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 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 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 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.

JB’s Digital Update 29th October 2025

Jeremy Beckett2025-10-30T11:56:36+11:00Categories: Analytics & Performance, CRO and Conversions, Digital Marketing & Strategy, Email & Customer Relations, JB's Digital Update, PPC & Paid Social, SEO, Social Media Management|Tags: Conversions, Data Privacy, Digital Marketing, Digital Strategy, eCommerce, Email Conversions, Email Marketing, Email Strategy, Google, Google Analytics, Google Search, Google Search Console, Marketing, PPC, SEO, Social Media, Social Media Strategy, Technical SEO, TikTok|

This week, Google Maps ads level up with scrollable sitelinks, AI starts bargain-hunting on behalf of your customers, marketers are finally being forced to prove real impact, B2B brands rediscover the power of storytelling, and email quietly keeps every other channel alive and well.

JB’s Digital Update 30th September 2025

Jeremy Beckett2025-10-01T16:33:23+10:00Categories: CRO and Conversions, Digital Marketing & Strategy, Email & Customer Relations, PPC & Paid Social, SEO, Social Media Management|Tags: AI, AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Conversions, CRM, Digital Strategy, Email Marketing, Email Strategy, Facebook, Google, Google Search, Open AI, SEO, SEO Strategy, Social Media, Social Media Strategy, Technical SEO, TikTok|

ChatGPT’s lining up ads, Facebook and TikTok still rule the news feed, email needs a champion, CRO wins come from basics not magic, and AI Overviews look great but don’t deliver clicks. This week’s update is all about cutting through hype and focusing on what actually works — and what to watch next.

Managing Negative Sentiment in Social Media for an Insurance Comparison Site

Jeremy Beckett2025-07-08T16:33:22+10:00Categories: Analytics & Performance Case Studies, Belmore Digital Case Studies, Conversions & CRO Case Studies, Development & Technology Case Studies, Digital Marketing Case Studies, Social Media Management Case Studies, Training & Upskilling Case Studies, Virtual Chief Marketing Officer Case Studies|Tags: Google Reviews, Reviews, Social Media, Social Media Conversions, Social Media Strategy, Social Search, Training, Upskilling|

Faced with widespread public negativity toward insurers, a leading comparison site partnered with Belmore Digital to navigate social backlash. JB delivered a sentiment-driven strategy, empathetic response plans, and platform-specific insights—helping the brand engage confidently, defuse criticism, and rebuild trust on social media.

The Power of UGC: Letting Your Customers Tell Your Story

Jeremy Beckett2025-06-23T20:25:16+10:00Categories: Content Strategy & Creation, CRO and Conversions, Digital Marketing & Strategy, Email & Customer Relations, Social Media Management, Virtual Chief Marketing Officer|Tags: Content Marketing, Customer Engagement, eCommerce, Email Conversions, Email Marketing, Email Strategy, Interactive Content, Macro Conversions, Micro Conversions, Social Media, Social Media Conversions|

Your customers are your best marketers. When people feel seen and valued, they create stories that connect better than any brand script ever could. This guide shows you how to collect, use, and measure user-generated content that builds trust and boosts conversions — without losing control of your brand.

Managing a Social Media Crisis with Confidence

Jeremy Beckett2025-06-23T20:22:16+10:00Categories: Content Strategy & Creation, Digital Marketing & Strategy, Email & Customer Relations, PPC & Paid Social, Social Media Management, Virtual Chief Marketing Officer|Tags: Customer Relations, Google Reviews, Reviews, Social Media, Social Media Strategy, Social Search|

When a social media crisis hits, the worst thing you can do is freeze. You can’t control what people say online — but you can control how you respond. And that makes all the difference. This guide breaks down how to prepare, respond fast, and rebuild trust without scrambling under pressure.

JB’s Digital Update 8th July 2025

Jeremy Beckett2025-07-08T15:27:02+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, Chatbots, Digital Strategy, GenZ, Google Ads, Google Search Console, Marketing Strategy, Paid Ads, PPC, ROAS, SEO, Social Media, Technical SEO, TikTok, TikTok Ads, WhatsApp, YouTube|

7× ROAS from Rare Beauty’s AI campaigns, WhatsApp chatbots creeping into ads, and YouTube spilling audience secrets—plus updates from Google and TikTok that might quietly change how you work. This week’s update is all signal, no fluff.

JB’s Digital Update 4th July 2025

Jeremy Beckett2025-07-04T14:43:56+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 Overviews, Artificial Intelligence, Broad Match, Content Strategy, Conversions, Digital Strategy, Google, Google Ads, Instagram, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Match Types, Paid Ads, PPC, SEO, Social Media, Technical SEO, URLs|

AI is crowding out your ads, Broad Match experiments just got easier, Instagram’s trying to replace your video editor, URLs still matter more than you think, and marketing can’t be held responsible if it’s kept out of the room.

Turning Data Into Stories That Convert

Jeremy Beckett2025-05-13T20:33:39+10:00Categories: Analytics & Performance, Content Strategy & Creation, CRO and Conversions, Digital Marketing & Strategy, SEO, Social Media Management|Tags: Accurate Data, Content Marketing, Content Planning, Content Strategy, Data Analytics, Performance, Social Media, Social Media Conversions, Social Media Strategy|

Data alone doesn’t drive action — stories do. This guide shows you how to turn complex stats into clear, compelling visuals that grab attention, build trust, and actually convert.

Engaging Audiences with Interactive Content

Jeremy Beckett2025-05-13T20:30:54+10:00Categories: Analytics & Performance, Content Strategy & Creation, CRO and Conversions, Digital Marketing & Strategy, Email & Customer Relations, SEO, Social Media Management|Tags: Content Marketing, Content Planning, Content Quality, Content Strategy, Data Analytics, Google Analytics, Interactive Content, Social Media, Social Media Strategy, User Experience|

Quizzes, polls, AR, and gamified content aren’t gimmicks — they’re tools for real engagement. This guide shows how interactive content can increase time on site, spark conversions, and make your brand a little more unforgettable.

JB’s Digital Update 20th May 2025

Jeremy Beckett2026-04-21T16:41:19+10:00Categories: Content Strategy & Creation, Digital Marketing & Strategy, Email & Customer Relations, JB's Digital Update, PPC & Paid Social, SEO, Social Media Management|Tags: Accessibility, Content Strategy, Conversions, Digital Strategy, eCommerce, Email Marketing, Email Strategy, Google Ads, Instagram, Meta Ads, Paid Ads, Paid Social Media, Performance Max, PPC, Social Media, Social Media Conversions, Social Media Strategy|

Meta’s AI is a bit too helpful, email’s misunderstood (again), Google Ads gives us device control while taking away eComm clicks, TikTok makes alt text easier, and Instagram says don’t start over if you switch gears. The digital marketing rollercoaster continues.

JB’s Digital Update 14th May 2025

Jeremy Beckett2026-04-28T06:57:43+10:00Categories: Content Strategy & Creation, Digital Marketing & Strategy, Email & Customer Relations, JB's Digital Update, PPC & Paid Social, SEO, Social Media Management|Tags: Content Strategy, Conversions, Data Analytics, Digital Strategy, Digital Technology, Email Conversions, Email Marketing, Email Strategy, Google Ads, Google Analytics, Meta, Paid Ads, Paid Social Media, PPC, Social Media, Social Media Conversions, Social Media Strategy, Video, YouTube|

Google’s giving out answers without clicks, Instagram’s playing CapCut, and your PPC conversions might be a work of fiction. Add in some overconfident AI and misplaced SEO, and it’s a good week for gut-checking your digital strategy.

Mastering Social Media: Insights and Strategies for Effective Engagement