Digital Marketing From The Coalface

Digital marketing chat from people at the coalface delivering successful solutions to tech and engineering businesses in the UK, Europe, USA & Australia. It often descends into jibberish, but enjoyable jibberish.

AI in Google Ads, Otterly.ai & AI-Driven Agency Operations 04/06/2026

Stop Selling "Solutions": Should Engineers Run Your Marketing? Bridging the Technical-Marketing Divide 03/27/2026

Stop Selling "Solutions": Should Engineers Run Your Marketing? Bridging the Technical-Marketing Divide Are you selling "global solutions to world-class problems"? If so, please stop. Your marketing messaging is likely confusing your buyers and costing you leads. In this episode of Digital Marketing from the Coalface, Dave and Julie dives into the marketing challenges faced by tech, industrial, and engineering companies. They explore why highly technical companies often fall into the trap of listing off features rather than focusing on the actual outcomes their clients want to buy. If your marketing materials can't pass the "So what?" test, this episode is for you. In this episode, they cover: The "So What?" Test for Technical Messaging: why relying on jargon and lazy buzzwords like "solutions" is destroying your pitches, and how to effectively position your firm as a "safe pair of hands". Should Engineers Run Your Marketing?: let's discuss the crucial balance between highly practical engineering teams and marketing professionals. Learn why your best technical minds make incredible subject matter experts, but shouldn't be left alone to run the marketing strategy. The Myth of the Marketing "Unicorn": Why hiring a single marketing manager to handle strategy, content, paid advertising, and video editing is an impossible expectation. Navigating Complex B2B Sales Cycles: Why ROI is incredibly difficult to track across an 18-month engineering sales cycle, and the hidden dangers of pausing your marketing budget when times get tough. AI Workflows for Tech Leaders: Practical tips for using Google's NotebookLM to distil massive technical documents into audio summaries, and how to supercharge Claude using Zapier integrations to automate your inbox and calendar. Overcoming Imposter Syndrome: A candid chat about navigating intimidating corporate boardrooms, class backgrounds, and dealing with the feeling that you're going to be "found out". Whether you are an engineering director looking to better understand your marketing department, or a tech CEO trying to refine your company's core message, this episode offers practical, no-nonsense advice to help you communicate your true value. Brought to you by Red Evolution (a proud B Corp in case you missed that part). /episode/index/show/redevo/id/40641350

From Keywords to Vibe Coding: The AI Era of Industrial Marketing 03/17/2026

What Marketing Really Is And Why Engineers Get It Wrong 03/04/2026

What Marketing Really Is And Why Engineers Get It Wrong In episode 164 of Digital Marketing from the Coalface, Dave and Julie cut through the online nonsense to explore what marketing actually is—and what it isn't. Fed up with self-proclaimed LinkedIn "gurus" making up their own definitions, Dave and Julie break down the fundamentals to prove that marketing is a strategic process, not just the "colouring in department". Buckle up! In this episode, we cover: The Real Definition of Marketing: The official definition and an explanation of the "Marketing Mix" (the 4 Ps: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion). Discover why advertising, PR, and branding are actually just subsets of the "promotion" piece of the puzzle and not whatever rubbish you are reading on LinkedIn. Why Engineering & Tech Firms Struggle: Dave and Julie discuss why companies run by engineers often get marketing completely back to front by building a clever product first and trying to force it onto an audience, rather than listening to the marketplace to identify a gap. Brand Successes & Failures: Real-world examples of marketing in action, from a local window cleaner who perfectly tapped into high market demand, to the recent struggles, closures, and brand tarnishing of major Scottish companies. AI Industry Updates: A quick look at the latest AI news, including ChatGPT's new ad tiers, Claude's clever anti-ad Super Bowl commercial taking a dig at OpenAI, and some frustrating user-experience bugs Dave has experienced with Anthropic's credit system. Life as a B-Corp: Celebrating B-Corp month! We share reflections on a recent B-Corp gathering at the Scottish Parliament and discuss our hopes for building a stronger local B-Corp community to help other businesses balance purpose with profit. Tune in for an unfiltered, highly practical discussion on business strategy, and make sure to subscribe so you don't miss our next episode, where we'll be tackling the rapidly changing world of keyword research and schema markup for AI search engines. /episode/index/show/redevo/id/40299760

The Data Stream: Optimising Video Assets for AI-Powered Search 02/16/2026

We Discuss The Power of NotebookLM & Minimising Clicks For PPC Success 02/09/2026

January Blues, Skinflints, AI And General Moaning, HNY 01/28/2026

No David, Franz Kafka Didn't Direct It's A Wonderful Life 12/22/2025

As AI & Google Keep Stealing Your Content, What Can You Do About It? 07/22/2025

Cam Bores On About AI & Dave Has A Rant, Normal Service Resumed 07/07/2025

B2B vs. B2C Marketing, AI Copywriting, and Demystifying TikTok Shop 06/10/2025

B2B vs. B2C Marketing, AI Copywriting, and Demystifying TikTok Shop In this episode of Digital Marketing from the Coalface, Dave is joined by a brand-new co-host, Cameron (Cam), who bravely jumps straight into the podcasting deep end. With Stu off adventuring in his camper van, Dave and Cam use Cam's strong B2C background to explore the fascinating differences, and surprising crossovers, between Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer (B2C) marketing strategies. Key Topics Covered in this Episode: The Reality of AI in Copywriting & Coding: The duo discusses how AI is phenomenal at literal tasks, like writing 800 lines of heavily commented code in seconds, but still needs a skilled human touch to truly capture a brand's creative tone of voice. Dave also shares some hilarious AI translation fails—including a chatbot sounding like Dick Van Dyke attempting British slang—and praises AI tools like NotebookLM. B2B Risk Aversion vs. B2C Experimentation: Why are B2B engineering and tech firms so reluctant to embrace social media? The hosts discuss how B2B companies are terrified of ruining their professional brand perception with a single bad post. As a result, they often act as "followers," waiting to see competitors take the leap before trying new platforms. Overcoming the "Coloring-In Department" Stigma: The real-world challenges of convincing "old school" B2B decision-makers—who believe deals are only won on the golf course—to see the value in digital marketing, compared to the fast-moving, big-budget B2C world. Demystifying TikTok & TikTok Shop: Cam breaks down the mechanics of TikTok Shop and explains how it solves a marketer's biggest headache: attribution. By keeping the entire browsing and purchasing journey inside the app, it offers incredibly accurate data tracking. They also debunk the myth that TikTok is only for teenagers, noting its massive user base of 30 to 55-year-olds and its incredible potential for educational B2B content. Content Strategy & Metal Detecting: Why you absolutely must avoid "self-indulgent" video content with long, flashy music intros. The hosts discuss the perfect balance of using bite-sized, short-form video to pique audience interest before driving them to longer, high-value content. High Volume vs. High Value: The stark contrast between B2C campaigns targeting tens of thousands of impressions, and B2B search campaigns hunting for highly specific, low-volume keywords where a single good lead can result in millions of pounds of work. /episode/index/show/redevo/id/36923910

The Episode That Nearly Didn't Happen, And Probably Shouldn't Have 05/28/2025

The Episode That Nearly Didn't Happen, And Probably Shouldn't Have When it came to the time to record this episode Dave was struggling to get enthusiastic. However, Stu beat him into submission, and this is the end result. In this highly conversational and organically flowing episode of Digital Marketing from the Coalface, hosts Dave Robinson and Stuart Harrison let the "stream of randomness" fly to uncover some surprisingly deep insights into marketing, business strategy, and human behaviour. What starts as an episode that nearly didn't happen quickly evolves into a fascinating discussion on psychology, problem-solving, and the unvarnished realities of client management. Key Topics Covered in this Episode: "Moving Away" vs. "Moving Towards" Strategy: The hosts break down the difference between formulating a strategy to reach a visionary goal versus a strategy built simply to escape a current bad situation—hilariously likening the latter to running away from an escaped lion. They discuss why sometimes, "anywhere other than here is better" is a perfectly viable starting point. Risk Aversion vs. Marketing Experimentation: Dave and Stuart compare the highly risk-averse nature of the engineering and nuclear sectors to the necessary "experimental approach" of digital marketing. They discuss why companies must embrace A/B testing and accept that not every marketing risk will go exactly to plan. The "Awful Website" Dilemma: The tricky situation of landing a new client whose website is simply too broken for a quick cosmetic fix. Stuart shares a brilliant consulting trick: establishing agreed-upon "design principles" with the client to objectively prove a website needs a total rebuild, completely depersonalising the negative feedback. The Psychology of Uncertainty: Drawing on Rory Sutherland's theories on train travel and the success of Uber, the duo explores how human beings hate uncertainty far more than they hate waiting. They connect this behavioural science directly to our industry, explaining how "snake oil" SEO agencies exploit this fear by offering impossible page-one Google guarantees. Sports Psychology & "Pink Elephants": A deep dive into why the human brain cannot process negative instructions. From Chris Waddle's infamous missed penalty to parents telling toddlers "don't run on the grass," the hosts explain the physics of neural pathways, why you must visualise success, and how to apply positive framing directly to your website's Call to Actions. The Clickbait Epidemic: Finally, Dave and Stuart share a brief, relatable rant on the desperate, unregulated, and intrusive state of modern clickbait advertising. Packed with relatable banter, golf analogies, and a healthy dose of industry skepticism, this episode proves that sometimes the best digital marketing advice comes from simply externalising your problems and talking them out. Tune in for the laughs, and stick around to find out why you should never try to not think of a pink elephant! /episode/index/show/redevo/id/36733455

Websites, ABM And Red Bull, Or Was It Red Thunder? 05/20/2025

Websites, ABM And Red Bull, Or Was It Red Thunder? In this episode of Digital Marketing from the Coalface, hosts Dave Robinson and Stuart Harrison dive into the undeniable power of maintaining a highly credible online presence. They explore why your website is essentially a highly sophisticated "shop window" for your business, sharing real-world examples of how investing in a quality website and relying on strong social proof—like video and written client testimonials—can turn casual online strangers into highly lucrative, unsolicited leads. Beyond website fundamentals, Dave and Stuart explore a fascinating range of topics blending digital marketing with behavioural science, account-based marketing, and modern career development. Key Topics Covered in this Episode: How to Sell Services Digitally: Stuart discusses his recent paradigm shift regarding selling services online. He explains the challenge of moving away from generic corporate platitudes to truly uncovering why clients value your service, and how to authentically articulate those differentiators through a distinct tone of voice. The Right (and Wrong) Way to do Account-Based Marketing (ABM): Dave and Stuart dissect the frustrating influx of generic "lead generation" spam they receive daily. They emphasize that successful ABM requires doing the "hard yards" to research your target audience and genuinely understand their needs before reaching out. Behavioural Science & Stoicism in Business: Drawing inspiration from Steven Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Dave and Stuart discuss the importance of focusing your energy strictly on your "circle of control" and "circle of influence" rather than wasting time on the "circle of concern". They also touch on the rising popularity of Stoicism online and the profound behavioural science insights found in Rory Sutherland’s book Alchemy. Plus, the usual banter: Including the great Red Bull vs. Aldi’s "Red Thunder" debate, and why intelligent people are often the biggest worriers. Whether you are trying to refine your company's digital messaging, understand the psychology of your buyers, or simply want to stop stressing over things outside of your control, this episode is packed with practical, relatable insights. /episode/index/show/redevo/id/36637745

From Order Takers To Consultants, The Sales Revolution Has Happened, Mostly 05/13/2025

From Order Takers To Consultants, The Sales Revolution Has Happened, Mostly In this episode of Digital Marketing from the Coalface, hosts Dave Robinson and Stuart Harrison tackle the double-edged sword of Artificial Intelligence in marketing, the frustrations of public sector procurement, and the rapidly changing role of salespeople in the engineering and tech sectors. From hilarious AI blunders to deep dives into B2B sales strategy, Dave and Stuart break down what actually works in today’s digital landscape—and what is just filling servers with garbage. Key Topics Covered in this Episode: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of AI: discussing the risk of using AI just to churn out high volumes of low-quality content. However, Dave and Stuart also highlight genuinely impressive tools like NotebookLM that are revolutionising content creation by turning dry source material into engaging, conversational audio. Along the way, Dave shares some laugh-out-loud AI failures, including completely fabricated quotes and a chatbot's bizarre attempt at using British slang. Public vs. Private Sector Bidding: Dave and Stu express their shared frustration with impersonal public sector RFPs (Requests for Proposal), where dozens of companies might blindly bid for the same small contract. They discuss the controversial trend of heavily weighting "social value" over technical and financial ability in contract scoring, and why they strongly prefer the relationship-driven, problem-solving approach of the private sector. The Modern Salesperson as a Consultant: In the engineering and tech spaces, the traditional sales "order taker" is becoming obsolete, as buyers now do most of their research online. The hosts explore how modern salespeople must act as problem-solving consultants, deeply understanding their organisation's capabilities to identify and solve issues clients didn't even know they had. The Challenge of Tech Sales: They highlight the difficulty of hiring salespeople who genuinely understand complex engineering, the risk of sales teams overpromising to clients, and why creative and technical companies must stop giving away their expertise for free just to win a bid. Client Wins & "Engineer Reactions": A behind-the-scenes look at a recent, highly successful rebranding project for a Somerset-based engineering client, featuring the hilariously cautious, perfectly reserved way that engineers express their excitement over creative work. Whether you are trying to navigate the flood of new AI tools without losing your brand's authentic voice, looking to revamp your B2B sales team, or just want to hear two industry veterans vent about the pains of procurement, this episode delivers practical advice wrapped in their trademark banter. /episode/index/show/redevo/id/36547045