (Evolving SEO), Kaleigh Moore (freelancer), Eric Siu (Clickflow), Peep Laja (CXL), Chelsea Castle (Chili Piper), Tracey Wallace (Klaviyo), Tim Soulo (Ahrefs), Ryan McReady (Reforge), and many more.Some interviews you might enjoy and learn from:Actionable Tips and Secrets to SEO Strategy with Dan Shure (Evolving SEO)Building Competitive Marketing Content with Sam Chapman (Aprimo)How to Build the Right Data Workflow with Blake Burch (Shipyard)Data-Driven Thought Leadership with Alicia Johnston (Sprout Social)Purpose-Driven Leadership & Building a Content Team with Ty Magnin (UiPath)Also, check out our Kitchen Side series where we take you behind the scenes to see how the sausage is made at our agency:Blue Ocean vs Red Ocean SEOShould You Hire Writers or Subject Matter Experts?How Do Growth and Content Overlap?Connect with Omniscient Digital on social:Twitter: @beomniscientLinkedin: Be OmniscientListen to more episodes of The Long Game podcast here: https://beomniscient.com/podcast/

In this Kitchen Side episode of The Long Game Podcast, Alex, David, and Allie record their first in-person conversation in New York City. The episode revolves around insights gathered from dozens of marketing leaders, discussing SEO traffic declines, AI’s real impact on marketing, attribution challenges, and the balance between brand and demand generation. The team reflects on how companies are adapting to falling organic traffic, the rise of video SEO, and why traditional top-of-funnel strategies are losing effectiveness. They also explore the importance of customer research, the disconnect between social media conversations and real-world priorities, and how teams can align leadership expectations with evolving marketing realities.Key TakeawaysSEO Traffic Declines: Nearly every marketing leader interviewed reported a drop in organic traffic, leading to internal strategy shifts and leadership concerns.AI in Marketing Operations: While AI is not yet a core part of content creation, teams are leveraging it for keyword research, automation, and efficiency improvements.Video SEO on the Rise: Many companies are prioritizing video content as search engines increasingly favor multimedia formats.Attribution & Leadership Education: As traffic declines, marketers are struggling to shift leadership focus from surface-level metrics (traffic) to real business outcomes (pipeline and revenue).The “Traffic Trap” Problem: Some teams have historically been gold on traffic rather than conversions, forcing a reevaluation of SEO and content strategies.Brand vs. Demand Debate: Companies are reassessing how to balance brand-building efforts with performance-driven demand generation.The Shift in Customer Research & Buying Behavior: Many marketing decisions are now happening outside of trackable systems, making traditional attribution models less reliable.Show LinksConnect with David Khim on LinkedIn and TwitterConnect with Alex Birkett on LinkedIn and TwitterConnect with Allie Decker on LinkedIn and TwitterConnect with Omniscient Digital on LinkedIn or TwitterWhat is Kitchen Side?One big benefit of running an agency or working at one is you get to see the “kitchen side” of many different businesses; their revenue, their operations, their automations, and their culture.You understand how things look from the inside and how that differs from the outside.You understand how the sausage is made. As an agency ourselves, we’re working both on growing our clients’ businesses as well as our own. This podcast is one project, but we also blog, make videos, do sales, and have quite a robust portfolio of automations and hacks to run our business.We want to take you behind the curtain, to the kitchen side of our business, to witness our brainstorms, discussions, and internal dialogues behind the public works that we ship.Past guests on The Long Game podcast include: Morgan Brown (Shopify), Ryan Law (Animalz), Dan Shure (Evolving SEO), Kaleigh Moore (freelancer), Eric Siu (Clickflow), Peep Laja (CXL), Chelsea Castle (Chili Piper), Tracey Wallace (Klaviyo), Tim Soulo (Ahrefs), Ryan McReady (Reforge), and many more.Some interviews you might enjoy and learn from:Actionable Tips and Secrets to SEO Strategy with Dan Shure (Evolving SEO)Building Competitive Marketing Content with Sam Chapman (Aprimo)How to Build the Right Data Workflow with Blake Burch (Shipyard)Data-Driven Thought Leadership with Alicia Johnston (Sprout Social)Purpose-Driven Leadership & Building a Content Team with Ty Magnin (UiPath)Also, check out our Kitchen Side series where we take you behind the scenes to see how the sausage is made at our agency:Blue Ocean vs Red Ocean SEOShould You Hire Writers or Subject Matter Experts?How Do Growth and Content Overlap?Connect with Omniscient Digital on social:Twitter: @beomniscientLinkedin: Be OmniscientListen to more episodes of The Long Game podcast here: https://beomniscient.com/podcast/

In this episode of The Long Game Podcast, Alex Birkett speaks with Erik Johnson, an applied behavioral scientist and founder of Behavioral Strategies. Erik shares insights on human decision-making, habit formation, and the psychological forces influencing our actions. The conversation covers the intention-action gap, AI’s impact on attention and productivity, and how behavioral science can optimize both personal and organizational performance. Erik explains why environmental design is crucial for habit formation, how variable rewards in social media and entertainment shape behavior, and why the modern world often works against our best intentions. They also explore practical strategies for overcoming distractions, making better decisions, and using behavioral science to drive business growth.Key TakeawaysThe Intention-Action Gap: Many people struggle to act on what they say they want to do due to psychological and environmental factors.Behavioral Science in Decision-Making: Understanding why we make certain choices helps individuals and businesses design better systems for performance.AI and Habit Formation: AI-driven platforms use behavioral principles to shape user habits, often making focus and productivity more challenging.The Power of Environmental Design: Adjusting surroundings—like removing distractions or changing routines—can significantly improve behavior change success.Variable Rewards and Attention Hijacking: Social media, entertainment, and digital products are optimized to capture attention through gamification and unpredictable rewards.Regulation vs. Personal Responsibility: While individual strategies can help reduce distractions, broader system-level changes may be necessary for long-term solutions.Applying Behavioral Science to Business: Companies can leverage behavioral insights to improve marketing, customer engagement, and decision-making processes.Show LinksVisit Erik Johnson's WebsiteConnect with Erik Johnson on LinkedInConnect with Alex Birkett on LinkedIn and TwitterConnect with Omniscient Digital on LinkedIn or TwitterSome interviews you might enjoy and learn from:Actionable Tips and Secrets to SEO Strategy with Dan Shure (Evolving SEO)Building Competitive Marketing Content with Sam Chapman (Aprimo)How to Build the Right Data Workflow with Blake Burch (Shipyard)Data-Driven Thought Leadership with Alicia Johnston (Sprout Social)Purpose-Driven Leadership & Building a Content Team with Ty Magnin (UiPath)Also, check out our Kitchen Side series where we take you behind the scenes to see how the sausage is made at our agency:Blue Ocean vs Red Ocean SEOShould You Hire Writers or Subject Matter Experts?How Do Growth and Content Overlap?Connect with Omniscient Digital on social:Twitter: @beomniscientLinkedin: Be OmniscientListen to more episodes of The Long Game podcast here: https://beomniscient.com/podcast/

In this engaging discussion, a significant contributor to content creation and AI dives into the transformative landscape of digital marketing. They explore the critical importance of structured thinking and how marketers must adapt product management strategies. Unpacking the barbell strategy, they emphasize balancing safe bets with daring experiments. The conversation highlights the growing role of AI in SEO while championing unique insights and authentic engagement to stand out. They also delve into advanced tools like vector embeddings and the future of human-AI collaboration.

In this episode of The Long Game Podcast, Alex Birkett speaks with Aashish Krishna Kumar, Director of Go-To-Market at Zuora, about startup pricing strategies, AI-driven changes in SEO, and the increasing importance of high-quality content. Aashish explains why early-stage startups should prioritize survival over pricing optimization and why pricing only becomes a growth lever after product-market fit. He also shares an optimistic perspective on SEO, arguing that traditional tactics like backlinks and keyword stuffing are fading while expert-driven content, multimedia formats, and brand authority will define future success. The conversation explores how businesses should adapt their strategies in the evolving digital landscape.Key TakeawaysStartup Pricing Priorities: Early-stage startups should focus on survival and product-market fit before optimizing pricing.AI’s Impact on SEO: AI-driven search is changing how users engage with content, reducing reliance on traditional SEO tactics.Backlinks Losing Relevance: Google is prioritizing trust signals and content utility over paid link-building strategies.Shifting SEO Metrics: Marketers should move away from traffic as a key metric and focus on business impact and conversions.Rise of Digital PR: Brand mentions and expert-driven narratives are becoming stronger ranking signals than traditional backlinks.Multimedia SEO Growth: Video, images, and interactive content will play a bigger role in organic visibility and engagement.Brand Authority in SEO: Companies with strong brand recognition will have a competitive edge in search rankings.Show LinksVisit Aashish's YouTube channel GMT TalkConnect with Aashish Krishna Kumar on LinkedInConnect with Alex Birkett on LinkedIn and TwitterConnect with Omniscient Digital on LinkedIn or TwitterPast guests on The Long Game podcast include: Morgan Brown (Shopify), Ryan Law (Animalz), Dan Shure (Evolving SEO), Kaleigh Moore (freelancer), Eric Siu (Clickflow), Peep Laja (CXL), Chelsea Castle (Chili Piper), Tracey Wallace (Klaviyo), Tim Soulo (Ahrefs), Ryan McReady (Reforge), and many more.Some interviews you might enjoy and learn from:Actionable Tips and Secrets to SEO Strategy with Dan Shure (Evolving SEO)Building Competitive Marketing Content with Sam Chapman (Aprimo)How to Build the Right Data Workflow with Blake Burch (Shipyard)Data-Driven Thought Leadership with Alicia Johnston (Sprout Social)Purpose-Driven Leadership & Building a Content Team with Ty Magnin (UiPath)Also, check out our Kitchen Side series where we take you behind the scenes to see how the sausage is made at our agency:Blue Ocean vs Red Ocean SEOShould You Hire Writers or Subject Matter Experts?How Do Growth and Content Overlap?Connect with Omniscient Digital on social:Twitter: @beomniscientLinkedin: Be OmniscientListen to more episodes of The Long Game podcast here: https://beomniscient.com/podcast/

In this Kitchen Side episode of The Long Game Podcast, Alex, Allie, and David are joined by Mark Lindquist to discuss the transformation of SEO and content marketing. They delve into the decline of traffic-based metrics, the rise of user-first strategies, and how AI-driven changes are forcing marketers to rethink content creation. Mark emphasizes treating content as a product, getting closer to the audience, and building strategies rooted in customer pain points. With actionable insights and reflections, this episode offers a roadmap for creating high-utility content in an evolving landscape.Key TakeawaysContent as a Product: High-performing content solves unmet user needs and aligns closely with customer pain points, moving beyond the old playbooks of keyword stuffing and traffic chasing.Shift from Traffic Metrics to Business Value: Traffic alone is no longer sufficient. Marketers must connect content efforts to measurable outcomes, such as leads, conversions, and revenue.AI and Generative Content’s Role: AI is reshaping SEO by targeting top-of-funnel content, compelling marketers to focus on higher-value, utility-driven pieces.Operational Changes in Content Creation: Marketers must build closer relationships with customers and integrate cross-functional insights into their strategies to future-proof content efforts.Reframing Leadership Conversations: Present data that ties content performance to business outcomes, while acknowledging and adapting to the evolving search landscape.Show LinksConnect with David Khim on LinkedIn and TwitterConnect with Alex Birkett on LinkedIn and TwitterConnect with Allie Decker on LinkedIn and TwitterConnect with Omniscient Digital on LinkedIn or TwitterWhat is Kitchen Side?One big benefit of running an agency or working at one is you get to see the “kitchen side” of many different businesses; their revenue, their operations, their automations, and their culture.You understand how things look from the inside and how that differs from the outside.You understand how the sausage is made. As an agency ourselves, we’re working both on growing our clients’ businesses as well as our own. This podcast is one project, but we also blog, make videos, do sales, and have quite a robust portfolio of automations and hacks to run our business.We want to take you behind the curtain, to the kitchen side of our business, to witness our brainstorms, discussions, and internal dialogues behind the public works that we ship.Past guests on The Long Game podcast include: Morgan Brown (Shopify), Ryan Law (Animalz), Dan Shure (Evolving SEO), Kaleigh Moore (freelancer), Eric Siu (Clickflow), Peep Laja (CXL), Chelsea Castle (Chili Piper), Tracey Wallace (Klaviyo), Tim Soulo (Ahrefs), Ryan McReady (Reforge), and many more.Some interviews you might enjoy and learn from:Actionable Tips and Secrets to SEO Strategy with Dan Shure (Evolving SEO)Building Competitive Marketing Content with Sam Chapman (Aprimo)How to Build the Right Data Workflow with Blake Burch (Shipyard)Data-Driven Thought Leadership with Alicia Johnston (Sprout Social)Purpose-Driven Leadership & Building a Content Team with Ty Magnin (UiPath)Also, check out our Kitchen Side series where we take you behind the scenes to see how the sausage is made at our agency:Blue Ocean vs Red Ocean SEOShould You Hire Writers or Subject Matter Experts?How Do Growth and Content Overlap?Connect with Omniscient Digital on social:Twitter: @beomniscientLinkedin: Be OmniscientListen to more episodes of The Long Game podcast here: https://beomniscient.com/podcast/

Sean Ellis, a growth marketing expert and the original creator of "growth hacking," discusses vital insights on product-market fit and sustainable growth. He introduces the Sean Ellis Test for gauging customer attachment. The conversation reveals how AI accelerates growth but can't replace foundational business principles. Sean emphasizes retention and organic word-of-mouth as true growth indicators and underscores the importance of tailored customer onboarding. He also shares strategies to navigate the complexities of an AI-influenced market.

In this special Fireside Chat edition of The Long Game Podcast, Alex Birkett shares insights about building SEO strategies for startups with the Founders Common community. He discusses foundational steps, the evolution of SEO in the era of AI, and innovative approaches like product-led SEO and programmatic strategies. Alex emphasizes the importance of setting realistic expectations for SEO's nonlinear growth and highlights the value of intertwining branding, fast feedback channels, and data-driven content strategies to gain a competitive edge.Key TakeawaysStart with First Principles: Focus on creating valuable content that solves real problems for your target audience instead of over-optimizing for algorithms.Product-Led SEO Strategies: Examples like Zapier’s integration pages demonstrate how to use product capabilities to create SEO-friendly content that directly serves customer needs.Evolving Beyond Old Playbooks: Traditional SEO tactics like broad, top-of-funnel guides are becoming less effective due to AI, featured snippets, and increased competition.Branding and SEO Interplay: Personal branding and LinkedIn activity help amplify SEO efforts and build trust signals in a competitive digital landscape.The Nonlinear Nature of SEO: SEO requires patience, with growth often compounding over the years rather than showing immediate returns. Founders should manage expectations accordingly.Scaling and Adapting Over Time: Begin with foundational content and backlinks. Over time, expand into programmatic SEO, personalized clusters, and long-tail permutations as resources grow.Show LinksConnect with Alex Birkett on LinkedIn and TwitterConnect with Omniscient Digital on LinkedIn or TwitterPast guests on The Long Game podcast include: Morgan Brown (Shopify), Ryan Law (Animalz), Dan Shure (Evolving SEO), Kaleigh Moore (freelancer), Eric Siu (Clickflow), Peep Laja (CXL), Chelsea Castle (Chili Piper), Tracey Wallace (Klaviyo), Tim Soulo (Ahrefs), Ryan McReady (Reforge), and many more.Some interviews you might enjoy and learn from:Actionable Tips and Secrets to SEO Strategy with Dan Shure (Evolving SEO)Building Competitive Marketing Content with Sam Chapman (Aprimo)How to Build the Right Data Workflow with Blake Burch (Shipyard)Data-Driven Thought Leadership with Alicia Johnston (Sprout Social)Purpose-Driven Leadership & Building a Content Team with Ty Magnin (UiPath)Also, check out our Kitchen Side series where we take you behind the scenes to see how the sausage is made at our agency:Blue Ocean vs Red Ocean SEOShould You Hire Writers or Subject Matter Experts?How Do Growth and Content Overlap?Connect with Omniscient Digital on social:Twitter: @beomniscientLinkedin: Be OmniscientListen to more episodes of The Long Game podcast here: https://beomniscient.com/podcast/

In this episode of The Long Game, Alex Birkett talks with Katie Arena, the global marketing and communications leader at Clinch, an omni-channel advertising platform. Katie explains the differences between multi-channel and omni-channel advertising, emphasizing the importance of streamlining ad campaigns, personalizing creative content, and analyzing performance data in a unified way. The conversation touches on the complexities of modern advertising, including audience targeting, decision logic, and optimizing ad spend across platforms. Katie also discusses her views on subtle, well-executed ads, like Nike’s marathon campaigns, and highlights how technology enables efficiency in managing large-scale ad campaigns.Key TakeawaysOmni-Channel vs. Multi-Channel Advertising: Multi-channel means operating across platforms, but omni-channel focuses on creating a connected, streamlined experience across all touchpoints with data-driven personalization.Streamlining Creative Development: Clinch's ad-builder helps advertisers efficiently version, optimize, and repurpose ad creatives across multiple channels, saving time and resources.Personalization Drives Results: Effective campaigns use dynamic decision logic to tailor ads to the audience, considering contexts like weather, time of day, or events (e.g., Olympics medal count updates).Combining KPIs and Optimization: While each channel may have unique KPIs, centralizing the analysis helps advertisers identify what resonates most and optimize accordingly.Complex Campaign Management: The fragmented nature of teams (strategy, creative, and media) can cause inefficiencies. Unified platforms bring visibility, better communication, and data-driven decisions.Bold Advertising in a Crowded Space: Successful ads balance subtlety and creativity, resonating with target audiences while occasionally taking risks to stand out, as seen with Nike or Jaguar campaigns.Show LinksVisit ClinchConnect with Katie Arena on LinkedInConnect with Alex Birkett on LinkedIn and TwitterConnect with Omniscient Digital on LinkedIn or TwitterPast guests on The Long Game podcast include: Morgan Brown (Shopify), Ryan Law (Animalz), Dan Shure (Evolving SEO), Kaleigh Moore (freelancer), Eric Siu (Clickflow), Peep Laja (CXL), Chelsea Castle (Chili Piper), Tracey Wallace (Klaviyo), Tim Soulo (Ahrefs), Ryan McReady (Reforge), and many more.Some interviews you might enjoy and learn from:Actionable Tips and Secrets to SEO Strategy with Dan Shure (Evolving SEO)Building Competitive Marketing Content with Sam Chapman (Aprimo)How to Build the Right Data Workflow with Blake Burch (Shipyard)Data-Driven Thought Leadership with Alicia Johnston (Sprout Social)Purpose-Driven Leadership & Building a Content Team with Ty Magnin (UiPath)Also, check out our Kitchen Side series where we take you behind the scenes to see how the sausage is made at our agency:Blue Ocean vs Red Ocean SEOShould You Hire Writers or Subject Matter Experts?How Do Growth and Content Overlap?Connect with Omniscient Digital on social:Twitter: @beomniscientLinkedin: Be OmniscientListen to more episodes of The Long Game podcast here: https://beomniscient.com/podcast/

In this episode of The Long Game Podcast, Alex Birkett and the team discuss critical shifts in SEO and content marketing strategy. They emphasize the importance of moving beyond vanity metrics like traffic and focusing on meaningful business outcomes. Key topics include the concept of North Star KPIs, the dangers of the "traffic trap," and the importance of aligning incentives across teams to achieve shared goals. The conversation highlights how the industry is evolving towards more impactful strategies, offering insights for marketers aiming to drive long-term growth.Key TakeawaysThe "Traffic Trap" in SEO: Focusing solely on traffic growth can lead to misaligned strategies that fail to deliver meaningful business outcomes like leads or revenue.North Star KPIs and Guardrails: Using a North Star metric that aligns with business goals ensures focus on value-driven outcomes. Guardrail metrics prevent gaming the system at the expense of user experience or quality.Aligning Incentives Across Teams: Misaligned goals within marketing teams, such as prioritizing traffic over conversions, can hinder overall success. Collaboration and shared KPIs can drive better outcomes.Vanity Metrics and Industry Evolution: The shift away from vanity metrics like page views is forcing marketers to prioritize strategies that genuinely impact business performance.The "Burpees" Analogy for Inefficient Marketing: Ineffective strategies are compared to burpees—exhausting but ultimately unproductive. The focus should be on intentional, impactful actions that contribute to long-term goals.A New Era for SEO: The current paradigm shift in SEO provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build scalable customer acquisition channels based on meaningful strategies.Show LinksConnect with David Khim on LinkedIn and TwitterConnect with Alex Birkett on LinkedIn and TwitterConnect with Allie Decker on LinkedIn and TwitterConnect with Omniscient Digital on LinkedIn or TwitterWhat is Kitchen Side?One big benefit of running an agency or working at one is you get to see the “kitchen side” of many different businesses; their revenue, their operations, their automations, and their culture.You understand how things look from the inside and how that differs from the outside.You understand how the sausage is made. As an agency ourselves, we’re working both on growing our clients’ businesses as well as our own. This podcast is one project, but we also blog, make videos, do sales, and have quite a robust portfolio of automations and hacks to run our business.We want to take you behind the curtain, to the kitchen side of our business, to witness our brainstorms, discussions, and internal dialogues behind the public works that we ship.Past guests on The Long Game podcast include: Morgan Brown (Shopify), Ryan Law (Animalz), Dan Shure (Evolving SEO), Kaleigh Moore (freelancer), Eric Siu (Clickflow), Peep Laja (CXL), Chelsea Castle (Chili Piper), Tracey Wallace (Klaviyo), Tim Soulo (Ahrefs), Ryan McReady (Reforge), and many more.Some interviews you might enjoy and learn from:Actionable Tips and Secrets to SEO Strategy with Dan Shure (Evolving SEO)Building Competitive Marketing Content with Sam Chapman (Aprimo)How to Build the Right Data Workflow with Blake Burch (Shipyard)Data-Driven Thought Leadership with Alicia Johnston (Sprout Social)Purpose-Driven Leadership & Building a Content Team with Ty Magnin (UiPath)Also, check out our Kitchen Side series where we take you behind the scenes to see how the sausage is made at our agency:Blue Ocean vs Red Ocean SEOShould You Hire Writers or Subject Matter Experts?How Do Growth and Content Overlap?Connect with Omniscient Digital on social:Twitter: @beomniscientLinkedin: Be OmniscientListen to more episodes of The Long Game podcast here: https://beomniscient.com/podcast/