The Digital Marketing Success Plan — Building Predictable, AI-Ready Growth in 2025

In this week’s episode, Sacha sits down with Corey Morris—award-winning marketer, best-selling author, agency CEO, and creator of the Digital Marketing Success Plan®—to break down what most companies get wrong about digital marketing (hint: it’s not the tactics… it’s the lack of a real plan).

From early SEO days and the rise of social to today’s AI-powered search landscape, Corey shares insights from 20 years of building ROI-driven strategies for brands across North America. His work at VOLTAGE, a premier search & web agency, has helped companies align their marketing, analytics, and execution for sustainable, revenue-focused growth.

We dig into:

• Strategy vs. tactics: why most teams jump straight into doing instead of aligning on business outcomes
• The START Planning Process®: the 5-step framework (Strategy, Tactics, Application, Review, Transformation) that makes marketing accountable
• The hidden cost of random acts of marketing: why posting “just because” drains time, clarity, and ROI
• SEO in an AI world: zero-click searches, AI overviews, and why “SEO is dead” is still a myth
• Content overload & quality control: how to use AI without creating junk that damages trust
• Reporting that leaders actually believe: tying marketing → pipeline → profit instead of stopping at clicks
• Trigger events: CEO drive-bys, rebrands, algorithm shifts & how to stay agile without losing direction
• Scaling predictably: why diversified tactics + disciplined planning beat shiny-object growth
• The real risks of tool overload: subscriptions, automation traps, and the false promise of shortcuts
• Building credibility in your niche: how to differentiate, not commoditize, your marketing

🎯 Key Takeaways:

Strategy > tactics:
Most marketing fails because businesses start doing before deciding why or how success will be measured.

Clarity beats chaos:
The START Framework gives teams a documented plan, clear definitions, and unified KPIs that connect to revenue.

SEO isn’t dead—it’s evolving:
AI changes how people search, but the need to be discoverable is timeless.

Data is your truth-teller:
If your reporting stops at impressions and clicks, you’re flying blind.

AI is a multiplier, not a replacement:
Use AI to scale thinking, repurposing, and planning—not to pump out low-value content.

Consistency compounds:
Success comes from disciplined execution, not one-off heroics or sporadic bursts of activity.

Agility matters—but guardrails matter more:
Trigger events should shift priorities thoughtfully, not derail your entire strategy.

🔗 Connect with Corey:

📘 Digital Marketing Success Plan® Website (START Framework + Book)
🧩 Free Strategy Blueprints: https://thedmsp.com/blueprints

⚡ Agency: VOLTAGE — Your digital partner for search & web
LinkedIn: Corey Morris
Company LinkedIn: VOLTAGE

#DigitalMarketing #MarketingStrategy #SEO #ContentMarketing #AIinMarketing #MarketingAnalytics #UncomplicateItPodcast #VOLTAGE #PredictableGrowth #STARTFramework #MarketingPlan #ROI

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Follow Us:
📸 Instagram: Uncomplicate It!
▶️ YouTube: Uncomplicated Marketing - YouTube