What I Learned at the Digital Marketers Australia Conference (and Why You Should Care)
AI, SEO, email automation, and how to stop treating your audience like it’s still 2010
Recently, I jumped into a room full of marketing nerds (my people!) at the Digital Marketers Australia Conference—and it did not disappoint. If you’re a business owner, in-house marketer, or just trying to make sense of the ever-shifting digital landscape, here are the biggest takeaways from the event—and how we can use them to actually get results.
1. AI Is Not the Future—It’s Now
Chatbots vs AI agents. AI-generated images. Voice clones. Virtual influencers. The tools are here, and the message was clear: if you’re not playing with AI yet, you’re already behind.
2. Be the Expert (or Be Forgotten)
Want to be seen as an authority in your space? Get on stage. Start that podcast. Create educational AND entertaining content (yes, “edutainment” is a thing now). Share your frameworks, checklists, and case studies. People want value, not fluff.
And if you’re part of an organisation—use your exec team as your content weapons. They don’t have to dance on TikTok, but their insights can seriously build your brand's trust factor.
3. Email Is Not a Megaphone
Email is your best friend—but only if you treat it like one. Gone are the days of generic newsletters. Segment your audience. Clean your lists. Speak like a human, not a brand bot.
Also, remember the old “rule of 7”? Now it’s the rule of 19–21. That’s how many touchpoints someone needs to remember you. Repetition matters—so make it count.
4. SEO Is Changing. Fast.
Want to rank in 2025? Think beyond Google. ChatGPT and other language models are now part of the SEO game.
What’s working:
Digital PR: Create content the media wants to pick up (e.g. “Top 50 towns to start a business” = instant backlink bait).
Internal links: They’re your new best friend.
Fresh content: Update old blogs. Repurpose them as videos or infographics.
Forget guest blogging. It’s officially dead. RIP.
5. Short-Form Video Still Rules the World
Attention spans are toast. The dopamine economy is real.
To win:
Hook them in 2 seconds.
Keep them watching.
Deliver a “dream transformation.”
Bonus points if they laugh, cry or send it to their mate.
Pro tip: No one wants to watch an ad. So don’t make one. Make something they care about.
6. Your Brand Is a Feeling
Yep, a feeling. Brands are built emotionally—through consistency, repetition and storytelling. The strongest brands aren’t necessarily better; they’re just easier to remember.
What feeling do you want people to associate with your brand? Start there. Then repeat it. Often.
7. Build Super Fans, Not Just Customers
Want growth without always paying for ads? Turn your customers into advocates.
Reduce friction.
Sell benefits, not just features.
Share user-generated content (it converts 4x better than your fancy ad).
Make reviews easy (90% of people read them before buying).
8. Storytelling Still Wins
Want to make something stick? Tell a story.
Remember the “Significant Object” experiment? Junk sold for 2,700% more—just by adding a story.
Why? Because stories create emotion. Emotion creates memory. And memory creates action.
So, what’s your story? And are you telling it well?
Bonus: Programmatic Advertising Is Getting Smarter
AI isn’t just for content. It’s also revolutionising how we buy media. Programmatic tools can help you reach the right audience at the right time—without blowing your budget. Use it wisely.
The Wrap-Up
We’re in a new era of marketing—where AI meets emotion, SEO meets storytelling, and email becomes personal again. If you’re not adapting, you’re getting Borkd (and not in a good way).
At Borkd, I’m here to help you decode all this jargon and turn it into practical, un-boring marketing that works. Want help? You know where to find me.
