Emanuel Rose is the CEO of Strategic eMarketing, which helps B2B companies in IT services, SaaS, and financial services generate high-quality leads through innovative marketing strategies. With over 25 years of experience as an author, speaker, and B2B marketing strategist, Emanuel is widely recognized for his work integrating AI and automation into marketing. He explores these innovations on his podcast, Marketing in the Age of AI.
Here’s a Glimpse of What You’ll Hear:
- [2:27] Emanuel Rose reflects on his first sales lessons selling seeds door to door
- [7:25] Why Emanuel started his own agency after a setback
- [10:35] How AI now disrupts marketing like social media once did
- [12:51] Automating and personalizing outreach at unprecedented scale
- [14:10] Why authentic, human messages still outperform mass AI outreach
- [16:15] AI-powered networking tools and how they spark real connections
- [17:14] How generative AI is transforming SEO and content strategies
- [21:18] Why podcasts remain the best source for authentic marketing content
In this episode…
Some business eras evolve; others hit like a tidal shift — and AI-driven marketing sits squarely in the latter. Tools are advancing faster than teams can adapt, leaving many torn between excitement and overwhelm. How do you cut through the noise and navigate these rapid industry changes?
According to Emanuel Rose, a veteran B2B marketing strategist and early adopter of AI in real-world marketing workflows, the path forward starts with practicality, not panic. He believes the biggest opportunity right now isn’t flashy automation or massive content output — winning back time by offloading the mundane tasks that bog teams down. Emanuel explains how AI personalizes outreach, from analyzing a prospect’s online presence to spotting natural conversation openings. He compares this period to the rise of social media in the early 2010s: a disruptive force that rewards those who stay one chapter ahead. For Emanuel, the real advantage goes to businesses that use AI responsibly — not those chasing trends.
In this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, host John Corcoran is joined by Emanuel Rose, the CEO of Strategic eMarketing, to discuss how AI is reshaping modern marketing. They explore why personalization at scale is finally within reach, how to avoid the common missteps companies make with AI-driven outreach, and what generative search means for the future of SEO. Emanuel also shares his approach to blending automation with authentic human connection.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- John Corcoran on LinkedIn
- Rise25
- Emanuel Rose: LinkedIn | Website
- Strategic eMarketing
- Marketing in the Age of AI
Special Mention(s):
Quotable Moments:
- “But I think the biggest thing is being able to customize and personalize at scale.”
- “These types of interactions are the cleanest, best pieces of content we can produce right now.”
- “We should be winning our time back with the application of these tools.”
- “I still do my own research, and I still do my own outreach.”
- “I get three answers versus setting up a tool to send 10,000 DMs to get three answers.”
Action Steps:
- Start automating your repeatable tasks: Reducing time spent on mundane work frees your team to focus on strategy, creativity, and relationship-building.
- Use AI tools to personalize outreach at scale: Creating tailored messages increases engagement and helps you stand out in an environment flooded with generic communication.
- Map your customer journey and identify content gaps: Understanding where prospects get stuck allows you to create targeted resources that directly address their questions and concerns.
- Evaluate your data systems before implementing new AI solutions: Clean, organized data ensures your tools work correctly and prevents wasted time or poor results from rushed adoption.
- Encourage continuous learning around emerging technologies: Keeping your team curious and adaptable helps your organization stay ahead during periods of rapid technological change.
Sponsor: Rise25
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Episode Transcript
Intro: 00:00
All right. Today, we’re talking about marketing in the age of AI. My guest today is Emanuel Rose. And I’ll tell you more about him in a second. So stay tuned.
John Corcoran: 00:09
Welcome to the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, where we feature top entrepreneurs, business leaders, and thought leaders and ask them how they built key relationships to get where they are today. Now let’s get started with the show.
John Corcoran: 00:26
All right. Welcome, everyone. John Corcoran here. I’m the host of this show. And you know, every week we feature smart CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs from all kinds of companies.
And if you check out the archives, we’ve got Netflix and Grubhub, Redfin, gusto Kinkos, lots of great episodes. So check that out. And before we get into this interview, this episode is brought to you by Rise25, where we help businesses give to and connect to their dream relationships and partnerships. We do that by helping companies to run their podcast and their content marketing. We are the easy button for any company to launch and run a podcast.
We do three things: strategy, accountability, and full execution. And all of those things are critical if you want to be successful in doing a B2B podcast. If you want to learn more about us and our platform Podcast Co-Pilot, you can go to rise25.com or email our team at support@rise25.com. All right. My guest today is Emanuel Rose.
He’s a B2B marketing strategist and expert in AI in the context of marketing. He’s also an author and a speaker and CEO of Strategic eMarketing, which is a marketing firm that helps B2B companies like IT services, SaaS and financial services. Companies with high performing lead generation systems got about 25 years of experience in the industry and a number of different areas of expertise, including how to connect with Gen Z in an era dominated by AI and automation. He’s also the host of the Marketing in the Age of AI podcast, which we’ll get into in a moment. But before we get into that, Emanuel, pleasure to have you here today, and I want to hear this story about you selling seeds door to door in your neighborhood.
Motivated by the little teaser, the of getting a boomerang, which is an interesting choice out of the prize catalog, and also selling seeds too. So you grew up in the Central Valley of California, which is an agricultural area. So maybe people were more open to that offer when you knocked on the door. But tell me about little young Emanuel knocking on doors, selling seeds door to door.
Emanuel Rose: 02:27
Yeah. I mean, just picture the early 1970s, you know, there were a lot of people who were just moving into cities, especially in Modesto. So it was a time when there were still vegetable gardens in the backyard or in the front yard. So I had somehow through a comic book, I’d seen that boomerang and the allure of the Australian outback grabbed me by the throat. And so I, you know, talked to mom, you know, can I get this?
She’s like, well, do you have any money? And so I also add probably right next to it in the comic book was to sell seeds door to door and, you know, make, make some money. So I walked around with, with the the order sheet, you know, tap, tap, tap on the front door. And somehow I sold enough seeds in order to, to get some money and, and buy the boomerang. So I’m sure my parents helped me out, but it was the first connector.
John Corcoran: 03:29
It was a simpler time when you couldn’t just go onto Amazon and order a boomerang, and it’d be at your doorstep the next day.
Emanuel Rose: 03:34
It would take 6 to 8 weeks through the mail. Right.
John Corcoran: 03:37
Yeah, yeah. And vegetable gardens are cool. I’m actually starting one with my 14 year old who’s really interested in them right now. So there’s been kind of a return in some areas with that sort of thing. So you did that and then you also got into tutoring in high school and college.
Tell us about that.
Emanuel Rose: 03:55
Yeah, I had had the opportunity to to partner up with a guy who is, you know, whatever, six years older than I was. And, and we had a little, little tutoring business and as a way to make some cash and have some money to buy books and, and a couple meals. Well, I was early on in my college career. Yeah.
John Corcoran: 04:16
So and and okay, so this is a natural thread. So seeds door to door to get a boomerang tutoring. And then next Natural Evolution is creating a catalog for selling hemp products through mail order. That was the next step.
Emanuel Rose: 04:32
That was the next step. Yeah. They went to this big rally and learned about hemp for paper and fiber and clothing and all that. And so I spent some time researching and finding all the distributors I could for these products. And then the biggest thing was the hemp twine.
In those days, I had the hemp twine by the box, and it was rolled. And then we would make bracelets out of the hemp twine. So, you know, I could have a very low cost of goods, a very simple manufacturing process that I could do myself. And then we’d go to music festivals and sometimes sell 3 or $4000 worth of bracelets in a weekend.
John Corcoran: 05:14
That’s nothing to shake a stick at. That’s impressive.
Emanuel Rose: 05:17
In the early 90s. Yeah, that was money to live on. And then I built a customer mailing list and would occasionally put out a catalog, and then did well enough to pay back the person that funded the business for me. And then eventually it kind of got automated into another group of people and bought those hemp mills in Hungary. So that was a cool way to close that loop.
John Corcoran: 05:43
And did that teach you anything about marketing? Like, do you think back now to some of the skills that you learned during that experience?
Emanuel Rose: 05:52
Oh, yeah, I mean, I was a 19 year old kid, never had a business class. I was a sociology psychology major. So I learned everything about marketing from that. And then by reading 10,000 books. Right.
But yeah, everything from contracts and international business and the politics of a business and how to get along with people that you don’t like, you know, I mean, just every, every little nuance of business. I got the microwave version of that through that process.
John Corcoran: 06:31
And were you like, I just went to the Dead End Company show recently, lots of people selling hemp and other related types of products. Outside of that, were you just walking around the show outside, walking in the show, selling these products? Where did you set up?
Emanuel Rose: 06:44
Yeah, you know, it’d be one of those deals where I rent a ten by ten booth in, in some festival and, you know, Sebastopol or something. And then we would hang out over 4th of July weekend, sell or go to Arcata and hang out on the plaza on one of those festivals like Oyster Fest and have a booth space.
John Corcoran: 07:04
Yeah, yeah. Very cool. So take us up to the origins of your current company with strategic marketing. I think there’s a story behind you working for another company and they were promised you a bonus, which never materialized.
Emanuel Rose: 07:20
Yeah.
John Corcoran: 07:21
And then that you’re like, screw these guys. I’m going to start my own business.
Emanuel Rose: 07:25
I had one of those two strikes and you’re out experiences. I’ve been in the electronics industry and built up a couple of successful product lines that to the, to the threshold that I was supposed to get a pretty good size bonus, which then that was reneged on. And so I quit that company. Then the very next role that I had, they hired me as a change agent for the company. And then immediately upon hiring, they said, for the next 90 days, don’t make any changes.
And then about four months in, And then I got the. You’re really not a match for our organization speech.
John Corcoran: 08:04
And so why do you think it wasn’t a fit or do you feel it was a fit.
Emanuel Rose: 08:11
It was a cultural thing. It really wasn’t an organization that wanted to change. And they ended up two years later getting parted out and sold to three different companies because they just couldn’t, couldn’t adapt to the changing market. So that was kind of the irony of it.
John Corcoran: 08:30
So you, you strike out on your own, starting your own marketing agency. This is 2010, which for those who remember, was a bit of a lot of economic change, kind of on the tails of the great economic recession. Looking back on it now, was that a good time to start a company? Was it a challenging time to start a company?
Emanuel Rose: 08:49
Yeah. I mean, I think it’s always challenging to start a business with no clients, right? Where you’re like, this is kind of what I have to do. And then you’re starting to scrape around and figure out, well, how am I going to get to pay me, and how am I going to get to make that happen? It was when social media was just starting to become such a force that it couldn’t be ignored.
And so like, well, I know more than most of the business owners, I’m talking to the Chamber of Commerce dinner, so I’ll just I’ll just start, you know, I’ll do what I’ve always done, but I’ll just have ten clients instead of one. And stay one chapter ahead. Right. As things change.
John Corcoran: 09:30