One thing marketers should stop doing immediately

Summary

---

MarTech Podcast ™ // “One Thing Marketers Should Stop Doing Immediately”

Host: Benjamin Shapiro
Guest: Amanda Cole (CMO, Bloomreach)
Date: June 25, 2026

---

Episode Overview

In this concise yet impactful episode, Benjamin Shapiro and Amanda Cole tackle the single most critical behavioral shift marketers need to make in the age of AI-driven search. The discussion zeroes in on abandoning outdated notions of SEO and volume-based content, advocating instead for a more customer-centric, brand-building approach. The episode is a brief but forward-thinking exchange, relevant for marketers seeking direction in a rapidly changing landscape.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. AI & the Death of Volume-Based Search Metrics

• Amanda Cole challenges the traditional mindset of creating content for mass discovery, especially as AI search transforms how users find information.
  • Quote [02:29]:
    “Stop thinking about pages and content in context of that metric we were talking about earlier, which is number of visitors, because you can actually create a page that's valid for one person and that's okay... Stop thinking about search in terms of volume.”
    — Amanda Cole
• Key Insight:
  • Instead of optimizing for high-traffic keywords or broad search terms, marketers should focus on answering the real, natural language questions their specific customers are asking.
  • Content can now be highly relevant even for a single individual — quality and relevance are more important than sheer quantity.

2. Brand vs. Demand: Rethinking the Marketing Mix

• Benjamin Shapiro emphasizes the unique opportunity that current market shifts offer to re-balance brand and performance marketing.
  • Quote [03:10]:
    “The world is changing, it's upside down. Instead of me having to be all demand focused all the time, we're going to rebalance our marketing budget and... get to this healthy brand and demand mix as opposed to totally over indexing on performance marketing.”
    — Benjamin Shapiro
• Key Insight:
  • Marketers are encouraged to build lasting, compounding value through brand content, strategy, and media — not just short-term performance campaigns.
  • This is a pivotal moment to invest in foundational brand-building efforts that pay off over time.

3. Practical Takeaway for Marketers

• Focus on:
  • Understanding the deeper, natural language questions of prospects and customers (Amanda Cole, [02:29])
  • Producing content that is directly meaningful, even if it reaches just one right person
  • Recalibrating budgets for a stronger, lasting brand-digital presence

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Amanda Cole on personalization over broad reach:
  • [02:29] “You can actually create a page that's valid for one person and that's okay.”
• Benjamin Shapiro on strategic rebalancing:
  • [03:10] “If there's a time to take advantage of the opportunity to rebalance and have a healthier marketing program, [this is it]. Build things that are going to become compoundingly more valuable over time.”

---

Important Timestamps

• [02:25] — Host poses the core question: “What’s one thing marketers should stop doing immediately now that AI search is changing discovery?”
• [02:29–03:02] — Amanda Cole details her perspective on natural language, hyper-relevant content, and dismissing volume metrics.
• [03:10] — Benjamin Shapiro expands on the call for rebalancing brand and demand generation.
• [03:50] — Episode wrap-up and sponsor recognition.

---

Tone & Language

• Practical and Forward-Looking: Both speakers are focused on current industry trends and actionable advice.
• Encouraging Marketers to Embrace Change: The conversation combines realism with optimism about the need for marketers to pivot their strategies.

---

Summary

This episode is a rallying call for marketers to immediately stop relying on outdated, volume-based SEO strategies in favor of a more agile, human-focused approach that leverages the new possibilities brought by AI search technology. Listeners are encouraged to master customer intent at an individual level, create genuinely useful content, and build brands with lasting resonance—moving away from an overreliance on pure performance tactics. This is an essential episode for anyone reevaluating their digital marketing strategy in the age of AI-driven discovery.

---

Transcript

[I Hear Everything Podcast Network Announcer]

The Martech Podcast is a proud member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast, I Hear Everything delivers podcast production, growth and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a voice? Then visit iheareverything.com.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

From advertising to software as a service to data across all of our programs and clients, we've seen a 55 to 65% open rate. Getting brands authentically integrated into content performs better than TV advertising. Typical lifespan of an article is about 24 to 36 hours. We're reaching out to the right person with the right message and a clear call to action. Then it's just a matter of timing.

[I Hear Everything Podcast Network Announcer]

Welcome to the Martech Podcast, a member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. In this podcast, you'll hear the stories of world class marketers that you technology to drive business results and achieve career success. Here's the host of the Martech Podcast, Benjamin Shapiro

[Shift Paradigm Marketing Announcer]

Today's interview is brought to you by Shift Paradigm Marketing today is buried in complexity. You've got the tech, you've got the tools, but moving the needle feels harder than ever. And the last thing us marketers need is another consultant pitching digital transformation. Enter Shift Paradigm Shift is an integrated team of experts who help enterprise brands turn complexity into traction. Their work is insight led and strategically grounded, designed not to sell you a service or a piece of tech, but to actually solve real business challenges. What makes them different? Well, they're AI enabled but not AI dependent. They're human first, but plugged into the latest tools and models and the moments those models need to go through to prove themselves. They get techy without losing sight of the real person behind every click. And they don't just hand you a deck, they build the blueprints and stay to develop, deploy and run the engine. Growth isn't one size fits all, so stop settling for strategies that collect dust and start working with the team that actually builds for you. Visit ShiftParadigm.com to see how they can help you connect meaningfully with your audience. That's ShiftParadigm.com what's one thing marketers should

[Benjamin Shapiro]

stop doing immediately now that AI search is changing discovery?

[Amanda Cole]

Well, I do think that one thing, maybe not that they should stop doing, but one thing that we absolutely have more of a benefit of doing is understanding the natural language questions that customers and prospects have. And our ability to respond to and create content for those questions is exponentially greater than ever before. So stop thinking about pages and content in context of that metric. We were talking about earlier, which is number of visitors, because you can actually create a page that's valid for one person and that's okay. So I, I guess that's what I would say. Stop thinking about search in terms of volume.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

For me, this is your chance to

[Shift Paradigm Marketing Announcer]

build a brand like every marketer now

[Benjamin Shapiro]

has the opportunity to say, you know what, the world is changing, it's upside down. Instead of me having to be all demand focused all the time, we're going to rebalance our marketing budget and we're going to get to this healthy brand and demand mix as opposed to totally over indexing on performance marketing. If there's a time to take advantage of the opportunity to rebalance and have a healthier marketing program, build things that are going to become compoundingly more valuable over time. Brand content, strategy, media. I'm biased. That's what people should be doing. All right. And that wraps up this episode of the MarTech podcast. Thanks to Amanda Cole, the CMO of Bloomreach, for joining us.

[Shift Paradigm Marketing Announcer]

And a special thanks to Shift Paradigm for sponsoring this podcast. Shift is an integrated team of experts who help enterprise brands bridge the gap between strategy, data and customers. Human first, AI enabled and execution led. They build the blueprints, then stay to develop, deploy and run the engine you need. So stop settling for decks that collect dust and start working with a team that actually builds for you. Visit ShiftParadigm.com to see how they can help you connect meaningfully with with your audience.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

If you'd like to contact Amanda, you could find a link to her LinkedIn profile in our show notes or on martechpod.com or you can visit her company's website, which is bloomreach.com if you haven't subscribed yet and you want a daily stream of marketing and technology knowledge in your podcast feed, hit the subscribe button in your podcast app or on YouTube and we'll be back in your feed next week. All right, that's it for today, but until next time, my advice is to just focus on keeping your customers happy.

[I Hear Everything Podcast Network Announcer]

Thanks for listening to the MarTech podcast and I hear everything. Production Looking to launch or scale a podcast like this one for your brand? Then visit iheareverything.com.