By Eric Hal Schwartz

AI can’t sell you something you don’t want to buy

Like most people, I tune out when an ad comes on while I’m listening to a podcast or streaming service if I can’t just skip it. An ad needs something special to draw my attention to the actual product or service being pitched to me.

Spotify thinks AI can help businesses overcome ad apathy. The company just launched a feature called Gen AI Ads for businesses using its Ads Manager platform.

Gen AI Ads enables businesses to create audio ads with AI help from top to bottom. They can ask for AI help writing and editing a script and even get AI voices to perform the ad. The AI tools are built into the platform for no extra cost, meaning producing new ads should be faster, more affordable, and easier for any business. You can see how it works below.

Feature Image credit: Spotify

By Eric Hal Schwartz

Eric Hal Schwartz is a freelance writer for TechRadar with more than 15 years of experience covering the intersection of the world and technology. For the last five years, he served as head writer for Voicebot.ai and was on the leading edge of reporting on generative AI and large language models. He’s since become an expert on the products of generative AI models, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, Google Gemini, and every other synthetic media tool. His experience runs the gamut of media, including print, digital, broadcast, and live events. Now, he’s continuing to tell the stories people want and need to hear about the rapidly evolving AI space and its impact on their lives. Eric is based in New York City.

Sourced from techradar

Sourced from Forbes

While digital marketing campaigns involving social media platforms and text messaging have become more commonplace in recent years, a well-thought-out email marketing strategy can still serve as a valuable way to target and engage directly with supporters.

However, with emails often being automatically directed into spam or junk folders or deleted unread, nonprofits have to get creative about enticing subscribers to open emails and engage. To help, 11 Forbes Nonprofit Council members offer advice on how nonprofit professionals can effectively increase engagement open rates and encourage clicks on their email newsletters.

1. Deliver Genuine Value

To boost newsletter engagement, focus on delivering genuine value in every email. Move beyond organizational updates and fundraising appeals to provide content that directly benefits your readers’ lives or careers. This could include industry insights, exclusive educational resources, curated job opportunities or actionable tips they can’t find elsewhere. Practical, valuable takeaways are key. – Jennifer Gremmert, Energy Outreach Colorado

2. Craft A Compelling Subject Line

An interesting subject line is a good way to grab attention. A great hook will always get someone to open an email. The catchy saying should be relevant to the content and provide some value to the reader. If you don’t think you possess the creativity, use an AI platform to generate a title for you. – Tara Chalakani, Preferred Behavioural Health Group

3. Include A Personalized Heading Or Greeting

Add a personalized heading or greeting in the email feed so that readers know the newsletter was intentionally sent to them. This will get their attention and make them feel less like another number on a mailing list. – Kimberly Lewis, Goodwill Industries of East Texas, Inc.

4. Keep It Clear And Transparent

To boost open rates and clicks, keep everything clear and transparent. Your message should grab attention—but don’t bury the lead. In today’s information-rich environment, clarity is key, especially as more people and organizations use AI tools to help summarize emails. Make sure your key points and calls to action are obvious so readers can quickly engage with your content and, ultimately, your mission. – Karen Cochran, Philanthropy Innovators

 Check out my website.

Feature Image Credit: Getty

Sourced from Forbes

By Barry Schwartz

A new report released by Rand Fishkin at Sparktoro with the help of Datos’ panel measure web browser activity showed that about 1/3rd of active web users don’t use Google all that much, by that much it means they only do 1-20X searches per month.

The data Rand put together is interesting, it not only shows you how much users use Google but what they are doing on Google.

It says that the American desktop web users in 2024 performed, on average, 126 unique Google searches each month and the median was 53 Google searches per month. From that Rand said, “5.35 billion humans are active on the Internet each month (GWI), and that ~81% of Internet users perform use a search engine at least once a month.”

Rand’s number is that Google does 5.9 trillion searches annually, which jives with Google’s over 5 trillion searches per year – but I think Google would have said, almost 6 trillion and not over 5 trillion. So maybe Rand’s numbers are a tad high?

Here is the breakdown of how much active web users actually use Google Search:

More interesting to me is what these users do when on Google Search:

87% use Google.com, almost 11% spend their time on Google Image Search (I almost never use Google Images), Google Maps (web, not apps) 0.64%, Google News 0.38% and Google Shopping only 0.23%.

The study goes way deeper, so I recommend you check out Rand’s story over here and let me know your biggest takeaway.

Forum discussion at LinkedIn.

By Barry Schwartz

Sourced from Search Engine Roundtable

By Maxine Harrison

Find out what words you should avoid searching on Google

We all use Google to answer the looming questions in our heads. But there are apparently some things we should avoid using the search engine for.

From searching symptoms we are experiencing to finding out the latest movie release, Google is certainly a handy tool when it comes to easily accessing information.

However, the top search engine in the world also has some sides to it that we should seek to avoid.

Most of us do internet searches every day, but there are some things it’s best not to know (Getty Stock Image)

Regular users of the search engine will be used to using Google Images. However, no matter how innocently motivated your search may be, some of these images should not be glanced at and are hard to leave your mind easily.

Unfortunately, Google Images does not come with trigger warnings, so consider this article a friendly warning before you decide to search any of the following five terms on Google.

In fact, these terms are so stomach-churning that they have been compiled in a report by It’s Gone Viral in 2023.

Try to remember that while it may seem harmless to Google health-related terms, if you have any concerns about your health, prioritize consulting a medical professional above searching for answers online.

Anyway, let’s proceed with the specific words you should avoid searching…

Larvae

The first word we highly recommend you avoid searching is Larvae.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, it is defined as ‘the immature form of an insect or animal that has hatched from an egg but has not yet become an adult’.

While this may seem like an innocent search, you could stumble across a condition of the same name.

According to WebMD: “Mouth larvae are parasites that hatch and live inside the oral cavities of human and animal hosts. These pests can cause a dangerous infection known as oral myiasis.”

The site adds: “People can develop oral myiasis by eating larvae in their food. Flies can also enter the mouth and lay eggs in wounds.”

The searches might seem innocent, but could end up scarring you (Getty Stock Image)

Degloving

Another word to avoid Googling is degloving.

WebMD defines degloving, also known as avulsion, ‘happens when a large piece of your skin along with the layer of soft tissue right under it is partially or completely ripped from your muscles and connecting tissues’.

Sounds incredibly unpleasant, right? Well so are the images so don’t dare to take a look!

Krokodil

While Krokodil may sound like crocodile, you won’t see anything near the reptile if you search that on Google Images – so beware of any typos when searching for crocodile images!

Instead, what you’ll be shocked to discover is that Krokodil has different meanings in different languages.

However, the particular definition defined in the It’s Gone Viral report refers to the opioid drug desomorphine.

A Time magazine report from 2013 dubbed it as ‘The World’s Deadliest Drug‘.

It started when doctors in Russia discovered ‘strange wounds’ on many drug addicts.

Later, it was discovered that they’d been injecting a new drug known as ‘Krokodil’. This was later dubbed as a ‘flesh-eating zombie drug’ in a report from CNN.

Definitely not the type of visuals you want your eyes to witness, right?

Some of these searches will leave you a lot more horrified than this (Getty Stock Image)

Fournier

While Fournier is a popular French name, it can also refer to an ‘acute necrotic infection’ of the genital area, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD).

WebMD warns: “Fournier’s gangrene gets worse quickly and can kill you, so it’s always an emergency.”

Harlequin ichthyosis

The final word you should avoid Googling is Harlequin baby syndrome, also known as congenital ichthyosis.

Healthline defines this as a ‘rare condition affecting the skin’, which is a ‘type of ichthyosis, which refers to a group of disorders that cause persistently dry, scaly skin all over the body’.

The site clarifies further that the skin of a new-born with this condition is ‘covered with thick, diamond-shaped plates that resemble fish scales’.

Babies with this condition should be treated immediately.

Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Image

By Maxine Harrison

Sourced from UNILAD

By Sara Karlovitch

Among senior marketing decision makers, 87% reported experiencing issues related to campaign performance.

While marketers are pumping out more campaigns, 87% report experiencing issues with campaign performance in the past 12 months, according to recent Gartner data. A little under half (45%) report potentially needing to terminate a campaign early due to poor performance.

With marketing budgets under increased scrutiny, problems related to campaign performance can add an extra layer of stress for marketers. Concerns around channel fragmentation and the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) have further complicated the picture for marketers.

“[Issues are caused by] a combination of the volume of campaigns, as well as the amount of channel fragmentation and data silos that just exist as a natural byproduct of the digital world that marketers are operating in,” said Greg Carlucci, senior director analyst at Gartner. “Combining those into singular stories can be challenging.”

Insights were drawn from the “2024 Gartner Channel Campaign Management Survey” and the “2024 Gartner CMO Spend Survey.” The channel and campaign survey was conducted online between July and mid-September 2024. There were 418 respondents, 194 from North America and 224 from Europe. While a variety of industries were represented, all of those surveyed were senior marketing decision makers. The CMO spend survey was conducted online between February and March 2024. Of the 395 surveyed, 200 came from North America and 195 from Europe.

Higher volume, more issues

With a 31% increase in the number of campaigns year-over-year, marketers are forced to do more with budgets that are increasingly under scrutiny. Additionally, only 45% of marketing budgets goes toward campaigns, while 55% goes toward technology and transformation, according to the research.

However, while marketers are producing more campaigns, they are also experiencing significant challenges. Measuring campaign performance is one particularly thorny problem reported by respondents. Seventy percent report facing moderate to significant challenges when trying to measure ROI and 66% report struggling to demonstrate the impact of campaigns to key stakeholders.

“I think the benefit of reporting is the ability to get extremely granular on outcomes or actions that customers are taking,” said Carlucci. “However, translating different metric types into singular business outcomes can be more difficult given there are a combination of metrics, channels are different and there’s influence among stakeholders on marketing campaigns.”

With channel fragmentation, managing campaigns is costly. Sixty-eight percent of those surveyed said they struggle to find the budget to adequately manage campaign resources. Even then, 60% of respondents say they struggle to align campaign strategy with business objectives.

The whole pie

While marketers face persistent challenges, there are things they can do to optimize campaign performance while minimizing challenges and set backs. A few best practices are evident among the 19% of respondents identified as “high performers” and who reported regularly meeting campaign goals and driving expected levels of engagement and awareness.

This group tended to approach campaigns holistically and prioritize c-suite relationships. Cross-department relationships are key to campaign success, with 25% of respondents saying sales teams hinder their ability to carry out campaigns effectively. High-performing brands are also more likely to embrace new technologies, such as AI.

“I think the biggest differences between the high performers and the rest were centered around channel strategy and objectives, as well as governance around what the roles are for the channels,” said Carlucci. “I think if I were to summarize it, it includes channel strategy and objectives, channel management, customer journey orchestration and routes to market.”

Feature Image Credit: dusanpetkovic via Getty Images

By Sara Karlovitch

Sourced from MarketingDive

By Samara Kamenecka

This week on Niche Pursuits News, hosts Jared Bauman and Thomas Smith cover a packed lineup of topics, from a fascinating study on AI search engines to a major lawsuit against Google, and fresh insights on the online business marketplace.

Plus, they share updates on their own side hustles and dive into this week’s weird niche discoveries. Let’s break it down.

Watch the Full Episode

AI Search Study: Who’s Citing Sources?

The episode kicks off with a discussion about a new study by Xfunnel.ai, which analyzed 40,000 AI-generated responses containing 250,000 citations across major AI search engines. The study explored how different platforms handle citations and what this means for content creators.

Key takeaways from the study:

• Perplexity AI led the pack, citing an average of 6.61 sources per response.
• Google Gemini followed closely at 6.1 citations per response.
• ChatGPT lagged behind, with only 2.62 citations per response (in standard mode, without search features activated).
• Earned content (editorial and independent blogs) still holds weight, with AI-generated responses increasingly pulling from user-generated content (UGC) like Reddit, Medium, and review sites.
• Citations vary depending on the buyer journey stage:
  • Top-of-the-funnel queries favour editorial content.
  • Mid-funnel queries lean toward UGC and review sites.
  • Bottom-of-the-funnel queries cite brand websites and direct competitors.

This data suggests that content creators need to rethink their SEO strategies for AI-driven search. Rather than just optimizing for Google’s traditional algorithm, understanding how AI search engines pull and cite content could shape the future of digital marketing.

Google vs. Chegg: A Lawsuit Unlike the Others

The next major topic is the lawsuit filed by Chegg against Google, alleging that the search giant’s AI-generated answers unfairly divert traffic away from content creators. Unlike previous AI lawsuits that have focused on copyright issues, this case takes an antitrust angle, arguing that Google’s monopoly in search allows it to profit from publishers’ content without fair compensation.

Key points from the lawsuit:

• Chegg claims Google’s AI overviews replace the need for users to click through to content providers, effectively reducing traffic and revenue.
• The suit alleges Google forces publishers to supply content for free in exchange for search index inclusion.
• Google is accused of anti-competitive behaviour, leveraging its dominance in search to crowd out content creators.
• Chegg itself has integrated AI tools, using Meta’s Llama models and working with OpenAI, indicating this isn’t an anti-AI lawsuit—it’s specifically about Google’s dominance.

This lawsuit could have wide-reaching implications for content creators. If Chegg’s arguments gain traction, we may see regulatory changes that alter how Google presents AI-generated search results.

Flippa and Ezoic Event: Market Trends and What’s Selling

Jared shares insights from an in-person event hosted by Flippa and Ezoic, which provided fresh data on digital business deal flow. The key takeaway: deal volume is up across the board.

• App sales have risen by 9%.
• E-commerce sales have grown 15%.
• SaaS sales are up 21%.
• Agency sales have skyrocketed by 46%.
• YouTube channel sales are up a staggering 170%!

Additionally, keyword searches on Flippa show where buyer interest is strongest:

• Shopify tops the list, showing strong demand for e-commerce businesses.
• YouTube is the second most searched category, reinforcing the rise in video content as a valuable digital asset.
• AI-related businesses rank high, reflecting growing interest in AI-powered tools and platforms.
• Affiliate sites, despite recent Google updates, remain a popular search term for potential buyers.

The key takeaway? If you’re building digital assets with the goal of selling, focusing on YouTube, SaaS, or AI-related businesses may yield the highest return.

Side Hustle Updates: Email List Growth and AI Newsletters

Jared and Thomas give updates on their ongoing projects, including:

• Scaling an HCU-hit content site via email marketing – They experimented with aggressive list-building via Facebook ads, but rapid growth may have impacted email deliverability.
• Profitable Facebook ad arbitrage – They discovered a highly effective ad strategy driving traffic at a profit, separate from email list-building efforts.
• Thomas rebrands his newsletter to focus on AI – Pivoting from “No Frills Influencer” to “AI in Real Life,” he moved the newsletter to Beehive for better audience engagement and monetization through built-in ads.

Weird Niches: Typing Tests and LEGO Collectibles

This week’s weird niche finds are:

• TypingTest.com – A 25-year-old site that recently sold for $2.5 million, generating $550,000 a year in ad revenue. The site offers free typing tests, monetized through aggressive ad placements.
• BrickFact.com – A site dedicated to tracking and selling rare LEGO sets. With a growing database and a dedicated app, this site caters to LEGO enthusiasts and collectors looking for hard-to-find pieces.

Final Thoughts

This week’s episode highlighted the rapidly changing digital landscape, from AI search trends to new business opportunities in the online marketplace. The key takeaways:

• AI search is evolving, and content creators need to adapt their strategies.
• Google’s legal battles could reshape the way AI-generated search results work.
• YouTube and AI-based businesses are booming in the digital asset marketplace.
• Scaling an email list requires a balance between rapid growth and deliverability.
• Even simple, niche websites can turn into multi-million dollar businesses.

For digital entrepreneurs, these insights serve as a roadmap for staying ahead in the ever-changing world of online business.

By Samara Kamenecka

Sourced from Niche Pursuits

By Barry Schwartz

Google added QR codes that you can give your customers to quickly leave you a review for your business on Google Search and Google Maps. This can be accessed in your Google Business Profiles under the reviews section.

You can access this on desktop by searching for your business, then clicking on “Ask for reviews” or by going to your reviews and clicking on “Get more reviews.”

Here is what it looks like:

It says, “Give customers a link to review your business on Google, Reviews build trust and help your Business Profile stand out to customers on Search and Maps. Get your own Google QR to receive customer reviews.”

This was shared by Lisa Landsman from Google on LinkedIn who wrote:

[Just Launched] Create QR codes for reviews directly within your GBP 

We all know how critical reviews are for your business’ reputation. Now you can create easy-to-scan QR codes that take customers directly to your Google Business Profile, encouraging them to leave more reviews. Rather than having to take the link from GBP and put them into a QR code generator, you can do this all in one place!

Here’s how: On your desktop, go to your Business profile and click on “ask for reviews”. Follow the instructions to generate a link or a QR code. Voila!

This is kinda of new, I mean, it is new here. But Google had QR codes since 2009, I embedded a video of how slow it was to scan a QR code back then. Then in 2010, Google let you print your own QR code and then 2011 Google removed it.

Anyway – we have had Google re-up its QR code game recently.

More here:

Forum discussion at LinkedIn.

By Barry Schwartz

Sourced from Search Engine Roundtable

By Chad S. White

Social media is unravelling. Brands betting on platforms they own will be the ones left standing.

The Gist

• Social shift ahead. The decline of big social media platforms is accelerating, and this is reshaping how brands should approach customer engagement.
• Trust on trial. Consumers trust user-generated content far more than influencer promotions, which signals a shift in what drives brand credibility.
• Own your channels. Brands must invest in direct channels like websites, apps and email to regain control over customer relationships.

A few years from now, we may look back on 2025 as the beginning of the end of two long-standing mega pillars of the internet.

The first is Google’s domination of the search engine marketplace, which is being disrupted by generative AI platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity, with Google’s market share falling below 90% for the first time since 2015. Antitrust issues aside, there are plenty of reasons to believe it will never be that high ever again.

The second is the end of the era of big social media platforms.

Let’s look at the crumbling that’s already started, where things are likely headed and why the momentum isn’t likely to let up.

Table of Contents

• The Canary in the Coal Mine
• Meta Doubles Down on the Wrong Lessons
• Social Media as a Black Box
• Influencer Fatigue
• Bots Are Taking Over — and Everyone Knows It
• Take Back What You Can Control
• Core Questions About the Decline of Big Social Media

The Canary in the Coal Mine

Before its acquisition by Elon Musk, Twitter was widely viewed as the world’s digital town square. Since its transformation into X, it’s become a shadow of its former self, more of a ghost town than the world’s town square.

Since Musk purchased the platform in 2022 for $44 billion, X’s valuation has plunged. According to Fidelity’s valuation of its investment in X, the platform’s worth has fallen by 79% to just $9.4 billion. Brand Finance is even less generous, valuing it at just $498 million earlier this year.

This change of fortune was driven by an 80% reduction in staff, which notably included all of its content moderation staff and partners. That change directly led to a marked decline in content quality and negative shift in tone. This caused millions of active users to leave the platform, and it raised brand safety concerns among advertisers, many of which reduced or ended their advertising. As a result, X is “barely breaking even” and has sued its former advertisers, claiming conspiracy.

That chain of events is important because of what happened next.

Meta Doubles Down on the Wrong Lessons

On Jan. 7, a couple of weeks before Donald Trump’s inauguration, Facebook founder and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company would be “restoring free expression on our platforms” by getting rid of fact-checkers, removing restrictions on controversial topics like immigration and gender, dialling back other content filters, increasing recommendations of political content and “going to work with President Trump to push back on governments around the world going after American companies and pushing to censor more.”

Zuckerberg explicitly says they’re going to be doing things “similar to X” and rolling those changes out across Facebook, Instagram and Threads.

Based on what’s happened at X, there’s every reason to believe that these changes will cause many unintended consequences.

• Many Meta users may spend less time on its platforms or depart for other platforms like Mastodon and Bluesky, which have benefited tremendously from X’s similar policy shifts.
• Advertisers may pull back or depart out of concern for brand safety.
• Foreign governments may levy additional fines or further restrict Meta’s activities in their nations, worsening its already poor relations.

One of Meta’s early attempts at rolling back content moderation resulted in Instagram users seeing violent and graphic content recommended in their Reels feeds, which led to a flood of user complaints.

Social Media as a Black Box

The double-whammy of lower user engagement and advertiser pullbacks is likely to be devastating, just as it’s been at X. Making matters worse is the fact that social networks have gradually restricted organic brand reach to near zero over the years.

What little organic traffic that exists is often obscured by these platforms, according to SparkToro. And cookie consent is further complicating attribution, suppressing conversion tracking by up to 20%, according to Orbit Media. All of that has further discouraged brands from investing much in an organic presence on social media platforms.

As a result, when brands pull back from social media advertising, they’re often left with a minimal direct presence. That said, some may have an indirect presence via influencers, but even that is on shaky ground.

Influencer Fatigue

Plenty of consumers feel a kinship with their favourite influencers. That’s particularly true of younger consumers in Gen Z.

However, in general, trust is slipping. A common consumer belief today is that most influencers only endorse and promote products because they’re paid to, not because they use or even like the product.

According to a survey by EnTribe, 81% of consumers said a brand’s use of influencers has either no impact or a negative impact on their perception of that brand. Fifty-one percent said they scroll right past influencer posts, in much the same way that consumers ignore ads. When asked if their purchases were ever impacted by an influencer, 62% said they’ve never purchased an influencer-promoted product, while 42% of those who had purchased an influencer-promoted product said they regretted doing so.

The most shocking evidence that the influencer market has peaked is that 86% said they’re more likely to trust a brand that publishes user-generated content, compared to just 12% who said they’re inclined to purchase a product promoted by an influencer.

Bots Are Taking Over — and Everyone Knows It

Authenticity and trust are being further undermined by AI bots, which in some cases are being directly created and enabled by social media platforms. For instance, Meta created Facebook and Instagram AI bots for living celebrities, dead famous people and others. Meta also allows Instagram users to create AI versions of themselves to interact with their followers (seemingly to save them from having to waste their time doing so).

These programs aren’t fringe. They’re core to social media’s future. Meta has even told The Financial Times that it envisages social media filled with AI-generated users.

To their credit, these AI bots are clearly labelled. But it conjures up a dystopian future where we all create AI versions of ourselves that chat with one another and periodically update us about the fake conversations our fake selves are having with all the other fake people. That’s a far cry from the original promise of social media. In fact, we probably won’t call it “social” media at that point.

Of course, all of that is on top of the enduring problem of run-of-the-mill fake accounts. Facebook alone removes around 1 billion fake accounts each quarter.

Take Back What You Can Control

If you throw in the uncertainty swirling around TikTok, social media has never looked more shaky. Still huge, but shaky.

The natural response from brands should be to counterbalance that uncertainty by investing more in channels they have much more control over, including websites, apps, customer loyalty programs, email, SMS (RCS), mobile and browser push, and podcasts.

In addition to building up first-party audiences, which give you much more direct and unmediated relationships with your customers and prospects, investing in these channels also gives you many opportunities to collect first-party data. This data is vital for driving message targeting, ad targeting and analytics that get us closer to our customers.

The internet is undergoing massive changes. And if Twitter’s transformation into X demonstrates anything, it’s that big changes can happen faster than you think. Every brand should be watching carefully and coming up with contingency plans before they realize they’re a few years too late.

Core Questions About the Decline of Big Social Media

Editor’s note: Key questions surrounding the decline of major social media platforms and how brands should adapt their customer engagement strategies.

How is the collapse of big social media changing customer engagement?

As trust in major social media platforms declines, brands are shifting their focus toward direct engagement strategies such as email marketing, owned communities and first-party data collection. Consumers are looking for more meaningful interactions, prompting businesses to invest in personalized customer experiences outside of traditional social media channels.

What role does user-generated content (UGC) play in brand credibility?

With consumers increasingly sceptical of paid influencer promotions, authentic user-generated content has become a powerful trust-building tool. Brands that encourage customers to share real experiences—through testimonials, reviews, and organic social posts—see stronger engagement and credibility compared to those relying on traditional advertising.

Why should brands invest in owned channels over social media?

Brands that rely heavily on platforms like X and Meta face risks due to algorithm changes, declining organic reach and shifting audience behaviours. Investing in owned channels such as company websites, email newsletters and brand communities provides greater control over customer relationships and reduces dependence on unpredictable third-party platforms.

How can brands mitigate the risks of AI-generated content and fake engagement?

AI-generated interactions and fake engagement on social media are eroding trust. To counter this, brands are prioritizing authenticity by fostering real customer conversations, leveraging human-led content creation, and verifying the credibility of online interactions. Transparency about AI usage in customer engagement is also key to maintaining consumer trust.

What are the long-term implications of social media’s decline for digital marketing?

The decline of traditional social media is pushing marketers toward more diversified digital strategies. SEO-driven content, community-based marketing and personalized experiences are becoming more effective than broad social media outreach. Businesses that focus on building loyal audiences through multiple touchpoints will be better positioned for long-term success.

By Chad S. White

Chad S. White is the author of four editions of Email Marketing Rules and Head of Research for Oracle Digital Experience Agency, a global full-service digital marketing agency inside of Oracle.

Sourced from CMSWIRE

facebook user, generated content, social media, marketing, digital marketing,artificial intelligence

By Michael Thompson

Introduction

Did you know that 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine? If your business isn’t ranking on Google, you’re missing out on valuable traffic and potential customers. Whether you’re a local business or an e-commerce store, implementing the right Frisco SEO strategies can significantly impact your visibility and revenue. With over 90% of online experiences starting with a search engine, optimizing your website is crucial to ranking higher on Google and attracting more customers. At Fast Hippo Media, we specialize in helping businesses achieve top rankings and drive consistent organic traffic. In this blog, we’ll explore expert tips to improve your Google rankings with the help of a trusted Frisco SEO company.

1. Optimize Your Website for Local SEO

Google prioritizes local search results for users searching for businesses in their area. To improve your rankings in SEO Frisco, ensure your website is optimized for local SEO by:

• Claiming and verifying your Google My Business listing.
• Adding accurate Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP) across all directories.
• Using Frisco SEO services to optimize your content with location-based keywords.

2. Focus on High-Quality Content

Content is king in the digital world, and Google rewards websites that provide valuable and relevant information. To enhance your rankings:

• Publish blog posts, case studies, and guides related to your industry.
• Use SEO company Frisco experts to conduct keyword research and target the right audience.
• Ensure your content is original, engaging, and solves user problems.

3. Improve Your Website’s Technical SEO

Technical SEO is crucial for better indexing and rankings. Trusted SEO agency Frisco will help you optimize:

• Website Speed: A slow-loading site can reduce your rankings and increase bounce rates.
• Mobile Friendliness: Over 60% of searches now come from mobile devices.
• Secure HTTPS Protocol: Google favours secure websites over non-secure ones.

4. Build High-Quality Backlinks

Backlinks from authoritative websites signal to Google that your content is trustworthy. To strengthen your backlink profile:

• Guest posts on reputable industry websites.
• Partner with a Frisco SEO consultant to build quality links naturally.
• Avoid spammy, low-quality links that can harm your rankings.

5. Leverage On-Page SEO Best Practices

Optimizing individual pages is key to improving rankings. Your Frisco SEO agency should help with:

• Title Tags & Meta Descriptions: Ensure they include your target keywords.
• Internal Linking: Helps Google understand site structure and improves user experience.
• Alt Text for Images: Helps with accessibility and image search rankings.

6. Utilize Social Media for SEO Benefits

While social media doesn’t directly impact rankings, it can drive traffic and engagement. Consider:

• Sharing blog posts and website links across social platforms.
• Engaging with local communities to increase brand awareness.
• Encouraging user-generated content and reviews to boost credibility.

7. Monitor & Analyse Your SEO Performance

SEO is an ongoing process. Regular tracking and adjustments are necessary to maintain rankings. Use tools like:

• Google Analytics to track visitor behaviour and website performance.
• Google Search Console to monitor keyword rankings and technical issues.
• Hire the best SEO company in Frisco to conduct regular SEO audits and improvements.

Conclusion

Improving your Google rankings requires a combination of technical expertise, high-quality content, and strategic optimization. By implementing these Frisco SEO tips, you can improve your online presence and attract more customers. If you’re looking for expert guidance, Fast Hippo Media is a trusted Frisco SEO company dedicated to helping businesses achieve long-term success. Start optimizing today and watch your rankings soar!

By Michael Thompson

Michael Thompson is a highly skilled SEO expert at Fast Hippo Media, specializing in Frisco SEO services. With many years of experience in digital marketing, Michael helps businesses enhance their online visibility, drive organic traffic, and achieve top search engine rankings. View more posts

Sourced from https://digitalmarketingblogtx.wordpress.com/

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By Chris McNeil

Strategic Thought Leadership offers a robust Content Marketing Strategy that can move the mind of a marketplace.

Ever read, “Be a thought leader!” and wonder What exactly do they mean by that?

Let’s consider a more empowering model of Thought Leadership Marketing.

Strategic Thought Leadership offers a better definition.

Strategic Thought Leadership is more about the leadership itself. It isn’t sensitive to how big a name you are or how well known your company is. If you, your company, or you client influences just one person’s thinking, then you are doing thought leadership.

Instead of being a thought leader, Strategic Thought Leadership focuses on building and promoting a robust Thought Leadership Model.

It’s not just about how much you know, it’s more about how well you use what you know to

• Empower your audience to get more value,
• Help them make smarter buying decisions,
• Elevate customer experience (CX), or
• Set their criteria to expectations that only your company meets.

Strategic Thought Leadership Marketing is a structured Content Marketing Strategy organized to move marketplace thinking to embrace the unique attributes of your offering.

There are many advantages to building your content this way. Here are 10:

1. Strategic Thought Leadership brings a focus on quality content as opposed to the all-too-prevalent mass fluff production.

And, speaking of respecting your prospects’ time and attention, …

2. Putting your audience’s learning needs first leads to long term customer relationships built on trust.

Trust comes naturally with Strategic Thought Leadership Marketing, which aims to serve prospects’ learning needs. This contrasts especially with targeted online advertising.

It’s not about the clicks on a targeted ad, it’s about the higher profits that come from developing long-term relationships based on trust by putting prospective customers first. Instead of targeting them, you target what they want.

Some say data drives results but data also can drive detachment and can cost empathy for the customer perspective resulting in a negative brand impression. Data measured from their point of view, though, as Strategic Thought Leadership encourages, gives the numbers greater meaning and power.

And, even if you are already working from the more customer-centered inbound marketing model, …

3. Strategic Thought Leadership avoids the Parrot Content Trap.

Nearly every company is pumping out web content. Most is fluff.

Joe Pullizi of the Content Marketing Institute¹ says “(repetition is the) one thing … killing content marketing and everyone is ignoring it”.

91% of B2B companies are using content marketing² and 60% of marketers are creating at least one piece of content a day³. With web content piling up at such an alarming rate, build content based on new thinking rather than adding to the huge, steaming pile of sameness that is the current state of most inbound marketing. And, fortunately, …

4. Leading the market to new thinking can be easier than trying to outwork the competition in content production.

A shark continues moving or dies.

The thinking of the marketplace is moving also and you can either participate in guiding the movement or it’s likely you’ll sink as well.

Simply working harder to create more parrot content can be like trying to chop down the mightiest tree in the forest with a specimen of clupea harengus. It can create fatigue and frustration if it doesn’t resonate with your audience. And repli-content smells a little fishy.

Conversely, strategically leading the marketplace to new territory brings the relief of saving wasted effort and the excitement of faster results. It feels good because every step helps empower the prospect. And if you feel that’s going out on a limb, consider …

6. It brings a stronger sense of purpose to your content marketing strategy.

When taking in a broader perspective that includes how people use what you offer, it’s their experience of getting more out of using what you sell that comes into clearer focus as the real purpose of your content marketing. That comes from a content marketing strategy based on Strategic Thought Leadership.

Doesn’t approaching content development, production, and promotion as Creative Leadership as a Service (CLaaS) bring greater satisfaction than less purpose-driven marketing?

And if you aren’t yet confident enough that your ideas can influence your prospects, consider that …

7. Even the best content ideas need building out to be robust enough to truly influence the marketplace.

A great idea is like an engine in a formula 1 car- it needs all the other elements- like tires, suspension, the driver, aerodynamics – built around it in order to win the race, no matter how powerful the engine is.

If you bring a great idea to market without the full structure of Strategic Thought Leadership, it can fall flat on its face and leave you discouraged. By building that structure, you can have confidence in the power of the idea taking hold and moving people. Because …

8. A message that simply stands out is not enough.

A storefront splashed with the graffiti of last night’s vandalism stands out but isn’t attracting new customers.

Well-designed Strategic Thought Leadership, though, leads your market to embrace your way as the way. It brings growth and profits.

Building a robust thought leadership model is like building a house where the foundation – the structure – needs to be complete. Just showing you are knowledgeable is like the paint on the house. It doesn’t go deep.

When building that structure, consider that …

9. Having a Support Point Library clarifies and speeds up content production.

In order to move the mind of the marketplace to embrace your Thought Leadership, you need a critical mass of well-promoted content based on language patterns of persuasion.

This calls for a library of high-impact Support Points such as those Thaut builds with neuro-linguistics. These potent talking points undermine the old thinking, reinforce the new thinking and fuel ongoing content, sales, and publicity.

The Support Point Library that is integral to the Thaut Process of Strategic Thought Leadership makes multiple phases of content marketing easier and more effective:

• Your Content Marketing Strategy is supported with a path for market-influencing ideas to flow into content.
• Content Calendar Planning is easier with a set of Thautfully constructed ideas visually plotted and building influence over time.
• Content Outlines for web copy, blog posts, press pitches, and infographics fall right into place.
• Content Producers like designers, content writers, and copywriters are better supported with more fully-formed content assignments.
• The Connection of marketing strategy to tactics is more coherent.
• Content Ideas are abundant with a never-ending flow of high-impact, distinctive content angles always at hand.
• The Purpose of every content piece is clear- to move market thinking in a specific direction that serves the prospect and favours the featured product.
• Analytics can expand to include how well the marketplace is embracing the new ideas.

The end result is that …

10. By getting them to embrace your model, you get lock on your market segment.

By Chris McNeil

Sourced from THAUT