CultivatED Marketer

In the 52nd episode of CultivatED Marketer – your go-to marketing professional development podcast – hosts Brent Bowen, Julie Masson, and Matt Tidwell are joined by Heather Physioc, Chief Discoverability Officer at VML and an internationally recognized search industry leader. Heather explains how AI is changing the way people discover brands and why search can no longer be treated as a standalone digital marketing channel. From SEO and AI search to public relations, social media, and content strategy, the conversation explores what it takes for organizations to be found, understood, trusted, and ultimately chosen. CultivatED Marketer Ep. 52 — If AI Can Find You, Will It Trust You? Rethinking Search and Discoverability with Heather Physioc   Discoverability Is Bigger Than SEO SEO, GEO, AEO, AIO – marketers have no shortage of new acronyms to learn. Heather suggests stepping back from the terminology and thinking about the larger concept of discoverability. For Heather, discoverability is about whether an organization can be found, understood, trusted, and chosen wherever its audience happens to be searching. That increasingly means thinking beyond Google and a company website to an interconnected ecosystem that includes AI platforms, social media, YouTube, Reddit, earned media, and other sources people use to answer questions and make decisions. Brent references data from AnswerThePublic illustrating just how fragmented search behavior has become. The shift means discoverability isn’t simply an SEO responsibility anymore. It increasingly touches nearly every part of marketing and communications. Your Website Still Matters – But It Can’t Work Alone With AI-generated answers increasingly appearing before traditional search results, it’s reasonable to wonder whether websites are becoming less important. Heather’s answer is an emphatic no. A brand’s website remains a central source of truth, but the information surrounding that website now matters more. Social media, public relations, customer reviews, expert voices, third-party coverage, and other sources all contribute to how people – and increasingly machines – understand a brand. Instead of thinking about each of those channels separately, marketers should consider how they work together to establish authority and credibility. The opportunity isn’t simply to rank a webpage. It’s to create a connected body of evidence that consistently demonstrates who your organization is and why people should trust it. AI Search Isn’t Another Marketing Channel One of the biggest mistakes organizations can make is treating AI search as the newest channel to hand off to a specialist. Heather argues that AI is instead being integrated into nearly every existing marketing discipline. That makes collaboration between SEO, content, public relations, social media, analytics, technology, and other teams increasingly important. The organizations that succeed will be the ones capable of connecting those disciplines early in the process. Rather than developing a campaign and later asking someone to “SEO it,” “social it,” or “PR it,” discoverability should be considered while the strategy itself is being developed. The difficult part isn’t mastering one more channel. It’s getting multiple disciplines to work together around the same audience needs. Start With Demand, Not the Brand Organizations naturally want to talk about themselves, but Heather sees the strongest brands approaching discoverability from the opposite direction: starting with what customers actually need. Search provides marketers with an unusually candid source of audience intelligence because people voluntarily reveal their questions, concerns, needs, and uncertainties. That information can help organizations shape strategies, customer journeys, content, and experiences before anything is created. Heather recommends building a “network of proof” around those needs through original research, expert voices, case studies, customer reviews, third-party validation, and other credible evidence. In other words, producing more content isn’t necessarily the answer. Creating useful information that genuinely resolves uncertainty is far more valuable. In an AI World, Trust Becomes the Differentiator When Julie asks Heather to identify the single concept organizations should focus on when thinking about how they appear online, Heather’s answer is simple: trust. AI has dramatically lowered the barrier to creating content, including inaccurate or misleading information. That makes credibility, expertise, experience, evidence, and independent validation increasingly valuable signals for both audiences and the systems synthesizing information for them. Visibility may earn a brand an encounter, but trust determines what happens next. That’s also why discoverability can’t be gamed with a handful of optimization tricks. Organizations have to demonstrate that what they say about themselves is credible enough for customers, journalists, third parties, and ultimately AI systems to believe and repeat. Search Expert by Day, Conservation Storyteller by…Also Day Heather’s work doesn’t stop with search and marketing. She is also an award-winning conservation journalist and photographer whose reporting explores wildlife, conservation, Indigenous knowledge, human-wildlife coexistence, and the people doing conservation work in the field. Heather describes photography as a creative counterweight to a fast-moving digital career. Wildlife photography rewards patience and observation, while journalism gives those images a larger purpose. Interestingly, she sees a connection between her two professional worlds: both require curiosity, evidence, understanding an audience, finding signals in the noise, and earning trust. Her interest in outdoor storytelling was influenced in part by her grandfather, longtime Kansas City cartoonist and outdoor communicator Bruce Cochran. You can explore Bruce Cochran’s cartoons and artwork online. Learn more about Heather’s conservation journalism and photography at HP Conservation, and explore her marketing, discoverability, speaking, and training work at HeatherPhysioc.com. You can also connect with Heather Physioc on LinkedIn. For marketers interested in developing their search and discoverability expertise, Heather also recommends Ahrefs Evolve for its combination of evidence-driven practitioners, original research, strategic thinking, and practical applications. Ultimately, whether the latest disruption is AI search or whatever comes next, Heather’s advice remains remarkably simple: put the audience at the center. Reaching or interrupting customers isn’t the same thing as serving them. Organizations that consistently understand what people need, provide useful answers, and earn their trust will be better positioned for whatever comes next. Chapters 0:00 — How Search is a More Complicated Marketing and Communications Problem? 08:32 — Meet Heather Physioc 11:10 — From Journalism to Search Strategy 14:24 — What Does “Discoverability” Actually Mean? 17:59 — Does Your Website Still Matter in the AI Era? 22:47 — Search Is No Longer Just an SEO Problem 26:41 — Why AI Search Isn’t Another Marketing Channel 28:21 — What Winning Brands Are Doing Differently 31:38 — Who Should Own Discoverability? 37:12 — Heather’s Second Career in Conservation Storytelling 40:15 — The Creative Legacy of Bruce Cochran 41:35 — Where to Find Heather’s Work 44:05 — Heather’s Pick for the Best Search Conference 45:01 — The One Thing Every Brand Needs: Trust 47:05 — Putting the Audience at the Center

In the 51st episode of CultivatED Marketer – your go-to marketing professional development podcast – hosts Brent Bowen, Julie Masson, and Matt Tidwell are joined by Shea Sullivan, the CEO and founder of Comms at Work. Drawing on decades of experience in internal communications, safety culture, and organizational change, Sullivan shares why effective communication is all about influencing behavior. While much of the conversation focuses on her experience in frontline and workplace communications, the lessons extend far beyond safety. Offering valuable insights for marketers, communicators, and anyone responsible for building trust, and leading change within an organization.   CultivatED Marketer Ep. 51 — Why Great Communication Isn’t About Compliance, It’s About Influence with Shea Sullivan   Communication Doesn’t End When the Message Is Sent Organizations often assume communication is successful once a message has been delivered. An email goes out. A meeting is held. A policy is posted. From a communications perspective, the work appears complete. Shea Sullivan argues that’s where the real work begins. Communication is measured by whether people understand it, remember it, and ultimately change their behavior because of it. That distinction is especially important in industries where safety and operational excellence depend on thousands of small decisions employees make every day. Communicators must earn attention before they can ever hope to influence behavior. The goal isn’t simply to tell people something. It’s to help them understand why it matters. The Best Communicators Meet People Where They Are Whether she’s working with a construction company or manufacturer, Sullivan believes communicators have to spend time where the work actually happens. It’s difficult to influence behavior from behind a desk. The most effective communicators understand the environment they’re communicating into, allowing them to craft messages that fit naturally into employees’ routines instead of becoming just another piece of information to ignore. The principle applies well beyond safety communications. Great marketing starts the same way: by understanding your audience before asking for their attention. Safety Communication Is Really About Human Behavior Although much of Sullivan’s career has focused on safety communications, the conversation revealed a lesson that extends beyond the job site. Successful safety programs aren’t built solely on policies, procedures, or compliance. They’re built on understanding why people make the decisions they do and creating communication that encourages better choices before mistakes happen. Instead of simply reminding people about rules, communicators become partners in shaping workplace culture. Every message becomes an opportunity to reinforce habits and build trust. Whether you’re encouraging employees to adopt a new process or asking customers to embrace a new product, the challenge is remarkably similar: people rarely change because they’re told to. Why Communication Belongs at the Strategy Table Too often, communication teams are brought into projects after the important decisions have already been made. Leadership develops the strategy, finalizes the plan, and then asks communicators to announce it. When communicators are included early, they help identify blind spots, anticipate employee concerns, and shape how change will be received. Communication is no longer just a tactical support function. It’s becoming a strategic discipline that helps organizations build trust, strengthen culture, and successfully navigate change. Relationships Still Build Careers Towards the end of the conversation Sullivan focused on what got her to where she is now. She credits much of her career development to professional organizations like the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and encouraged young professionals to actively participate in industry communities rather than waiting for opportunities to come to them. Networking, volunteering, and continually learning have opened doors throughout her career that a résumé alone never could. Sullivan reminds us that careers are still built through conversations, curiosity, and the willingness to invest time in relationships with others who share your profession. Data Should Tell Human Stories The conversation closed with a reminder that even in an increasingly data-driven and AI-powered world, communication remains deeply human. Sullivan emphasized that data is invaluable for identifying trends and measuring success, but numbers alone rarely inspire action. The communicator’s job is to interpret those insights and transform them into stories people understand, remember, and care about. As organizations continue adopting new technologies, that human perspective becomes even more valuable. AI can help communicators work faster, but empathy, curiosity, and storytelling remain the qualities that create lasting influence.Top of Form   03:40 — What Makes Great Internal Communication 07:12 — From Broadcast Journalism to Communications 10:35 — Learning to Speak Your Audience’s Language 15:45 — Compliance vs. Influence 18:22 — Infinite Content, Finite Attention 20:18 — The Most Trusted Voice in the Workplace 21:18 — Go Where Their Eyes, Ears, and Feet Are 24:40 — Building a Strong Safety Culture Through Communication 27:43 — Why Communication Belongs at the Strategy Table 32:18 — Networking Is an Investment in Your Career 36:11 — Lead with “Why” 37:02 — Turning Data Into Human Stories 39:05 — Advice for the Next Generation of Communicators  

In the 50th episode of CultivatED Marketer – your go-to marketing professional development podcast – hosts Brent Bowen and Julie Masson are joined by Colleen Powell, the Strategic Communications Bureau Chief for the Iowa Department of Public Safety. Colleen Powell shares an extraordinary career journey that took her from more than two decades behind a radio microphone to leading communications for one of Iowa’s most visible public service organizations. While her career path is certainly unique, the lessons she learned apply to marketers, communicators, nonprofit leaders, and public relations professionals in every industry. CultivatED Marketer Ep. 50 —From Radio to Public Safety: What Every Marketing Professional Can Learn About Trust, Storytelling, and Career Reinvention with Colleen Powell   Reinvention Starts Long Before the Career Change Career changes often look dramatic from the outside, but they’re usually built on years of preparation. That was certainly true for Colleen. After spending 22 years co-hosting a successful morning radio show, she recognized that the media landscape was changing. Streaming services and digital platforms were transforming how audiences consumed content, and she realized the radio industry wasn’t likely to provide the long-term stability it once had. Rather than waiting until she was forced to make a change, she began preparing for one. She enrolled in courses focused on digital marketing and strategic communications while she was still working full-time in broadcasting. When the opportunity finally came to leave radio, she wasn’t starting over. She was building on decades of experience in audience engagement, interviewing, storytelling, and relationship building. The Skills That Matter Don’t Expire Moving from morning radio into government communications might sound like an enormous leap, but the core responsibilities aren’t as different as they first appear. In both careers, success depends on understanding your audience, asking thoughtful questions, listening carefully, simplifying complex information, and telling stories that people actually care about. Technology will continue to evolve, but organizations will always need professionals who know how to build relationships, establish credibility, and communicate with empathy. Colleen’s career demonstrates that while industries may change, those foundational abilities continue to create opportunities. Why Continual Learning Is a Competitive Advantage Colleen acknowledges something every communications professional has experienced: by the time a curriculum is developed and taught, the industry has already evolved. Artificial intelligence changes almost monthly. Social media algorithms shift constantly. New platforms emerge while others disappear. Formal education provides an essential foundation, but it can no longer be viewed as the finish line. Instead, continual learning has become part of the job description. Today’s most successful communicators recognize that professional development isn’t something you complete. It’s something you practice throughout your career. That mindset helped Colleen transition into an entirely new field, and it’s the same mindset that will help communicators remain valuable no matter how much the industry changes. Building Trust Instead of Protecting Image When people think about communications departments, they often assume their primary responsibility is protecting an organization’s reputation. Colleen offered a different perspective. Her team’s job isn’t simply to protect the agency’s image—it’s to protect public trust. Every press release, media interview, social media post, and public statement is evaluated through the lens of credibility. Their goal isn’t to be first with information or to control the narrative. Their responsibility is to ensure that when information is released, it is accurate, verified, and communicated responsibly. In an era where organizations often feel pressured to respond immediately, that’s a valuable lesson. While most marketers don’t operate in life-or-death situations, every organization benefits when it values credibility over immediacy. The Question Every Communicator Should Ask The conversation closed with a deceptively simple question: What is one word every communicator should lead with? Colleen’s answer was immediate. Why. The question encourages marketers to think strategically before acting tactically, ensuring every message supports a larger objective rather than simply filling another spot on the content calendar. In many ways, that single word captures the entire conversation. Technology will continue to change, industries will continue to evolve, and communication channels will come and go. But organizations that consistently communicate with clarity, empathy, and purpose will continue to earn something far more valuable than attention—they’ll earn trust.   01:41 Why Trust Matters 08:15 From Radio to DPS 11:12 Roadside Chat Signs 14:00 The Communication Skills That Translate Across Every Industry 18:00 Career Pivot Advice: Growth Starts with Being Uncomfortable 21:15 Protecting Trust vs. Protecting Your Reputation 25:33 Transparency Through Restraint 26:58 Accuracy Over Assumptions 28:18 Balancing Curiosity And Risk 29:06 True Crime Request Surge 35:15 Managing 20+ Social Media Channels with a Three-Person Team 39:24 How Small Communications Teams Stay Effective 42:00 The One Word Every Communicator Should Lead With                

In the 49th episode of CultivatED Marketer – your go-to marketing professional development podcast – hosts Brent Bowen, Matt Tidwell, PhD, and Julie Masson are joined by Samantha Scantlebury, Senior Director of Brand Strategy at Signal Theory. Drawing from her early experiences in the field, Sam emphasizes that at its core, human decision-making is driven emotionally and rationally justified. Her perspective challenges marketers to look beyond technology and focus on something much more enduring: humanity. CultivatED Marketer Ep. 49 — Why Comfort, Joy, and Meaning are Critical in Modern Marketing with Samantha Scantlebury One of the most powerful observations from the conversation was surprisingly simple: Humans make decisions emotionally and justify them rationally. Whether someone is purchasing a consumer product, selecting a business partner, or evaluating a software platform, emotional drivers are still at work beneath the surface. Scantlebury referenced the behavioral science principles popularized by Daniel Kahneman, noting that our intuitive, emotional thinking often precedes our rational analysis. This insight applies just as much in B2B marketing as it does in B2C. Even when selling highly technical products, buyers are ultimately seeking confidence, security, pride, ease, and optimism. Product features may justify the decision, but emotions often initiate it. Comfort, Joy, and Meaning: A New Framework for Brand Connection To better understand what people are truly seeking from brands, Signal Theory developed a framework built around three emotional outcomes: comfort, joy, and meaning. The model draws inspiration from Abraham Maslow and his hierarchy of needs. According to Scantlebury, while Maslow focused on human needs, comfort, joy, and meaning represent the emotional wants that accompany those needs. The framework isn’t simply philosophical. Signal Theory’s research uncovered meaningful correlations between these emotional dimensions and business outcomes. Brands scoring highly on comfort tended to see stronger repurchase intent. Brands associated with joy generated more word-of-mouth activity. Brands delivering meaning tended to inspire greater brand advocacy. The Personalization Paradox Consumers are experiencing more targeted advertising than ever before, yet many still feel misunderstood by brands. Despite seeing dozens of advertisements daily, only a small percentage of consumers feel brands genuinely understand them or reflect their lifestyles. At the same time, consumers consistently report wanting stronger relationships with the brands they buy from.This creates what marketers might call a personalization paradox: We know more about consumers than ever, but consumers feel less understood. Why This Matters in the Age of AI While Scantlebury and her team actively use AI tools, she emphasized that technology should create space for better human work—not replace it. AI can accelerate research, generate ideas, and improve efficiency. But the most impactful marketing still comes from empathy, curiosity, and a deep understanding of people.Consumers are increasingly signaling fatigue with overly manufactured experiences. In a world where content can be generated instantly, authenticity becomes more valuable, not less. The brands that thrive won’t necessarily be those with the most advanced AI stack. They’ll be the ones that use technology while remaining unmistakably human. The Marketer’s New Question Sales are declining. Customer loyalty is weakening. Brand awareness has plateaued. Marketing teams are often tasked with finding the right campaign, channel, or message to move those metrics in the right direction. But Scantlebury argues that marketers should take a step back before jumping to solutions. Rather than asking only what’s happening to the business, brands should ask what’s happening to the people they’re trying to reach. What’s the human problem behind the business problem? This question shifts the conversation from demographics and data points to human motivations. They encourage marketers to look beyond transactions and understand the emotional context surrounding a purchase decision. When marketers begin with the human experience rather than the business objective, they uncover insights that technology alone can’t provide. Messaging becomes more empathetic. Strategy becomes more meaningful. And brands become better positioned to create the kinds of connections that drive long-term relationships. Final Takeaway Marketing often gets caught chasing the next platform, the next tool, or the next technological breakthrough. Yet the most important variable hasn’t changed, people still want to feel understood. They want confidence when things feel uncertain. They want connection when life feels fragmented. They want purpose when everything feels transactional. As Scantlebury summarized when asked for the one word every brand should strive for: Humanity. And in a marketplace increasingly shaped by automation, that may become the greatest competitive advantage of all.   02:51 Why This Research Matters 07:19 Meet Samantha Scantlebury 08:43 Sam Origin Story 13:23 Behavioral Science in Practice 15:46 Emotion Drives Decisions 18:58 Tech vs Human Connection 21:53 Comfort Joy Meaning Framework 25:26 Research Findings and Stats 29:36 Selling Human Centric Marketing 33:47 AI Fatigue and Authenticity 37:04 Four Quick Questions 42:03 What Comes Next and Wrap Up    

In the 48th episode of CultivatED Marketer – your go-to marketing professional development podcast – hosts Brent Bowen, Matt Tidwell, PhD, and Julie Masson are joined by D.J. Jordan, Senior Vice President at Pinkston, to explore challenges facing marketing and communications professionals today: protecting and strengthening organizational reputation in an increasingly complex world. Drawing on a career that spans political communications, national media, public affairs, corporate communications, and crisis management, DJ shares lessons learned from working with organizations navigating high-stakes situations, leadership transitions, and evolving stakeholder expectations. CultivatED Marketer Ep. 48 — Why the Best Communicators Speak the C-Suite’s Language with DJ Jordan DJ reflects on a pivotal moment early in his career when he realized that true career growth came not from simply producing content or managing media relations, but from helping organizations achieve broader business objectives through communication. That shift – from doing the work to shaping the direction of the work – is one many communications professionals experience as they move into leadership roles. For marketers the lesson is clear: strategic thinking separates good practitioners from trusted advisors. Understanding organizational goals, business drivers, stakeholder expectations, and financial realities allows communicators to contribute at a higher level and earn a seat at the decision-making table. Why Reputation Is Everyone’s Responsibility DJ describes reputation as one of the most valuable, and yet simultaneously fragile assets an organization possesses. In an era where every customer, employee, and stakeholder has a platform, a company’s reputation can be strengthened or damaged in real time. Social media, artificial intelligence, and fragmented media environments have created unprecedented challenges for organizations attempting to build trust. Rather than retreating from these challenges, DJ recommends that organizations double down on reputation-building efforts through: Strong brand management Consistent stakeholder communication Crisis preparedness Authentic leadership Transparent decision-making According to DJ, reputation isn’t something you repair after a crisis. It’s something you build every day before a crisis ever occurs. Crisis Communications Starts Long Before a Crisis One of the most practical portions of the discussion centers on crisis communication planning. Too often, organizations wait until they’re facing public scrutiny before considering how they’ll respond. DJ explains that the most effective crisis communication happens months—or even years—before a crisis emerges. Effective preparation includes: Identifying potential organizational risks Evaluating past incidents Developing response frameworks Creating message templates Conducting crisis simulations Aligning leadership teams on response protocols The investment may seem significant, but the financial and reputational costs of being unprepared are often far greater. As DJ notes, a well-managed crisis can sometimes be resolved before it ever becomes a public story. The Trust Challenge Facing Modern Organizations Trust has become one of the defining challenges of modern communications. Consumers are increasingly skeptical of institutions, media outlets, brands, and even the content they encounter online. AI-generated content and misinformation have further complicated the landscape. Yet DJ sees opportunity within this challenge. Organizations that consistently communicate with transparency, demonstrate accountability, and align actions with values can still earn trust. In fact, the current environment may create even greater opportunities for brands willing to invest in authentic relationships and meaningful engagement. For communications leaders, trust isn’t built through a single campaign. It’s established through repeated actions that reinforce credibility over time. Advice for Emerging Marketing Professionals DJ also offers valuable guidance for students and early-career professionals entering the field. While many young communicators feel uncertainty about AI, economic pressures, and career stability, he encourages them to view today’s environment as an opportunity rather than a threat. The professionals who will thrive are those who: Embrace new technologies Stay curious Take initiative Develop strategic thinking skills Bring ideas forward proactively Continuously learn and adapt One characteristic stood out above all others: being a self-starter. Technical skills can be taught, but professionals who consistently look for opportunities to add value quickly distinguish themselves from their peers. Leadership, Reputation, and the Future of Communications As marketing and communications continue to evolve, the organizations that succeed will be those that connect business strategy, leadership, and reputation management into a unified approach. DJ Jordan’s career demonstrates that effective communication is about much more than crafting messages. It’s about helping organizations navigate complexity, build trust, manage risk, and create meaningful relationships with stakeholders. For communications professionals focused on marketing professional development, leadership development, strategic communications, reputation management, and crisis communications, this episode offers practical insights and timely advice for leading with confidence in an increasingly complex world.     05:32 Welcome to DJ Jordan 07:06 Early Media Sports Roots 11:01 CNN Capitol Hill Pivots 12:52 Becoming A Strategist 17:46 Reputation And Crisis Planning 25:10 Trust In The AI Era 31:01 Gen Z Skills And Hiring 34:21 Four Quick Questions 37:58 Final Advice And Wrap