Advertise on podcast: The Modern Marketer

In this episode of The Modern Marketer Podcast, host Eddie Garrison breaks down one of the fastest and most overlooked ways businesses can generate real marketing results without increasing ad spend or waiting months for SEO to work. If your marketing feels slow, expensive, or invisible, your Google Business Profile may be the missing link. Eddie walks through a practical, no-fluff strategy for turning a Google Business Profile into a high-intent growth asset that drives calls, website visits, and local visibility quickly. You’ll learn why this channel delivers faster wins than most marketing tactics, how small optimizations can create immediate momentum, and which features have the biggest impact on trust and conversions. This episode covers:  • Why Google Business Profile captures ready-to-buy demand  • The fastest visibility levers most businesses ignore  • How categories, services, photos, and reviews influence rankings and trust  • Simple ways to reduce friction and increase conversions  • How consistency compounds results over time Whether you’re a local business owner, marketer, or growth leader, this episode provides a clear, actionable framework for getting quick wins where intent is highest. No hype. No heavy tech. Just smart, modern marketing that works.

With acquisition costs rising and trust in traditional advertising declining, brands can’t afford to rely on constant new traffic. The advantage today comes from retention, loyalty, and lifetime value.  Host Eddie Garrison walks through what a true customer engagement strategy looks like, how to map it across the entire customer lifecycle, and the practical systems that turn one-time buyers into long-term advocates. You’ll learn: What customer engagement actually means (beyond email and social)How retention outperforms acquisition financiallyThe 5 stages of the engagement lifecycleTactical plays like lifecycle campaigns, onboarding optimization, proactive support, and community buildingThe metrics that matter — and the vanity metrics to ignoreCommon mistakes that quietly increase churnIf you want fewer one-and-done customers and more repeat buyers, referrals, and predictable revenue, this episode gives you the blueprint. Because modern growth isn’t about shouting louder — it’s about building relationships that last.

Search is no longer just a tool. It is becoming the decision layer between people and brands. In this episode of The Modern Marketer Podcast, host Eddie Garrison breaks down new research showing that 37% of consumers now begin their searches with AI instead of Google and why this shift is redefining SEO, brand visibility, and how buying decisions are formed. You’ll learn how AI is replacing traditional search as the first point of discovery, why users prefer AI-driven answers over link-based research, and how this changes the entire customer journey, from awareness to purchase. Eddie explains the rise of “answer optimization,” the growing importance of brand consistency and authority across the web, and the new competitive risk facing companies that rank well but fail to influence AI recommendations. This episode also outlines practical steps brands can take to remain visible and credible in an AI-first world, including how to position your company clearly, strengthen authority beyond backlinks, and ensure your brand is understood by the systems increasingly shaping consumer decisions. If your growth strategy still assumes Google is the starting point, this conversation will challenge that assumption and show you where the next real advantage is forming.

In an era of AI, automation, and hyper-optimized customer journeys, brand loyalty is no longer built through big campaigns or flashy experiences. It’s built in the quiet moments in between. In this episode of The Modern Marketer Podcast, host Eddie Garrison explores the rise of “little treat” culture, the small, human-centered interactions that make customers feel understood, respected, and valued. From thoughtful onboarding and frictionless design to empathetic error handling and timely insights, these micro-moments are reshaping how trust and memory are formed in modern brands. You’ll learn: Why large campaigns are losing their influence on loyaltyHow AI raises expectations but doesn’t create emotional connectionWhat “little treat” moments look like inside real customer experiencesWhy memory is becoming the most important conversion metricHow to design systems that feel human, not mechanicalIf your brand is optimized but forgettable, this episode will challenge how you think about differentiation, customer experience, and long-term growth. Because in an AI-driven world, human moments are the currency of loyalty.

Audiences aren’t just getting smarter — they’re being simulated. In this episode of The Modern Marketer Podcast, Eddie explores how synthetic data is fundamentally changing the way brands understand customers, test strategies, and make decisions. What happens when every company can model markets, predict outcomes, and optimize campaigns before spending a single dollar? The answer isn’t just better marketing,  it’s a new set of risks, including false confidence, competitive sameness, and the erosion of strategic judgment. You’ll learn: What synthetic data actually is and how it differs from traditional analyticsWhy simulations can create the dangerous illusion of certaintyHow widespread AI tools are leading to “optimized sameness” across industriesWhy human judgment is becoming the most valuable competitive advantageHow strategy is shifting from finding answers to choosing trade-offsWhy the future of marketing belongs to brands that prioritize interpretation over predictionThis episode is a must-listen for founders, CMOs, strategists, and marketing leaders navigating an era where intelligence is abundant, but clarity is rare.

While many teams are still focused on visibility, content volume, and short-term optimization, the real growth battle is moving upstream. AI agents are influencing purchase decisions, large language models are determining which brands get recommended, and trust is being evaluated by systems long before a human ever compares options. In this episode of The Modern Marketer Podcast, Eddie breaks down the five signals already reshaping how brands will win in 2026 and why most marketing strategies are quietly falling behind. You’ll learn how AI is shifting from creative output to creative intelligence, why synthetic data is making audiences appear smarter, and how small, human moments of value are becoming the real drivers of loyalty in an AI-mediated world. This episode is a strategic wake-up call for modern marketers, founders, and brand leaders who want to stay relevant as influence, discovery, and decision-making are redefined. If you’re still optimizing for yesterday’s playbook, this conversation will challenge how you think about growth, authority, and what it truly means to be chosen in 2026.

In this episode of The Modern Marketer, host Eddie Garrison breaks down the McDonald’s AI Christmas ad controversy and why it matters to every marketer experimenting with AI today. After intense backlash over unsettling visuals, tone-deaf holiday messaging, and accusations of “AI slop,” McDonald’s quietly pulled the ad from official channels. But this wasn’t an AI failure, it was a marketing one. Eddie dives into what McDonald’s got wrong, how creative direction and emotional misalignment fueled the backlash, and what the brand could have done differently. More importantly, he shares practical lessons marketers can apply right now to avoid similar mistakes when using AI in advertising. If you’re exploring AI-driven creative, managing brand trust, or navigating high-stakes campaigns, this episode is a must-listen.

AI has officially changed the rules of digital visibility and most marketers are still playing last decade’s game. In this deep-dive episode, Eddie Garrison breaks down the new three-layer visibility ecosystem where SEO, PPC, and AI work together… and where AI-generated answers are quickly becoming the most influential visibility channel of all. If you care about search, ads, content, branding, or digital strategy, this episode is essential listening. Because the brands that adapt to the new AI visibility layer won’t just get seen… they’ll get chosen. Tune in and future-proof your marketing strategy.

Want a 50% lift in brand performance? This episode breaks down new research analyzing 1,000+ campaigns, and reveals why pairing traditional media with digital channels consistently drives massive results. You’ll learn the best-performing channel combinations, how brands like Walmart are winning with cross-channel synergy, and a simple framework to make your next campaign work harder without spending more. Perfect for marketers who want smarter strategy, not bigger budgets.

In this episode, Eddie breaks down the seismic shift happening in search, discovery, and digital visibility. Half of all Google searches now end with AI-generated summaries. That means your customers are getting answers without ever visiting a website, maybe even yours. Ranking #1 is no longer the finish line. It’s just the entry ticket. In each episode, Eddie guides you through the new search landscape, where SEO meets AEO, GEO, and AI-powered content strategy. You’ll learn how to: • Be Found by search engines • Be Chosen by AI assistants • Be Cited by generative models • Be Scaled using intelligent content systems • Be Dominant across the entire digital ecosystem This is where marketers, founders, creators, and brand leaders come to understand what’s changing, what matters now, and how to stay visible when the algorithms shift again tomorrow. If you want your brand to be the one discovered, recommended, and trusted in the new AI-first world… You’re in the right place.

AI search isn’t coming, it’s here! And it’s rewriting the rules of visibility. In this episode of The Modern Marketer, Eddie breaks down new research from Search Engine Land showing that 90% of businesses fear losing SEO visibility as AI-driven search engines like ChatGPT and Gemini take over how people discover brands. Learn why traditional SEO is evolving into GEO — Generative Engine Optimization, what it means for your brand’s online presence, and the concrete steps marketers can take right now to stay visible in AI-generated answers and summaries. If ranking #1 on Google used to be the goal, this episode will show you why recognition, not just rankings, is the new metric that matters.

In this episode of The Modern Marketer Podcast, host Eddie Garrison calls out the outdated, cookie-cutter customer avatars that marketers are still clinging to and reveals what you should be doing instead. If your current customer persona isn’t helping you write better copy, create stronger offers, or connect on a human level—it’s time for a change. Whether you're a marketer, entrepreneur, or brand strategist, this episode will help you ditch the fluff and build a persona you’ll actually use one that transforms your messaging and drives real results. Tune in now and learn how to market to the person, not the profile.

In a world where tools like ChatGPT can write your captions, generate ad copy, and crank out blog posts in seconds, many business owners are asking: Do I even need a marketing agency anymore? In this episode, host Eddie Garrison goes beyond the bot to unpack the real reason why human-led marketing still reigns supreme, especially when strategy, creativity, and emotional connection are at stake.  If you’ve been tempted to let AI run the show, this episode will reframe the conversation and show you how humans and machines can work together to create something truly impactful.

In this episode of The Modern Marketer Podcast, host Eddie Garrison breaks down one of the most overlooked but critical distinctions in marketing today: the Customer Journey versus the Buyer Journey. Too often, businesses focus all their energy on getting the sale, ignoring what happens after the purchase. But modern marketing doesn’t stop at conversion. It starts there. Whether you're a marketer, business owner, or creative professional, this episode will change the way you think about your brand’s relationship with its audience, from the first click to lifelong advocacy.

In a world where consumers are constantly bombarded with choices, it’s no longer enough for your product to simply be good—it has to look good too. And that’s where creative packaging comes in. Often overlooked as just a functional necessity, packaging is actually one of the most powerful marketing tools at your disposal. Whether you're selling cosmetics, food, tech gadgets, or artisan candles, your packaging can make or break a customer’s first impression. Done right, it’s an experience—one that delights the senses, communicates your brand values, and builds lasting loyalty.