By Beth Harcourt, Marketing Coordinator at M·E·L Research and visitor to marketingSHOWCASE
What a round up! Read about marketingSHOWCASE from a visitor…
Many moons ago, my first marketing role was as a Social Media Apprentice at the Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation (it was named ‘Find A Better Way’ back then – that’s how long we’re talking). So, walking into the marketingSHOWCASE conference at Old Trafford today and watching the fascinating seminars held beneath a mural of the man himself felt like a full-circle moment. Fitting, too – because just like Sir Bobby changed the beautiful game, marketing is going through a transformation of its own, and at breakneck speed.
If you couldn’t make the event yourself, here are some standout takeaways that stuck with me:
Tackling Google in an AI Digital Age
A session by Manpreet Singh of Bobble Digital LTD on tackling Google in the age of AI drilled in just how rapidly search behaviour is changing, and how we need to adapt:
- AI is challenging Google, and with tools like ChatGPT starting their answers with Bing before tapping into Google, search is evolving fast.
- The buzzword of the future? AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation). SEO’s cooler, smarter cousin.
- AI chatbot traffic is up 80.9% YoY, hitting 5.52 billion visits between April 2024–March 2025.
- Traditional search engines? Down 0.51%. Still huge… but shrinking.
- Google sees 14 billion searches/day, but ChatGPT is catching up with 37.5 million/day.
- ChatGPT.com receives 5.19 billion visits/month and you can track referrals from it in GA4.
- Around 62% of ChatGPT’s social traffic comes via YouTube, hinting at changing consumption habits.
💡 Takeaway: SEO is shifting. It’s not about keywords anymore… it’s about answers. Start thinking AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation), not just SEO.
SEO + PPC: Better Together
Another great reminder from Manpreet: don’t silo your strategy. Some killer tips on blending PPC with SEO:
- Use ad campaign data to refine organic keyword strategy.
- Test your keywords in PPC before committing to long-term SEO.
- Feed conversion data and headlines from ads into your content planning.
- Move high-cost or low-converting PPC keywords into organic search, where they can still add value.
💡 Takeaway: Think of PPC as your agile lab and SEO as your long-term investment.
Make Email Hit Like Instagram
Still think email is boring? Think again. Alicia Torres of Force24 said that to cut through the noise, your brand’s inbox game needs to feel more like your insta feed:
- Start with a killer hook: your subject line and first line are everything.
- Use emotional storytelling, not just announcements.
- Think visually. Bring that Instagram scroll-stopping visual to your email layout.
- Look into BIMI verification for added trust and visibility
💡 Takeaway: Social builds reach. Email builds relationships. Use both but make them feel aligned.
How to Market “Boring” B2B Products
Spoiler: No product is boring if it solves a real problem. Joe Cox at MARTECH3D® said the trick is shifting focus:
- Don’t bullet point a list of product features, show real-world impact. Instead, emphasise what will happen to the reader if they don’t buy.
- Tell a human story. Your product serves someone so you need to tell their story.
- Lose the bullet points and heavy paragraphs that no one will retain. Use visual content to show, not just tell.
💡 Takeaway: Good B2B marketing doesn’t talk about the product, it talks about what the product enables.
I left marketingSHOWCASE buzzing with ideas and more convinced than ever that AI, audience empathy, and agility are the new benchmarks of effective marketing.
Marketing in 2025 isn’t about shouting the loudest or contributing to the onslaught of information our audience receives every day, it’s about answering the right questions, in the right places, with empathy and insight.
What a roundup! if you don’t want to miss out on ALL this, come along to our first show after the summer – London, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, September 23rd, 10am – 2pm. Get your FREE tickets here
