Greetings!

I’m going to change Bananarama’s “Cruel Summer” lyrics to “It’s been a hot, hot, hot summer…” (and we’re not even that far into it)! It’s also been hot from a digital marketing perspective… check it out!

• How do you know if your gen AI chatbot is hallucinating? Time recently reported “Scientists Develop New Algorithm to Spot AI Hallucinations.” The researchers came up with a formula to calculate “semantic entropy” which determines how similar the responses are when prompted with different variations of the same prompt. They are hoping that gen AI chatbots like ChatGPT can ultimately provide a button that will give you a “certainty score” to the provided response. If you don’t want to wait to see how and when this comes to pass, we have three suggestions for you:
  1) Try typing the same prompt into multiple gen AI chatbots and observe the response similarity.
  2) Only use Gen AI responses that come with citations to the sources included in their response.
  3) Use Google Gemini’s fact-checking feature to highlight verified (green) and questionable (red) parts of AI-generated responses.

• Switching from AI hallucinations to a different AI issue: “How to fight bias in your AI models.” Martech uses the lack of accurate data on loans taken out by women as an example of how an AI model will then be biased about the potential of this under-reported segment. A possible solution is creating “synthetic data” to fill in these gaps.

DBE Perspective 💬

At SMX Advanced, Elizabeth Tucker, Google Search’s Director of Product Management, revealed key insights into the future of SEO.

Some focal points include reusing the words, “satisfying,” “helpful,” and “experience” when describing content. Could these expand EEAT principles Google’s set forth in the past?

Get the details from our Director of SEO & SAIO, Marc Engelsman: Google Seeks to Satisfy with Renewed Focus on Helpful Content.

• Here’s a new concept: ban algorithmic feeds on teen social accounts. New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the “Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids” act. Should the act be approved, it will prohibit addictive feeds for teens as well as sending notifications between 12am – 6am. Social Media Today sums it up well.

• We’ve seen influencers used in countless B2C product campaigns, but what about B2B? Some influencer strategies from B2C crossover into B2B, like choosing a micro- and niche influencer for their specific audience. One thing you have to keep in mind is subject-matter expertise and professional experience. Check out this EMarketer chart on the topic!

• Did somebody say bacon? Oscar Mayer did! They pulled a great fake-out to give you a giggle!

Thoughts to Take With You… 💞

I’ve been hit with the “respond, don’t react” mantra frequently this year. Books, articles, and life situations have been pointing at it in one way or another. The quick overview if you’re new: it is about letting the situation sink in and responding thoughtfully instead of reacting on your first emotion.

I think one way to get closer to this is by listening. Once the situation (whatever it is) gets difficult, pause and listen.

• Listen to what’s going on in yourself. Ie., Is your heart beating faster? What emotions are going through you? 
• If you’re in a conversation, listen to the other person’s verbal and non-verbal cues. 
• If the situation is too much to handle, listen to something outside what’s going on. Maybe there’s rain on the window or a breeze picking up. Then, once you’ve grounded yourself, head back in and respond.

Responding allows us to pull out of the tunnel vision caused by reacting. We gain perspective and thoughtfulness in tricky circumstances.

Go get ‘em today – you got this!

Natalie

Love me some Coldplay… Did you know they are making their new album entirely out of plastic collected from water? They also aim to make their tours more sustainable. They’ve topped my charts as the coolest band ever. 🤘

Howdy!

We’ve got 2 weeks’ worth of roundup for you, so grab your favorite beverage and let’s jump in!

• Will AI be facing a content boom/bust situation like the gold rush? An Epoch AI study “projects that tech companies will exhaust the supply of publicly available training data for AI language models by roughly the turn of the decade — sometime between 2026 and 2032.” The potential need for more content may push AI developers to mine sources like emails or text messages (goodbye privacy?). Or lead to partnerships with content sources like Reddit and Wikipedia.

• Siri (and all Apple products) will be getting an AI makeover. They’re calling it “Apple Intelligence.” The new features include enhanced photo editing, custom emoji creation, and other photo and content editing/generation capabilities. ***NOTEWORTHY: Apple integrated ChatGPT from OpenAI to help drive some of these enhancements. Microsoft, as a core investor of OpenAI, stands to benefit from this Apple/OpenAI deal. We’ll keep you posted.

• Perplexity Pages was introduced earlier this month as a form of publishable content threads that are searchable by Google. It seems some of these threads are now starting to show up in Google’s AI Overviews. We agree with this article that these Perplexity results could lead to spammy, black-hat-ish optimization abuses.

• Raise your hand if you’ve ever abandoned a cart because of extra fees. (Okay, I can’t see your hands, but I am sure a good portion of you have.) “Nearly half of US adults abandoned their online shopping cart at checkout because [of] the extra costs (shipping, tax, and fees)” as stated by EMarketer reporting on a Baymond survey. The real question is what can we do as marketers to mitigate these costs?

• Marketing Charts surveyed high-level marketing leaders with this question: “In the next year, what effects do you anticipate AI will have on your organization’s funnel?” Interestingly, improving and scaling lead management variations were mentioned in 3 out of 5 top results. Another one was “optimizing messaging and content.”

• We’ve talked about creative being a true ad differentiator in the past. LG Ad Solutions released data expressing that “49% of customers believe they can distinguish between traditional and AI ads on CTV.” While 30% of respondents stated they would like their ads personalized with AI, 80% believe it should be regulated. We all need to be careful how we step with AI ad/content creation.

Thoughts to Take With You… 💞

Have you ever seen a toddler experience something for the first time? They pick up rocks and sticks in amazement – with consistent wonder of the world unfurling around them. 

What if we applied more of that amazement to our day? 

We could watch planes pass by the sky with astounded awe. We could experience how amazing it is that we can flick a switch and have light flood a room. We could see our jobs from a beginner’s perspective. 

Could uncovering amazement, awe, and wonder make us more aware of and happy with the lives we have?

That’s a wrap – enjoy the rest of the week!

Natalie

Speaking of awe, this is one of my favorite articles. Here’s an excerpt from Outside magazine contributing editor, Florence Williams:

“A heightened awe experience stimulates the vagus nerve, which calms us, and releases a pleasant rush of dopamine and oxytocin, increasing a sense of connection.

It also dramatically shifts which brain networks are firing up. Imaging studies show that awe reduces activation in our self-referential default-mode network. The findings help explain two significant features of a classic awe experience: a relatively diminished sense of self, and a tendency toward altruistic behavior.”

Awe changes the way we think and how we experience, #SoCOOL!

Hi all,

Missed you last week, but we’re back with all the digital marketing action today!

Another week, another “HUGE” Google story has the SEO world buzzing. No, it’s not more about AI Overviews (that’s so last month). It’s about a document leak that reveals the inner workings of Google’s ranking algorithm. Rand Fishkin, SparkToro co-founder (and formerly, a founder of Moz) shared the documents from Google’s Content API Warehouse that were shared with him and added his thoughts. There’s a lot to unpack, but in DBE’s tradition of Omotenashi, here are the quick hits:

• We used to say there were over 200 factors in Google’s search ranking algorithm. Turns out, the API documentation includes over 14,000 attributes. The depth of the data Google is collecting to feed its API is astounding. For example, they aren’t just cataloging “clicks” – there are “goodClicks”, “badClicks”, and “lastLongestClicks” attributes.

• BUT the documents do not include data on how each feature is weighted in search ranking.

• How does this impact SEO strategies and best practices? Initially, not much. We already factor many of the attribute categories into our recommendations. In the longer term, when we have a better sense of weighting, we will tweak our recommendations accordingly. Here’s the release from Fishkin and Search Engine Land’s coverage. 

• What’s the most important word in marketing? Marketing expert, Mark Schaefer, lays down a real-life example of this word in action. What’s the word, you say? It’s maneuver. While I don’t believe it needs be compared to “warfare” per say, he still makes an excellent point. Marketers need to be swift, accurate, unexpected, resourceful, flexible, and decentralized in leadership. Read more to get the full picture.

• After the big TikTok ban news, the company announced layoffs of ~1,000 employees in operations, content, and marketing. The LinkedIn News page has a variety of opinions and perspectives on the issue. Business Insider gives quotes from ex-employees who were surprised at the abruptness of the scenario.

• In lighter news, you ever wonder who was really behind the Duolingo marketing stunts. Duolingo on Ice? A fake reality TV show where no one speaks the same language? The Super Bowl Ad? That’s the brand team. Zaria Parvez, their Global SMM, interviews Duolingo’s Creative Director, James Kuczynski, to see how the social and brand teams create uniquely original, viral content.

• EMARKETER shares data that “nearly a quarter (23%) of US adults say they research a product online and purchase it in-store”. Their chart also shows other interactions between online and in-store behavior. All the more reason to leverage omnichannel marketing strategies.

• Techie news (particularly helpful for tech startups and media companies): Some brand websites are exploring the fediverse as a way to get referral traffic. The fediverse allows people to interact with others via different federated social platforms (like Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky). This way, your audience can reach you from their platforms of choice. Digiday does a much better job explaining it if you are interested.

Thoughts to Take With You… 💞

We know AI can do lots of things for us.

But what does it take away when we allow it to create for us?

We lose the flavor, pizazz, complexity, passion, excitement, unknown, truth that’s wrapped up in the creative process. It’s not always easy – coming in inspirational waves, drawn by mysterious currents. You find it buried underneath the blank stares at empty pages. The process can lead us down a pothole-packed road that is miles off the highway on which we started. Sometimes, it hits us in the face with brilliance. Other times, it has the humble presence of the “b” in the word “subtle.”

The meaning of the fluffy paragraph above is: No person or robot is going to say things exactly like you.

You are the originality – the authenticity – this automated world craves. Don’t look down on yourself for not being as perfect as the autogenerated piece… because it’s the imperfections that make lasting impressions.

Keep on keepin’ on,

Natalie

The writer’s voice is one of the key reasons a reader keeps reading.

If you’re an editor, how are you preserving that? Check out this piece from Proofed for advice!

DBE Perspective… 💬

Google announced the long-awaited public release of its Search Generative Experience (SGE) last week. Except it’s no longer called SGE but rather AI Overviews (apparently, SGE was its experiment name). The search marketing industry is buzzing about the launch and its potential impact. So, we thought it might be good to add our perspective in the form of an FAQ from Marc Engelman, our VP of SEO & SAIO…

Stay tuned as we conduct our own research into the next phase of Google Search!

• Sites that suffered significantly from the “Helpful Content Update” can recover search traffic losses if they fix things, according to Google’s John Mueller. What specific things to fix is not known, but our advice is to start from your perspective. Would you actually find your content useful? Then, ask someone else or a group of people in your audience. What do they have to say? 

• Tired scanning through all the various search results (Images, Videos, News, etc.) that appear above the Google search text listing? Now you can use the “Web” filter to see those text links (and maybe some text ads). The problem is that it may be hidden in the filter bar so be sure to click “More” to find it. Here’s an example of the All view vs. the Web view (pardon Marc’s home team bias). The wanted result is in green.

• Perplexity is now delivering a daily digest to those interested. Thursday’s digest was on Apple and OpenAI nearing a deal for integrating ChatGPT technology into iPhones. Buried in the third paragraph of Perplexity’s writeup is word that Apple is talking with Google about licensing its Gemini chatbot. It’s nice to see this form of a digest with multiple link citations.

• I wonder how many boring ads we’ve seen in our lifetimes – ads that were so bad that they weren’t worth the mental storage. With the death of the cookie, ads have to be more memorable and relevant than ever. Because even the best targeting goes to waste if the ad stinks worse than a triathlon athlete after the big race. This Emarketer article says to experiment and set the creative bar high!

• Emarketer shares a Hootsuite survey showing that marketers have the greatest confidence that LinkedIn delivers a positive return on investment (70% agreed). Per an Emarketer forecast, LinkedIn U.S. ad revenues are expected to rise by 13.9% this year. LinkedIn has always had strong support from B2B marketers but now it appears B2C marketers are seeing the value, too. Interesting, and not surprising, is confidence in X/Twitter is only at 30%.

Thoughts to Take With You… 💞

You ever get that buzzy feeling – like your brain chugged too many cups of coffee. It feels impossible to sit and get one task done.

I’ve had that feeling lately and these things have helped during the workweek:

1. Acknowledging that I’m jittery (it happens and it’s okay)
2. Then, adapting my workday to fit where I am.
   1. Put the phone out of sight. 
   2. Raise the desk to standing mode and take walking breaks to work off the extra energy.
   3. Deepen the breath and imagine metaphorically “landing” on the ground.

We are conditioned to be busy all the time. If we think we’re not productive, feelings of unaccomplishment and boredom seep in. For me, the jitters arise from the stress of being too busy. It’s a warning sign to slow down.

Yesterday was World Meditation Day, and it’s a reminder to incorporate stillness in our lives. Enjoying food without distractions. Gazing out a window. Focusing on the breath. Stillness helps us reset and crystallize our intentions. It gives us pause to appreciate the path we’re on.

Best Wishes 🙂

Natalie

Jillian Pransky, renowned yoga teacher, has a beautiful way of simplifying the art of deep listening in her book, Deep Listening: A Healing Practice to Calm Your Body, Clear Your Mind, and Open Your Heart. Recommend checking it out if you’re interested!

Hiya!

Time to turn on the digital marketing thinking caps. We’re getting ready to dive in!

• ChatGPT-4o (o standing for “omni”) rolled out on Monday, and it’s getting closer to the robot assistants we see in the movies. Read a quick summary in The Verge and get the capabilities in the OpenAI ChatGPT-4o blog. Overall, it is faster, understands more (from languages to conversational cues), and is available to free users. Note: Free users still won’t have access to the internet browsing features that are included with ChatGPT Plus subscribers.

• Now consider this other OpenAI news: “OpenAI may be getting closer to launching its ChatGPT product that searches the web and cites sources when answering questions.” We’ve seen some elements of link citation use with ChatGPT Plus prompt responses. It seems like the difference between free and Plus users will be usage limits. Here is the ChatGPT response to our query regarding its search function.

• Have you been following the US vs. Google antitrust trial? Danny Goodwin covers how the DOJ “hammered Google over search ad price manipulation” in its closing statement with 20 eye-opening slides. Read for yourself and let us know if this changes your attitude and/or investment in Google Ads.

• Here’s a head-scratcher: Search Engine Journal reports “Ex-Google CEO Implies AI Search Will Have No Links.” We’ve all seen how Google prefers to provide answers to queries without links to answers (e.g., the example for “what time is it in california” used in the article). And most of us can trust Google’s response to these simple, fact-oriented questions. But our testing of Gen AI has revealed some gaps in the accuracy of their responses that have not included source citations with links. At a time when expertise, authority, and trust (E-A-T) are touted by Google as helpful content quality signals, we don’t foresee a link-less Google AI search engine anytime soon.

• LinkedIn and Microsoft partnered to provide a new report on the AI landscape in the workforce. Unsurprisingly, 76% of global knowledge workers are using AI at work – 46% of them started using it in the past 6 months. Also, interesting to note that the top occupations using AI include content writers, graphic designers, and marketing managers. Here’s the Social Media Today overview and the full report on Microsoft.

• Skittles renovated a tiny apartment in NYC and is paying for one lucky raffle winner to live there for a year. If you haven’t seen the pics, you gotta check ‘em out!

DBE Perspective 💬

Our Director of SEO, Marc Engelsman, challenged Google Gemini, ChatGPT Plus, and Perplexity to a write-off… and even the winner had room for improvement.

Dive deeper into the findings, and read the full article: Ranking Gen AI Platforms on What They Know and How They Talk About SAIO.

Thoughts to Take With You… 💞

I was recently given a challenge.

Instead of the traditional “How’s your day going?” I was asked to start with “Tell me about your day.”

The traditional how’s-it-going banter consists of a yes or no answer. However, “tell me about your day” invites room for conversation – for connection. It gives an opportunity to know another on a deeper level. It goes beyond polite greeting and lets the other person know you care.

Try it sometime. You might be surprised with the responses you receive.

Keep on swimming, y’all! 🐟

Natalie

“94% of fish stocks in the US oceanic and gulf waters are not being overfished,” which is an all-time high according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration! Catch the story in Good News Network.

Guess what?

… our favorite day of the workweek! We’re super excited to give you this week’s edition of Perceptive Marketer. Let’s goooo!

• How do Perplexity searches differ from Google? This article could have used Google SGE examples for a more ai-pples-to-ai-pples comparison (pun courtesy of Marc Engelsman). However, you quickly see the stark (and welcome) difference of Perplexity’s ad-free environment. Time will tell if Perplexity will show ads for revenue.

• What is the top impacting factor on a person’s perception of brands on social media? Would you be surprised if I said content? A recent study by Sprout Social supports this. Content ranked over how fast the brand responds and how personalized the responses are. So whatever you post – make it worthy of your audience’s time!

• Meta introduced new AI-powered tools for the Creator Marketplace and Advantage+ creatives in ad campaigns. The improved Image Expansion feature is said to allow more natural-looking image ads on the platform. As with any new feature, please check all creatives as thoroughly as possible.

• Does B2B have to be the “boring” sibling to B2C? Liam Moroney poses this thought in MarTech. If you look at B2B with the perspective of quick sales, many opportunities for awareness and audience-building are missed. Marketing and sales are their own separate channels that require their own objectives and finesse.

• Speaking of B2B, how can you utilize AI-powered tools to find and engage the right decision makers? Ruth Stevens describes how to use Demandbase, Anteriad, and 6sense. Check it out!

• After debate between Elon Musk and the X team, they decided to decrease the impact of blocking users. If a blocked user replies to your post, you will be able to see it and report/respond to it. Andrew Hutchinson from Social Media Today has an interesting opinion as to whether it will last because some people want to be fully separated from select profiles.

Thoughts to Take With You… 💞

When was the last time you really looked out a window?

Every time you look out a window, it’s a little different. Leaves on a tree are rearranged. Different people may be walking, running, or riding bikes. The sunlight is shining on the Earth at a slightly different angle today than yesterday. 

The point is… there’s always something new and different to appreciate. Like the window, each day, there is something new and different to appreciate. We just have to be open and present to look.

Happy Wednesday!

Natalie

Excel at Excel with these hacks!

Hey y’all!

We want to thank you for being readers of our newsletter. 😊 We get lots of questions about Search AI Optimization (SAIO), so we created a comprehensive SAIO strategy guide that overviews how it differs from Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It includes our research with links to resources! 

In the words of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the movie Moana, “What can we say except you’re welcome?” Here it is:

• Google is starting to feel the competitive search “heat” from OpenAI, Microsoft, Meta, and other AI ventures. Machines for Gen AI are expensive and there are fewer new devices coming into the world to use them. Prabhakar Raghavan, the head of Google Search, said “it’s not like life is going to be hunky-dory, forever” and told his team to “meet this moment” and “act with urgency.” Sounds a little like a coach of a losing team challenging his players to work harder, no?

• Ever get frustrated with a less-than-ideal AI chatbot response? How are you prompting? Tech influencer, Jeff Su, explains an AI prompt formula in this short video. Warning: he speaks quickly, so you can put on subtitles or slow down the video if needed!

• It happened. The TikTok ban has been signed. Before the freak out happens, there are still a few things in the air. TikTok currently has 9 months to find a buyer, but plans to take the Biden administration to court first. If you’re looking for a quick run through, try Inc. If you’re looking for a more detailed story, try NPR.

• It’s astounding how a huge company, like Meta, can provide such little support to the creators who’ve built businesses around Meta. A recent example of this comes from fashion influencer, Lauren Holifield. Holifield was locked out of her Instagram account and faced social media managers’ dread… contacting Meta support. Trying to find a human customer service rep is incredibly difficult… so much so that some people sell their support rep contacts to others. SMH.

• Speaking of social media influencers, here’s a list of some of the top social media influencers by followers from Search Engine Journal. Most of these people crossover into different types of fame. They’re not just musicians, they’re actors and activists. They’re not just based in one country, they have world renown. They’ve tapped into so many types of audiences.

DBE Perspectives 💬

Nature gives us an intuitive feeling of relaxation and renewal. Imagine bringing that clear mindset to work. That’d be pretty sweet, right? Delve into the benefits of nature in the office and learn how to greenify your workspaces in our latest POV.

Natural Workplaces: Integrating the Outdoors into the Office

Thoughts to Take With You… 💞

We can time travel, in fact, we do it every day.

No, we don’t physically travel in DeLoreans with mad scientists. (If you do, please invite me!) It’s much more subtle than that.

We travel through our thoughts. You could be sitting at your desk and be thinking about the last time you called your mom. You could be walking the dog and thinking about what you’re getting at the grocery store later. 

Time travel is a skill that helps us learn and keeps us safe in some cases. But what can we uncover if we paused that skill for a while? How can we change moments of our lives if we focus on being fully present now? I’ll leave you with that question.

Have a lovely week,

Natalie

Psstt, don’t leave without your free SAIO guide!

Greetings!

Have you taken a moment to breathe deeply today? No? Try it.

Now that we’re a bit more centered, let’s see what’s going on in digital marketing.

• “Not all AI content is spam, but I think right now all spam is AI content.” This clever turn of phrase is from Jon Gillham, founder and CEO of AI content detection platform Orginality.ai. He cites that about 10% of Google results point to AI content and suggests Google’s “helpful content” algorithm updates aren’t keeping up with AI spam onslaught. As we have stated before, AI can be a good starting point for generating content but we highly recommend human review and editing to deliver the E-E-A-T SEO content quality signals that are key to success.

• Get ready for this laughably (and deliberately) bad example of spammy SEO content. This Verge article is optimized for “best printer 2024.” We checked and it’s actually ranking no. 1 in the organic SERP results (#Yikes). This proves Gillham’s point and supports our opinion that AI content needs to be curated. Shoutout to Marin Software for finding this one.

• Finally, long-time SEO-er Bruce Clay offers his guide on “How to survive the search results when you’re using AI tools for content.” It’s a decent treatise on the topic but his approach is all about how to leverage AI content for SEO rankings. The only thing it doesn’t bring up is the opportunity to gain visibility and links in the Gen AI results through Search AI Optimization (SAIO).

• What’s the deal with hyphenated domains now? John Mueller from Google states that, in the past, hyphenated domains may have been seen as “less serious” because the site owner wasn’t “able to get the domain name with fewer hyphens.” Now, Mueller says hyphens don’t matter as much as picking a domain with the most long-term relevance. You don’t want to be limited by the domain name you chose.

• What’s that new social media platform knocking on our door? It’s Airchat – a new text and voice social network. Most users are in the tech industry currently, and the platform founders want to be hands-off with content moderation. We’ll see if it can build off the shortcomings of X and Clubhouse.

• Reporters must have credible sources to create credible, informative articles. What if you could lend your expertise to them and get media coverage for your business/brand? Help Every Reporter Out (HERO) is working to continue this mission. You can sign up here!

• Not-related-to-digital-marketing-but-it’s-about-Earth-Day News: Europe is dismantling dams to save rivers across the continent! In 2023, 487 were removed, returning natural habitats back to animals and fish.

Thoughts to Take With You… 💞

We’re always looking to infuse inspiration into our lives.

How about instead of reaching toward inspiration, why don’t we let it come to us?

We don’t have to travel to unexplored places or do the riskiest thing we can think of — we can simply be receptive to the present.

The way the wind makes the trees dance…

The way tiny seeds unfurl into the most intricate patterns of petals and branches…

The way a child’s laughter can brighten the faces of those around them…

Inspiration can come from anywhere and everywhere. 😊

May inspiration find you today and everyday,

Natalie

When was Earth Day founded?

Who founded Earth Day?

Why is it in April?

Learn the answer to these questions and more in this Time article!

Howdy!

You’re tuned in to your favorite digital marketing station. And, have we got neeewwwsss for you.

• Have you heard about the US and UK to mandate AI-Generated Content Labeling in Social Media? The goal is to ensure content consumers know the content’s sources are authentic and trustworthy. We see ripple effects of these actions on Gen AI chatbots like Bing Copilot, Google SGE, ChatGPT, etc. They may increase the use of linked citations to the sources used in responses. And, thereby, providing more value for investment in SAIO best practices. 

• Nicole Greene, VP/Analyst at Gartner, cites Gartner research that predicts shifts from search engines to AI chatbots over the next four years: “[B]y 2008, brands’ organic search traffic will decrease by 50% or more as consumers embrace generative AI-powered search.” She talks about how it’s a B2C and B2B problem. Greene also says that Gen AI chatbots “are becoming the next frontier in advertising.” That’s something we raised in our Gen AI Ads blog earlier this month.

• Do you prefer to do your searching online or in-store? EMarketer shares survey data that 72% of consumers almost always or mainly search technology online. See how shoppers like to buy clothes; toys, books, and games; furniture and home items; and health & beauty products. (Gardening surprised me!)

• “60% of consumers are taking six or more actions before deciding to buy a brand or product that’s new to them”, according to Think with Google. Here are some of those actions:
  • Comparing the price of similar brands or products (80%)
  • Searching online for reviews and information (75%)
  • Visiting the brand’s or product’s website or app (67%)
  • Going to see the product in-store (66%)
  • Checking online retailers and marketplaces for info and reviews (60%)
  • Checking the return policies (60%)

There, we’ve given you the key points and spared you the part of the read that gets into why Google is a key influence in helping connect with consumers along the journey. But here’s the link in case you want to read it for yourself.

• TikTok Tea 🫖 We know TikTok is still entangled in the U.S. legislative process. If the TikTok ban is approved, TikTok would have a year to sell the app to a U.S.-based company. BUT, Chinese authorities state they will not allow the sale of the app, meaning the app will be banned in the U.S. Those of you relying on TikTok for marketing: none of this is set in stone yet, so this gives plenty of time to ruminate on other marketing strategies. Deep breaths, y’all.

• Meta, Meta, Meta. We know the advertiser user interface is… well, rough. Some advertisers have noticed the platform has been increasingly “glitchy” over the past few months. Meta acknowledged some technical issues, but various advertisers are reporting up to 3 times the average Cost Per Thousand Impressions (CPM). Whether you’re experiencing issues like these or not, keep an eye on your Meta ads. File a report if anything looks fishy.

Thoughts to Take With You… 💞

Recently, someone shared an interesting challenge with me: “Walk a block without judgment.”

At first thought, it sounds simple. But, just walking and observing quickly falls away as thoughts travel to…

… the silly squirrel that crossed the street right before a car rolled by,

… the oddly shaped bush in the neighbor’s landscaping,

… or how loud that tiny dog is barking through the window.

Of course, omitting judgment entirely is not possible (or safe). We need it to get through our day. However, we can grow closer to the moment if we let go of thoughts of imperfection. Those imperfections make each moment real.

Warm Regards,

Natalie

It’s allergy season again?

You’ve got to be pollen my leg! 🌷

Why is Yoda such a good gardener?

He has a green thumb. 🌱

What do you call a bear caught in a spring shower?

A drizzly bear. 🐻