Hey y’all!

March is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. In most myths, Mars is known for being quite brutish and hot headed. Now, traveling a little further east. In Ancient Chinese medicine, spring is the time of the wood element, which is associated with being highly motivated, ambitious, and sometimes forceful.

Personally, I don’t think this connection is a coincidence. The weather is getting warmer. The days are getting longer. It’s not unreasonable to get riled up in the action. While this newfound energy is exhilarating, let’s be cautious not to get too drawn into the heat of the moment. Instead, try to channel this energy into meaningful projects and present awareness.

Now that we’re a bit more centered, let’s take a looksie at this week’s digital marketing:

• Where do website traffic referrals really come from? Datos & SparkToro research concluded that 63% of US web traffic referrals came from Google. The next two runner ups are from Microsoft/Bing and YouTube. *cough cough* Another reason why SEO is not dead. Shoutout to Jessica Perry for this interesting piece!

• Is your website content “helpful”? If not, you’re likely to experience dramatic reductions in organic search traffic. Elizabeth Tucker, Google’s Director of Product, Search, stated the latest Google Core Update will “reduce low-quality, unoriginal content in search results by 40%”. We have always emphasized the need for quality, relevant, and helpful content, so we don’t expect our clients to see declines due to the update.

Do Good Spotlight
🌟 Action Against Hunger 🌟

For 40+ years, Action Against Hunger has taken decisive action against the causes and effects of hunger. They’re a top-rated charity on Charity Navigator and Charity Watch as well as a recipient of 2023 Platinum Transparency Candid Seal. Learn more about what they do: Action Against Hunger.

Thanks, Domenick D’Agostino, for sharing this organization!

• As the US Congress decides whether or not to ban/sell TikTok, we thought you might be interested in TikTok usage data. See the share of US TikTok users who have posted a video broken down by Age, Sex, Political Affiliation, and Education. Plus, read some interesting analysis from MarketingCharts including the observation that over half of TikTok users have never posted a video.😲

• 59% of people think there is too much brand advertising on social media. Yet, 61% of consumers agreed they discovered brands/products/services they’re interested in from paid/sponsored social posts. Confusing, right? It’s all about strategy. If selling is a brand’s only strategy on social media, the brand has already lost. The audience has to be the focus. No audience – no business. Check out Hootsuite’s report.

• Paging B2B sales leaders. 📟 McKinsey has 3 game-changing case studies highlighting different approaches to increasing sales productivity. AI is not directly mentioned but it could be used to leverage sales technology and automation. The other two areas for improvements include re-focusing on inside sales and driving personalization with data analytics.

• ESG is growing in importance to consumers and, ultimately, brand marketers. Sustainable marketing reduces social and environmental impacts and creates lasting positive change. This ClickZ article also highlights two noteworthy successful sustainable marketing campaigns from Patagonia and The Body Shop.

Happy Spring! 🌹🪻🌷

Natalie

Is the day already off to an off-kiltering start?

Hey, that’s okay. Here’s a time lapse video of flowers blooming to remind you of the simpler things. 🌸

If you’re in a sharing mood, send our WHW signup link to your friends and sign up for our LinkedIn newsletter. 🙂

Howdy, Howdy!

What have been the best things about your day so far? For me, it’s birds chirping outside, watching the dogs nap next to me, and a warm cup of chai. When we get caught up in the business and craziness of everyday life, sometimes it’s helpful to pause and point out the things that are positive and present. Just a thought as you continue with your day. 🙂

Are you ready for the digital marketing extravaganza? *switches on marketer hat* Let’s do this!

• We’ve been reporting on the potential impact of Google SGE on organic search visibility in SERPs for a while now. Search Engine Land confirms and shows how Google Ads will still be prominently displayed in SGE search results. And, from our perspective, it further reinforces how the traditional organic search results are in danger of being pushed “below the scroll.”

• Tom Fishbourne had a funny take on SEO and AI content in this week’s Marketoonist Take a look and read his write-up below the image. It includes insights from Jono Alderson, former head of SEO at Yoast, and Ann Handley who is a well-respected digital marketing pioneer and founder of MarketingProfs.

Do Good Spotlight
🌟 The Katie Moore Foundation 🌟

Patients of rare cancers are often faced with no clear treatment options. The Katie Moore Foundation was created to conduct critical research on rare cancers. Together with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, their goal is that one day, patients with rare cancers will be able to benefit from precision medicine and thereby drastically improve outcomes. Learn more: The Katie Moore Foundation.

Thank you, Joe McGarvey, for sharing this recommendation!

• “Have you ever noticed in the marketing industry that seemingly impressive statistics, often showcasing a startling new trend, can sometimes have unclear origins?” That’s Econsultancy’s opening line for their article “How bad stats snowball.” The article provides tips for how not to fall into this trap: “If you’re citing a statistic, make sure you find the original source; ask yourself whether a stat reflects your own observations; and cite your stats responsibly.”

• Is there a correlation between readership and social media engagement on articles? According to a Memo study in this Social Media Today article, there is not! But people have been increasingly sharing through DMs. Takeaways: social media engagement is important, but also know that there are many ways to deliver your articles to the public and many ways for the public to interact with them.

• Hosting a presentation sometime soon? Briar Goldberg, Director of Speech Coaching at TED Conferences, gave a short talk on how to prepare for presentations… it has to be a mix of memorization and “winging it.” Here’s her video!

• Social algorithms are always cha-cha-cha-cha-changin’. Are you up to date on it all? Hootsuite has the details.

• Reddit is testing its new Reddit Pro data analytics suite. New features include publishing tools, performance analytics, and AI-powered insights. You can sign up to join the test!

Keep on keepin’ on, y’all!

Natalie

Did you know bulls are colorblind?

Turns out dancing and waving a cape of any color (not just red) could make a bull angry. 🐂

… On that note, this is me waving a cape (any color – you choose) in front of you to send our WHW signup link to your friends and subscribe on LinkedIn.

Hello and howdy!

Have you ever received or given an unexpected compliment? Sure, there are times when you’re expecting a compliment. Getting one unexpectedly hits different – it makes your day a bit brighter! In my search to find others experiencing the same, I discovered this short piece from Bret Lasky on LinkedIn. It’s beautiful to see others bringing compassion they see in the outside world to the workplace!

If you’re looking for a way to add unexpected compliments to your team flow, try a shoutout board! Our team has been using a virtual whiteboard to point out our colleagues’ good work and teamwork. It helps keep us feeling good too. 🙂

Now, onto digital marketing!

• What should Google rank in Search when all the content sucks? And we can relate to his pictorial depiction of “Google [as] a baby wading through a content trash heap.” Getting past the over-the-top nature of the article, the net-net is that future success with SEO requires credible, helpful content designed to match the intent of Google’s searchers. We are in full agreement on that mission to elevate and optimize.

• Digital Marketing Institute launched a course on AI in Digital Marketing to address the AI skills gap in the industry. A quick review of the online course from ClickZ indicates this helps people who want to better understand:
  • how AI can impact marketing and
  • how they can start their journey into the AI space.

• Are you aware that AI “chatbots fabricate details in at least 3% of interactions – and as much as 27%?” This data is cited in a MarTech article on “How to protect against and benefit from generative AI hallucinations.” When it comes to gen AI, you should always take the “trust but verify” approach. This is why we prefer gen AI chatbots like Bing Copilot, Google SGE, ChatGPT Plus, and Perplexity. They provide citations and links to the sources they used for generating their responses.

Do Good Spotlight
🌟 Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) 🌟

Pennsylvania has over 700,000 veterans, the fourth largest population in the U.S.! DMVA connects veterans to programs and services available to them. Some of these services/programs include grants, benefits, special initiatives, and more. Learn more: DMVA.

• SURPRISE – Gen Z is good at social media! If you’re a brand looking to appeal to Gen Z on socials, hire a Gen Z (or many:-). But be warned, there most likely will be elements of risk-taking involved.

• Google and Reddit signed a licensing agreement, so Google AI can use Reddit’s content for training. Have you noticed Reddit ranking higher in the results these past few months? Yeah, we have too. Learn more.

• Not digital marketing news, but undeniably some of the most genuine, heart-warming news I’ve heard in a while…. A widow donated $1 billion of Berkshire Hathaway stock to cover Albert Einstein Med School tuition in perpetuity. If you have a minute, check out the student’s reaction!

DBE Perspective… 💭

IT’S… ALIVE! (AI, that is.) Like Frankenstein, many search marketers were initially fearful of AI chatbots. But, we believe that if you teach it well, AI Frankenstein can help you!

You are unique. You are awesome. You got this. 😎

Natalie

Have you heard through the grapevine?

What’s Hot Wednesday has a LinkedIn Newsletter too!

Hiya!

You know those days when it seems everything has gone sideways? We all have ‘em. I think the trick is to look at them in their entirety. Here are some thoughts:

• Is everything about traffic bad? Yes, it slows us down. Is slowing down always bad? Not always, for example, we slow down on vacations. Not saying traffic is like a vacation (cuz it ain’t). Perhaps it gives us time to notice the cloud formations in the sky or appreciate the sincere goodness of seat warmers in the midst of winter.
• How about making mistakes at work? Yes, it’s not fun to stare into the face of imperfection. We can sit with that. Notice how a mistake may draw you into a new path of thinking… of observing. Maybe those observations lead you to a new, creative solution…

Whatever hurdles may come up, remember that you have the strength and creativity to handle them.

Let’s get into the digital marketing rodeo!🤠

• Search Engine Land reports on the future of SGE, Gemini, Ads, and AI Search based on clues from the latest Alphabet earnings call and statements from the Google CEO. It covers a lot of ground with how AI is a key driver behind what Google hopes to achieve in 2024 and how their AI initiatives, including Bard and the Assistant (with Bard) mobile app, are being incorporated into their search products as complementary features.

Do Good Spotlight
🌟 Yoga Alliance Foundation 🌟

Yoga Alliance Foundation works to bring equitable access to yoga while supporting yoga professionals. They support refugee programs, give scholarships, support the scientific study of yoga, and much more. If you are interested in their cause, check them out: Yoga Alliance Foundation.

• Google Search Ads CPC increased by 17% YOY and 9% QOQ in Q4 2023. Are more advertisers getting more confident in paid search? We’ll have to keep watching.

• Eddie the Terrible, the dog you didn’t want to adopt. In Ann Handley’s most recent newsletter, she reminded us of the brilliantly crafted, beautifully blunt dog adoption posting. The posting worked so well that Eddie was eventually adopted. It shows the power of amazing copywriting to grab the attention of the right people. She, also, reminded us that generative AI is great for getting started, but a unique human touch may just be the cherry-topper to make writing GREAT. I agree 1001%.

• Social media and the law system seem to be inextricably linked these days. Meta, TikTok, X, Discord, and Snap CEOs appeared before the US Senate on Jan 31st to address child protection. Each CEO cited multiple efforts dedicated to young user protection, while Senators posed tough questions to present their case that the platforms need to have more protections in place.

• What are the secrets of effective leadership that can be applied to your role in the marketing industry? There are some solid takeaways by Martech including:
  • Turn challenges into inspiration
  • Nurture a culture of innovation and empower your team
  • Adapting to change: Leading through market disruption
  • Influencing and collaborating in marketing leadership
  • Developing and mentoring future marketing leaders

Bonus: the article includes a shout-out and link to a sidebar interview with long-time DBE friend and referrer Ruth Stevens.

Have a wonderful rest of the week,

Natalie

What music do SEOs like? 🎵
ALT=ernative

What’s Mario’s favorite search engine? 🔍
Yahoo!

What is a popular search engine for ghosts? 👻
Ghoul-gle!

Share these jokes and our signup link with your favorite marketing friends!

Howdy!

Our Office Manager, Stacy, pointed out that Gratitude Day is September 21st (tomorrow). I am just going to take a second to share some gratitudes:

• You, as dedicated professional who likes to nerd out on digital marketing news with me
• A spectacularly talented (and incredibly fun) team to share the workday with
• My pets that sleep next to my desk as I work (too cute)

Now back to business, get ready for your weekly dose of digital marketing news. Plus, stay tuned to the end for a surprise knowledge tidbit in the theme of the Gratitude Day. And here we GOOOO!

• 66% of social media managers report that they have too many responsibilities. 52% of social marketers studied journalism, communications, media, or marketing in school. Learn more interesting disparities and strides forward for social media managers in Hootsuite’s 2023 Social Media Career Report.

• Looking to make your AI prompts better? Search Engine Land has a “Best of the Bot: Optimizing a Contact Us page for Google E-E-A-T” article that showcases Search Engine Land Bot’s responses to prompts submitted by readers. We’ve highlighted some great tips from the article:
  • It demonstrates the importance of the prompt(s) you give a ChatBot and provides an example of an updated prompt that includes the key elements of task, context, format, and text to guide the ChatBot to provide a more valuable response.
  • There are “Footnotes (from Search Engine Land’s human editors)” that clarify and correct the ChatBot’s responses. In short, remember GIGO (garbage in, garbage out) when writing prompts and be sure to take the “trust, but verify” approach when dealing with generative AI ChatBots.

Do Good Spotlight
🌟 4-H Council 🌟

Who took part in 4-H as a kid? I am just learning more about it now, and it looks really awesome. It gives kids the opportunity to take part in hands-on projects in science, health, agriculture, and civic engagement. They do a lot of great things. Here’s how to support them: 4-H Council.

• MarTech covers a new Gartner report that “challenges conventional wisdom on holiday marketing.” The usual focus of marketing to holiday shoppers is on price and savings. Gartner’s report suggests that this year’s marketing focus should also include ESG values of the company and its products to appeal to the GenZ and Millennial audiences.

Why We 💗 What We Do…

One of our best team qualities is our ability to stay connected while remote. Stacy Sarno, our Office Manager extraordinaire, and I pulled together our best methods to share with your team. Check it out: Staying Connected with Your Remote Team

• Google is committed to using AI through Performance Max, which has led to more conversions for advertisers, according to Google. They, also, claim advertisers have gotten more conversions at a similar cost per action but don’t say anything about overall cost. We’re keeping an eye on it….

Einstein said, “…the past, present, and the future are real illusions, that they only exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is.” Wrapping it up in a pretty bow, that means there is only now. The past and future only exist when we think of them in the present moment. So truly experience the moment you’re in. Don’t let it slip away without a conscious gratitude.

Natalie

Tell your friends to sign up for What’s Hot Wednesday because what other newsletter will talk about digital marketing and work wellness WHILE slipping in references to random stuff I find interesting?

I thank you for your dedication to read to the end of this article. You’re awesome. 👏

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! 😺

📢 What’s all this brouhaha?

It’s the digital marketing news bursting out of this edition. Better hurry up and get readin’!

• AI isn’t taking our jobs (yet). Turns out some AIs still have a lot of kinks to iron out before they could ever think and sound like us. Check out this Futurism article to see how CNET’s article-writing AI fared against critical gaze.

• LinkedIn has a lot going for it. According to LinkedIn’s Alexandra Rynne, “59 million companies have a LinkedIn Page,” and year over year in 2022, members viewed “22% more Feed Updates” and had “25% more public conversations on LinkedIn.” With stats like that, it’s a good time to think about how you’re managing your LinkedIn marketing. (There is even a fun infographic!)

• Hey, here’s a good reminder for ya of the importance of strategic analysis as part of effective ongoing paid search management. Check out this “Efficiency vs. volume in PPC: 4 tips to strike a balance in incremental conversions” article.

Do Good Spotlight
🌟 The Parks System 🌟

I’ve been involved in my parks system for a while now. If I’ve learned one thing, park workers, rangers, and volunteers are truly devoted to park preservation.

Did you know one of the main causes of trail weathering is water? (I had thought the stamping of human feet was the main problem, but flowing water can erode a trail very quickly!) Trail maintenance teams create water bars, redirect weathered trails, and more to preserve the trails and the nature around them.

If you’re looking for a green way to donate time or resources, try the U.S. National Parks System or help support our buddies at the Monmouth County Parks System.

P.S. If you haven’t followed the National Parks Service on LinkedIn, you should. Your spirits will be lifted by animal memes and educational fun facts.

• Google’s making moves on the technological chess board…and much of it ties back to ChatGPT. Several projects are in the works for their own chatbot, and possibly a demo in the works this year. See more in The New York Times and The Verge.

• To be a ranking factor or not to be a ranking factor? That is the question many ask about Google’s mysterious ranking algorithm. Take a look at all the “known, confirmed, rumored, and absolute myth-level Google ranking factors” to test your knowledge of SEO best practices.

Annnnnnddd that’s it for this week! Looking forward to our next chat ☕

Natalie

Fun Fact: Chickens and ostriches are the closest modern relatives to the T-rex. 🐓

Funner Fact: You can invite your friends to join our DINO-mite newsletter with this link!