Podcast Summary: Experts of Experience

Episode: Salesforce Solved The SEO Issue
Date: September 10, 2025
Host: Lacey Peace (Mission.org)
Guests: Amber Armstrong (CMO of Salesforce Applications), Stephanie Postles (Marketing Trends Host)
Presented by: Salesforce Customer Success

Overview

This episode—an Experts of Experience x Marketing Trends crossover—dives into how Salesforce is tackling the overhaul of SEO in the era of AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), and next-gen customer experience. Host Lacey Peace introduces an in-depth conversation between Stephanie Postles and Amber Armstrong, Salesforce’s CMO of Applications, who offers a candid look into how her teams are rewriting the playbook for discoverability, content strategy, and AI-powered customer engagement. The episode covers Amber's journey in marketing, her leadership approaches at Salesforce, and tactical advice for marketing and CX professionals navigating a world of generative AI and rapidly evolving buyer behaviors.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Amber Armstrong’s Career Journey and Salesforce Role

• Amber started in warehouse management software, went to business school, then spent 14 years at IBM, gaining cross-functional marketing skills. She later joined LivePerson (AI-focused) before coming to Salesforce, where she now leads their $20B+ set of applications: Sales, Marketing, Service, and Commerce Clouds.
• Quote:
  “I was a part of a program where I got rotated through different parts of the company. And so I really got this broad exposure across marketing.” — Amber [03:07]

2. Organizational Management: The ‘Guild’ System

• Amber has implemented a “guild” system at Salesforce: cross-cloud teams aligned around six strategic priorities (e.g., Dreamforce, seller enablement, account-based marketing, culture).
• Guilds are voluntary leadership opportunities, fostering collaboration and upskilling.
• Quote:
  “We’re actually introducing guilds on each of the six priorities... someone inside of the organization will lead the guild and then they have cohorts from each of the clouds.” — Amber [07:36]

3. AI Implementation at Scale / Agent Force

• Salesforce has over 8,000 deals involving their AI agent, Agent Force, revolutionizing workflows.
• AI is heavily integrated into internal channels (like Slack) and customer-facing platforms, making work more efficient and transformative.
• Internal AI Use Cases:
  • Using NotebookLM to aggregate and query customer stories and product materials.
  • AI-powered Slack capabilities: “Explain with AI” for decoding acronyms or complex threads.
• Customer AI Use Case:
  • At Prisina (diabetes care), Agent Force handles everything from sales outreach (eliminating ‘do not reply’ emails) to patient Q&A, and even social worker training.
• Quote:
  “I feel like we're just in this moment where work will not ever be done the way that it was before... This isn't cheating. This is how you get work done now.” — Amber [17:34]

4. SEO in the Era of LLMs: GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

• Marketers are fearful traditional SEO will become obsolete as LLMs answer user queries directly (“zero click”).
• Amber’s take: Foundational SEO content is crucial—LLMs draw from high-quality, helpful web content.
• Salesforce’s approach:
  • Map high-value keywords and clusters.
  • Create content for users, positioning as thought leadership, not just product promotion (e.g., salesblazer.com).
  • Measure “wins” per keyword and iterate with data.
• Salesforce has seen a “hockey stick” growth of LLM-driven traffic, with a remarkable 40% form-fill conversion rate (vs. 15% paid media; 25% organic).
• Quote:
  “We panicked a little bit… all this work we’ve done... it’s just gonna go to the wayside... What we realized is actually, we're getting traffic from the LLMs... when they come in, they fill out a form 40% of the time.” — Amber [28:02–29:32]

5. Structuring Content for the Future

• SEO basics still apply, but require adaptation:
  • Focus on long-form, high-value content.
  • Utilize best-of lists, infographics, community platforms.
  • Reference G2’s Buyer Behavior Report (2025) for technical structuring tips (link in show notes).
• Experimenting with AI agents on marketing sites to guide/funnel users more intelligently.
• Quote:
  “Let the agents do the talking... put good thought leadership content out there... LLMs... will actually guide people to your website when it’s the right time.” — Amber [31:33]

6. Third-Party Validation and Metrics

• Third-party sites like G2 and Gartner remain essential, as LLMs and buyers look to external validation.
• Account-based marketing (ABM) is a focus, leveraging AI and Salesforce’s own tools (“customer zero” model).
• Importance of evolving metrics: While Amber hasn’t abandoned legacy funnel metrics, she adapts them to business maturity and digital discovery trends.
• Quote:
  “We do the same things we've been doing, but pay attention to when they're coming in from LLMs and how does it change their behavior.” — Amber [37:39]

7. Driving AI Adoption Internally

• Salesforce actively tracks AI comfort in employee surveys, celebrates upskilling, and encourages blending personal and professional AI exploration.
• Example: Amber planned her Japan family trip entirely in Gemini, showing her team AI’s practical value.
• Quote:
  “One way that I encourage people to get their teams more comfortable is encourage and share how you're using it in your personal life.” — Amber [45:44]

8. Vision for the Next 12–18 Months

• Amber is most excited about:
  • New account-based marketing initiatives powered by Agent Force and Data Cloud.
  • Telling richer customer stories.
  • Making digital experiences hyper-relevant for every customer touchpoint.
• Success in ABM takes patience, but yields exponential new logo growth (e.g., 71% increase at previous company).
• Quote:
  “I’m convicted that account based marketing works. You just have to have the patience to do it.” — Amber [55:44]

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Solving SEO in a Generative World
  “Switch from this thinking that our websites are intended to capture early funnel traffic to nope, you have to put the content on the website because all of the early funnel is going to happen in LLMs.” — Amber [00:32]

• On the AI Work Paradigm Shift
  “Work will not ever be done the way that it was before, and it’s really, truly, truly different.” — Amber [17:34]

• Content Clarity
  “I'm a little bit competitive. And so we say every search is a competition and we want to win them all.” — Amber [27:34]

• Digital Buying Behavior
  “80% of the B2B buyer journey is already made up by the time they're talking to sales.” — Stephanie [38:17]

• On Leadership and Change Management
  “Have people showcase that work, get excited about it and reward it rather than it seeming like they're cheating… Marketers who are going to be really successful are the ones that are like, I'm going to use this superpower myself.” — Amber [47:14]

Important Timestamps & Topics

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-------------|-------------------------------------------------------| | 00:32 | The AI/SEO paradigm shift for marketers | | 05:52 | Amber’s leadership scope at Salesforce | | 07:36 | The Guild system: Cross-functional leadership | | 16:13 | AI agent use-cases inside Salesforce | | 21:52 | Customer example: Prisina’s Agent Force integration | | 25:31 | GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) strategy | | 29:32 | LLM traffic & conversion stats | | 33:35 | G2 Buyer Behavior Report as SEO technical resource | | 37:39 | Third-party validation impacts | | 42:04 | Why Salesforce bets on long-form content | | 45:44 | Driving AI comfort and adoption company-wide | | 49:44 | Amber’s future vision & ABM focus | | 54:43 | ABM results and strategic patience |

Takeaways for Listeners

• GEO is the new SEO: Focus on publishing genuinely helpful, in-depth content—LLMs will surface authoritative voices (and so will your customers!).
• AI Upends Workflows: Agents like Agent Force are changing both the customer support paradigm and internal collaboration—don’t be left behind.
• ABM and Metrics Maturity: Success in account-based marketing takes time, but it is critical to modern B2B growth.
• AI Adoption is Culture: Encourage experimentation—personal and professional uses of AI will help your teams thrive.

Closing

To connect with Amber Armstrong, find her on LinkedIn, visit Salesforce’s website, or test Salesforce’s generative SEO by searching for them in your favorite LLM.

“Let the agents do the talking… and trust that if you put good thought leadership content out there, the LLMs and all the normal search capabilities will guide people to your website when it’s the right time.” — Amber Armstrong [31:33]

For specific tips and technical guides, see the resources and G2 Buyer Behavior Report linked in the episode’s show notes.