Send us a text

In this episode of the Human First AI Marketing podcast, Mike Montague sits down with LinkedIn strategist and author Daniel Alfon to break down what actually works on LinkedIn in 2025, especially for B2B professionals, SMB owners, and marketing directors. They dive into why you don’t need 10,000 followers to win on LinkedIn, how to turn profile views into real business conversations, and how to create a standout profile that drives inbound trust and referrals. From leveraging LinkedIn without posting daily to using AI tools without losing your human voice, Daniel shares a playbook that’s practical, ethical, and refreshingly anti-hype.

Key topics include leveraging LinkedIn to build trust and long-term relationships, the risks of automation and shortcuts, AI-assisted content strategy (without compromising authenticity), and optimizing your profile as a conversion asset. Whether you're trying to grow a service-based business, improve your personal brand, or equip your team for smarter outreach, this conversation will reshape how you think about LinkedIn and how you use it to grow.

Top Takeaways

1. You Don’t Need to Post Daily to Win on LinkedIn
Success on LinkedIn doesn’t require daily posting; many professionals generate leads simply through an optimized profile and intentional networking.

2. Automated Tools Can Hurt More Than Help
Overusing automation tools can damage your credibility, get your account restricted, and undermine the trust you’ve built.

3. AI is Great for Brainstorming, Not for Replacing Your Voice
Use AI to generate ideas or draft copy, but always edit to reflect your authentic voice before publishing or messaging.

4. Your LinkedIn Profile is Your Most Valuable Asset
Treat your profile like a landing page: clarify who you help, what you offer, and the exact action you want visitors to take.

5. Start Conversations, Not Campaigns
Real business comes from real relationships. Focus on using LinkedIn to connect personally, not blast messages.

6. Stay Human in a World of Bots
Maintaining a human-first approach, checking in with real people, remembering birthdays, and sending emails builds deeper, lasting trust.

7. You Can Succeed with Just 200 Quality Connections
Having a small, engaged network that knows, likes, and trusts you can generate more business than thousands of superficial followers.

8. Referrals Trump Reach
Most high-value B2B deals come through referrals, not viral posts, so prioritize building trust with your immediate network.

9. Educational Content Converts
Teach your audience something valuable, and they’ll come back for more (and eventually ask how they can work with you).

10. Your Call to Action Should Be Low Commitment and Clear
Instead of pushing for a sale, guide people to a podcast, free resource, or email newsletter to keep the conversation going.

The Human-First AI Marketing Podcast is brought to you by Avenue9. We use artificial intelligence to amplify your unique voice, empower your marketing team, and enable your scaling business to achieve big-brand success.

Explore new avenues available with AI marketing at Avenue9.com.

We’re not just another AI company trying to build robots to replace you. We will help make you the hero. We’re marketers, too, and we get how important creativity, empathy, and human insight are when connecting with your ideal clients.

No matter where you’re starting from or how big your goals are, we turn modern marketing challenges into exciting opportunities. Let's get started with a discovery consultation!

Send us a text

In this episode of the Human First AI Marketing podcast, host Mike Monague sits down with Ashley Gross, founder of the AI Workforce Alliance, to unpack one of the most urgent transformations facing today’s marketing leaders: the shift from traditional labor models to outcome-based, AI-enabled work. Ashley shares how she reduced her workweek from 40 to 15 hours without sacrificing quality and why this isn’t just a personal productivity hack, but a framework for scaling teams, optimizing budgets, and retaining talent in a fast-changing business landscape.

From the rise of autonomous agents to the future of entry-level roles, this conversation explores how AI is reshaping everything from content creation and project management to strategy and culture. Whether you're a marketing director figuring out how to upskill your team or a small business owner deciding where to invest your time and resources, this episode delivers practical insights on human-AI collaboration, designing outcome-based compensation models, and preparing your workforce for the next evolution of work.

Top Takeaways
1. Optimize for outcomes, not hours.
Ashley advocates moving away from hourly compensation toward value-based models where employees are rewarded for results, not time spent.

2. AI enables a 15-hour workweek without sacrificing quality
By leveraging AI tools strategically, professionals can dramatically reduce time spent on repetitive tasks and focus on higher-impact work.

3. Every role is a sales role now, and emotional intelligence still matters
Whether in HR, product, or marketing, employees are “selling” ideas and experiences, and human connection remains essential in the age of AI.

4. Start by automating low-empathy, repetitive tasks
Use AI to eliminate busywork, like note-taking or task entry, so your team can concentrate on the work that truly requires human judgment.

5. The myth of job safety is outdated. Create your own role
Traditional job paths are disappearing, and Ashley encourages employees to proactively shape new AI-enhanced roles based on curiosity and initiative.

6. AI can fast-track your learning and creativity.
For early-career professionals, using AI to experiment, learn, and iterate quickly can leapfrog the traditional slow climb up the career ladder.

7. Don’t wait for the perfect tool, start with what’s already available
Many people are paralyzed by the hype; Ashley recommends embracing imperfect tools now to build comfort and skill before the next wave hits.

8. Too many AI tools are just wrappers master the foundational ones
Focus on deeply learning platforms like ChatGPT or Claude rather than chasing every shiny new app built on top of them.

The Human-First AI Marketing Podcast is brought to you by Avenue9. We use artificial intelligence to amplify your unique voice, empower your marketing team, and enable your scaling business to achieve big-brand success.

Explore new avenues available with AI marketing at Avenue9.com.

We’re not just another AI company trying to build robots to replace you. We will help make you the hero. We’re marketers, too, and we get how important creativity, empathy, and human insight are when connecting with your ideal clients.

No matter where you’re starting from or how big your goals are, we turn modern marketing challenges into exciting opportunities. Let's get started with a discovery consultation!

Send us a text

In this episode of The Human First AI Marketing Podcast, host Mike Montague sits down with Dan Sanchez, founder of the AI-Driven Marketer podcast, to unpack how marketers can go beyond gimmicks and truly integrate AI into their daily workflows. From building supercharged content systems to mastering chain prompting and custom GPTs, Dan shares how AI becomes a force multiplier when wielded by experienced professionals. Whether you're overwhelmed by content demands or trying to scale without ballooning headcount, this episode offers clear direction and grounded insights.

Dan also opens up about his own pain-fueled pivot into AI, how AI tools saved his creative momentum, and why thinking in systems is the next frontier for marketers. You’ll learn when automation makes sense, where human intuition still wins, and how SMBs can punch above their weight in 2025 by combining empathy with AI. If you want to turn AI from a toy into a strategic asset, this conversation is your playbook.

Top Takeaways
1.AI Supercharges Experienced Marketers
When paired with real expertise, AI tools act like a Swiss Army knife, amplifying your capacity, creativity, and strategic execution.

2. Most Marketers Aren’t Truly AI-Driven Yet
Despite the hype, the majority of marketers still aren't using AI meaningfully or consistently in their workflows.

3. Chain Prompting Unlocks Complex Output
Rather than one giant prompt, breaking tasks into a series of step-by-step prompts (chain prompting) leads to more accurate and effective results.

4. Custom GPTs Save Time & Preserve Brand Voice
Building custom GPTs enables marketers to embed brand knowledge once and reuse it for consistent, on-brand content creation at scale.

5. Think in Systems, Not Tasks
Moving from manual prompts to repeatable systems is the secret to scaling AI-driven marketing, especially for solopreneurs and lean teams.

6. AI Should Serve the User, Not Just the Marketer
The most ethical and effective uses of AI enhance the user experience, such as automating appointment booking or answering FAQs quickly and reliably.

6. Automation Should Support, Not Replace, Human Touch
AI should be deployed where it improves efficiency or consistency, but marketers still need to show up where human connection matters most.

The Human-First AI Marketing Podcast is brought to you by Avenue9. We use artificial intelligence to amplify your unique voice, empower your marketing team, and enable your scaling business to achieve big-brand success.

Explore new avenues available with AI marketing at Avenue9.com.

We’re not just another AI company trying to build robots to replace you. We will help make you the hero. We’re marketers, too, and we get how important creativity, empathy, and human insight are when connecting with your ideal clients.

No matter where you’re starting from or how big your goals are, we turn modern marketing challenges into exciting opportunities. Let's get started with a discovery consultation!