Humanizing Your Digital Presence, with Wes Towers, Uplift360

Have an idea or tip? Send us a text! From construction industry websites to photography businesses, the digital landscape is transforming at breakneck speed – and those who adapt will thrive while others fade away. When Wes Towers received a business valuation three years ago, identifying AI as an existential threat to his company, he faced a pivotal choice: resist or evolve. His decision led to his most profitable year ever. "We"re calling it search everywhere optimization," Towers explains, describing how customer search behavior has fundamentally changed. People no longer search with disconnected keywords but engage in full conversations with search tools. This shift toward natural language is actually humanizing digital interactions rather than making them more robotic. The key differentiator for businesses navigating this landscape? Authenticity. Your content must sound uniquely like you – not the generic, faux-enthusiastic tone that permeates so much AI-generated content. Towers advocates using AI as your "first terrible draft" while ensuring the ideas and voice remain authentically yours. "You want to be the master of the AI, not the other way around," he advises, recommending businesses develop clear style guides before employing generative tools. For smaller businesses competing with larger entities, Towers offers counterintuitive wisdom: embrace your size as an advantage. While larger companies might offer more services, small businesses provide direct access to passionate founders who truly care about outcomes. By niching down and becoming specialists in targeted areas, even tiny companies can attract significant clients searching for genuine expertise.Mediaclip Mediaclip strives to continuously enhance the user experience while dramatically increasing revenue. Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREE Independent Photo Imagers IPI is a member + trade association and a cooperative buying group in the photo + print industry. Photo Imaging CONNECT The Photo Imaging CONNECT conference, March 1-2, 2026, at the RIO Hotel and Resort in Las Vegas, N Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Sign up for the Dead Pixels Society newsletter at http://bit.ly/DeadPixelsSignUp. Contact us at gary@thedeadpixelssociety.com Visit our LinkedIn group, Photo/Digital Imaging Network, and Facebook group, The Dead Pixels Society. Leave a review on Apple and Podchaser. Are you interested in being a guest? Click here for details. Hosted and produced by Gary Pageau Edited by Olivia Pageau Announcer: Erin Manning