What Good Digital Marketing Actually Looks Like for a Small Business

Jeremy Beckett2026-06-08T18:00:37+10:00Categories: Analytics & Performance, CRO and Conversions, Digital Marketing & Strategy, Email & Customer Relations, Virtual Chief Marketing Officer|Tags: Advertising, Customer Engagement, Digital Marketing, Digital Skills, Digital Strategy, Engagement, Paid Ads, Social Media, Social Media Conversions, Social Media Management|

A lot of businesses chase followers, engagement, and reach - and then wonder why none of it translates to enquiries. Good digital marketing is quieter than that, and a lot more specific. Here is what it looks like in practice.

JB’s Digital Update 22nd June 2026

Zyrene Fernandez2026-06-22T15:27:09+10:00Categories: Analytics & Performance, CRO and Conversions, Digital Marketing & Strategy, GEO - Generative Engine Optimisation, JB's Digital Update, PPC & Paid Social, SEO, Social Media Management, Virtual Chief Digital Officer, Virtual Chief Marketing Officer|Tags: Advertising, AI, AI Search, Audience Targeting, Automation, data, Digital Marketing, Digital Strategy, Google, Google Ads, Google Maps, Local SEO, Meta, Paid Ads, PPC, SEO, SEO Tools, Social Media Strategy, Threads|

Google quietly opted advertisers into new customer list targeting, Maps became a little louder, Ad Manager gained an AI assistant, Threads crossed 500 million users, and trust in AI search slipped again. Different stories, same pattern: platforms keep asking for more trust while giving users more reasons to be cautious.

JB’s Digital Update 8th June 2026

Jeremy Beckett2026-06-10T11:15:38+10:00Categories: Content Strategy & Creation, Digital Marketing & Strategy, Email & Customer Relations, GEO - Generative Engine Optimisation, JB's Digital Update, PPC & Paid Social, SEO, Social Media Management, Virtual Chief Digital Officer, Virtual Chief Marketing Officer|Tags: AI, Content Strategy, Customer Relations, Digital Marketing, Digital Skills, Google, Google Ads, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Open AI, Paid Ads, Search Marketing, SEO, SEO Strategy, Social Media, Social Search, TikTok, TikTok Ads|

Google is adding social profiles to Discover, AI still struggles with accuracy despite the money being poured into it, publishers remain uneasy about AI Overviews, TikTok wants a bigger role in real-world events, and Meta is expanding AI business messaging. Different stories, same trend: platforms are working hard to become the middleman in more of your customer relationships.

JB’s Digital Update 1st June 2026

Jeremy Beckett2026-06-01T13:25:38+10:00Categories: Content Strategy & Creation, CRO and Conversions, Digital Marketing & Strategy, Email & Customer Relations, GEO - Generative Engine Optimisation, JB's Digital Update, PPC & Paid Social, SEO, Virtual Chief Digital Officer, Virtual Chief Marketing Officer|Tags: AI, AI Marketing Tools, AI Optimisation, AI Overviews, AI Search, B2B Marketing, Brand Management, Brand Visibility, Content Creation, Content Marketing, Content Strategy, Customer Relations, GEO, Google, Google AI Mode, Marketing Strategy, Open AI, Paid Ads, Search Marketing, SEO, Trust, UX|

Google keeps giving itself a larger role in deciding what people see, OpenAI is building an advertising business, YouTube wants recommendations to feel like conversations, and email marketers are being reminded that strategy still matters. Different stories, same theme: platforms are becoming stronger gatekeepers, while marketers have less control than they used to.

The 3 Google Ads Mistakes That Are Quietly Draining Your Budget

Jeremy Beckett2026-05-12T15:28:33+10:00Categories: Analytics & Performance, CRO and Conversions, Digital Marketing & Strategy, PPC & Paid Social|Tags: Broad Match, Conversions, Google, Google Ads, Google Search, Keyword Research, Landing Pages, Macro Conversions, Marketing Budgets, Match Types, Micro Conversions, Negative Keywords, Paid Ads, Search Intent|

Most Google Ads problems come down to the same handful of issues. No conversion tracking, broad match keywords with no negative list, and paid traffic going to a homepage instead of a landing page. Here is what each one costs you and how to fix it.

JB’s Digital Update 25th May 2026

Jeremy Beckett2026-05-25T12:20:06+10:00Categories: Content Strategy & Creation, Digital Marketing & Strategy, JB's Digital Update, PPC & Paid Social, SEO, Social Media Management, Technology & Development, Virtual Chief Digital Officer, Virtual Chief Marketing Officer|Tags: AI, AI Marketing Tools, AI Optimisation, AI Overviews, AI Search, B2B Marketing, Content Creation, Content Marketing, Content Strategy, Customer Relations, Google, Google Ads, Google I/O, Marketing Strategy, Paid Ads, Paid Social Media, Reddit, Search Marketing, SEO|

AI search keeps absorbing Reddit, Google wants ads inside conversations, nearly half the web may already be AI-written, and B2B buyers trust automation far less than marketers hoped. The common thread is fairly obvious. Platforms keep compressing discovery into AI systems while audiences become steadily more suspicious of what they are being shown.

JB’s Digital Update 18th May 2026

Jeremy Beckett2026-05-18T20:56:23+10:00Categories: Analytics & Performance, Content Strategy & Creation, Digital Marketing & Strategy, JB's Digital Update, PPC & Paid Social, SEO, Social Media Management, Technology & Development, Virtual Chief Digital Officer, Virtual Chief Marketing Officer|Tags: AI, AI Marketing Tools, AI Search, B2B Marketing, Content Creation, Content Marketing, Content Strategy, Google, Google Ads, LinkedIn, Marketing Strategy, Paid Ads, Paid Social Media, Search Marketing, SEO, TikTok, TikTok Ads|

Search is getting fuzzier, LinkedIn wants to own B2B discovery, TikTok keeps building a bigger ad machine, and Google still rewards structure over “great content” alone. Underneath all of it, platforms keep adding abstraction while marketers quietly return to commercial basics. Funny how often the industry ends up back there.

JB’s Digital Update 11th May 2026

Jeremy Beckett2026-05-12T15:15:11+10:00Categories: Analytics & Performance, Content Strategy & Creation, Digital Marketing & Strategy, JB's Digital Update, PPC & Paid Social, SEO, Social Media Management, Technology & Development|Tags: Ad Blocking, AI, AI Governance, AI Search, Broad Match, Campaign Management, Content Strategy, Digital Marketing, Google Ads, Google Analytics, Marketing, Marketing Analytics, Marketing Strategy, Negative Keywords, Organic Traffic, Paid Ads, Paid Social Media, Reddit, SEO, SMB Marketing, SME, Social Media, Social Media Strategy|

Another week of marketers trying to regain control: negative keywords still matter, publishers are blocking AI crawlers, AI governance has entered the meeting room, Reddit wants SMB ad dollars, and marketing leaders are quietly rebuilding workflows around AI. Same pattern underneath all of it really, less blind adoption, more caution around who actually benefits.

JB’s Digital Update 4th May 2026

Jeremy Beckett2026-05-04T15:19:13+10:00Categories: Analytics & Performance, Content Strategy & Creation, Digital Marketing & Strategy, JB's Digital Update, PPC & Paid Social, SEO, Social Media Management, Virtual Chief Digital Officer, Virtual Chief Marketing Officer|Tags: Brand Management, Branded Search, Content Marketing, Content Planning, Content Quality, Content Strategy, Google Ads, Local SEO, Measurement, Paid Ads, Paid Social Media, Search Marketing, SEO, Short Form Video, Social Media, Social Media Strategy, Vine|

Vine returns in a limited way, SEO shifts toward trust over rankings, “helpful” content gets another nudge, paid social measurement stays murky, and branded search slips further from marketer control. Different angles, same direction: platforms tightening their grip while asking you to trust the system a little more than you probably should.

JB’s Digital Update 20th April 2026

Jeremy Beckett2026-04-20T12:16:43+10:00Categories: Analytics & Performance, Content Strategy & Creation, CRO and Conversions, Digital Marketing & Strategy, JB's Digital Update, PPC & Paid Social, SEO, Technology & Development, Virtual Chief Digital Officer, Virtual Chief Marketing Officer|Tags: Ad Strategy, Advertising, Agentic AI, AI Content, AI Marketing Tools, AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Content Marketing, Conversions, Dynamic Search Ads, GEO, Google Ads, Google Business Profile, Google Maps, Google Search, Local SEO, Marketing Strategy, Paid Ads, Paid Social Media, PPC, SEO, Technical SEO|

ChatGPT citations favour longer, structured content. Google introduces the idea of agentic optimisation for AI agents. Dynamic Search Ads are heading for retirement. PPC strategists are talking about profit instead of clicks. And Google Maps is now answering recommendation questions. Different announcements, same pattern. Discovery is slowly being filtered by machines first.

JB’s Digital Update 13th April 2026

Jeremy Beckett2026-04-13T13:46:56+10:00Categories: Content Strategy & Creation, CRO and Conversions, Digital Marketing & Strategy, Email & Customer Relations, JB's Digital Update, PPC & Paid Social, SEO, Social Media Management, Virtual Chief Digital Officer, Virtual Chief Marketing Officer|Tags: A/B Testing, AI Content, AI Context, AI Marketing Tools, AI Prompts, Audience Targeting, Campaign Management, Content Marketing, Content Strategy, Customer Relations, Digital Marketing, Digital Strategy, Email Marketing, Generative Engine Optimisation, Generative Search, Google Ads, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, Local SEO, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Paid Ads, Paid Social Media, PPC, SEO, Technical SEO|

PPC “best practices” collapse under testing, AI works better with context than clever prompts, loyalty is often decided after purchase, messaging fails when the audience is wrong, and AI content still wins only when it’s good. Five different stories, one familiar pattern, the basics still run the show.

JB’s Digital Update 6th April 2026

Jeremy Beckett2026-04-21T14:23:43+10:00Categories: Content Strategy & Creation, CRO and Conversions, Digital Marketing & Strategy, JB's Digital Update, PPC & Paid Social, SEO, Social Media Management, Virtual Chief Digital Officer, Virtual Chief Marketing Officer|Tags: AI Marketing Tools, Content Marketing, Content Strategy, Conversions, GEO, Google Ads, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, Local SEO, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Paid Ads, Paid Social Media, PPC, SEO, Technical SEO|

Micro-conversions may be quietly distorting PPC optimisation. AI is starting to reshape marketing teams and budgets. SEO teams are experimenting with practical AI workflows. LinkedIn is pushing long-form posts again. Different stories, same theme: tools keep shifting, but marketers still have to decide what actually matters.

JB’s Digital Update 30th March 2026

Jeremy Beckett2026-04-21T14:22:27+10:00Categories: Content Strategy & Creation, CRO and Conversions, Digital Marketing & Strategy, JB's Digital Update, PPC & Paid Social, SEO, Social Media Management, Virtual Chief Digital Officer, Virtual Chief Marketing Officer|Tags: AI Marketing Tools, Content Marketing, Content Strategy, Conversions, Data Analytics, eCommerce, Instagram, Paid Ads, Paid Social Media, PPC, Revenue, Search Marketing, SEO, Site Migrations, Technical SEO|

AI search is rewarding machine-readable content, checkout friction is still quietly killing revenue, migrations continue to break perfectly good websites, Instagram adds carousel reordering (finally), and storytelling gets reframed as strategy again.

JB’s Digital Update 9th March 2026

Jeremy Beckett2026-04-21T20:37:16+10:00Categories: Analytics & Performance, Content Strategy & Creation, CRO and Conversions, Digital Marketing & Strategy, Email & Customer Relations, JB's Digital Update, SEO, Virtual Chief Digital Officer, Virtual Chief Marketing Officer|Tags: AI, AI Marketing Tools, Artificial Intelligence, Brand Management, Content Quality, Content Strategy, Conversions, CRO, Customer Engagement, Customer Relations, CX, Dashboards, Data Analytics, Email Conversions, Email Marketing, Email Strategy, Knowledge Panels, Marketing, Organic Traffic, Outreach, Paid Ads, SEO, SEO Strategy|

Marketing dashboards are still arguing with each other, most outreach emails are dying before anyone reads them, search results are quietly becoming a brand credibility check, AI can write faster but not smarter, and the real customer experience begins after the sale. In short: better data, clearer messaging, credible content, and remembering that customers don’t disappear the moment they click “buy”.

JB’s Digital Update 23rd February 2026

Jeremy Beckett2026-02-23T17:24:15+11:00Categories: Analytics & Performance, Content Strategy & Creation, Digital Marketing & Strategy, Email & Customer Relations, JB's Digital Update, PPC & Paid Social, SEO, Social Media Management, Virtual Chief Digital Officer, Virtual Chief Marketing Officer|Tags: Advertising, AI, AI Marketing Tools, AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Content Strategy, Conversions, CRM, Data Analytics, Digital Strategy, Email Marketing, Google Shopping, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Paid Ads, Paid Social Media, PPC, Revenue, SEO, SEO Strategy|

Measurement must drive decisions. CRM data should shape messaging. SEO must prove revenue. Product feeds matter. AI is changing discovery. This week’s update is about accountability across modern marketing.

JB’s Digital Update 16th February 2026

Jeremy Beckett2026-02-20T16:50:46+11:00Categories: Analytics & Performance, Content Strategy & Creation, Digital Marketing & Strategy, Email & Customer Relations, JB's Digital Update, PPC & Paid Social, SEO, Social Media Management, Virtual Chief Digital Officer, Virtual Chief Marketing Officer|Tags: Advertising, AI, AI Marketing Tools, AI Overviews, Content Strategy, CRM, Data Analytics, Digital Strategy, Email Marketing, Email Strategy, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Paid Ads, Paid Social Media, PPC, SEO, SEO Strategy, Social Media|

AI ads are quietly reshaping how brands get chosen, search visibility is being decided on social long before anyone types a query, email only works when people actually care, martech tools are starting to make calls instead of charts, and TikTok keeps exposing how lazy most attention strategies really are. The common thread this week is control shifting upstream. Discovery, decision-making, and attention are no longer owned by the channels marketers feel most comfortable managing.

JB’s Digital Update 9th February 2026

Jeremy Beckett2026-04-21T20:37:24+10:00Categories: Analytics & Performance, Content Strategy & Creation, Digital Marketing & Strategy, Email & Customer Relations, JB's Digital Update, PPC & Paid Social, SEO, Social Media Management, Virtual Chief Digital Officer, Virtual Chief Marketing Officer|Tags: AI, AI Marketing Tools, AI Overviews, Brand Management, Content Strategy, Customer Engagement, Data Analytics, Digital Strategy, Email Marketing, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Meta Ads, Paid Ads, Paid Social Media, PPC, SEO, SEO Strategy, Social Media, Structured Data|

This week’s update covers why AI still misses key brand moments, how buyers now move between search and AI before deciding, smarter ways to make retargeting emails pay off, Meta’s push to clean up creator discovery, and why customer experience has become the most reliable growth lever going into 2026. The common thread? Clarity, connection, and joined-up thinking beat channel tricks every time.

JB’s Digital Update 2nd February 2026

Jeremy Beckett2026-02-02T19:59:56+11:00Categories: Analytics & Performance, CRO and Conversions, Digital Marketing & Strategy, JB's Digital Update, PPC & Paid Social, SEO, Social Media Management, Technology & Development, Virtual Chief Digital Officer, Virtual Chief Marketing Officer|Tags: A/B Testing, AI, AI Marketing Tools, AI Overviews, Conversions, Data Analytics, Digital Strategy, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Meta Ads, Paid Ads, Paid Social Media, PPC, SEO, SEO Strategy, Social Media, Structured Data|

Meta’s AI gets cleverer, loyalty programs admit they trained customers to chase discounts, marketers are told to put rules around AI before it runs the meeting, A/B testing reminds us evidence still beats opinions, and analytics finally stops forcing a choice between depth and scale. Big picture: the tools are getting smarter, but common sense is still doing most of the heavy lifting.

JB’s Digital Update 26th January 2026

Jeremy Beckett2026-01-27T18:01:31+11:00Categories: Analytics & Performance, Content Strategy & Creation, CRO and Conversions, Digital Marketing & Strategy, JB's Digital Update, PPC & Paid Social, SEO, Social Media Management, Technology & Development, Virtual Chief Digital Officer, Virtual Chief Marketing Officer|Tags: AI, AI Marketing Tools, AI Overviews, Content Quality, Content Strategy, Digital Strategy, Marketing Strategy, Meta Ads, Paid Ads, Paid Social Media, PPC, SEO, SEO Strategy, Social Media, Structured Data, Threads|

AI visibility has officially reached the boardroom, Google is quietly correcting some AI overreach, Threads has gone fully commercial, AI agents are already influencing how customers buy, and “LLM-only SEO” is proving to be a shortcut that doesn’t hold up. The big takeaway this week: AI isn’t breaking marketing — it’s exposing where the fundamentals were never solid to begin with.

JB’s Digital Update 16th December 2025

Jeremy Beckett2025-12-15T19:57:28+11:00Categories: Analytics & Performance, Content Strategy & Creation, Digital Marketing & Strategy, JB's Digital Update, PPC & Paid Social, SEO, Social Media Management, Virtual Chief Digital Officer|Tags: AI, AI Marketing Tools, Content Marketing, Content Quality, Content Strategy, Data Analytics, Digital Strategy, Google Ads, Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Marketing Strategy, Paid Ads, Paid Social Media, PPC, SEO, SEO Strategy, Social Media, VCDO, YouTube|

Google starts treating social signals like part of search, AI shifts from novelty to operational backbone, marketing teams admit dashboards aren’t helping, LLMs get better when humans stay involved, and YouTube turns ads into conversations. The common thread this week is simple: tools are multiplying, but clarity is still the scarce asset.

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