Get Digital Marketing Results

Donna Botti

Digital Marketing news and actionable tips to grow your organization from Delos Inc. featuring our Tech News Tuesday #TNT tips, interviews and how-tos.

  1. 1d ago

    Before You Raise Your Ad Budget, Follow Your Customer's Path

    More marketing doesn't fix a bad customer experience. If inquiries go unanswered, the offer is unclear, or the work doesn't match what you promised, more visibility just sends more people into the same problem. Before you spend more getting people in the door, look at what happens once they're there. In this episode of Get Digital Marketing Results, we look at the business problems marketing can't fix, and what it takes to deliver an experience people want to recommend. What's covered: ✅ How to tell whether you have a marketing problem or a business problem  ✅ Why an unclear offer causes trouble before the work even starts  ✅ Why you don't have to market everything you do  ✅ How to read your reviews for patterns instead of burying them  ✅ How to build communication into the job so it happens every time Three action steps for this week: Go through your own customer process from the first inquiry through delivery and follow-up, and identify where you're not living up to what you promise. Read your recent reviews and look for recurring problems across the whole experience, then choose one to investigate. Fix one repeated failure or surprise, whether it's scheduling, scope, billing, or communication. Give someone responsibility for the change and make sure the customer knows what to expect. Fix what's failing in the business so your marketing brings people to something they'll be happy to recommend. Show notes: www.delosinc.com/episode471 Subscribe for more actionable digital marketing tips for local and regional service businesses.

  2. Oct 27

    Google's Revised Guidance for AI-Written Content

    AI is saving you time creating content for your business. But is it your content? Google has revised its guidance on content quality, and it's more explicit than before about what it's looking for, including in pages written with AI's help. In this episode of Get Digital Marketing Results, we walk through what Google's revised guidance means for your website, from the four qualities its raters look for to why a page for every town can count as spam. What's covered: ✅ The four qualities Google's raters evaluate: effort, originality, talent or skill, and accuracy  ✅ How to replace generic AI tips with examples from your own work  ✅ How to give AI your experience to work with, without writing every word yourself  ✅ Why mass-produced town pages can fall under Google's spam policies  ✅ Why Google calls fact-checking AI content critical before you publish Three action steps for this week: Choose one recent AI-assisted page and ask what it adds that someone couldn't get from a dozen other websites. Improve it with one example, explanation, or recommendation from your actual work that helps a customer make a decision. Check your publishing process: make sure it includes your business's expertise and a review by someone who knows the work, for both usefulness and accuracy. Use the time AI saves you to bring more of your experience into your content. Show notes: www.delosinc.com/episode470 Subscribe for more actionable digital marketing tips for local and regional service businesses.

  3. Oct 20

    Your Marketing Didn't Stop Working. You Stopped.

    Have you noticed your marketing isn't working as well as it used to? When inquiries slow down, it's natural to think something changed with Google or social media. But when was the last time you sent that useful newsletter, updated your website, or shared an answer to a customer's question? In this episode of Get Digital Marketing Results, we look at the marketing habits that slip when you get busy, why the slowdown shows up months later, and how to get your momentum back before the end of the year. What's covered: ✅ How to check whether your marketing stopped working or you stopped doing it  ✅ Why skipped marketing takes a couple of months to show up as fewer inquiries  ✅ What new research says about consistency versus bursts of activity  ✅ Why you should count reps before you worry about reach and engagement  ✅ How to give a channel a fair test before you cut it Three action steps for this week: List the useful marketing activities you stopped doing in the last six months and restart one that was helping. Count how many of the last 26 weeks you actually showed up on your main channel. Before cutting a channel, write down what a fair test would involve: the work you'll do, the business result you're looking for, and when you'll review it. Build some momentum now so the new year begins with people already hearing from you. Show notes: www.delosinc.com/episode469 Subscribe for more actionable digital marketing tips for local and regional service businesses.

  4. Oct 13

    Would You Let AI Negotiate Your Internet Bill?

    A new group of personal AI agents is offering to take care of everyday tasks for you, like researching your plans, keeping track of appointments, or negotiating a bill. Unlike a lot of AI tools, these aren't built for tech experts. You message them much like you'd text an assistant. In this episode of Get Digital Marketing Results, we look at new personal agents like Meta's Muse and OpenAI's Dots, what you might actually use one for, and what to think about before giving one access to your information. What's covered: ✅ What makes an agent different from the AI chat you're used to  ✅ Easy first jobs to try, from weekend plans to the family schedule  ✅ Why "save me money" needs more detail before an agent negotiates for you  ✅ How to give an agent only the access a task needs  ✅ How to tell whether it actually saved you time Three action steps for this week: Choose one personal task and try an available agent on the research or planning part, with a clear budget and other limits. Review its privacy and account permissions before connecting anything, and require your approval before it books, buys, or sends. Check the finished result and compare the total time with doing it yourself. Keep using it only if it helps. Start with something manageable and let the agent earn your confidence through the results. Show notes: www.delosinc.com/episode468 Subscribe for more actionable digital marketing tips for local and regional service businesses.

  5. Oct 6

    Google Recommends You Update Your Website for AI Search

    Google Business Profile has been emailing profile owners with the subject line "Update your website for AI search." If you got it, you might be wondering what you need to change. Google's own guidance says showing up in AI Overviews and AI Mode is still SEO, and it names several popular AI search tricks that don't help. In this episode of Get Digital Marketing Results, we walk through what Google recommends checking on your Business Profile and website, and which shortcuts you can skip. What's covered: ✅ Why Google says showing up in AI search is still SEO  ✅ How to check your Google Business Profile against the business you have today  ✅ How to turn your estimates and customer conversations into "non-commodity" content  ✅ What to check in the Google index  ✅ The AI search tricks Google says to ignore, from llms.txt files to tools promising guaranteed rankings Three action steps for this week: Open your Google Business Profile and check your categories, services, hours, service area, and website link against what you actually offer today. Choose one service you want more of and improve its website page with an answer or example from your own work that helps someone decide. Check that Google can access and index your site and that it's easy to use on a phone. Keep your business information current, share what you know from doing the work, and make it easy to find. Show notes: www.delosinc.com/episode467 Subscribe for more actionable digital marketing tips for local and regional service businesses.

  6. Sep 29

    Turn These On Now. So You Don't Lose Any Data.

    Your Instagram posts, TikToks, and YouTube videos can show up when somebody searches on Google. Until now, Google Search Console mostly told you how your website performed in Google. It can now also show you when your social content itself appears in Google results, what people searched for, and whether they clicked. In this episode of Get Digital Marketing Results, we walk through two new Google reporting connections worth setting up this week: social content inside Search Console, and Google Business Profile activity inside Google Analytics. What's covered: ✅ What the new Search Console social reporting actually shows, and what it doesn't  ✅ Why the Google query data is the most useful part for planning content  ✅ Why you should verify your accounts now, since the data only starts when you connect them  ✅ The seven Google Business Profile metrics coming into Analytics  ✅ The multi-location and reporting limitations to know before you build anything around it Three action steps for this week: Open Search Console and verify the Instagram, TikTok, X, or YouTube accounts that matter to your business so the social search data starts accumulating now. Once you have some data, look at the actual Google queries and the social content appearing for them, and use those patterns to help shape future topics. Check whether your Google Business Profile is linked to Google Analytics so you can see local actions like calls, directions, bookings, and website clicks alongside the rest of your reporting. These changes give you better clues about what's actually working. Show notes: www.delosinc.com/episode466 Subscribe for more actionable digital marketing tips for local and regional service businesses.

  7. Sep 22

    ChatGPT Ads Won't Make ChatGPT Recommend You

    You may have started seeing sponsored items underneath some ChatGPT answers. The self-service ad platform is broadly available now, so this isn't only something big brands can experiment with. Before you move money out of Google or Meta, it's worth understanding that advertising inside a conversation works a little differently than what you're used to. In this episode of Get Digital Marketing Results, we talk about how ChatGPT Ads work, what makes them different from the ads you already run, and why this looks like a place to test right now rather than a reason to move your whole advertising budget. What's covered: ✅ Why paying for a ChatGPT ad doesn't make ChatGPT recommend you in the answer  ✅ How context hints work, and why they aren't keywords  ✅ What you can and can't see about the conversation that triggered your ad  ✅ How the Agent campaign type in testing sends people into a conversation instead of to your website  ✅ How to decide what to promote before you spend anything Three action steps for this week: Think about whether your customers are likely to use ChatGPT while researching the type of service you provide, and pay attention when new customers tell you how they researched you. If it looks relevant, choose one specific service or offer you actually want to grow, and define the types of questions or situations where that offer would be helpful. If you test it, give the test its own small budget and tracking, then judge it on qualified leads and real business results before you shift money away from channels already working for you. ChatGPT Ads are here, and conversation-based advertising is worth understanding. But this is still an early channel. Test it if your customers are there, and make it earn more of your budget. Show notes: www.delosinc.com/episode465 Subscribe for more actionable digital marketing tips for local and regional service businesses.

  8. Sep 15

    The Referral Happens Before the Search

    We spend a lot of time talking about how to get found online. But every once in a while, one of the best things you can do for your marketing is go touch grass. Your online presence and your real-world presence are supposed to support each other, and one doesn't replace the other. In this episode of Get Digital Marketing Results, we talk about local visibility in the real world and online, why being specific about what you do makes you easier to refer, and what happens when someone finally looks you up. What's covered: ✅ Why the communities you already belong to are the easiest marketing you're not doing ✅ How to get specific about what you want to be known for, and why vague doesn't get referred  ✅ Why you don't need to be equally known for everything you do  ✅ How to show up in local online groups without becoming the "Me! Here's my link!" person  ✅ How to make sure your website and Google Business Profile confirm what people heard about you Three action steps for this week: Write down the three or four communities you're already part of, and one clear thing you want people there to know you for. Choose one local online group where your customers genuinely participate, review the rules, and start being useful there without turning every comment into a promotion. Search your own name or business the way a neighbor would, and make sure your website, Google Business Profile, and social presence reinforce the work and customers you actually want more of. You don't need everybody in your area to know you. You want the people you already interact with to know what you do and feel comfortable mentioning your name when the right situation comes up. Show notes: www.delosinc.com/episode464 Subscribe for more actionable digital marketing tips for local and regional service businesses.

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Digital Marketing news and actionable tips to grow your organization from Delos Inc. featuring our Tech News Tuesday #TNT tips, interviews and how-tos.