Hello and welcome!
In case you’re new here, this is your weekly dose of digital marketing news and data to help you make informed decisions. Stay tuned to the end for a dash of mindfulness to ease the stress of the day.
SEO & SAIO
- 72% of respondents to a recent survey said AI-driven personalization and generative AI will affect their business the most in 2024. Here’s the scary part: “AI is also powering hyperpersonalization by using complex user data such as real-time browsing behavior and predictive digital preferences to create highly customized experiences.” What could go wrong with that? We should all be pondering the ethics of that question.
- What is a position-less marketer? According to Optimove, this marketer has a diverse skill set and can adapt and collaborate to drive business outcomes. Is this the direction marketing is going in the automated, AI-driven future? Our thought: AI still needs inputs and oversight from well-versed specialists in some of today’s key digital marketing roles – SEO, PPC, Data Analytics, etc.
- Generative AI is a hot topic (still), but how are people actually using it? As a marketer, I found this interesting because “content creation & editing” was the second-most popular use. We go into this in our latest POV, but as a reminder: AI should be an assistant, not the sole writer.
Do Good Spotlight
🌠 Meals on Wheels America 🌠
One in two seniors living alone lacks the income to pay for basic needs. Meals on Wheels delivers meals and services to seniors in need. They have over 5,000 community-based programs nationwide. If you want to get involved or contribute, you can check them out: Meals on Wheels America.
Thanks to Stephanie Alberto for the recommendation!
Digital Marketing
- We all know social media shows us what we want to see. If Joe Schmoe engages with a video of monkeys doing the tango, naturally, the algorithm will show him more dancing monkeys. The day Joe takes a trip to the jungle, with the thought of seeing these hairy performers live, he’ll be in for a rude awakening. Now, this is a silly example, but the topic can be ANY topic. We need to be aware that social media algorithms silo our information. A way we combat this is through ethical marketing, based on the principles of transparency and accuracy. Get more about ethical marketing and disinformation from ClickZ.
- We’ve been talking about antitrust suits for Google, Meta, and Amazon, but what about Apple? U.S. regulators are now also targeting Apple for monopolizing the smartphone market. Are there other situations we take for granted that may be up for targeting by regulators?
Has Written Content Become the “Um Like” of Marketing? 💬
Um, like, I mean, you know, uh…
We are all familiar with these filler words…. We tune them out whenever someone is talking and just listen to the stuff that matters.
The same thing happens with poorly written content. Unless content is created with the audience in mind, it becomes as meaningless as the filler words peppering English sentences. Why has some written content become so boring, and how do we fix it? Read more in our latest POV: Has Written Content Become the “Um Like” of Marketing?
Thoughts to Take With You… 💞
Recently, I had a stranger treat me unkindly.
I didn’t respond and went on my way. It was a small interaction, but it made me think (as pretty much everything does). Maybe this person had a bad day or believes they’re stuck in an unhappy life path.
In a later conversation with Niki , our amazing CEO, she shed some light on these kinds of interactions. She said we have three ways to respond: 1. react with the same hostility, 2. pretend to ignore it, or 3. genuinely respond with civility.
When we choose the high-road option in #3, we surpass our own ego and show kindness to someone who may need it. Whether they rethink their actions is not up to us. But we all know deep down if we show more kindness and compassion, the world can be better.
Looking forward to seeing you here next week!
Natalie
Unrelated P.S.
Growing season is here 🌱
