Ahead of the Game

What makes someone go from caring about a cause to taking action? In this episode of the DMI podcast, host Will Francis speaks with James Misner, Founder of The Kipos Group, about how nonprofits use storytelling, audience insights, and relationship-building to inspire action, and what marketers in any industry can learn from their approach. James’s top 3 tips Know your audience: create content that resonates with your audience, not just with you and your team. Make your calls to action clear: be direct and specific about what you want people to do. Focus on retention: thank supporters, demonstrate their impact, and build relationships that encourage continued engagement. The Ahead of the Game podcast is brought to you by the Digital Marketing Institute and is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms. And if you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review so others can find us. If you have other feedback or would like to be a guest on the show, email the podcast team! Timestamps 0:01:05 – James’s journey into nonprofit marketing 0:02:27 – Why fundraising is essential to driving change 0:03:48 – Is nonprofit marketing all about fundraising? 0:06:19 – Understanding what motivates people to give 0:08:03 – Working in-house vs consulting for nonprofits 0:10:36 – Why speed matters in nonprofit marketing 0:11:55 – Common challenges facing nonprofit organisations 0:13:42 – Putting your audience at the centre of your story 0:16:14 – An example of effective nonprofit storytelling 0:18:59 – Creating urgency and inspiring action 0:20:32 – How economic pressures affect charitable giving 0:23:45 – Understanding your audience through research 0:26:20 – The most effective marketing channels for nonprofits 0:27:11 – The role of direct mail and digital advertising 0:28:44 – Using Meta Ads to drive advocacy 0:30:05 – Using Google Ads to reach potential supporters 0:32:26 – Turning interest into leads through email 0:33:43 – Making social media work for nonprofits 0:37:12 – Why attention matters more than likes and follows 0:39:20 – Converting supporters into donors 0:41:41 – Why nonprofits struggle with donor retention 0:42:37 – Encouraging repeat donations and long-term support 0:46:33 – James’s top three tips for nonprofit marketers 

Ever wondered why so many people add “Reddit” to their Google searches? In this episode of the DMI podcast, host Will Francis speaks with Sam Hughes, Head of Industry at Reddit, about what makes the platform such a trusted source of information and advice.Sam explores how people use Reddit to discover, research,and validate their choices, and what marketers need to understand before getting involved.Sam’s top 3 tipsExperience Reddit as a user: join communities and understand how the platform works before approaching it as a marketer.Listen before you participate: use Reddit Pro to understand where and how people are talking about your brand, products, and industry.Ask for help when you need it: use Reddit’s resources and teams to find the right approach for your business and goals.The Ahead of the Game podcast is brought to you by theDigital Marketing Institute and is available on YouTube, ApplePodcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms.And if you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review soothers can find us. If you have other feedback or would like to be a guest on the show, email the podcast team!Timestamps0:01:08 – Sam’s journey to Reddit0:02:18 – What makes Reddit different0:03:29 – How Reddit communities work0:06:02 – Why people turn to Reddit for information0:08:21 – Trust, anonymity, and authentic conversations0:10:21 – How brands can approach Reddit0:11:44 – Getting started as a marketer on Reddit0:12:35 – Understanding upvotes and community participation0:14:43 – Using Reddit Pro for audience research0:16:48 – Turning Reddit insights into marketing ideas0:19:08 – How brands can use honest community feedback0:21:28 – Do Redditors actually want to hear from brands?0:24:24 – Where Reddit fits in the customer journey0:25:36 – Reddit as a mix of search and social0:29:14 – Creating ads that fit how people use Reddit0:29:31 – Sam’s top tips for marketers using Reddit0:31:25 – How Will and Sam use Reddit personally0:32:56 – Discovering niche communities and interests0:34:29 – The community mindset behind Reddit

Ever feel like your digital life is getting harder to manage? In this episode of the DMI podcast, host Will Francis speaks with Shawn Lemon, founder of The Digital Organizer, about creating simpler systems for managing files, email, tasks, and the growing number of tools we use every day. Shawn explores why good digital organization is becoming even more important in the age of AI, how to build systems around the way you work, and why adding another productivity tool often isn’t the answer. For a jump start on how to mange your own files, check out Shawn's File Organization Guide.Shawn’s top 3 tips Focus on what matters now: separate current work from older clutter. Build a system that works for you: organize around your own tasks and habits. Simplify your tools: consolidate files, emails, and platforms where possible. The Ahead of the Game podcast is brought to you by the Digital Marketing Institute and is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms. And if you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review so others can find us. If you have other feedback or would like to be a guest on the show, email the podcast team! Timestamps 0:02:56 – Why our digital lives have become so cluttered 0:05:03 – Why organization matters more in the age of AI 0:08:06 – Organizing files around how you work 0:09:32 – Why digital organization becomes overwhelming 0:11:51 – Building a “second brain” with AI 0:14:39 – Shawn’s personal productivity tech stack 0:18:03 – The biggest digital organization mistakes 0:19:28 – Where organization meets productivity 0:20:56 – Finding focus in an always-on working world 0:23:14 – GTD, PARA and finding a system that works for you 0:26:22 – Simplifying an overloaded email inbox 0:29:52 – Why there’s no perfect productivity system 0:32:21 – Creating digital systems for teams 0:34:39 – Who should own digital organization at work? 0:36:41 – Could AI solve digital organization? 0:37:56 – How Shawn is using AI in his own workflows 0:42:19 – AI, ADHD, and managing digital overwhelm 0:46:30 – Using AI to make organization easier 0:49:05 – Managing Slack, email, and workplace communication 0:53:00 – Organizing files effectively in SharePoint 0:54:41 – A simple file naming convention 0:57:48 – Shawn’s tips for getting digitally organized 

What does content marketing look like when creating more content is no longer enough? In this episode of the DMI podcast, host Will Francis speaks with Chima Mmeje, Senior Content Marketing Manager at Moz, about how marketers can stand out as AI transforms search, content, and the way audiences discover brands.From building direct relationships with audiences to finding genuine demand and using AI without losing your own voice, Chima shares her perspective on where content marketing is heading and the skills marketers will need to keep up.Chima’s Top 3 TipsUnderstand the pain behind the problem: go beyond surface-level audience insights and understand what genuinely motivates people to seek a solution.Develop your storytelling skills: use storytelling to make your content distinctive, hold attention, and adapt ideas for different audiences and formats.Use AI as an assistant, not the thinker: bring your own strategy, expertise, and judgment, then use AI to help you execute and scale your ideas.The Ahead of the Game podcast is brought to you by the Digital Marketing Institute and is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms.And if you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review so others can find us. If you have other feedback or would like to be a guest on the show, email the podcast team!Timestamps0:03:16 – Why brands need to reduce their reliance on Google0:05:01 – Webinars, email, social and building owned audiences0:09:20 – Turning educational content into conversions0:13:41 – How content marketing is changing0:14:23 – Why creating more content is no longer enough0:16:18 – Creating useful resources instead of basic articles0:16:30 – Storytelling and multimodal content0:18:47 – Using AI to repurpose content0:20:55 – The biggest mistake marketers make with AI0:24:04 – Why personality matters more in the age of AI0:24:45 – How obvious AI content can damage trust0:26:24 – Earning and keeping attention in search0:27:45 – Finding content demand across search,social and AI0:29:34 – Building authority across your online presence0:32:03 – Why you can’t trust AI agents0:33:05 – Building AI workflows that keep humans in control0:35:12 – When to hand repetitive work over to AI0:36:33 – The skills marketers need for the future0:40:52 – Understanding your audience’s deeper pain points0:42:51 – Founding the Freelance Coalition for Developing Countries0:45:33 – The importance of building skills and accessing better opportunities

How does your brand stay visible when search is shifting from rankings and clicks to mentions, citations, and AI-driven answers? And did you know that AI can't yet read the Javascript on your site?In this episode of the DMI podcast, host Will Francis talks to Aimee Jurenka, founder of SEO Sustainable and AI visibility strategist, about how brands can adapt to discoverability in an AI-powered search world. They chat about the ongoing evolution from traditional SEO to AI visibility, why inbound content is changing, how mentions and PR are becoming more important, and what technical and brand foundations still matter most.Aimee's top tips on AI search:Make sure AI bots can crawl and understand your site.Focus on brand-led, product-specific, and highly relevant content.Build visibility through mentions, LinkedIn, and other places your audience already trusts.Aimee mentions her detailed article on informational content for AI search on Site Bulb and gives credit to the work of Celeste Gonzalez on local SEO.Timestamps:02:10 - Understanding black hat and white hat SEO04:24 - Loopholes in AI SEO and the wild west of tactics07:06 - Differences between traditional SEO and AI search08:38 - The shift in content creation for AI visibility10:09 - Brand-focused content and new SEO strategies12:40 - Agent-to-agent web and the future of the agentic web16:39 - Changes in off-page SEO and mentions versus backlinks18:09 - The importance of mentions and citations in AI search19:22 - Training AI to recognize your brand23:56 - Personalized search and the use of LLMs24:52 - The shift in user research and purchase journey25:34 - Impact on Google ads and revenue models27:25 - Common misconceptions about AI visibility39:21 - Top tips for marketers