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As digital marketers, we’re immersed in an area where artificial intelligence (AI) is the driving force behind digital advertising innovation. With its astonishing pace of growth, AI continues to revolutionize how brands engage with consumers, predict trends, and optimize campaigns.
While some may worry about AI ‘taking over the world,’ ignoring its existence and sticking with the old routines will leave companies in the dust. The marketing industry continues to evolve its approaches to incorporating AI and SEO, especially since the tool has shown a remarkable ability to enhance efficiency and performance.
Imagine having a tireless assistant who can analyze mountains of data, identify keyword trends, and suggest content improvements — that’s the magic of AI in SEO. Here’s how this tech is transforming the SEO game.
Not quite. While AI excels at automation and data analysis, SEO will always rely heavily on creativity and human expertise for:
There’s no need to feel threatened by AI. It’s a tool to augment your SEO efforts, not replace your strategic thinking and creativity.
The short answer? Yes. But here’s the caveat: AI excels in creating factual, informative content. It can churn out well-structured articles jam-packed with relevant keywords — a great boon for marketing departments tasked with writing regular basic blog posts or product descriptions.
However (and it’s a big one!), AI sometimes confuses its facts (often called “hallucinations”, and it doesn’t always follow the brief. Think of it as a really smart kindergartener you’ve asked to do a job. You can send said kindergartener off to do her thing, knowing you’ll double-check when she finishes her chore. Or you can supervise more closely. Maybe you hold the bag of dog food open while she scoops out the kibble (and then show her where the dustpan and brush live after she’s spilled half the bag — and teach her how to use those cleaning tools).
AI’s like that, too. “Setting it loose” to do its thing unsupervised can lead to unintended (and negative) results. We’ve all seen the articles decrying the law firm that used AI to write briefs, citing the law cases it invented.
AI also simply can’t keep up with creative storytelling, humor, or in-depth analysis that resonates with readers. Relying solely on AI to generate content without human input and editing won’t consistently produce high-quality, SEO-friendly material.
Search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo constantly update their algorithms to detect and penalize low-quality or spammy content (including AI-generated content that lacks human oversight and editing). However, Google is simultaneously hard-launching (perhaps a little too soon) its own AI Overview in search results. Hopefully not too many folks put glue on their pizza or tried to eat rocks because AI suggested it.
Want a workaround? Use AI as an assistive tool, leveraging its research, ideation, and drafting capabilities. Employ it to create product descriptions or data-driven reports. Then, bring in human experts to review, edit, and refine the content to ensure quality, accuracy, and relevance.
Generative AI (GenAI) can create entirely new content, such as text, audio, or images, and it significantly impacts SEO in several ways. First, if you’re struggling with topics, GenAI can help you brainstorm new content ideas based on the information you feed it about your target audience and industry trends. GenAI also shines by:
A word to the wise: as GenAI tools become more user-friendly and ubiquitous, the risk of bad actors churning out low-quality, duplicate, or even malicious content increases. This probability will create a real headache for search engines trying to filter out the junk. We must stay vigilant and develop strategies to ensure our high-quality, human-edited content provides genuine value and cuts through the AI-generated clutter.
Which of the following is an example of AI use in digital advertising?
All of the above.
The correct answer is D! These strategies rely on AI technologies like machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), and data analysis. AI can analyze mountains of user data, including demographics, interests, and online behavior, to inform hyper-targeted campaigns to reach the target audience most likely interested in a company’s product or service.
Bidding on ad placements is a complicated dance, but AI steps in as a strategic partner, analyzing campaign performance and user behavior in real time. Then, it automatically adjusts your bids for optimal performance and to maximize your ROI.
Want to personalize ad content based on a user’s browsing history, location, and time of day? AI can do that, too, to generate highly relevant, engaging ad experiences more likely to convert. Think of it as crafting ads that speak directly to each user’s needs (and wants), making them feel like you’re reading their mind (in a good way!).
AI improves chatbots’ ability to understand natural language, personalize recommendations with machine learning, maintain context in conversations, and analyze user sentiment. With AI, chatbots have more natural interactions, offer more appropriate suggestions, provide better customer service — and know when to escalate complex issues to a human agent.
AI is revolutionizing digital marketing. It won’t steal your job as long as you’re willing to work with it rather than ignore it. The technology excels at number-crunching, task automation, and insight generation. The human touch remains irreplaceable in crafting strategy, building brands, and understanding human complexities. AI is also going to automate enough tasks that you can expect to be asked to embrace ways to drive efficiency.
Yes, digital marketing will keep getting smarter, and ongoing advancements in AI, particularly in NLP and sentiment analysis, will propel ad strategies beyond what we’ve seen so far. Stay future-proof by learning about emerging technologies and evolving ethical practices in AI. Position yourself to thrive in the digital marketing landscape by embracing the AI revolution. Want to chat with our team about where to lean into AI and where to get our help? Just reach out.
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By this point, you’ve probably heard of Clubhouse. And whether you are a frequent Clubhouse user, or have simply heard the name in passing, it’s common knowledge that this social media platform is quickly becoming the next marketing power tool. As busy business owners and overwhelmed marketers, you might be feeling frustrated over yet another networking tool and social media platform to keep track of and figure out hot to leverage. So we did the legwork of trying to figure out if this new app is actually worth your time, energy, and potentially your dollars.
Clubhouse is the latest social media source that’s rapidly rising in popularity. Born through a socially deprived pandemic where people were limiting their in-person interactions, Clubhouse is now taking the internet by storm. In essence, Clubhouse is a place for professionals from all industries to join together and network in real-time.
This unique layout combines popular social media platforms like LinkedIn (giving you the ability to network with like-minded professionals and gain knowledge on navigating your way through your career endeavors), Facebook (providing the opportunity to connect with others around the world and discuss common interests), and Snapchat (after a “session” is over, the conversation is gone forever). It’s a fully interactive audio app that allows you to either listen to or participate in live discussions.
Clubhouse’s purpose is easy to grasp, making it a strong competition as the new kid on the block among established social media platforms. The app is full of various rooms that cover a myriad of topics. As a user, you simply choose the room you want to engage with and enter the chat. Clubhouse is completely auditory, so there are no photos, videos, or live streams. It operates in the way a classroom would, or if a podcast was recorded in front of a live audience. Moderators, or those that form the topics of the “rooms,” are those who control the flow of the conversation. When you “enter a room,” you can choose to listen in on other people chatting, or you can volunteer to “raise your hand.” When you are called on, it’s your turn to give your two cents on the conversation as you have an opportunity to speak on the subject.
Should Clubhouse continue on the upward trajectory that it seems to be on, it’s likely that it will soon join the ranks of the other top social media sites. And just like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook, Clubhouse is a great way to advertise your business. Their algorithm allows you to strategically leverage your company and get your business in front of a wider audience of people without a lot of the “pay to play” challenges Facebook and Instagram are known for.
Clubhouse is a great opportunity to gain customer loyalty. With the way Clubhouse is set up, brands can title rooms on relevant topics that pertain to their business while also using it as leverage to get their name out there. The topics you choose and the way you use your brand identity to title and describe them — along with the voices you feature— can go a long way toward making your business recognizable and building loyalty.
Another advantage is that this app is constantly evolving. It started off as a vessel for celebrities and influencers to host conversations related to entertainment, business, and technology. This original idea has quickly evolved into a space for any like-minded professionals to share their thoughts and advice in their given field. Clubhouse also caters to the rising trend for podcasts and the rising demand for audio content. The app capitalizes on the popularity of virtual socialization and provides an opportunity to connect without the burden of screen fatigue.
We wanted to understand what folks in our own networking spaces think about Clubhouse thus far, so our Founder and Managing Director, Rajat Kapur, conducted a poll on LinkedIn to get a feel for other people’s experience so far. You can find all of the feedback here, but below are a couple quotes from those who chimed in:
One last pro to consider. Clubhouse also offers a feature that allows you to connect your other social media platforms. If someone clicks on your icon, they receive links to your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and any other social site you want to send them to. This adds an extra opportunity for interested clients or customers to see the labor of love you’re putting into other platforms as well — especially if you have a stronger presence on one of those sites.
The list of pros for marketing your business on Clubhouse are nearly endless, and it’s a great app to capitalize on before others do. However, it’s also important to understand the cons. Since it is still in its beta testing phase, the app still needs to work out quite a few bugs. The most notable example is that Clubhouse can read as an unedited podcast. Since it is live and largely unscripted, participants can say what they want with little to no monitoring from mediators. This has led to problematic conversations and misinformation taking place in certain rooms.
They are also facing tough competition among other top social media sites. Platforms like Twitter and Facebook are toying with the idea of introducing audio features into their sites, which could mean bad news for Clubhouse’s future. But in terms of Clubhouse for marketing, it might be worthwhile to experiment with the platform so you can easily hop on the trend if the feature is adopted by some of the other big players. That way, you’ll already be an auditory marketing expert and ahead of the curve.
At first glance, adding yet another social media platform to your rolodex of apps that you scroll through for hours on end can feel exhausting. But there is a sense of authenticity to Clubhouse that other social media sites aren’t offering. Especially if you are a freelancer or entrepreneur, joining this interactive experience is a chance to network with professionals in your field, and gain invaluable information to help grow awareness of your expertise and build connections.
As with all new apps, it’s easier to gain a following on Clubhouse right now than in any other, more established, social media platform. Being an early adopter definitely has the potential to pay off when an app sticks around. And if it doesn’t, auditory focused marketing most certainly is. So for you it comes down the same thing it always does for all of us — risk versus reward. In this case, the risk is extra time and energy that could be going somewhere else. The choice is yours!
Need extra help trying to decide what social media platforms to invest yourself in this year? Download our 2021 Social Media Playbook to find out where you can score some real points, and where you should take a timeout.
Content Manager and Copywriter Beth McDonough brings nearly a decade of professional writing and editing to the team at &Marketing. With extensive experience in an array of fields that range from entertainment publications to a Fortune 500 energy company, Beth has the ability to produce written content that speaks directly to the needs of a breadth of clients and channel their brand personality into a compelling story.
In today’s fast paced world, many growing businesses are struggling to modernize their marketing approaches because either they don’t have the expertise or the bandwidth to do it themselves.
&Marketing provides seasoned marketing strategy professionals and a nimble execution team to help our clients achieve their goals. Our unique partnership model allows us to augment our client’s existing teams or outsource the entire marketing function in an affordable, flexible, and transparent way.
When your brand is battling for a seat at the table your ideal customer or client sits at, the question really comes down to how sharp your sword is. Your brand identity is the essence of who you are as a business, and in turn, how you above all other competitors stand out to connect with your ideal target audience. Here are 6 ways you can sharpen your brand identity and win that seat every single time.
We are all the heroes of our own stories. Our failures, successes, villains, and happy endings are the center of our own lives and the focus of our days. That’s true for everyone, including your customer. It’s also a big reason brands fail to connect with customers and clients — they become too self-focused. Maybe your brand identity revolves around a sustainable snack food like no one has ever tasted. Or perhaps your reason for waking up every day is an innovative technology the world hasn’t seen before. You love to talk about it, and you should, but in a way that focuses on how that unparalleled product or services helps your hero (customer) more than it focuses on how awesome your business is.
Every decision human beings make, and every action they take each day stems from the need to solve a problem. Nothing to wear? Need to buy clothes or do laundry. Hungry? Must buy food or buy the ingredients to cook. Losing money to third party sellers on Amazon? Need a solution to keep them from stealing your listings. Breach at your company? Need stronger cybersecurity.
In order to sharpen your brand identity in a way that cuts through the noise and compels your customer to take action, make the problem you solve for them crystal clear.
Stats capture attention, so I’ll throw a couple at you. People are 22 times more likely to remember a fact if it’s relayed through the lens of a story. Plus, the average attention span has fallen from 20 seconds to just 8 seconds. In order to be memorable and to capture someone’s attention quickly, you must make your customer part of a compelling story. A chemical response is sparked in our brains when we become enthralled by a good story, so take every chance you can get to tell one.
Does your ideal customer laugh when you crack a joke, or do they want someone who is serious and somber to help them solve their problem? Do they respond to sarcasm and wit? Or do they want tenderness and emotion? Do they want to feel safe and secure, or do they want to feel inspired to do something out of the box and courageous? These are all questions that should influence your brand voice — the persona you use when you speak to your audience. Make sure it’s unique, and also make sure it’s a voice your customer will respond to and trust. For example, Snickers can get away with delivering snarky punchlines in their marketing, but your local healthcare provider probably can’t.
You know the old saying — if you don’t stand for something, you risk standing for nothing at all. If you want to be memorable, showcase your brand’s personality and voice by having an opinion on something that might divide people. It can be something as big as a social justice issue, but it can also be a more playful hill that you die on, like chocolate versus peanut butter, Apple versus Android, or Prince Harry versus Prince William. Team peanut butter, Apple, and Harry over here!
You’re going to be asking for the sale, prominently and frequently (if you aren’t then you should be). And in order to sell effectively, you need to build that like, trust, and know factor. When a potential customer or client starts to like, trust, and know a brand, it almost always means that business has already delivered some solutions to them that worked. People continue to build trust with those who help them solve their problems and give sound advice. So be generous with your expertise.
Now that your brand identity is sharpened and your sword is ready, you can sit at that table and earn your hero’s trust so you can help them solve their problem and find their happily ever after.
Learn how to tell your most compelling brand story with our Narrative Marketing Outline.
&Marketing provides the robust outsourced marketing department growing companies need without the high overhead costs of big agencies or full-time employees. Our variable model empowers businesses to reach their growth goals through access to the guidance and expertise of senior level strategists and a flexible execution team.
Content marketing is one of the most effective ways to build brand awareness, gain trust and traffic, and convert new customers. If you aren’t leveraging this tactic in 2021, it’s time to rethink your marketing approach and see where you can incorporate content. We’re here to help with some ideas for your 2021 content marketing strategy.
If you’re already implementing a content strategy, keep what’s working for you and improve what isn’t. We know growing businesses may not have the resources to completely reimagine a brand new content marketing strategy. Instead, you can add some new approaches or re-examine old ones. Here are 10 suggestions for ways to better your content marketing strategy in 2021 without stretching your budget.
10 Things to Add to Your 2021 Content Strategy
Not everyone who consumes your content wants the exact same thing. By dividing your audience into groups based on where they are in their journey and what they’re interested in that you have to offer, you can create targeted content designed to give people what they like, and avoid sending them what they don’t.
To do this, you need to make sure you know your prospective (and existing) customers like the back of your hand. What do they want, what obstacles are they trying to overcome? What makes them happy, and what keeps them up at night? Then, you can understand what exactly they are looking for so you can tailor your content to their needs.
A great way to do that is with keyword research. See what the current demand for your topic is with Google Trends or tools like SEMRush and UberSuggest, and use them to guide what you create.
As time passes, content naturally becomes outdated. To ensure your readers will still be gaining something from your content, you have to periodically go through and update information. Start with your most popular posts that are six months old or older, then work your way down.
One of the most important things content marketing does is build your brand. Your audience gets the chance to develop a relationship with your business. With content based on your core values, you can continue to develop that relationship, showing your audience what is important to you and what their experience with your company will be like.
As you deploy your updated content marketing strategy, stay flexible. Be ready to receive feedback, measure effectiveness, and make tweaks.
On the whole, content marketing requires adaptability. The digital landscape is constantly changing, and new avenues for marketing are always being created. To stay competitive, you have to keep on top of the latest trends and always be ready to adapt.
Your competition can tell you a lot about how you can improve your content marketing. Take a look at what they’re doing, see what’s working and what isn’t, and integrate the successful techniques into your strategy.
Google has many automated tools that allow you to take a good look at your competition, and other sites (like UberSuggest mentioned above) do, too. No matter what tool you use, your goal is to see what approaches you can start using for your own business. Don’t steal! Just use it as inspiration to fill in any gaps and create something even better.
Regardless of what kind of content you’re creating, you want it to be great quality. Your audience isn’t going to stick around for boring or unhelpful content. While content marketing is marketing, your primary goal is to build trust and offer value. Whether you’re providing entertainment, education, statistics, stories, or tutorials, your content has to give something generous to your audience.
A lot of content marketers take it one piece of content at a time, reactively instead of proactively. However, this can make it really hard to track the effectiveness of your content and to successfully market it.
Instead, create a comprehensive calendar to track and measure all of your activity ahead of time. Plan out what content you’ll create and when you’ll publish it. With a calendar, you will have a well-thought-out, long-term strategy. Plus, when you work ahead, your content will be ready to go when you need it.
If you are able, an excellent way to reach new audiences is with other types of content. There are hundreds of types of content out there, and changing up what you’re producing every now and then will help boost your audience’s interest. It also allows you to keep your content fresh and explore new avenues of content marketing. If you’re only writing blogs, try turning some of them into infographics, or checklists and templates you can use as a lead generator (something you offer in exchange for a reader’s contact information). Usually write long-form think-pieces? Try a listicle, like this want. Whatever you do, make it helpful, switch it up, and let your brand personality shine.
Want even more guidance on exactly how to execute an effective and impactful content strategy? Download our eBook below.
Content Manager and Copywriter Beth McDonough brings nearly a decade of professional writing and editing to the team at &Marketing. With extensive experience in an array of fields that range from entertainment publications to a Fortune 500 energy company, Beth has the ability to produce written content that speaks directly to the needs of a breadth of clients and channel their brand personality into a compelling story.
&Marketing provides the robust outsourced marketing department growing companies need without the high overhead costs of big agencies or full-time employees. Our variable model empowers businesses to reach their growth goals through access to the guidance and expertise of senior level strategists and a flexible execution team.
Gone are the days where content is used just to build awareness. When backed by data and developed in conjunction with your overall goals, content can be used to drive your target audience to convert and generate concrete revenue for your business.
Content Manager, Beth McDonough, and Marketing Director, Paul Ferguson, recently discussed how data-driven content developed in tandem with your business goals can drive quick conversions and lead generation. They also covered:
Couldn’t make the live webinar? No problem! Watch the recording to learn how data combined with storytelling can be a powerful lead generation tool.
Content Manager and Copywriter Beth McDonough brings nearly a decade of professional writing and editing to the team at &Marketing. With extensive experience in an array of fields that range from entertainment publications to a Fortune 500 energy company, Beth has the ability to produce written content that speaks directly to the needs of a breadth of clients and channel their brand personality into a compelling story. Visit Beth’s LinkedIn.
As a Marketing Director at &Marketing, Paul Ferguson uses his 16 years of B2B marketing experience to help clients develop fully integrated marketing solutions that make impressions and drive results. Whether it be design-oriented campaigns or digital market execution, Paul skillfully creates strategies backed by data, to effectively reach client’s desired audiences. Paul graduated from La Salle University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and a double minor in Marketing and Business Administration. Visit Paul’s LinkedIn.
In today’s fast paced world, many growing businesses are struggling to modernize their marketing approaches because either they don’t have the expertise or the bandwidth to do it themselves.
&Marketing provides seasoned marketing strategy professionals and a nimble execution team to help our clients achieve their goals. Our unique partnership model allows us to augment our client’s existing teams or outsource the entire marketing function in an affordable, flexible, and transparent way.
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