Is AI Killing Creativity? Why Marketing Still Needs a Human Touch with Ashley Dibiase

If you’ve ever felt like content marketing is just posting random things and hoping for engagement… this episode is your wake-up call.

This week, Ashley DiBiase, founder & CEO of Dash of Social, joins us to break down how she built a full-service marketing agency from her college dorm room — and why content ecosystems, not content chaos, are the key to sustainable growth.

From TEDx speaker to 40 Under 40 honoree to integrated marketing partner for nonprofits, startups, and scaling brands — Ashley proves that marketing doesn’t have to be overwhelming to be effective.

💡 What You’ll Learn:
• The “Content Marketing Trifecta” — Social, Email, and Blogging done right
• Why personal brand = business growth (and how to build one with purpose)
• How to work with AI without sounding robotic
• The best process for defining your voice and scaling content without burning out
• Why most businesses don’t need more content — they need better connections

👉 Key Highlights:
✅ Marketing Ecosystem Strategy – Aligning channels to drive consistent leads
✅ Real-Talk on AI – When to use it, when to ditch it, and how to keep content human
✅ Creative Process Behind the Scenes – Where inspiration actually comes from
✅ Who Should DIY vs. Who Should Outsource – Practical advice for business owners

📇 Guest Info – Ashley DiBiase
🌐 Website: https://dashofsocial.com

📧 Email: [e-mail]

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyjeanmason

📱 Social: @DashofSocial on all major platforms

🎙️ Hosted by Reed Hansen
Chief Growth Officer, MarketSurge
📅 Book a strategy session: https://link.marketsurge.io/widget/bookings/marketsurge/demozvwcxw

🌐 Website: https://marketsurge.io

🎧 Podcast: https://marketsurge.transistor.fm

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100035121171654

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsurgeio

🐦 X / Twitter: https://x.com/marketsurging

Creators and Guests

Host

Reed Hansen

Reed Hansen is a seasoned digital marketing executive with a proven track record of driving business growth through innovative strategies. As the Chief Growth Officer at MarketSurge, he focuses on leveraging AI-powered marketing tools to help businesses scale efficiently. Reed's expertise spans from leading startups to Fortune 500 companies, making him a recognized authority in the digital marketing space. His unique ability to combine data-driven insights with creative solutions has been instrumental in achieving remarkable sales growth for his clients. ​

What is Inside Marketing with MarketSurge?

Welcome to Inside Marketing with MarketSurge — your front-row seat to the boldest business insights, marketing breakthroughs, and entrepreneurial real talk.

Hosted by Reed Hansen, Chief Growth Officer at MarketSurge and a digital marketing veteran who's helped scale everything from scrappy startups to Fortune 500 giants, this podcast dives deep into what’s really moving the needle in today’s marketing world. Find us at Marketsurge.io

Each week, we’ll break down the latest marketing and business news (minus the fluff), explore tech trends you actually need to know, and feature unfiltered conversations with the most interesting minds in entrepreneurship and marketing.

Whether you're a founder, a marketer, or just a curious hustler looking to level up, this is where growth happens—loudly, smartly, and with just the right amount of sass.

Subscribe, tune in, and let’s scale something legendary. 🚀

Speaker: Welcome to Inside
Marketing With Market Surge.

Your front row seat to the
boldest ideas and smartest

strategies in the marketing game.

Your host is Reed Hansen, chief
Growth Officer at Market Surge.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Hello
and welcome back to Inside

Marketing with Market Surge,
where Influence Meets Impact.

I'm your host, Reid Hansen, and
today's guest is Ashley DiBiase,

founder and CEO of dash of Social.

Ashley launched her agency as a
college student and scaled it into

an integrated marketing partner
helping small businesses non-profits.

And tech startups stand out without adding
workload from social media management and

content creation to strategy and email.

She lives by one core belief marketing
should make you visible, not overwhelmed.

A TEDx speaker 40 under 40
honoree and founder of the

Massachusetts Business Network.

Ashley turns values driven
communication into measurable growth.

Ashley, welcome to the show.

Ashley DiBiase: Reid, thank
you so much for having me.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge:
Yeah, my pleasure.

So I know you've, uh, had
your own agency for a while.

You founded Dash of Social
in College, is that right?

And, and has turned it
into a full service agency.

So what, what kept you going,
you know, how have you, um, added

your special spin to keep, uh,
dash of social growing steadily?

Ashley DiBiase: Yeah, absolutely.

So yeah, as you mentioned, uh,
I started my company in 2016,

um, in just about a few weeks.

As of the time of this recording, it'll be
our ninth year in business, which is crazy

to think about it, it feels like 2016
was just a few years ago, not nine years

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Right.

Ashley DiBiase: it has been so much fun to
build up the company since then, uh, I've

always been very entrepreneurial minded.

Really interested in writing and
I feel like since marketing is

probably 95% writing, or at least
it feels that way, it felt natural

to just follow that as a career.

Uh, I always knew I wanted to own my own
business, uh, but didn't think it happened

so young at the age of 19, but here I am.

Um, I feel like what happened for
me with just the growth and being

able to keep things going was that.

COVID happened actually
a year after I graduated.

I graduated in 2019.

Uh, told myself I graduated.

I wasn't gonna work for anyone else.

I was only going to work for
myself, and that's what I did.

And so a year after that is when the
pandemic began, which actually ended

up being a good opportunity for me
because that's when all these companies

who had no online presence at all.

Suddenly needed to be online very quickly.

And so it was really gratifying to
be able to support them during such

a stressful and overwhelming time and
help them continue moving forward.

And so that's something that
really contributed to growth.

And then also, I will say
just great partnerships.

I mean, it built a lot of good
partnerships with PR firms, web

designers, paid ads, consultants,
anyone who offers complimentary services

and works with similar clientele.

To me has just been a really great
way to help to expand my reach and get

really great referrals moving forward.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: That's awesome.

And, you know, speaking of, uh, your
reach, um, as I mentioned in the

intro, you've been a TEDx speaker.

You've, uh, been honored
as a 40, under 40 honoree.

Um, and obviously you have
a great personal brand.

Do you feel like your, your personal brand
has helped your own agency's authority?

Uh, you know, does that help in
say, uh, sales conversations or just

overall promotion of your business?

Ashley DiBiase: Yeah, I love that
question and I fully believe it does,

and I am a big advocate for anyone in
business to be able to build their own

personal brand because I think it helps
to build that know, like, and trust.

Factor.

And ultimately at the end of the day,
people are doing business with people.

So you need really need to be
able to relate to someone on that

human level to make a difference.

For me, what led to that, uh, was kind
of like the background of starting my

business was during college, um, my
mom was diagnosed with terminal brain

cancer, glioblastoma, and so that.

Sudden diagnosis made me
realize like, life is short.

We don't have as much
time as we think we do.

We might as well pursue the dreams
that we feel passionate about.

And so I did.

But one thing that I also did moving
forward was that was very much part of

my story because of course everyone says
have a why for starting your business.

And that was part of mine.

And so it was something
that I was not only.

Um, vocal about because of the work that
I did, but also I kind of had to be with

clients because there of course came the
time where I had to move things around

when she passed and things like that.

So being able to be raw and
vulnerable, I think really resonated

with a lot of people and people
felt drawn to that story, and that's

what led me to the opportunity.

To get asked to do a TED Talk on
the challenge of change and be able

to have these other opportunities.

Since I feel like over the past, probably
at least five years or so, there's

been, um, more openness from people
to be more personal in their content.

I think for a long time there
was this notion that you had to

keep business strictly business
and personal, strictly personal.

There was no crossover.

But I think especially, uh, in the past
five, five years or even longer than that,

there's been that more crossover and.

Blurred line, so to say, of people
being able to show more of who they

are as a person and get to relate
to people on that personal level.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah, no,
that, that makes a ton of sense.

Um, now you've, you know, as I
was skimming your website, uh,

you've referred to Dash of social
as a marketing ecosystem partner.

Now that sounds like it is
a bigger scope than just the

traditional social media shop.

And, and how would you describe
that, the scope of your agency

in, in that, uh, context?

Ashley DiBiase: Totally.

So in addition to offering social
media, we also offer blog content,

email marketing, and then overall
marketing strategy and consulting.

But one of my favorite things to
do with clients and kind of, uh,

what makes me view us as like the
integrated partner of that ecosystem

is, uh, we work closely with the other
partners that our clients bring in.

So clients really appreciate that I
can work directly with their PR firm,

or I can even like, speak directly
with their employees for features

or even their customers to do like
customer showcases on social media.

I really like to kind of remove that
middle person, um, back and forth.

That kind of tends to come with.

Someone like hiring a person like
myself, and so I really love to

get into the nitty and gritty of
my clients as if I almost was an

employee for them, even though I'm not.

Mm-hmm.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Okay.

No, that makes sense.

Um, now, now conceptually I did find a, a
blog that referenced the content marketing

trifecta and, uh, you know, I, I like that
term with the social, the blogs and email.

Now, how would you say that
that connecting those makes,

uh, makes for an overall content
strategy and makes it successful?

Ashley DiBiase: Absolutely.

So I always say that you get the
best results when you don't put

all of your eggs in one basket.

Especially something like social
media where you don't own fully

your social media accounts.

I mean, it can get hacked, it can get
shut down, it can get taken away from you.

You wanna make sure that you're
diversifying your marketing efforts.

And that's where incorporating things
like email marketing and having a

blog come in, ultimately they all
end up, uh, driving people from one

channel to another, which is where that
ecosystem terminology kind of comes in.

But someone might join your email
list because they read a blog post

where you included a link to sign up
for your newsletter or a link to your

lead magnet that you're offering.

Uh, but then someone might go.

From social media to your blog because
you're PO promoting a blog post that

you've written and published, uh, and
are sharing on social media and all

these different ways to kind of loot
people from one system to another, and

ultimately kind of leading them through
those different points of the funnel

is what will help to, again, build that
credibility with you, establish that

thought leadership, and then when it
comes time for them to hire someone like

yourself, you're the one who's top of mind
for them because you've been pushing them

along through those different channels
and through those different points.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Okay, that makes sense.

Um, now can you tell us a
little bit about like the, um.

You know, a typical client engagement.

Now you, when you start, uh, you're
coming in cold, some maybe you don't

have expertise in that business
yet, uh, that line of business.

Um, how do you get up to speed?

How do you speak with the
customer's voice, or how do you

help them define that voice?

What does that process look like?

Ashley DiBiase: Yeah, great question.

So I am type A by nature.

I feel like that is something that is
a little bit obvious, but I, I really

thrive in having like systems and
processes and so that's one of the

things that I prioritize is having like
a clear onboarding process or intake

process and working with a new client.

So that entail sending over an
intake questionnaire to ask about.

10 or 12 questions around the
background of their business or company.

Um, being able to get
their answers from that.

Plus my additional research really
helps to give me a solid overview.

Of course, also setting up multiple
meetings with my different points of

contact within that firm or, or company.

So if it's the CEO or if, even
if it's the head of marketing

or whoever I'm speaking with.

Being, being able to really understand
from their perspective what the company

does and what they're looking to
achieve through marketing is helpful.

Uh, I also think it's really great to,
of course, go through past content.

So if they've already been pretty active
on social media or with their blog

posts or send inconsistent newsletters,
being able to look through all of

what they've done in the past three
months or so helps to give me a really

good understanding of their voice.

Tone values, relevant topics and
content that they might wanna

continue sharing and publishing.

So that really helps to
understand things moving forward.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ashley DiBiase: of my favorite
things to do as well is ask them

for industry resources, like

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ashley DiBiase: certain publications
that they kind of tend to

reference or, uh, prefer to read
for getting their information.

I think turning to those as well just
helps to give a, a broader context

of what it is that they're offering.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Okay.

And I mean, obviously this would be,
uh, these are good steps to follow.

Developing your own voice and, um, you
know, if you were writing on behalf

of your own company, where, where do
you find that you add the most value?

Well, I guess my, sorry,
let me re rephrase.

The, there's a lot of questions for
small and medium sized business owners

into what should they do and what
kind of expertise should they learn

versus what should they outsource and.

Um, you know, you're, you know,
I, I have a marketing agency.

You have a marketing agency,
and so we, we kind of navigate

that or thread the needle there.

What, um, what, what kinds
of businesses or skill sets

lend, uh, more to outsourcing?

Do a firm like yours or, uh,
teaching themselves to do it?

Ashley DiBiase: Yeah, great question.

So I say really like the majority of our
clients hire us, not because they don't

know how to do marketing, it's because
they don't have the time to do marketing.

And so what happens at the end of the day,
even if they have already a marketing and

communications team internally, is that
usually social specifically is kind of

the one that gets kicked to the bottom
of the to-do list when there's so many

other things to make sure that gets.

Done.

Social media specifically is often
the one that gets forgotten about,

which is totally understandable,
especially if you're a founder and

you're wearing a million different hats.

You're not really gonna
prioritize social media over those

revenue generating activities.

But it is really important to make
sure that it does get done because

people view social and even other
organic content, uh, when they are.

considering purchasing your
product or buying your service

or whatever it might be.

And so having that active
presence is crucial.

And so I would say for any company who
knows the power of having their organic

content in a solid online presence,
but finds themself stuck with without

anytime at all to make sure it happens,
that would a good, uh, indication that

it might be time to seek a marketing
agency to work with on the other end.

For companies who.

Uh, may wanna do it themselves.

I say if they have like a really
solid team already in place, who does

have the resources or availability
to take that on, totally go for it.

If you already have someone in
house who has the capability of

doing it, um, or I say it also
truthfully comes down to budgeting.

If you just don't have the budget
right now to pay for an external

source, then it may make more sense
for you in the short term at least

to manage it yourself and DIY it and
do what you can until you end up.

Getting to the point where you do have
the funds to bring in an external partner.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Okay.

No, that's, that's excellent advice.

Um.

Do you find that, um, that, that pe
the businesses grow with you or do

they, um, I don't want to, I don't
want to misconstrue this, but like,

do they outgrow the need to outsource,
do they, um, what do you, what do you

see as more, uh, common trajectory?

Ashley DiBiase: Yeah, I'd say I see both.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ashley DiBiase: I have seen that
before where clients get to the

point where they're getting so big
where they're like, you know what?

We just need to hire someone
full-time who can handle all of that.

And I always say like, that is a
great problem to have where if you

don't need me anymore because you're
so big that you need that full-time

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Sure.

Ashley DiBiase: to handle
all the different things.

But I would say I kind of feel like.

What I'm seeing more, at least on the
tech side is that at the tech startup

side, I should say, is that a lot
of these, uh, startups aren't always

hiring for marketing specifically.

Like in-house, they kind of tend to have
like a handful of different contractors

or freelancers that they're working
with, uh, who all come together to form

their marketing and communications team.

So it tends to be a little bit of.

Both.

But, um, I do love having clients who
have been with us for several years

now at this point, because it's so
gratifying and fulfilling to think

about where their business or company
was at when we first started, and then

see now a few years later where it is
and be able to have that comparison.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

No, that makes sense.

Now, you know, in another part of this
formula that, and the decision making

that the businesses make is, uh, should
I have a content, a human content

creator, or should I do it with ai?

And um, you know, obviously.

A human creator is going to produce
higher quality content, more, uh,

more human sounding content, more
engaging content, but AI can do it

pretty fast and, and can do it in mass.

What, where, what do you think about that?

How, how do you see AI being a part of
the content marketing process and, and,

you know, what recommendations do you have
for, for business thinking about this?

Ashley DiBiase: Yeah, I feel
like, um, it's been growing I feel

like a lot over the past year.

Not only continue getting bigger, but
the idea of having an AI agent who

basically becomes like a clone of you, I
think is only going to continue to grow.

And I think with an AI agent, um.

If you end up building one, you
can end up really getting them to

know, like your voice, what your
focus is, whatever it might be.

And I think they can create content for
you, but I always say to really go through

it with a fine, uh, tooth comb and be able
to like, make those changes and, and check

for like the emojis and similar words that
are always used in any AI type of content.

So it's not obvious that it's used for ai.

Um, I think AI is okay if
you need help with like.

Content idea generation.

Um, I know that one thing a lot of
people struggle with is just like

not even knowing what to write.

They sit down at their desk and
they're like, I don't even know what

to write, or where to even begin.

Being able to use something like AI
to help generate those ideas of what's

trending right now, what are people
searching for in Google right now that

I can write about that's relevant.

Being able to help with, um, sharing
some topics to get started with, I think

can really help to kick things off.

Um, but overall, I don't
think anyone should fully.

Lean on ai.

I think if you're not using it at all,
it might put you at a disadvantage

because now there's just companies that
are fully incorporating AI completely.

And so I think it's important to use
it, but to not use it as a crutch.

Um, I did read maybe a few months ago
at this point, a quote that I felt was

really like, resonating with me, and
it was something along the lines of ai.

meant to do the mundane work
for creative people, not the

creative work for mundane people.

And I was like, that is the
perfect way to phrase it.

Use it to take, uh, take care of those
like tedious, mundane, annoying tasks

that don't need to take your time
and then use your brainpower and your

actual time that you have left to
focus on the creative stuff and being

able to create something really great.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Right.

And I, you know, I'd love that quote.

I'm gonna, I'm gonna remember that,
um, I, I had heard another kind of

twist on it that it, that it shouldn't
replace our creative, you know,

because like, what are we here for?

If we can't enjoy or create art, you
know, or create, um, you know, interesting

thoughts, you know, if, if we're here
just to do the, just to click, click,

click, you know, then that doesn't.

That that's not really living.

So

Ashley DiBiase: Exactly.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: yeah.

Ashley DiBiase: I mean, I think
I, especially in marketing, see

AI being really helpful, not only
for the research side, but also

like the data interpretation side.

Um, someone, some other marketer taught
this to me and I was like, this is genius.

But they recommended, like for example,
going into your Google analytics.

Copying all the data that that you're
seeing there, pasting it into something

like chat GPT and saying, here's what
my Google Analytics is telling me

based on these numbers and this data.

Like what recommendations should
I do moving forward with my blog

content or any changes I should
make to my pages on my website?

And then you'll get from
chat GPT or another.

Ai, some recommendations and something
like that I think is great because it

gives you really tactical advice and
it's not more of that like creative

task that we're focusing on, but
being able to use something that you

might personally not have knowledge
in, I think is a really smart way to

leverage it and be able to make some
important changes moving forward.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: That's awesome.

You know, Ashley, you are very quotable.

I'm, I'm, I'm picking up on this and
I think you have a good way of like,

making things very, very succinct
and, um, you know, and I, I think

that bodes well for after this.

I'm going to create a lot of short
form snippets and, um, you know, I

think you've given me a lot of great
content, so thank you for that.

Ashley DiBiase: Oh yeah.

You're very welcome.

Thank you for the compliment.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: But it's,
it's almost like, you know, it's

like, uh, content creation, like flows
through, flows through you and part of

your, uh, part of your overall being.

Um, now tell, tell me a little
bit about your creative process.

You know, like, um, what do you
I mean, I, I don't feel like

I'm a super creative person.

I, you know, I tend towards, um.

And I can't remember which one's right
or left brain, but I'm, I'm the other

one, you know, and, and, uh, but there
are people that are really good at coming

up with ideas or combining ideas, um,
adapting them for different formats.

How, how do you sit down
and think new, new things?

Ashley DiBiase: Yeah, I feel
like this is something that I

continuously like trying to.

Best creativity comes when I'm
doing anything except for working.

I feel like when I'm sitting at my desk,
uh, like I alluded to earlier, for people

who are sitting at their desk trying to
force themselves to think of an idea,

that's when I feel my least creative.

When I'm out, like on a run or even just
like outside doing nothing like showering,

even like the simplest things, I feel
like I just get these ideas that pop

into my head and I feel like it's when
you give yourself that time to just.

Relax and shut your brain off from
the work mode, that subconsciously

these good ideas start to come to you.

I also think it's good to consume
other content, so not necessarily

consuming other content for your
industry specifically, but just

any type of content overall.

I mean, I'm a.

Avid reader.

I've read at this point, um,
over a hundred books in 2025.

And so I feel like just reading
fictional books that have absolutely

nothing to do with my work, um, helped
to kind of fuel that creative side.

I think also reading other people's
writing can help to give you some.

Ideas, or especially how they might
structure things or, um, some,

some topics they might incorporate.

I think that can help to guide things.

But, uh, I also think too, in addition
to that, just having people that you

can talk to, like when it was just
me, uh, and my company, I felt very.

Tunnel visioned because it was just me
who was thinking of all these ideas.

But since then, I've built up a team
and I think having a great team who

is also on the pulse with this type of
stuff, like I can go to them and say,

what are you seeing right now that we
should be thinking about for this client?

Or What new ideas do, do you have?

And I think being able to bring in
other talented people who have different

perspectives as as you can help
with that creative process as well.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: That's awesome.

Well, um, so Ashley, I, I think
you've given us a lot to think

about, you know, and you know, I.

I'm, I will be digesting a
lot of what you've described.

Um, if people would like to work
with you, you know, up their social

media game or content creation
game, where can they find you?

What's the best, uh,
best site to find you on?

Ashley DiBiase: Absolutely, feel
free to go to dash of social.com

and then in the footer you'll be
able to find my links to social

media, but I am dash of social on
Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

And you can also find me on
LinkedIn under my name Ashley Dbsi.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Awesome.

Well, this has been a great chat and uh,
like I said, I think we've all learned

a lot and maybe we will be more creative
and maybe we will just go straight to

a very creative person like yourself.

Ashley DiBiase: Thank you so much, Rita.

I really appreciate the opportunity.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Thank you.

Speaker 2: Want to stay ahead of what's
actually working in marketing right now.

Head over to Market surge.io

and see how we're helping businesses
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That's market surge.io

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