Podcast Summary: This Can’t Be That Hard

Episode 331 – The Future of Marketing with Dayna Schaaf
Host: Annemie Tonken
Guest: Dayna Schaaf
Date: August 26, 2025

Episode Overview

In this highly relevant episode, Annemie Tonken sits down with her marketing director, Dayna Schaaf, to unpack the seismic shifts in online marketing, especially as Google search embraces AI-generated summaries and social media platforms become the primary sources for visual inspiration and discovery. Designed specifically for photographers and creative small businesses, the discussion provides actionable insights and strategic advice for navigating the “new rules” of search and social, making it possible for newer and smaller businesses to compete with long-established competition.

Key Discussion Points

1. Why Marketing and Search Are Changing (00:00–06:05)

• AI’s Impact: Google is now using AI to summarize search results, fundamentally altering how people find information—and businesses—online (00:00).
• The Opportunity: Dayna emphasizes this as a "once in a career opportunity to level the playing field" for newer photographers or businesses (04:12).
• Proactive Pivoting: This shift is predictable and actionable now, rather than after-the-fact, allowing forward-thinking businesses to get ahead (03:56).

“I feel like this is one of those very rare moments where you sort of see the tsunami wave coming... and you can actually talk about it in advance as opposed to kind of getting, you know, bowled over by all these changes.” — Dayna (03:24)

2. How Google Search Has Changed: From Clicks to AI Summaries (06:06–14:38)

• Old Approach: Search results used to be a list of links (often blogs/websites), ranked by classic SEO measures (06:06).
• Now - Zero Click Searches: AI-generated summaries now often provide the answer upfront; users aren’t inclined to click further (07:42, 09:01).
• Citation Bubbles: AI summaries show source bubbles, and if your site is among them, you gain critical SEO “credit” (09:39).

“70% of searches on Google as of July 2025 are zero click searches.” — Dayna (09:33)

• Ranking Criteria Shift: The factors that get you cited or ranked have changed, focusing on content type and user intent, not just age or volume (11:26).

3. Visual Platforms as Search Engines (12:41–14:38)

• Social Search Supremacy: Users now turn to Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest for visual inspiration, searching directly for things like “what to wear for family photos 2025” (12:41–13:24).
• Journey to Booking: The client journey starts on social, proceeds to profiles, and only later returns to Google or the photographer’s site to book (14:34).

“The difference that we’re seeing is when people are searching for inspiration or ideas, they’re turning to social. When they’re actually ready to book, then they would go back to Google.” — Dayna (13:24)

4. Leveling The Playing Field: New SEO and Content Relevance (14:58–19:12)

• Old Blogs Lose Power: Google now favors content that’s new, relevant, and specific to location and query—regardless of site age or long-standing domain authority (16:46–17:51).
• E-E-A-T Framework: Google wants content that demonstrates Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (17:05).
• Content Should Change: Fluffy lifestyle blogs are out; practical, story-driven, answer-focused blog posts are in (19:12).

“What blogs are not looking like is 2010...They are not these fluffy lifestyle ‘I met this great family’ blogs.” — Dayna (18:04)

5. Creating Content That Works—Using AI Tools (20:10–26:19)

• Consistency Club & Blog Builder: Annemie and Dayna share the evolution of their Consistency Club—moving from email/social templates to an innovative blog-builder powered by AI research (21:34, 22:25).
• How the Blog Builder Works: The tool identifies trending, hyperlocal topics, prompts users for personal stories or insights, and auto-generates blogs in the user's authentic voice—optimizing for E-E-A-T, alt text, and SEO framework (23:10–24:22).

“It does that research for you... There are topics that have been searched for you and researched for you so that you can... know what people in your niche in your area are searching for right now.” — Dayna (22:25)
“The feedback we’re getting from people is... how much better this tool is at capturing their specific voice. Like people are like, this literally sounds like I wrote it, not like an AI version of me.” — Dayna (24:22)

• Reduces Learning Burden: Modern photographers can focus on creativity and personal expertise instead of spending time learning ever-changing backend tech and SEO theory (25:23–26:19).

6. Practical Marketing Strategy for 2025 & Beyond (27:08–30:13)

• Content Lifespan Has Changed: Quality, helpful content (e.g. Reels, posts, blogs) now enjoys months-long visibility, unlike the fleeting exposure of past social media (28:04).
• Less is More: Posting 2–3 times a week is now sufficient if the content is strategic and truly answers user questions (28:03–29:02).
• Social = Mini Blog: Treat each post as a mini blog, breaking larger blog topics into bite-sized, helpful social posts (29:24).

“Three times a week is plenty. In fact, two times a week is plenty if you are making really good content.” — Dayna (28:04)
“Blogging. But not the old school blogging... in this very specific, helpful, AI friendly way that is answering questions, do your research so that you know what people are actually looking for in your area and then be smart about how you create your content and treat your social media like a mini blog.” — Dayna (29:24)

• Email is Still Key: Drive all marketing channels back to your email list for relationship-building and direct connection with your audience (30:12).

7. Final Call-to-Action & Mindset Shift (30:13–end)

• A Rare Window: Dayna and Annemie double down on the urgency—few times in business history provide such a visible, actionable opportunity to leap ahead (30:13–30:54).

“It’s so rare in business, in life that we get an opportunity like this to see things are changing and you get to jump on it early. So please, as you’re listening to this... do make these changes in your business because in a year, in five years, it is going to completely change the landscape of your business.” — Dayna (30:13)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I want everybody listening to hear this and make the pivot now, like, be ahead of the curve. This is a... opportunity to be ahead of the curve.” — Dayna (04:12)
• “70% of searches on Google as of July 2025 are zero click searches.” — Dayna (09:33)
• “Level the playing field... This is your opportunity.” — Annemie (16:46)
• “Blogging. But not the old school blogging... treat your social media like a mini blog.” — Dayna (29:24)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–04:12 — Introduction to AI and marketing shifts
• 06:06–14:38 — How Google search and social media search have changed
• 14:58–20:10 — Leveling the playing field & new SEO; blog strategy
• 21:01–26:19 — The Consistency Club and AI-powered blog builder explained
• 27:08–30:13 — Modern social/content strategies & practical advice
• 30:13–end — Final takeaways and motivational wrap-up

This episode is essential listening for any photographer or creative business owner seeking to adapt, thrive, and even surpass more established competitors in the rapidly shifting digital landscape of 2025.