Category: Newsletter

Almost Timely News, 29 May 2022: Marketing Intent, Server-Side Tagging (5/29) :: View in Browser

Take my new course on Google Search Console and how to use it for your marketing »

Watch This Newsletter On YouTube

Click here for the video version of this newsletter on YouTube »

Click here for an MP3 audio only version »

What’s On My Mind: Marketing Intent

Here’s a question for you: what’s the intent of your marketing?

When we talk about things like SEO, we talk about search intent – what is the intent of the searcher? What information are they trying to find for which our content would be a good fit?

This is fairly straightforward, right? We understand generally where in the buying cycle a potential customer is based on their intent, on what needs they need to fulfill. We know the difference between someone searching for “coffee shop” and “coffee shop near me”.

That brings me back to the original question: what’s the intent of your marketing content when you’re making it?

Intent is everything. We as ordinary people are generally pretty good about detecting intent. We know, we feel when someone’s a little suspicious, when someone is behaving in a way that is more self serving than not. To be sure, things like bias can cloud our awareness but generally, you’re decent at knowing if someone rubs you the wrong way, aren’t you?

Have you ever been to a social function and talked to someone and something just felt off? Or that person made you uncomfortable even if you weren’t sure why? Maybe it was the words they were using or where their eyes were looking or the distance they maintained (or didn’t) between you? And later on you found out their intent wasn’t great, was too self centered?

That same intent, that same feeling can come through in any form of communication. Of course, in person where you have verbal and non verbal language, you have a lot more data to perceive, but even in regular written copy, there’s enough to start sensing intent – and when what’s being said doesn’t match the intent of the sender.

Consider the average sales message. So many sales messages come across and shady and disconcerting because we perceive that the salesperson on the other end is trying to mask their intent – but their intent is clear. “Hey Chris, just touching base…” and “Hey Chris, wanted to see if there was any interest in…”

We know what the actual intent is, right? It really should say, “Hey Chris, I’d like to sell you something…” but it doesn’t. And so we learn very quickly to distrust any of this kind of content, any of this kind of outreach. We know it’s a trap.

Every quarter or so when I send out my blatant sales pitch email to you, I get a ton of feedback from you. Lots of it is people thanking me for being honest with you, that the email is a sales pitch. There’s no guessing intent – my intent is clear and upfront, I want to sell you something. In turn, that means you don’t have to waste time or mental energy trying to figure out if it’s a sales pitch or not – and you can focus on whether or not you need what’s being pitched.

So how do you improve your marketing intent? How do you make your marketing better? The short answer is, where and when practical, separate out marketing and sales content. Sales content is and should be about selling. Buy this thing, enroll in this, request a demo, etc. There’s no ambiguity about it. Marketing content should be more about building awareness, engagement, and brand affinity – and that means less selling and a lot more helping, educating, and entertaining.

What about the inevitable protestations of stakeholders saying that marketing isn’t doing enough to promote sales? When you do incorporate sales content, be clear about it. Be obvious about it. Again, don’t make your audience think. In this newsletter, you’ll see things that are clearly and obviously advertisements, or things I want to promote. You don’t have to guess – I tell you quite boldly that I’m trying to sell you something. When you have to provide sales support in your marketing messaging, do the same. Make it clear to everyone what’s going on.

Treat sales content and marketing content like soda and beer. Each has its place. Each has its purpose. Each is good on its own. Don’t mix them together, because then no one is happy.

Share With a Friend or Colleague

If you enjoy this newsletter and want to share it with a friend/colleague, please do. Send this URL to your friend/colleague:

https://www.christopherspenn.com/newsletter

ICYMI: In Case You Missed it

Besides the new Search Console course I’m relentlessly promoting (sorry not sorry), I would recommend reading and watching the piece on server-side tagging. It’s an essential concept to understand in modern marketing.

• {PODCAST} In-Ear Insights: Understanding Server-Side Tagging
• You Ask, I Answer: Critical Thinking in School Curricula?
• You Ask, I Answer: How to Improve Email Deliverability?
• You Ask, I Answer: How to Prepare for a Recession?
• You Ask, I Answer: How to Target Larger Clients?
• You Ask, I Answer: Social Media Metrics in Google Analytics?
• Almost Timely News, 22 May 2022: Training for Reality, Civil Society, Recommendation Engines

Skill Up With Classes

These are just a few of the classes I have available over at the Trust Insights website that you can take.

Premium

• Google Search Console for Marketers

Free

• How to Prove Social Media ROI
• Fundamentals of Marketing Analytics
• How to Think About Google Analytics 4
• Proving Social Media ROI
• Paradise by the Analytics Dashboard Light: How to Create Impactful Dashboards and Reports
• How to Deliver More Value as an Agency

Get Back to Work!

Folks who post jobs in the free Analytics for Marketers Slack community may have those jobs shared here, too. If you’re looking for work, check out these five most recent open positions, and check out the Slack group for the comprehensive list.

• Senior Analyst, Digital Product Analytics at Walgreens
• Communication Officer at The World Bank
• Analyst, Web Analytics at AAA
• Technology Operations Analyst at Premier Medical Staffing
• PR Manager at Ideagrove

Advertisement: Google Search Console for Marketers

Of the many tools in the Google Marketing Platform, none is more overlooked than Google Search Console. Marketers assume it’s just for SEO, but the information contained within benefits search, social media, public relations, advertising, and so much more. In my new Google Search Console for Marketers course, you’ll learn what Google Search Console is, why it matters to all marketers, and then dig deep into each of the features of the platform.

When you’re done, you’ll have working knowledge of the entire platform and what it can do – and you’ll be ready to start making the most of this valuable marketing tool.

Click/tap here to register – and use discount code ALMOSTTIMELY for $50 off the registration »

Thank You Notes

These are the places you’ve had or mentioned me – on your podcast, on your blog, in your newsletter. Thank you!

• Predictive Analytics in Finance – Jedox
• Getting Smarter in 2022 – Elja Daae
• Hold ’em or Fold ’em? Using AI to Evaluate Your Marketing Effectiveness – Secret Sushi
• Interview with Christopher Penn – Onalytica
• Everything is Measurable in Marketing – MarTech.org
• Why You Need Data In Your PR Strategy – Veracity
• Making Sense of Data Quality Amongst Current Seasonality & Uncertainty

What I’m Reading: Your Stuff

Let’s look at the most interesting content from around the web on topics you care about, some of which you might have even written.

Social Media Marketing

• TikTok Marketing: A Guide for WooCommerce Stores via WooCommerce
• What Instagram Algorithm Changes Mean for Your Business via Square
• 5 Reasons Why Influencers Should Not Stop Making Instagram Reels via WORD

Media and Content

• 4 Steps to Amplified Content Marketing via MarketingProfs
• How to Create Your B2B Content Marketing Strategy in 6 steps
• 5 Steps to Creating a Multilingual Content Marketing Strategy That’ll Help Expand Your Reach

SEO, Google, and Paid Media

• 10 Tips for Writing Epic e-Commerce SEO Content in 2022 via Pepper Content
• SEO reporting to impress: How to successfully report your SEO process, efforts and result
• Search Engine Optimization Is Getting Harder What You Can Do About It?

Advertisement: Ukraine Humanitarian Fund

If you’d like to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, the Ukrainian government has set up a special portal, United24, to help make contributing easy.

Donate today to the Ukraine Humanitarian Relief Fund »

Tools, Machine Learning, and AI

• Machine Learning Tools To 10X Your Business in 2022
• Machine Learning Is Not Like Your Brain Part Two: Perceptrons vs Neurons via KDnuggets
• How AI Is Set To Impact The Future of Marketing via SaaS Metrics

Analytics, Stats, and Data Science

• What Can We Learn From Political Ad Data?
• The Complete Collection of Data Science Books Part 2 via KDnuggets
• An End-to-end Guide on Building a Regression Pipeline UsingPyspark

Advertisement: Inbox Insights Newsletter

If you enjoy this newsletter, you’ll also enjoy Inbox Insights, the Trust Insights newsletter. Every Wednesday, get new perspectives, fresh data you won’t find anywhere else, plus a roundup of content we’ve made for the week, like our podcast and our livestream.

Here’s an example issue.

Subscribe today for free »

Events I’ll Be At

Here’s where I’m speaking and attending. Say hi if you’re at an event also:

• Spark.me Social Media, June 2022, Montenegro
• MarTech Conference, June 2022, virtual
• MAICON, August 2022, Cleveland, OH – use code PENN150 for $150 off any conference ticket
• MarketingProfs B2B Forum, October 2022, Boston

Events marked with a physical location may become virtual if conditions and safety warrant it.

If you’re an event organizer, let me help your event shine. Visit my speaking page for more details.

Can’t be at an event? Stop by my private Slack group instead, Analytics for Marketers.

How to Stay in Touch

Let’s make sure we’re connected in the places it suits you best. Here’s where you can find different content:

• My blog – daily videos, blog posts, and podcast episodes
• My YouTube channel – daily videos, conference talks, and all things video
• My company, Trust Insights – marketing analytics help
• My podcast, Marketing over Coffee – weekly episodes of what’s worth noting in marketing
• My second podcast, In-Ear Insights – the Trust Insights weekly podcast focused on data and analytics
• On Twitter – multiple daily updates of marketing news
• On LinkedIn – daily videos and news
• On Instagram – personal photos and travels
• My free Slack discussion forum, Analytics for Marketers – open conversations about marketing and analytics

Required Disclosures

Events with links have purchased sponsorships in this newsletter and as a result, I receive direct financial compensation for promoting them.

Advertisements in this newsletter have paid to be promoted, and as a result, I receive direct financial compensation for promoting them.

My company, Trust Insights, maintains business partnerships with companies including, but not limited to, IBM, Cisco Systems, Amazon, Talkwalker, MarketingProfs, MarketMuse, Agorapulse, Hubspot, Informa, Demandbase, The Marketing AI Institute, and others. While links shared from partners are not explicit endorsements, nor do they directly financially benefit Trust Insights, a commercial relationship exists for which Trust Insights may receive indirect financial benefit, and thus I may receive indirect financial benefit from them as well.

Thank You!

Thanks for subscribing and reading this far. I appreciate it. As always, thank you for your support, your attention, and your kindness.

See you next week,

Christopher S. Penn

Almost Timely News, 15 May 2022: Solution-Oriented, AI Regulation (5/15) :: View in Browser

Take my new course on Google Search Console and how to use it for your marketing »

Watch This Newsletter On YouTube

Click here for the video version of this newsletter on YouTube »

Click here for an MP3 audio only version »

What’s On My Mind: Solution-Oriented Mindset

If you trawl through LinkedIn profiles for a while, you’ll see a very common phrase on a lot of people’s descriptions. Solution-oriented. Solution-focused. Solution-driven.

What does that mean, anyway? Here’s my take: when presented with a problem, you start at the solution and reverse-engineer your way back. You figure out how to get to the solution by any legitimate means necessary.

Why do we value this skill? Because a lot of people aren’t solution-oriented. Let’s look at a few examples. Right now in my country, there’s a shortage of baby formula. It’s causing quite a bit of panic, and panic that’s largely unnecessary. Suppose you had a child, a newborn. You know the solution is to feed the child, but the normal path to the solution – formula – is unavailable.

What are a lot of people doing? Yelling at manufacturers, yelling at politicians, yelling at each other. None of those activities solves the problem, which is that you have a newborn that is hungry and your primary solution is offline.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and the following is not medical advice.

What does the solution-oriented mindset look like? You’d start by looking at the existing solution and then determining what the next closest solution is. If you were to Google for the ingredients of your standard baby formula, which is intended to replace human breast milk, you’d see a long list:

Skim milk, lactose, high oleic sunflower oil, soy oil, coconut oil, whey protein concentrate, potassium citrate, whey protein hydrolysate, calcium carbonate, soy lecithin, ascorbic acid, choline bitartrate, magnesium chloride, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, ferrous sulphate, taurine, L-tryptophan, m-inositol, cytidine 5′-monophosphate, ascorbyl palmitate, disodium guanosine 5′-monophosphate, disodium uridine 5′-monophosphate, zinc sulphate, adenosine 5′-monophosphate, d-α-tocopheryl acetate, mixed tocopherols, niacinamide, L-carnitine, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A palmitate, cupric sulphate, thiamine hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, manganese sulphate, ß-carotene, folic acid, potassium iodide, phylloquinone, biotin, sodium selenate, vitamin D3, cyanocobalamin.

You’d also see that it contains 68 kcal of energy per 100 mL, 1.3g protein, 3.5g fat, and 7.6g of carbohydrates.

Your next logical step would be to look at human breast milk itself. Again, a quick Googling turns up:

Human milk consists of 87% water, 1% protein, 4% lipid, and 7% carbohydrate (including 1 to 2.4% oligosaccharides) Compared to cow’s milk, human milk contains less protein (3.5% in cow’s milk), and especially a proportion of casein (on total protein) lower, max 50% (80% in milk of cow). There is no β-lactoglobulin; some minor proteins are more abundant in human milk (lysozyme, lactoferrin,…) and the same goes for the non-protein nitrogen fraction (urea, free amino acids, including taurine). The protein content of human milk is therefore low (10 g/L), probably the lowest among all mammalian milks, and we can relate this observation with a very low growth rate of the newborn (for comparison, rat milk has a protein content 10 times higher for a growth rate of the pups also higher).

There’s our actual solution, what we’re trying to replicate. The next logical step? Googling for other kinds of milk to see how they compare to those target ratios. We already have cow’s milk ratios in the above research – per 100g, cow milk has 3.2g of protein, 3.9g fat, and 4.8g carbohydrates.

Goat milk, for example, is 87g of water per 100g, 3.56g protein, 4.14g fat, and 4.45g carbohydrate.

Sheep milk is 83g water, 5.4g protein, 7g fat, and 5.1g carbohydrate per 100g.

Of these – cows, goats, and sheep – cow milk chemically is closest to human milk. There are still differences, but it’s fairly close. Which means that if you have to choose between not having a solution (no formula) and finding a reasonably close, perfectly safe alternative (regular whole milk from cows), you’ve arrived at a solution that gets the job done. If I had to feed a newborn, based on available data, this is the logical choice until the supply chain issues are resolved.

This is the solution-oriented mindset. You know what you need to solve – so how do you solve it in the best way possible?

Let’s look at another example, one closer to home for many folks. In Google Analytics 3 / Universal Analytics, we had a feature, an option called Filters that allowed us to change and remove bad, junk data from entering our Google Analytics accounts. Many of us had filters set up to knock out particularly egregious spambots, etc.

In Google Analytics 4, that feature is gone. Poof. Doesn’t exist. So, a lot of folks complained to Google about it. Many more folks just complained out loud on social media, forums, etc. None of these approaches are solution-oriented though, right?

What does the solution-oriented marketing analytics professional do? You look at your available tools and see what you can do. The answer becomes clear when you start thinking backwards from the solution. Google set up filters in GA3 to keep bad data out of Google Analytics. In GA4, Google’s design intent is for configuration to be handled in Google Tag Manager.

Thus, the solution-oriented marketing professional instead designs trigger conditions in Google Tag Manager as an exception for your Google Analytics 4 Base Configuration Tag. You say, “I don’t want GA to even track visits with these characteristics” and you prevent Google Analytics tracking at all when those conditions are met. You have engineered a solution with the tools you have.

We’ve had other terms for solution-oriented folks – hackers (in the truest sense), MacGyvers, etc., but the personality trait remains constant. Folks who are truly solution-oriented are tinkerers, analysts, endlessly curious. When you go to a restaurant with them, they’re chewing slowly to deconstruct the flavors in their food, trying to figure out how it was made. When you listen to music with them, they’re separating out the different tracks, trying to see how many layers went into composing in a DAW. When you view art with them at a museum, they try to figure out how many layers an artist used to create a painting.

It’s human nature to complain, but it’s human genius to solve. How do you solve problems, and what lessons could you take from solution-oriented role models (fictional and real) to be even more capable, even more clever?

Share With a Friend or Colleague

If you enjoy this newsletter and want to share it with a friend/colleague, please do. Send this URL to your friend/colleague:

https://www.christopherspenn.com/newsletter

ICYMI: In Case You Missed it

Besides the new Search Console course I’m relentlessly promoting (sorry not sorry), I would recommend reading the piece on regulation of AI. AI, as wonderful a technology as it is, also has some inherent problems.

• You Ask, I Answer: Regulation of Marketing AI?
• You Ask, I Answer: Making a Case for AI in Marketing?
• IBM THINK 2022 Champions Roundtable
• You Ask, I Answer: AI and Marketing for New Marketers?
• You Ask, I Answer: Personal Brands and Businesses?
• You Ask, I Answer: Unique Content Marketing?
• So What? The AI Maturity Model
• {PODCAST} In-Ear Insights: Artificial Intelligence and Corporate Culture
• Almost Timely News, 8 May 2022: AI and Inequality, Epic Content Marketing

Skill Up With Classes

These are just a few of the classes I have available over at the Trust Insights website that you can take.

Premium

• Google Search Console for Marketers

Free

• How to Prove Social Media ROI (new!)
• Fundamentals of Marketing Analytics
• How to Think About Google Analytics 4
• Proving Social Media ROI
• Paradise by the Analytics Dashboard Light: How to Create Impactful Dashboards and Reports
• How to Deliver More Value as an Agency

Get Back to Work!

Folks who post jobs in the free Analytics for Marketers Slack community may have those jobs shared here, too. If you’re looking for work, check out these five most recent open positions, and check out the Slack group for the comprehensive list.

• Data Engineer at Ratehub
• Data Scientist at Merck
• Managing Director, Digital Content at The Rockefeller Foundation
• Digital Demand Manager at Nokia
• Public Relations Specialist at Digimentors

Advertisement: Google Search Console for Marketers

Of the many tools in the Google Marketing Platform, none is more overlooked than Google Search Console. Marketers assume it’s just for SEO, but the information contained within benefits search, social media, public relations, advertising, and so much more. In my new Google Search Console for Marketers course, you’ll learn what Google Search Console is, why it matters to all marketers, and then dig deep into each of the features of the platform.

When you’re done, you’ll have working knowledge of the entire platform and what it can do – and you’ll be ready to start making the most of this valuable marketing tool.

Click/tap here to register – and use discount code ALMOSTTIMELY for $50 off the registration »

Thank You Notes

These are the places you’ve had or mentioned me – on your podcast, on your blog, in your newsletter. Thank you!

• Getting Smarter in 2022 – Elja Daae
• Hold ’em or Fold ’em? Using AI to Evaluate Your Marketing Effectiveness – Secret Sushi
• Interview with Christopher Penn – Onalytica
• Everything is Measurable in Marketing – MarTech.org
• Why You Need Data In Your PR Strategy – Veracity
• Making Sense of Data Quality Amongst Current Seasonality & Uncertainty

What I’m Reading: Your Stuff

Let’s look at the most interesting content from around the web on topics you care about, some of which you might have even written.

Social Media Marketing

• 15 Most Useful TikTok Marketing Tips in 2022
• Instagram Reels Statistics 2022: Users, Engagement & Growth WP Dev Shed
• How to Find Trending Sounds on TikTok – 8 Easy Ways (2022)

Media and Content

• AI’s Role in the Future of Content Marketing
• How to Create Compelling Video Content for Learning via The TechSmith Blog
• How To Empower Content Teams With Real-Time Log File Insights

SEO, Google, and Paid Media

• Leveraging Synergies Between SEO and Other Channels: An Integrated Marketing Approach via Moz
• All in One SEO Vs. Yoast SEO 2022: Which is Better & Why?
• Link building from a holistic SEO perspective Yoast

Advertisement: Ukraine Humanitarian Fund

If you’d like to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, the National Bank of Ukraine has set up a fund specifically for relief efforts. You can donate using a Visa/Mastercard or Google Pay.

Donate today to the Ukraine Humanitarian Relief Fund »

Tools, Machine Learning, and AI

• Where Are We With AI and ML in M&E? via NAB Amplify
• How We Build The Highest Confidence GPT-3 Chatbots Available In 2022 via Width.ai
• Conversational AI Examples Uses and Insights

Analytics, Stats, and Data Science

• Marketing Analytics State of Play 2022: Challenges and Aspirations
• Data Science vs Business Analytics: 10 Critical Differences
• Regression Analysis and Its Techniques in Data Science

All Things IBM

• AI Can Mitigate Bias In Advertising, Per New IBM/Ad Council Research via The Drum
• Four use cases defining the new wave of data management
• Cybersecurity Trends: IBM’s Predictions for 2022

Advertisement: Inbox Insights Newsletter

If you enjoy this newsletter, you’ll also enjoy Inbox Insights, the Trust Insights newsletter. Every Wednesday, get new perspectives, fresh data you won’t find anywhere else, plus a roundup of content we’ve made for the week, like our podcast and our livestream.

Here’s an example issue.

Subscribe today for free »

Events I’ll Be At

Here’s where I’m speaking and attending. Say hi if you’re at an event also:

• Spark.me Social Media, June 2022, Montenegro
• MarTech Conference, June 2022, virtual
• MAICON, August 2022, Cleveland, OH – use code PENN150 for $150 off any conference ticket
• MarketingProfs B2B Forum, October 2022, Boston

Events marked with a physical location may become virtual if conditions and safety warrant it.

If you’re an event organizer, let me help your event shine. Visit my speaking page for more details.

Can’t be at an event? Stop by my private Slack group instead, Analytics for Marketers.

How to Stay in Touch

Let’s make sure we’re connected in the places it suits you best. Here’s where you can find different content:

• My blog – daily videos, blog posts, and podcast episodes
• My YouTube channel – daily videos, conference talks, and all things video
• My company, Trust Insights – marketing analytics help
• My podcast, Marketing over Coffee – weekly episodes of what’s worth noting in marketing
• My second podcast, In-Ear Insights – the Trust Insights weekly podcast focused on data and analytics
• On Twitter – multiple daily updates of marketing news
• On LinkedIn – daily videos and news
• On Instagram – personal photos and travels
• My free Slack discussion forum, Analytics for Marketers – open conversations about marketing and analytics

Required Disclosures

Events with links have purchased sponsorships in this newsletter and as a result, I receive direct financial compensation for promoting them.

Advertisements in this newsletter have paid to be promoted, and as a result, I receive direct financial compensation for promoting them.

My company, Trust Insights, maintains business partnerships with companies including, but not limited to, IBM, Cisco Systems, Amazon, Talkwalker, MarketingProfs, MarketMuse, Agorapulse, Hubspot, Informa, Demandbase, The Marketing AI Institute, and others. While links shared from partners are not explicit endorsements, nor do they directly financially benefit Trust Insights, a commercial relationship exists for which Trust Insights may receive indirect financial benefit, and thus I may receive indirect financial benefit from them as well.

Thank You!

Thanks for subscribing and reading this far. I appreciate it. As always, thank you for your support, your attention, and your kindness.

See you next week,

Christopher S. Penn

Almost Timely News, 8 May 2022: AI and Inequality, Epic Content Marketing (5/8) :: View in Browser

Take my new course on Google Search Console and how to use it for your marketing »

Happy Mother’s Day to all who fulfill that role in life.

Watch This Newsletter On YouTube

Click here for the video version of this newsletter on YouTube »

Click here for an MP3 audio only version »

What’s On My Mind: AI and Inequality

This week, I was talking with the Trust Insights team about our marketing strategy, looking at our April results. I said something kind of funny: let’s just jettison our SEO focus. Now, on the surface, that seems kind of silly, doesn’t it? Ignoring a channel you don’t pay for seems like a poor idea. But let me dig into the reasoning behind this.

When I started doing what we now call SEO, back in the 90s, there were no artificial intelligence algorithms at work. There were no deep neural networks, no fancy recommendation engines, and during that time, small companies had a real shot at being found as often and as prominently as big companies.

When deep neural networks really started becoming the backbone of search engines (around 2015), the game changed. What happened? Big web properties became bigger, ranked better, accrued more traffic and attention. Small web properties got squeezed out for top volume searches.

Why? It has nothing to do with SEO. It’s not a global conspiracy to let big corporations win. It’s much simpler than that.

Inequality is built into AI with a bias towards letting bigger entities win.

Here’s the simple explanation. To build an AI model – which is fancy for machine-written software – you need data. You need a LOT of data. There’s a reason Google gives away so many services like Google Photos, Google Voice, Google Search, etc. Their AI models need material to train on, so the more they collect – and the more we volunteer – the better the models perform.

Well, when you’re ranking content, who can create better content at scale? Brands that have the budget and resources to do so. It’s that simple. A company that has 5 employees on its content marketing team will inherently create less content than a company that has 500 employees on its content marketing team.

And when you’re building an AI to return search results and you crawl the web, weeding out the obvious crap, you’re left with what? A pile of good content where by simple mathematics, more of that content was created by larger organizations that had the resources to build it.

Add in features like Google’s reliance on “Expertise/Authority/Trustworthiness” (as documented in their Search Quality Ratings Guidelines), and you have an even bigger bias towards larger brands with larger budgets. Why? Who do you trust? You trust entities you’ve had positive experiences with, and you trust brands that deliver consistent experiences – as well as investing heavily in brandbuilding.

Thus, by definition again, a brand that can put a million Euros into brand building is going to have more recognition, authority, and trust than a brand that doesn’t invest in brand building.

Here’s a simple thought exercise:

• Name a coffee shop brand.
• Name a fast food brand.
• Name a store brand you shop in.
• Name a mobile phone manufacturer.

Did any of the choices you mentally summoned just now spend nothing and no effort on brand building? Probably not. Chances are you thought of brands that invest incredible amounts of money and effort in brand building.

Because of its nature of needing a lot of data to build models, AI will always favor the larger data sources. And larger data sources will correlate strongly with larger brands and larger budgets, because that’s who can afford to create the data that AI needs to train on.

So what are you supposed to do if you don’t have big budgets? How do you survive in a world where the deck is firmly stacked against you by big budget competitors and artificial intelligence algorithms working against you?

Wind back the clock 50 years. How did small businesses stay alive in a world where all media was controlled by large corporations and they had absolutely no voice? Three simple things worked for challenger brands.

1. Create a product/service that is substantially better. This is table minimum. If your product or service isn’t noticeably better to your customers, your marketing efforts will be in vain. Get this right first.
2. Create a community. Whether it’s something modern like a Discord server or something old school like a mailing list, have a way for people to interact with you – especially your most loyal, ardent fans. This is your insurance policy against AI – when customers spread news of your brand by word of mouth through communications channels that aren’t mediated by algorithms – like chat groups, SMS, direct messages, emails, etc. – AI can’t interfere with the spread of your brand.
3. Create a memorable brand. At the end of the day, search engines can’t interfere with customers if customers don’t have to search for you. If you are top of mind in your customers’ heads, they will turn to you directly instead of needing an intermediary. There’s no way for an AI algorithm to intercept you typing in my company’s URL directly in your browser.

So how will I be putting this to work? Have I given up on SEO? Sort of. As we discussed in our team meeting this week, we’re pivoting towards a strategy of SEO as a nice-to-have, rather than a core marketing channel. We’ll still create great content, but our intent and our focus is to create content that real people – you – actually ask for, because we know at least one person will read it!

We’ve been saying since 2006 on Marketing Over Coffee that the most sound SEO strategy in the world is to operate as though there were no search engines at all, that Google didn’t exist. That strategy is more true now than ever. How would you market if search didn’t exist at all? How would you stay in front of customers, remind them that you exist in ways that still provide them value? Whatever that strategy is, do it.

Share With a Friend or Colleague

If you enjoy this newsletter and want to share it with a friend/colleague, please do. Send this URL to your friend/colleague:

https://www.christopherspenn.com/newsletter

ICYMI: In Case You Missed it

Besides the new Search Console course I’m relentlessly promoting (sorry not sorry), I would recommend reading the pieces on epic content marketing. They were fun!

• You Ask, I Answer: How to Make Epic Content Marketing?
• You Ask, I Answer: What Makes Epic Content Marketing?
• You Ask, I Answer: Predictions for the Future of Content Marketing?
• {PODCAST} In-Ear Insights: Will AI Wipe Out Data Science Jobs?
• So What? Will AI take my job?
• Almost Timely News, 1 May 2022: Minimums, Changes in Content Marketing

Skill Up With Classes

These are just a few of the classes I have available over at the Trust Insights website that you can take.

Premium

• Google Search Console for Marketers

Free

• How to Prove Social Media ROI (new!)
• Fundamentals of Marketing Analytics
• How to Think About Google Analytics 4
• Proving Social Media ROI
• Paradise by the Analytics Dashboard Light: How to Create Impactful Dashboards and Reports
• How to Deliver More Value as an Agency

Get Back to Work!

Folks who post jobs in the free Analytics for Marketers Slack community may have those jobs shared here, too. If you’re looking for work, check out these five most recent open positions, and check out the Slack group for the comprehensive list.

• Senior Growth Marketing Manager at Forma.ai
• Head of CRO at Tripscout
• Senior Adtech Manager at Mytheresa
• Content Manager at Rock Content
• Senior Account Manager at WebMechanix
• Content Marketing Project Manager at Masthead Media

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Thank You Notes

These are the places you’ve had or mentioned me – on your podcast, on your blog, in your newsletter. Thank you!

• Getting Smarter in 2022 – Elja Daae
• Hold ’em or Fold ’em? Using AI to Evaluate Your Marketing Effectiveness – Secret Sushi
• Interview with Christopher Penn – Onalytica
• Everything is Measurable in Marketing – MarTech.org
• Why You Need Data In Your PR Strategy – Veracity
• Making Sense of Data Quality Amongst Current Seasonality & Uncertainty

What I’m Reading: Your Stuff

Let’s look at the most interesting content from around the web on topics you care about, some of which you might have even written.

Social Media Marketing

• 7 AI-Powered Content Creation Tools for Social Media Managers
• The TikTok Algorithm Explained via Sprout Social
• Utilizing Social Media Marketing To Increase Profits Oh My Global Tips

Media and Content

• Content Writing: How To Write and Order Different Types of Content
• Update or delete? Cleaning up old content on your site Yoast
• Influencer Marketing Experts Pick Their Favorite Tools To Manage Their Programs

SEO, Google, and Paid Media

• App Store SEO: The Inbound Marketer’s Guide to Mobile via Moz
• Generating Query Answers via SEO by the Sea
• Minification and SEO: The Complete Guide via BrightEdge

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Tools, Machine Learning, and AI

• 5 employment AI regulations takeaways for technical decision-makers via VentureBeat
• Google AI Blog: Auto-generated Summaries in Google Docs
• Machine Learning Is Not Like Your Brain Part One: Neurons Are Slow, Slow, Slow via KDnuggets

Analytics, Stats, and Data Science

• AI in Analytics: Top Use Cases and Tools
• Enrich Server-side Data With Cloud Firestore via Simo Ahava’s blog
• Handling Missing Values with Random Forest via Analytics Vidhya

All Things IBM

• What is human-centered AI?

Advertisement: Inbox Insights Newsletter

If you enjoy this newsletter, you’ll also enjoy Inbox Insights, the Trust Insights newsletter. Every Wednesday, get new perspectives, fresh data you won’t find anywhere else, plus a roundup of content we’ve made for the week, like our podcast and our livestream.

Here’s an example issue.

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Events I’ll Be At

Here’s where I’m speaking and attending. Say hi if you’re at an event also:

• Spark.me Social Media, June 2022, Montenegro
• MarTech Conference, June 2022, virtual
• MAICON, August 2022, Cleveland, OH – use code PENN150 for $150 off any conference ticket
• MarketingProfs B2B Forum, October 2022, Boston

Events marked with a physical location may become virtual if conditions and safety warrant it.

If you’re an event organizer, let me help your event shine. Visit my speaking page for more details.

Can’t be at an event? Stop by my private Slack group instead, Analytics for Marketers.

How to Stay in Touch

Let’s make sure we’re connected in the places it suits you best. Here’s where you can find different content:

• My blog – daily videos, blog posts, and podcast episodes
• My YouTube channel – daily videos, conference talks, and all things video
• My company, Trust Insights – marketing analytics help
• My podcast, Marketing over Coffee – weekly episodes of what’s worth noting in marketing
• My second podcast, In-Ear Insights – the Trust Insights weekly podcast focused on data and analytics
• On Twitter – multiple daily updates of marketing news
• On LinkedIn – daily videos and news
• On Instagram – personal photos and travels
• My free Slack discussion forum, Analytics for Marketers – open conversations about marketing and analytics

Required Disclosures

Events with links have purchased sponsorships in this newsletter and as a result, I receive direct financial compensation for promoting them.

Advertisements in this newsletter have paid to be promoted, and as a result, I receive direct financial compensation for promoting them.

My company, Trust Insights, maintains business partnerships with companies including, but not limited to, IBM, Cisco Systems, Amazon, Talkwalker, MarketingProfs, MarketMuse, Agorapulse, Hubspot, Informa, Demandbase, The Marketing AI Institute, and others. While links shared from partners are not explicit endorsements, nor do they directly financially benefit Trust Insights, a commercial relationship exists for which Trust Insights may receive indirect financial benefit, and thus I may receive indirect financial benefit from them as well.

Thank You!

Thanks for subscribing and reading this far. I appreciate it. As always, thank you for your support, your attention, and your kindness.

See you next week,

Christopher S. Penn