The Digital Marketing Podcast by Exposure Ninja

Discover how SEO is evolving with AI tools and reshaping digital marketing strategies. Learn the secret to boosting traffic by 20,000% through topic clusters instead of just keywords. Find out how a lawn care client achieved a 120% traffic increase while competitors faltered. Hear about successful campaigns, like a skincare brand that grew organic traffic by 451%. Dive into practical tips on embedding commercial actions in content and understanding psychographic personas to captivate AI-driven audiences.

A dramatic shift in the marketing landscape is prompting CMOs from big brands to overhaul their strategies. The rise of AI search tools is reshaping customer discovery and product choices, leading to what some call a 'traffic apocalypse.' Key areas of focus now include visibility tracking, prompt optimization, and citation strategies. A live demo using Peak.ai reveals how these insights can provide a competitive edge. This is not just an opportunity—it's essential for growth as brands navigate an AI-driven future.

Join Charlie Marchant, CEO of Exposure Ninja, as he dives into the future of enterprise marketing. With years of experience in leading marketing strategies, Charlie reveals how to tackle coordination complexity and overcome departmental silos. He introduces the 80/20 framework, balancing proven channels and innovative approaches. Learn effective tactics for securing stakeholder buy-in, leveraging AI search opportunities, and building a cohesive marketing strategy that drives growth and efficiency in 2026.

Welcome to Episode 1 of the Marketing Strategies for 2026 series by Exposure Ninja.Catch the full Marketing Strategies for 2026 series 👉 https://exposure.ninja/strategies2026Brand marketing in 2026 isn't optional — it's becoming the primary differentiator in saturated markets where customers are overwhelmed by choice.With AI search platforms fundamentally changing how people discover products and services, forward-thinking marketers are discovering that brand strength now directly influences algorithmic recommendations.In this episode, Exposure Ninja's Charlie Marchant (CEO) and Dale Davies (Head of Marketing) cover:Why brand marketing attribution is finally becoming measurable (and the tools that make it possible)The critical difference between branded house vs. house of brands strategies — and when each approach works bestHow companies like Slack and Canva have modernised their brands without losing recognitionWhy distinctiveness matters more than differentiation in red ocean marketsThe Unilever Brand Key framework — and why most marketers overcomplicate brand positioningAs Charlie explains: "Brand marketers have had the really difficult job of feeling like they're screaming in a vacuum and no one's really listening because historically brand has been so difficult to attribute value to. But now with AI Search and tools like Peec, we're actually able to get a much better idea across so many different topics of brand sentiment."We explore real examples, such as Guinness's consistency, Passenger's visual differentiation, and why Jaguar's recent rebrand became a cautionary tale.Plus: How AI Search is making brand reputation more influential than ever — and what that means for your 2026 strategy.If you're ready to build a brand marketing strategy that works in today's saturated marketplace while positioning for the AI-driven future, this episode provides your complete framework.

AI search traffic is exploding — with AI Discovery up 527% year over year and ChatGPT traffic growing 85% in just six months — creating an unprecedented opportunity for brands willing to adapt their marketing strategies now.While most businesses are still figuring out what AI search even means, forward-thinking marketers are already capturing high-value traffic and securing prime recommendation spots in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Mode.For businesses ready to dominate this new search landscape, mastering AI search optimisation isn't optional — it's becoming the difference between market leadership and irrelevance.In this episode, I reveal:The exact audit process to assess your brand's current AI visibility (including which tools give you the most granular data about your performance across different LLMs)Why brands have a massive advantage in AI search results — and how to leverage your brand as a "defined entity" that LLMs can easily connect to other conceptsThe critical difference between generic content and what AI tools actually need (hint: they can generate generic information themselves — they need your first-party data and expertise)How third-party citations drive recommendations — including why AI tools would "rather go to someone else and look at what other people are saying about you than look at what you're saying about yourself"The specific content formats that get cited most frequently (based on analysis of top-performing brands across multiple industries)I'll share real examples from brands like MetLife, DeWalt, and Better.com, showing exactly how they're optimising for AI search — including surprising recommendations that go beyond marketing into actual product development.As I explain in the episode:"We're in a strange moment right now where some businesses are focusing really heavily on AI Search, but honestly, most companies aren't even thinking about this as a thing. Even though they themselves are using ChatGPT all day every day to find stuff to buy, they haven't really thought about how their brand shows up in these AI tools. And that means we're in a little bit of a land grab moment."If you're ready to implement these five AI search strategies while your competitors are still stuck in traditional SEO thinking, this episode provides your complete roadmap for dominating AI search in 2026 and beyond.Try Semrush's AI SEO Toolkit 👉 https://exposure.ninja/AIsearch2026Get the show notes:https://exposureninja.com/podcast/366/Listen to these episodes next:I Bought a £7M Company to Test My Marketing Playbookhttps://exposureninja.com/podcast/365/Why “AI Search is Just SEO” is a Dangerous Liehttps://exposureninja.com/podcast/364/How To Create and Optimise Your Content for AI Searchhttps://exposureninja.com/podcast/363/Disclaimer - Exposure Ninja may get a commission through the marked links above, at no cost to you

AI is reshaping how people search — and how businesses get discovered.We're gathering insights from marketing leaders and business owners to understand how teams are responding to this shift.We'd love for you to take part in the State of AI Search 2025 report.By taking part, you'll get early access to the results. All you need to do is complete the survey and share your email address at the end, so that we can send the completed report to you before it's fully released.Happy to be involved?Then visit https://exposure.ninja/stateAISearch2025

Most marketing agencies talk a big game about their strategies and playbooks — but when it comes to proving they actually work, the talk stops there.That's why I've done something unprecedented: I've bought a £7 million renewables business to test our own marketing playbook with real money on the line.Six months in, the results speak for themselves: 5X increase in website traffic, 250% more form completions, and we've doubled their backlink profile in just five months (after they'd only managed 100 backlinks in the previous five years).But here's what makes this case study truly valuable for marketing leaders — we're sharing the exact playbook we used, including the mistakes we made along the way.In this episode, I reveal:The six-step marketing transformation process we implemented at Elite Renewables — from complete brand overhaul to AI-optimised content strategyWhy we fired their existing agency before we'd even completed the purchase (and saw no drop in leads as a result)The CRM and marketing automation system that helped them scale from being completely overwhelmed with referrals to having full visibility of their sales pipelineHow we increased their website traffic by 5X in just one month by restructuring their site around customer types and individual service pagesThe digital PR strategy that generated 110 high-authority backlinks in five months (more than they'd achieved in the previous five years combined)Our AI-proofing approach — including sentiment analysis across AI platforms and the ultra-niche case study strategy that's becoming essential for AI search optimisationThe YouTube content strategy that's not just driving enquiries, but more importantly, building trust with prospects already in their pipelineI'll also share the honest challenges of being a client of your own agency, including the stress of rolling out new branding to a team that's worked together for a decade.As I explain in the episode:"It feels very different when it's your own money at stake. We bought this £7 million revenue business to put through the Exposure Ninja digital marketing process, and so far it has worked really well. But I'm not going to tell you that it wasn't stressful at times."If you're tired of marketing strategies that sound good in theory but lack real-world proof, this episode provides a complete blueprint based on actual results with actual money at stake.This is what happens when a marketing agency puts its money where its mouth is — and the lessons are invaluable for any business leader looking to transform their marketing results.Get the show notes:https://exposureninja.com/podcast/365/Listen to these episodes next:Why “AI Search is Just SEO” is a Dangerous Liehttps://exposureninja.com/podcast/364/How To Create and Optimise Your Content for AI Searchhttps://exposureninja.com/podcast/363/9 Reasons Why Your Traffic Is DOWN This Yearhttps://exposureninja.com/podcast/361/

Discover the five critical disconnects causing low marketing ROI, such as misaligned metrics and outdated targeting. Learn why focusing on a niche can unlock growth, using real-world examples like Vita Coco. Delve into the importance of balancing proven revenue generators with experimentation and the dangers of spreading your budget too thin across multiple channels. Explore how AI search is reshaping customer journeys and altering organic traffic dynamics. Tune in for strategic insights to elevate your marketing game!

A dangerous myth is holding back businesses in the AI era. With millions relying on AI tools for searches, the belief that AI optimization is just SEO is misleading. Discover why traditional SEO fails in this new landscape, and learn about the unexpected opportunities for smart marketers. Explore how AI tools prioritize certain sources over others, reshaping recommendations. It's crucial for companies to adapt their strategies or risk losing their competitive edge as they navigate the evolving digital marketplace.

The search landscape is experiencing its most significant transformation in decades, and Google's AI Mode global rollout is creating unprecedented opportunities for forward-thinking marketing leaders — while competitors remain fixated on traditional search strategies.While AI Mode currently captures just 1-2% of total search traffic, this low adoption rate masks a critical strategic opportunity: early positioning before mainstream adoption accelerates.In this episode, Dale and Charlie reveal:Revolutionary agentic features that go beyond search — including how AI Mode can now make restaurant reservations and purchase tickets on behalf of usersWhy current 1-2% adoption rates create opportunity rather than concern (and how this compares to other Google search verticals)The exact overlap between traditional SEO and AI Mode optimisation (plus the crucial differences that could leave your competitors behind)Strategic timing insights — including why Google's accelerated rollout timeline signals urgent need for preparationAs Charlie explains in the episode:"Now is very much the time to start experimenting with it..."If you're ready to establish AI Mode dominance while competitors remain focused solely on traditional search metrics, this episode provides your complete strategic framework for capitalising on Google's most significant interface change in decades.Get the show notes:https://exposureninja.com/podcast/dojo-61/Listen to these episodes next:What is AI Search? And Why Is It So Important?https://exposureninja.com/podcast/dojo-56/Everything Marketers Need to Know About AI Max for Searchhttps://exposureninja.com/podcast/dojo-53/“ChatGPT Agent” Is Changing How People Buy AGAINhttps://exposureninja.com/podcast/dojo-58/