Greetings!

You’re traveling through another dimension – a dimension not only of digital marketing but of mindfulness. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. Next stop: Perceptive Marketer!

Yes, we changed our name. No, this is not a drill. The name change is better aligned with our mission: to widen our perceptions as marketers through industry news and mindful perspectives.

Let’s jump in!

• Want to know what’s keeping marketing and PR leaders awake at night? Check out the top 10 challenges marketing decision makers are facing in 2024, based on UK respondents. Search engine updates and volatility, anxiety of being replaced by AI, plus a lack of understanding how we could use AI are some of the top concerns. This report is from the UK, and they haven’t even seen the Google SGE roll-out yet. No wonder a separate survey cites 76% of UK employees have experienced some form of stress-related staff absence.

• Understand Google SGE through this Lady Gaga search result. Business Insider’s overview helps you gain a deeper understanding of how disruptive SGE (and other Gen AI platforms) can be to the traditional search marketplace. The article even includes a discussion on the emergence of ads as sponsored links in Gen AI results – a topic we just covered in our latest blog.

• Google SGE has been released to the public… at least for a starting set of queries. Whether you’ve signed up to see SGE or not, you may see AI overviews filling your result pages. This is only a test but stay tuned for alerts when SGE finally goes live for reals.

• Are you afraid of the robot uprising? 🤖 Maybe this might make you feel better. The United Nations adopted a resolution for the “respect, protection and promotion of human rights in the design, development, deployment and the use of AI.” Sustainable development and a commitment to closing the digital gap between countries are two purposes of this resolution. If you love legal jargon, here’s the full resolution.

It’s Raining Ads! 🌧️

Ads in AI to be specific. Google SGE and Bing Copilot are showing ads in their Gen AI responses. What does this mean for Search AI Optimization? Find out here: Spring 2024 Rains Ads On Gen AI Results!

• As a perceptive marketer, you’re probably aware of multichannel and omnichannel marketing strategies. Have you heard about “optichannel”? “Optichannel strategies aim to deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time through each channel, maximizing engagement and conversions.” Martech explains the optichannel approach is a way of optimizing individual channels to improve customer experience.

• TikTok is not giving up! (And who would expect them to?) The attempt? A $2.1 million TV ad buy. Many TikTok users have been lobbying the senate to not pass the house bill, especially with so many businesses depending on the platform. But will a TV ad make a difference to the senators’ thinking? We have to keep watching.

• 🦉 With hot tracks like “Spanish or Vanish”, who wouldn’t want to go see Duolingo on Ice! Check out this spoofy Disney on Ice remake released on April 1st! (Pro tip: if you go to the ticket link, you can get promo codes for future Seat Geek tickets AND a free month of Duolingo.)

Thoughts to Take With You… 💞

Spring makes life go a million miles a minute. Are you taking time to pause? Here are some ways:

• Take nature breaks.
• Look up from your screens.
• Focus on your breathing.
• Eat without distractions.
• Ground yourself with nature-inspired activities like gardening.

Overall, finding moments of stillness will help us truly see the beauty and wonder that is the spring season.

Happy Wednesday!

Natalie

10 points if you got the intro reference! 👏🔟👏

Here’s some spooky fun facts about the famous show. 🙂

Heyo!

We’re in the midst of winter in New Jersey, and it’s such a great time to pause. Tara Brach, American psychologist, author, and meditation teacher gives some insights into the benefits of the “pause” in her book, Radical Acceptance.

“Pausing interrupts entrenched patterns of interaction. When the downward spiral of judging and misunderstanding is stopped, even for a brief time, it becomes possible to recognize the unconscious beliefs and feelings that lie behind the problem. Such insight naturally leads us to making wiser choices.”

When the moment is demanding a lot of you, if you have the opportunity, take a pause. See if anything changes.

• Econsultancy has put out their “Digital and Marketing Trends for 2024.” Their observations fall into five sections including:
  • Data haves and have nots
  • Customers are more than a conversion
  • Creative experiences
  • GenAI: Beyond the cool demo (with a note that AI’s presence is felt in other sections)
  • People as competitive advantage

Note one of the subcategories for the Customers section is “A rebound for trust” that explores how use of AI for content and/or images can reduce a customers sense of trust and how brands need to counteract that potential pitfall.

• Speaking of trends, Marketing Charts compares “Marketers’ Most Important Consumer Trends in 2024 vs. 2023.” Generative AI tops the list now but wasn’t even on the list last year. All the other trends show declines vs. last year with TikTok and Metaverse showing the biggest drops.

• Notice a theme here yet? What if we shared an eMarketer chart showing that 86% of adults worldwide want AI to “help research products or get information” during their shopping journey (according to October 2023 IBM data)? They also think AI would be helpful for customer service, looking for deals or reviews, and generally shopping for products or services. Does optimization for gaining AI chatbots’ citations in their answers now sound like something you might be interested in? (Yes, that was an Entourage reference.)

Do Good Spotlight
🌟 Wikipedia 🌟

If you have a smartphone, you’ve probably used Wikipedia to win a disagreement or two. “When did this movie come out?” “Who originally sang this song?” We’ve been there. That’s why we’re choosing them as our spotlight this week. They’ve saved us a few times, it’s time to give them a little support back: Wikipedia.

• Many of us think AI is smarter than us on all levels. 🤖 Even though some AIs can pass the bar exam, they are missing out on a crucial, simplistic element (most) humans have: common sense. This TED Talk by Yejin Choi outlines why AI is not yet the sharpest crayon in the box. Even though the talk took place last April, the point still rings true. When testing a variation of her prompt: “Would I get a flat tire by bicycling over a bridge that is suspended over nails, screws, and broken glass?” I get the same “Yes” response from ChatGPT. I even explained why it was wrong and asked the same prompt with a car. No change. AI still has a ways to go for ultimate knowledge domination…

• Google is moving where the reports are found in the UI for some accounts. If you need some help finding it, here’s SEL to the rescue!

• We’ve been hearing stories about how some in the executive suite/board don’t understand marketing goals and capabilities. For example, the Snoop Dogg ad for Solo Stove was a witty awareness play. Because the ad did not derive significant revenue in six weeks, Solo viewed the campaign as a failure and replaced the CEO. CMI points out the failure wasn’t the revenue, but the missing CTA that could have engaged audiences and guided them down the customer journey if sales, not awareness, was the real goal.My thoughts tie into the intro. Perhaps if there were more thoughtful pauses throughout the campaign creation process, maybe they would have picked up the mistakes in marketing CTA and analysis. Thank you to Amy Masters for sharing this with us.

Before you go off for the rest of your day, take a moment to pause. See how it might give some distance between you and the demands or stresses of Wednesday.

You’re awesome,

Natalie

What’s the new coolest trend?📈🤳😎

1. Find your digital marketing friends.
2. Creatively bring up WHW in all conversations with them. Examples of totally not-awkward conversational K-turns:
   • “That’s cool you got a new car… Have you heard of the What’s Hot Wednesday newsletter??”
   • “You need help finding your phone? I’ll help! Once I do, I’ll show you how to sign up for What’s Hot Wednesday!”
   • You: Knock, knock.
     Your Friend: Who’s there?
     You: What’s Hot
     Your Friend: What’s Hot, who?
     You: What’s Hot Wednesday! You should sign up today!
3. Okay, maybe don’t use those. But you should bring us up with your friends. Send them all the signup link. 😁

How goes it? 😀

Be honest. If you’re having a smooth day, I hope it keeps going! If today’s had a rocky start, that’s okay. Think of things that did go your way today. Was your coffee just the right temperature? Did you see a brightly colored sky this morning? Whatever it was, send a little gratitude out to those positive forces. Remember: the meh/not-so-great days make the good ones shine brighter. 🙂

Okay, let’s push onward into digital marketing! 💻

• 59% of adults are interested in using AI chatbots for conducting product research. This eMarketer story reinforces the importance of adding schema and product listings that are part of DBE’s SAIO optimization strategy. Don’t miss the note that Amazon is launching its own AI chatbot called Q.

• When a teacher instructs a class, they start with the basics and build from there. AI prompting can be approached similarly. With Chain of Thought (CoT) Reasoning plus 2 other techniques, generalized chatbot, ChatGPT, was able to deliver high-quality responses that bested specialized AI competitors. Perhaps we should be looking at chatbot prompting from the view of a great teacher… building lessons on each other, giving plentiful examples, and shuffling up the test choices (the answer isn’t always “C”, y’all).

Do Good Spotlight
🌟 Toys for Tots 🌟

Quick quiz: what organization has distributed 652 million toys to 291 million deserving children? If you guessed Toys for Tots, you’d be right! The Marine Toys for Tots Program’s mission is to collect new unwrapped toys and distribute those toys to less fortunate children at Christmas. Learn how you can support them: Toys for Tots.

• Have you ever been to an all-you-can-eat buffet with none of the dishes labeled correctly? That same confusion you get wondering if that dish on the back burner is chicken or pork is what advertisers feel on the Google Search Partner network (GSP). Advertisers have reported finding their ads on questionable websites, some of which were blocked. And this is why DBE tends to avoid the GSP network for our clients….

• Listening is one of the hardest skills to learn. It’s not something you can take a seminar on and call it a day. It’s an everyday practice. A constant choice. A meaningful awareness of yourself. A heartful connection with another. Quick Study posted a thoughtful piece on listening in marketing. I especially recommend reading the part about “transit hub” vs. “community” brands. Knowing where your brand lies in that mix is crucial to how you can best serve your customers.

• Marketing Charts has data from Dentsu on what roles CMOs are prioritizing for the next 12 months vs. the last 12 months. Top priorities include “ensuring effective brand management” and “developing the overall customer experience.” The story notes that B2C CMOs are held more accountable for customer satisfaction and advocacy while B2B CMOs are more likely to be responsible for the delivery of digital transformation programs.

See you on the flipside, friends. Have a superb week!💖

Natalie

Tap dancing is an incredible skill… and these brothers make it look easy! 🕺🏻🕺🏻

I don’t know about you, but I am inspired. 🤩

Perhaps you’re inspired enough to share us with your friends…. Here’s the link!

Howdy, howdy, howdy!

Today is National Cinnamon Day. Is there a better time to celebrate such a wonderful, versatile spice? Spiced chai… cinnamon baked goods… cinnamon-spiced sweet potatoes… all pay homage to this beautiful bark. Sometimes, it’s the small things that make a wonderful difference in your day. 🙂

Now, onto the digital marketing extravaganza!

• There is a playing field for Google Ads. There are two sides: one is Google ads best practices (by Google recommendation) vs. a controlled, marketer’s approach. Google is not an expert in your business, so you still need to have a hand in campaigns. On the other hand, machine learning is getting better everyday. We should be on the border between the two. The key is, context matters.

• We’ve been talking a lot about generative AI with SEO and SAIO, but it is interesting to see 35% of CMOs worldwide report they are investing in generative AI to create great brand experiences. The story comes with two key caveats: Be careful not to creep consumers out by misusing data via AI for personalization. And remember, human oversight of AI is essential.

Do Good Spotlight
🌟 Adaptive Adventures 🌟

Adventure is for everyone.

Adaptive Adventures’ vision is to ensure that all individuals with physical disabilities have access to participation in outdoor sports regardless of their location, equipment needs or economic status. As another member of REI Cooperative Action Fund, they are an organization working to make outdoor activities inclusive to all! Learn more about their mission and programs: Adaptive Adventures.

• Search Engine Land reassessed the value of links. One of the key takeaways: links are a great signal that users value in your content. They reinforce the Expertise, Experience, Authority, and Trust (EEAT) elements of your content that are core to Google’s current algorithm.
  LinkedIn and other social posts with links provide similar signals that reinforce EEAT and influence not only SEO rankings but also SAIO citations. See our latest blog below: ⬇️⬇️⬇️

DBE Insights 💭

As part of our ongoing “human” learning process on conversational AI searches, we’ve been talking with the chatbots themselves about their “machine learning” processes. We shared a recent Q&A session with Google’s Bard with an important question:

How would you rate LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Facebook in terms of relevance and trustworthiness?

We made the table below based on Bard’s answer. Learn more in our latest blog!

• We’ve all heard interviews that range on the scale of not-so-great to absolutely-crushed-it. It may seem like the focus is only on the interviewee, but the interviewer is a major driver of the interview outcome. Dave Purdy goes over some true and hard-tested tips to conduct great interviews.

Look for the small sparks of joy in your day. They’re scattered about in every direction. You just have to look for them. 🙂

Happy Wednesday!

Natalie

Did you know Wednesday was named after the Norse God, Odin?

Actually, all the weekday names are based on Norse mythology.

Before I give you the link to learn more on that, send your digital marketing friends this signup link!

Okay, here it is: Norse Gods & Days of the Week.

Hiya,

In case you haven’t heard it lately: You are smart. You are unique. You are awesome. 🙂

Ok, let’s get ready for some digital marketing!

• You probably know of the US Justice Department’s court case against Google for antitrust violations. The DOJ alleges Google gained an unfair advantage by making multi-billion deals with companies like Apple to make it the default search engine on products like the iPhone. Search Engine Land is reporting on claims, testimony, and developments by topic including:
  • Google search dominance (90% market share)
  • claims of harm by other search engine competitors
  • Google’s default search deals

It’s a longer read (20 minutes) but worth the skim to get a feel for the shade being thrown Google’s way and Google’s retorts.

• The Skimm has a new monthly newsletter for marketers, business leaders, and marketing industry obsessives. The SKM Report digs into how brands think about and talk to women. We’re excited to see the conversation continuing and growing!

Do Good Spotlight
🌟 Smile Farms 🌟

Smile Farms has become a nonprofit leader in creating meaningful jobs in agricultural settings for adults with developmental disabilities, almost none of whom have worked before.Their founding story is super sweet, too. Jim McCann, Founder/Chairman of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc., had a brother living in Independent Group Living Home (IGHL), a residence for people with developmental disabilities, so he teamed up with the home’s CEO, Walter Stockton, to create this program. Learn more about what they’re doing: Smile Farms.

• How is AI being used by companies like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Sprout Social? (Hootsuite is another platform using an AI generative chatbot function.) Read the sections on “Responsible AI use in marketing” and “The consequences of losing consumer trust” to understand the potential issues associated with the use of AI marketing tools.

• Speaking of ethical AI, Hans van Dam’s Ted Talk, “What happens when AI writes a TED Talk…” struck a chord with me. He talks of overcoming AI bias by allowing more “poets” into the AI project room. By “poets,” he means those interested in how language and people influence each other. What I loved is the idea of “teaching AI to help us become better people” by instilling thoughtful values from the start.

• Google removed the individual and ad-group keyword forecasting in Keyword Planner due to the lack of use. This doesn’t affect us as we can still conduct Google keyword research for our clients.

• The constant notification pings on our phones leaves our brains in a perpetual state of alert. Turning off non-essential notifications, setting app timers, and leaving the phone out-of-sight can help give your brain a reprieve and, hopefully, get you back to appreciating the moment. 😊

Toodles,

Natalie

Why shouldn’t you gossip in a corn field? Too many ears around. 🌽

What is a scarecrow’s favorite fruit? The straw-berry. 🍓

What should you wear to keep warm in autumn? A har-vest. 🎃

Welp, That’s fall folks! 🍂

*insert pause as the audience roars with laughter*

Tell all your friends these awesome, autumn jokes, AND send them a link to join our digital marketing party!

Hey-O

It’s the day-O for your favorite digital marketing newsletter! And have we got neeeewwwwss for you!

• We’ve seen Google Ad’s exact match go from super-strict-to-the-keyword to a relevancy-schmelavancy technique. As Search pulls us more into a “keywordless” world, keyword match types are still a key way to hold onto highly relevant search terms. Search Engine Journal has the story.

• Not sure you’ve seen, but Think With Google has a new sub-topic category in its nav bar – Automation. This month’s entry is “Does our marketing have the essentials to succeed with AI?” Here’s a key takeaway if you’re strapped for time: “AI is capable of multiplying business results and growth, but only when it’s paired with human expertise.”

Do Good Spotlight
🌟 Firefighters Without Borders 🌟

The whole world has been impacted by the wildfires in Canada. Firefighters Without Borders is helping to equip firefighters with emergency response training and fire response equipment across Canada and the world. See what they do here: Firefighters Without Borders.

• The Search 🔎 Wars: “Is Google past it’s search advertising prime?” This eMarketer chart shows Google’s share of non retail search spend has declined since 2021. Don’t fall for the clickbait headline though.
  Yes, Google’s share is down a tad since 2021…and, yes, Microsoft and Apple are on the upticks,…BUT Google still captures ~70% of the search spend. So to paraphrase a lotto motto, you still gotta be in it to win it.

• You might have seen auto-reply messages in Instagram, but do you know how you can set them up? HootSuite shows us how to do it directly on Instagram and if you’re a paying HootSuite user, how to set up auto-replies on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. That’s not the only cool thing about the video… It’s also narrated by a dog. 🐕 It’s a fun watch!

Wishing you a healthy and happy week!

Natalie

You know the Day-O (Banana Boat) song I mentioned at the beginning?

Turns out, it is based on a Jamaican work song.

To share more interesting facts and news with your buddies, send them this signup link!

Hellooooooooo

I found out this year that April 11th (yesterday) is National Pet Day. Isn’t that adorable? If you have furry/scaly/feathery friends, I hope you find some extra time to spend with them this week. As you may know, pets may help you feel more at ease. Stick around ‘til the end to figure out why. 😉 And now, what you’ve been waiting for…*loud sip*… the digital marketing tea. ☕

• Apple vs. Amazon? These companies are competing more than you think. See how they measure up as they go head to head.

• Social media marketing seems to flip on its head every couple weeks. However, the word “marketing” is not the most important part of that phrase. Like Mark Schaefer, we believe that social media strategy should be more about connection, instead of just selling.

• How are marketers paying influencers? What are the considerations for hiring influencers? What about the need for legal involvement when working with influencers? See this survey for more!

Do Good Spotlight
🌟 The Wayback Machine: Internet Archive 🌟

This nonprofit is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. It’s fabulous when you need to reference an older version of a website. The kicker is that they allow you to do so freely. See more about what they do and how you can help: The Wayback Machine.

• Google is removing 4 attribution models in Google Ads & Analytics later this year: First-click, Linear, Time Decay, and Position-based. Basically, anything that isn’t last-click will be much harder to track.

• How is AI shifting marketing approaches? Get the pros and cons for using AI across a spectrum of marketing disciplines. While it’s been said before, this con is worth repeating: “Since artificial intelligence cannot think independently, there are massive concerns about the quality, accuracy and integrity of its output.” Read more in Martech.

Just for Fun: What actually happens when people interact with animals? 🐰🐶🦜🐱🐢

Pssst… hey you… yeah you. You’re doing great. Have a phenomenal rest of your week. 😎

Natalie

I’m sure if your pets could talk, they’d tell you to share this newsletter with your friends.

Okay, they probably wouldn’t. (My pup would probably say, “Give me more peanut butter.”)

… But you should send your friends this signup link anyway! 😺

Happy mid-week!

Where I am, the neighbors really deck out their homes for Halloween. Two-story skeletons. Spiderwebs encasing porches. Even a sharkhead snacking on an unfortunate swimmer. The creativity is astounding! I could go on a mini-rave about this season, but I suspect you’re looking for the digital marketing buzz… and have we got neeewss for you!

• 2023 is going to bring about many changes for Google. One of which is the end of content targeting on YouTube conversion campaigns. We currently don’t know what the company is planning, but we are curious about this direction change and will keep you posted.

• Why would a website have high bounce rates? The top 2 reasons: 1. the page doesn’t meet expectations and 2. the site is ugly and/or difficult to navigate. Learn more here.

• 🔥 Hot Tips from DBE 🔥 *swish* *thump* There are quite a few things that go “bump” in the night to our marketer minds. Don’t worry – we’ve compiled a tool arsenal to fend off the nightmarish worries!

• Ideas for AI legislation have been bouncing around the White House with the goal of reducing AI risk. Get the scoop on what the bill does and doesn’t do with VentureBeat.

Do Good Spotlight
🌟 New Jersey Future 🌟

We have to think smart when it comes to land and people. New Jersey Future works to use land sustainably to benefit people now and in the future. They conduct research, develop policies, advocate, and assist to keep communities healthy and nature protected. Honestly, they do so many things, you might want to read more for yourself here: New Jersey Future.

• Think with Google has put out a lotta content in the past 10 years, and guess what? They put it in this nice highlight list! Our personal favorites include: “Why it’s time to say goodbye to the traditional marketing funnel” and “Why consumer intent is more powerful than demographics.”

• Ever heard of the K.I.S.S. acronym? Keeping writing simple and concise could make or break a campaign. See why in this HBR article.

Whether you’re into the spooky season or not, I hope you’re enjoying the beautiful, fall weather! 🍁

Have a gourd day!

Natalie

We think your friends will fall 🍂 for our newsletter.

Send them this signup link!

… Come on, don’t leaf us hanging!

Good morning ☀

It’s that time of week again. We’re eager to share the latest digital marketing tea…. Hope you’re ready because it’s here, and it’s piping hot! ☕

• POP-UP. FLASH SALE. NEWSLETTER SIGNUP. All these pop-ups on your landing pages may get you flagged with Google’s new destination requirements policy. Get more insight in the WordStream article

• Long ago. The Wayback Machine was enacted to chronicle the internet in 1996. During the pandemic, they expanded that service to become a “National Emergency Library”. Now, book sellers are suing the Internet Archive for mass copyright infringement much like musicians sued Napster. If the suits are successful, we could be saying farewell to the Wayback Machine, too.

• Sometimes we need a new way to look at concepts (especially ones we think we know). When it comes to return on ad spend (ROAS), we all want to make sure we’re correctly utilizing the marketing budget. View ROAS in a new light in this article.

• 🔥 Hot Tips from DBE 🔥 Are you a digital marketing nut? Are you a fiend when it comes to ancient mythology? We put them together in this fun blog post for you.

Do Good Spotlight
🌟 The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children 🌟

Since 1984, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has worked ceaselessly to help reunite families when children are separated from their families. They work with law enforcement to help find missing children, reduce child exploitation, and prevent child victimization. We’ve supported them for years and invite you to learn more here: https://www.missingkids.org/HOME

• The Status of SEO 🔎
  • Search Engine Watch offers “An SEO strategy flywheel to win leadership buy-in and drive results.” In essence, it follows the same approach DBE uses, but it also includes discussion of “confident humility” as defined by Adam Grant. He says it’s” the sweet spot in the axes of confidence and competence.”

• • One of our potential clients recently asked us how long SEO takes. Our rule-of-thumb response is 4-6 months for significant improvements, though dynamic sites (sites with lots of content changes, think news, and e-commerce) can start to see results much faster. Google the question and you’ll see the same response in the results. Dig a little further and you’ll find the results of a recent survey of 75 SEO experts in this from Morningscore.

• The full switch to GA4 is right around the bend! Dana DiTomaso breaks down the 4 simple things you need to know, including how all hits are “events” and that “engagement rate” is not the opposite of bounce rate. Definitely a good, straight-forward read.

 

Wishing you a happy Wednesday! If you’re in the mood for a chuckle, check out these Wednesday memes.

 

Farewell friends – until next time!

Natalie

 

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