As I continue to bring stories that champion entrepreneurial success, and support business owners in their pursuit of cash-rich exits, one thing remains clear: we must adapt to the evolving landscape of business. One such significant development is the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the business sphere.
Today, I’m pleased to introduce you to Susan Diaz, Founder and CEO of c+p digital, who is pioneering the category of ‘AI agencies’ for founder-led brands. Susan is an experienced content marketer and community builder, as well the author of “UNboring: Take Your Content Marketing from Blah to Brilliant”. Her innovative work is defining a new frontier in marketing, showcasing the potential of AI in supercharging productivity and efficiency for founders, like us, in the Self-Made Nation.
The idea of an AI agency was first articulated in 2020, heralding an evolution of the traditional agency model. The key difference? It harnesses the immense power of artificial intelligence to optimize tasks and services, functioning similarly to a SaaS (Software as a Service) company. In the early 2020s, the primary domain of AI agencies was market research. They used AI to initiate a renaissance in qualitative data analysis. But as the wheel of innovation spins fast, the landscape is rapidly changing, and AI agencies are set to transform several other sectors including the creative sectors.
Practical strategies from diverse business minds
This discussion with Susan forms the third and final part of my “remarkable marketing moves in a recession” series. This is part of my Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) of doubling the number of self-made millionaires in Canada by celebrating entrepreneurial stories and supporting cash-rich exits. In the first part, I conversed with Glenn Schmelzle, the Chief Data Analyst at the Marketing What’s New agency (if you enjoy audio, listen to EP 269 of my podcast, “I’m a Millionaire! So, now what?”). The second conversation was with Brock Murray, CEO and Co-founder of seoplus+ (you’ll find the conversation on EP 270). These conversations helped me understand their unique perspectives on utilizing data and content in marketing strategies.
Our conversation with Susan rounds off this trio of thought leaders focused on the power of niche marketing, the benefits of conducting a content audit, and exploring unique ways to repurpose content for greater engagement.
Extending the utilization of your current marketing assets (advice from an AI agency founder)
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Pause production, maximize utilization: Susan advises business owners to halt the creation of new content for at least three months and concentrate on fully leveraging what they already have. This approach saves resources and enables us to get the most out of our existing assets.
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Assemble a detailed inventory: Organize your intellectual property into a catalog that is accessible to your teams. This inventory will serve as a valuable reference, enabling more efficient use of content and smoother transitions between team members.
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Repurpose and diversify your content portfolio: Transform your existing content into different formats suitable for various platforms. For example, a lengthy article could be segmented into a series of LinkedIn posts, or a podcast could be split into shorter videos.
Susan’s fun, frank advice for The Self-Made Nation
“I believe small businesses really have agility. That is superb. We can just roll ourselves up into Hedgehogs, like Jim Collins says in his ‘Hedgehog theory’ in his book ‘Good to Great’. This allows us to survive most things. So don't underestimate yourself! Don't underestimate your marketing! Don't underestimate your content!”
If you are thinking about using AI in your business, Susan offers 'The AI Advantage' premium program designed to help business owners harness the power of AI by teaching you the art of prompting - a critical skill in the modern business world https://cp.digital/the-ai-advantage/
If you enjoy the audio medium, you’ll find a lot more in the podcast episode here. Have a listen!