80% More Leads: Personalisation Strategies That Actually Work! - Ep. 80

In this value-packed conversation, Alex and Erica chat with Amber Williamson, CEO of Digital Willow, about navigating complex buyer journeys in today's digital landscape. Discover how personalisation increased leads by 80% and where the line between effective and creepy marketing lies.

Amber reveals why real people trump polished brand content every time, shares her surprising insights on Reddit as a marketing platform, and explains why Connected TV is creating new high-impact advertising opportunities in 2025. 🔹 IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN:

- The fine line between effective personalisation and "creepy stalker" marketing - Why focusing solely on lead generation without brand awareness limits your marketing success

- How to build genuine trust without explicitly claiming to be trustworthy

- Why Reddit is becoming an influential marketing platform (even for AI language models!)

- Strategies for aligning marketing, sales, and customer service teams

- The emerging opportunity in Connected TV advertising

🔹 ABOUT OUR GUEST Amber Williamson is the founder and CEO of Digital Willow, a growth consultancy specialising in simplifying complex buyer journeys. With extensive experience in finance, insurance, B2B SaaS, and real estate marketing, Amber helps brands create strategic approaches for industries with multiple touchpoints and decision-makers.

Chapters

00:00 Intro – What “Giraffes Don’t Eat Steak” is about
00:25 Meet Ember – Guest introduction & show catch-up
01:33 Digital Willow explained – Growth consultancy in plain English
02:54 Complex vs. impulse buying journeys
03:52 Insurance roots & early collaboration stories
04:24 Mapping the customer journey step-by-step
05:45 Lead-gen ≠ Brand awareness – why both matter
06:48 Personalisation vs. privacy – the tight-rope marketers walk
08:48 AI’s impact on marketing strategy
10:14 Personalisation ethics in B2B vs. B2C
14:00 Building trust without saying “trust us”
17:17 Real people & authenticity for B2B brands
20:58 Favourite channels: Connected TV, DOOH & Reddit
24:39 Reddit deep-dive – ad formats, communities, authority signals
27:00 Connected TV – new ad tier opportunities
30:25 YouTube ads & audience tolerance for pre-rolls
33:20 Harmonising marketing, sales & customer service
38:08 Clarity, niching and internal comms
40:35 Final takeaway – test, learn, iterate
41:26 How to contact Ember & Digital Willow
41:44 Outro – like, review & subscribe

🔹 CONNECT WITH AMBER https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamsonamber

Connect with the hosts:
Erica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-mackay/
Alex: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-bilney/
Get in touch with us at The Marketing Detective Agency - www.themarketingdetectiveagency.com
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