Over the last few years, marketing automation has quickly become a critical tool within organizations’ tech stacks — including small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) — to grow sales pipelines, enhance customer support and increase revenue. In fact, in a 2022 Act! customer relationship management study, SMB owners stated that implementing marketing software and other innovative tech, like CRM, led to increased sales and business productivity, customer satisfaction and retention, marketing outreach and company growth and revenue. With marketing automation applications unlocking untapped markets and growth for businesses worldwide, it is no surprise that the global marketing automation market has reached new highs in 2022 ($5.2 billion), according to Markets and Markets.

The ability to simplify and streamline numerous marketing efforts, including email marketing, content marketing and SEO, enabled SMB owners to remain competitive amid the unprecedented challenges of years prior due to global shutdowns, depleted employee markets and ongoing inflation. With that, 2023 is the year for SMB owners to further embrace marketing automation, learning to better optimize their technology and business processes to not only remain competitive but to stand out and outpace the competition.

Here are four marketing automation trends for SMBs to implement to make a splash in 2023.

1. Delivering funnel-optimized content

Today’s customers don’t just want a personalized experience, they expect it. A recent McKinsey study found that 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions. Personalized customer experiences have long been an area of opportunity for SMBs, and the explosion of digital channels and the migration of consumers online shouldn’t change that. In 2023, it simply will not be enough to add a customer’s name to an email subject line or trigger discount emails on their birthday. But, with the right marketing automation tools, marketers can gain the knowledge and tools to adequately audiences.

By tracking customers’ website and email engagement — as well as other content assets — with marketing automation, SMBs can determine different customers’ pain points and needs. This helps marketers understand what content engages what audiences, and enables them to adjust copy, images or frequency of different marketing channels to improve engagement metrics. And, employees can use sales and customer support engagement data to gain an even deeper understanding of customer needs.

With this knowledge, SMBs can better segment different audiences and scale different automated email workflows with relevant content and formats that is proven to engage that specific audience. Then, with the right marketing automation software, teams can create triggered responses that automatically send additional funnel-optimized content based on how the prospect interacts with that email. Through automation, SMBs can quickly funnel relevant content in the form of on-demand webinars, whitepapers, video content or schedule follow-up phone calls and meetings. This enables small, resource-constrained marketing teams to guide prospects through an entire sales journey in a fraction of the time.

2. Enabling strategic decision making

The appeal of marketing automation software for SMBs began because of the tech’s ability to improve marketing reach. However, SMBs must now look to better understand and utilize the wealth of information gathered from their marketing software. With the reach finding that data-driven organizations are three times more likely to improve in strategic decision-making, the ability to capture and capitalize on valuable data will be top of mind for SMB owners in 2023.

Through marketing automation, SMBs can easily track the activity on different communications channels. This enables teams to not only gather intel on customer behaviors but monitor how different marketing campaigns and messages are performing with audiences. And, powerful marketing automation platforms come with testing tools, like a/b testing, that allow marketers to adjust and fine-tune email and web messaging and campaign designs. With marketing automation’s data tracking and testing, SMBs can simplify data analysis and improve decision-making through knowledge-based findings.

3. Enhancing lead generation and nurturing

Effective lead generation and nurturing are critical aspects of sales and business growth. Lead nurturing — once a labor-intensive endeavor — has become a simplified and streamlined process thanks to marketing automation.

With automated tools, SMBs can continue to eliminate repetitive, time-consuming manual tasks on all fronts — especially within the sales funnel. With intuitive marketing automation platforms, even a novice designer can easily create engaging, high-converting and on-brand landing pages equipped with lead capture forms to collect customer email addresses and phone numbers.

SMBs looking to take lead capturing to the next level can integrate their marketing automation with their customer relationship management (CRM) software. In so doing, teams can further eliminate manual work and improve customer interactions by automatically transmitting and segregating prioritized lead information and automating lead profiling and scoring based on prospect behavior.

4. Creating cohesive omnichannel marketing

Integrating marketing automation with CRM will not only help SMBs with lead generation and nurturing in 2023 but will provide the functionality needed to successfully implement omnichannel marketing.

Omnichannel campaigns often fail because they lack consistency among different channels and audiences. By integrating marketing automation and CRM, SMBs create a seamless flow of information in all business departments. The combination of data unification and automation will pave the way for SMBs to drive sales from each of their marketing channels while maintaining a cohesive user experience.

In order to improve on 2022’s successes, SMBs must take the next step in their digital journey — starting with marketing automation. By following the marketing automation trends of 2023 and enhancing their knowledge of marketing automation capabilities, SMBs will position themselves to expand outreach, increase sales and drive business growth.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION:

Revision to and extension of approval of an information collection; comment request.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s intention to request a revision to and extension of approval of an information collection associated with the regulations governing approval and maintenance of livestock marketing establishments and facilities, withdrawal or denial of livestock marketing facilities and slaughtering and rendering facilities, and blood and tissue collection and recordkeeping at these facilities.

DATES:

We will consider all comments that we receive on or before May 26, 2023.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments by either of the following methods:

•
Federal eRulemaking Portal:
Go to
www.regulations.gov.
Enter APHIS-2023-0018 in the Search field. Select the Documents tab, then select the Comment button in the list of documents.

•
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery:
Send your comment to Docket No. APHIS-2023-0018, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238.

Supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may be viewed at regulations.gov or in our reading room, which is located in room 1620 of the USDA South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC. Normal reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. To be sure someone is there to help you, please call (202) 799-7039 before coming.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For information on the regulations governing livestock markets and slaughtering and rendering establishments, contact Dr. Michael Carter, Commodity Policy Advisor, Veterinary Services, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 851-3510;
michael.a.carter@usda.gov.
For more information on the information collection reporting process, contact Mr. Joseph Moxey, APHIS’ Paperwork Reduction Act Coordinator, at (301) 851-2483;
joseph.moxey@usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title:
Blood and Tissue Collection and Recordkeeping at Slaughtering, Rendering, and Approved Livestock Marketing Establishments and Facilities.

OMB Control Number:
0579-0212.

Type of Request:
Revision to and extension of approval of an information collection.

Abstract:
Under the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8301
et seq.), the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is authorized, among other things, to prohibit or restrict the importation and interstate movement of animals and animal products to prevent the introduction into and dissemination within the United States of livestock diseases and pests. APHIS carries out this prevention and eradication mission through the animal disease surveillance and testing carried out by its Veterinary Services (VS) program using procedures and agreements prescribed in 9 CFR part 71.

Disease prevention is the most effective method for maintaining a healthy animal population and for enhancing the United States’ ability to compete in international animal and animal product trade. A key element of this approach is the restricted interstate movement of livestock within the United States to mitigate the spread of diseases, allowing APHIS to use livestock movement records to conduct disease surveillance to protect the health of livestock and poultry populations. Epidemiological data from blood and tissue sampling is used to assess the prevalence of disease and to identify its source. Coupled with animal identification, blood and tissue test results are used to trace the movement of an animal that tests positive and identify other animals it may have encountered that may also be diseased.

When a disease is suspected in a given area, sampling is used to determine its presence or absence and to estimate the incidence or prevalence if it is present. The amount of sampling may increase in selected areas when a disease outbreak is suspected, then be reduced in that area when sufficient tests have been done to prove the suspicion was unfounded or, if found, after the disease is eradicated. Sampling is also used to provide data for new or updated risk analyses in support of disease control programs, and, as required, opening international markets for animal products.

The regulations in §§ 71.20 and 71.21 authorize APHIS to conduct disease surveillance and blood and tissue sampling activities using Livestock Facility Agreements and Listing Agreements between APHIS and owners and operators of slaughtering and rendering establishments and livestock marketing facilities. APHIS requires all livestock facilities that enter into Approval of Livestock Facility Agreements (which are voluntary) to agree to inspection, and to record animal identification, make timely notifications, and take other actions that facilitate tracking animal movements and identifying possible disease occurrences. In addition, APHIS requires all slaughtering and rendering establishments that receive livestock or poultry interstate to enter Listing Agreements that permit the Agency to conduct blood and tissue sampling at the facilities. These Agreements are critical during disease outbreaks as they reduce delays in assessments and, subsequently, disease spread. Facilities must also agree to inspection and compliance reviews. Denial or involuntary withdrawal from a facility or listing agreement may be appealed. Additional information collection activities include providing schedules
Start Printed Page 18111
of sale days, posting of quarantine signs, and maintaining certain records.

We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve our use of these information collection activities, as described, for an additional 3 years.

The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments from the public (as well as affected agencies) concerning our information collection. These comments will help us:

(1) Evaluate whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, through use, as appropriate, of automated, electronic, mechanical, and other collection technologies;
e.g.,
permitting electronic submission of responses.

Estimate of burden:
The public burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 0.23 hours per response.

Respondents:
State animal health officials, accredited veterinarians, and livestock marketing, slaughtering, and rendering establishment owners and employees.

Estimated annual number of respondents:
1,914.

Estimated annual number of responses per respondent:
8.

Estimated annual number of responses:
15,051.

Estimated total annual burden on respondents:
3,352 hours. (Due to averaging, the total annual burden hours may not equal the product of the annual number of responses multiplied by the reporting burden per response.)

All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of public record.

Done in Washington, DC, this 21st day of March 2023.

Michael Watson,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 2023-06301 Filed 3-24-23; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410-34-P

There’s no doubt that trade marketing is one of the most logistically heavy functional groups of the marketing world. This fact typically is ignored by other departments, which does nothing to ease the strain felt by your trade marketing team.

Fact: Your trade marketing team has to deal with every internal group in your organization, (like sales, operations, finance, product, brand marketing, campaign marketing, shipping and many others). In addition to this, they must also liaise with a slew of external teams (such as printers, fabricators, installers, rentals, warehouses and more). This means that a single person in the trade marketing department might have hundreds of points of contact per task.

Trade marketing = sales tools

Your entire brand should be aware that trade marketing = sales tools. In this scenario, without sales tools, your field personnel walk into the retailer with nothing but a pricelist, which puts them at a huge disadvantage compared to their competitors.

What are sales tools? Here are just a handful of items that the trade marketing team can be entrusted to deliver to the sales teams working in the brick-and-mortar market:

POP (point of purchase)

Fixtures & displays

In-market print and digital custom art

For the brick-and mortar marketplace, the trade marketing team members can have many touchpoints through the entire life cycle of every single sales tool, from conceptualization, production and fabrication to distribution in the market.

Let’s take one of their simplest jobs as an example and look at the logistics of a single custom art order for a retailer from the perspective of just two of the key players in a trade marketing team — the field personnel and trade marketing manager. The complexity of the task is staggering, and to do this manually requires a great deal of resources, time and skill.

Custom art order process: field personnel

Step one: Review and confirm the trade marketing budget, brand account planning and retailer selection.

Step two: Approach retailer, negotiate deal for space and product, and get a sales commitment.

Step three: Define supporting elements (education sessions, matching promotions, etc), determine delivery date, and confirm art deliverables (what art is needed to drive the sales goal).

Step four: Measure and confirm space for production, relay all technical requirements and deal points to the trade marketing manager, prepare project details and steps, and communicate with retailer.

Step five: Confirm final delivery or install details, conduct all post-execution reporting and follow-up to ensure retailer satisfaction.

Custom art order process: trade marketing manager

Step one: Review and confirm. This includes field personnel trade marketing budget, brand account planning, field personnel retailer selection, requirements to fulfill deal points, project details and cost, art selection and technical details (sizing, photos, retailer requirements).

Step two: Identify any issues. The list of logistical issues to identify can be ridiculously long and complicated, varying wildly from project to project. Here are just four very basic examples of what a trade marketing manager might have to consider:

If this is a window front being requested and the temperatures will be very cold in the period, vinyl will be very challenging to install. What material will be used instead?

Does the client have special install requirements? For example, a second-story install on outside glass may need a boom lift or scaffolding.

Does the team need to work within unionized labor structure with fixed requirements (such as OHS standards, PPE, breaks and costs)?

Do you need special access from the retailer?

Step three: Track progress. This includes communicating the actual time to complete the project and deliverables, confirming the actual delivery date, sending art to the production/design team, tracking timelines, confirming and approving final art with the retailer via field personnel, confirming correct material and accurate brand colors, as well as sending art to print for final use.

Step four: Organize and dispatch. Arrange and dispatch shipping to the local install team, organize install team, ensure the contractor is ready to work on the specified schedule, check retailer requirements for final finish and health and safety, and put out any fires or issues in real-time during install.

Step five: Finalize. Collect final photos of production from the install team, ensure retailers’ needs are met and that they are pleased with production, track and collect all costing for production, deduct final amount from budgets, maintain and update records of what image has been placed, at what time and location in a master list in case of recall of art (for example, a brand ambassador goes sour and their likeness needs to be scrubbed out of the market ASAP like Lance Armstrong). Collect and house all elements to reproduce the project (i.e., sizing, deal points, communications, decision making, costs, install details), collect and store all photography to send upstream to the brand team so they can have market examples (good and bad), and create a removal and disposal plan (if the retailer desires).

Let me be clear: The above was for ONE simple job alone. The list of potential issues and complications is endless. Not only does the trade marketing team have to perform the physical aspects of the job, but they must also be communication gurus, and operational wizards — and be able to do it at scale.

Perhaps the trade marketing team deserves a little more respect than what they are usually dealt. What can your organization do to combat logistical complexity?

Consolidate communication into an open, searchable platform.

Stop using multiple ad-hoc platforms, and adopt ONE platform as your primary system.

Require your field teams, vendors and internal team to operate inside your platform so all requests (i.e., timelines, budget, speed, etc.) are captured in the cleanest and fastest way possible.

Ingest all filed requests and process them with very defined automated systems. Automate any step in the process that can be automated, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant.

With over two decades in the business Amber Winters know just what it takes to have a team that is proud of what they do. As the Marketing Director of Pizza Pizza a Canadian heritage brand when it comes to fast food, Winters has broken many barriers (and bread!) while highlighting the importance of inclusivity. She shares her thoughts about why now it’s now more important than ever for leaders to support their teams especially when recruiting and retaining workforce in the food industry has been a challenge, the importance of DEI in the workplace and what strong female leadership means and why it matters in today’s environment. 

Hina P. Ansari: So you’ve been at Pizza Pizza since 2004 and the Marketing Director since 2018, tell me what does your responsibilities entail?

Amber Winter: I look after the all of our promotions and messaging. I look after our creative oversight thinking and brand building. Cross Canada brand media promotions and cross-channel sales.

HPA: I have to ask you, obviously, a couple of years later after you started your Marketing Director position, we went into shutdown with COVID which had impacted the restaurant industry. Dining in wasn’t an option, but there was a lot of takeout. So I just wanted to ask you, how did you pivot?

AW: Yeah, well, you know, it was very, very shocking at the time. We were really fortunate, as we had already been working on a safety measure, with our Tamper Proof pizza box. And that was something that actually just launched within days of the pandemic hitting, which was very timely for being a pizza chain. You know, we really tried to focus on the credibility of our product and make sure that the safety was well communicated. The terms of the measures that we were taking in any case with any order. And that also amplified because of the pandemic. So we really tried to communicate that effectively. Our delivery model really was quite strong during those months. Where we did see [a decline] was on the walking side. So for example, Pizza Pizza has a huge share of walk-in customers that grab a slice and go. So that’s something that really struggled during the pandemic in those first months, but since has really returned quite, quite strong.

HPA: It’s so interesting that that Tamper Proof box  was very timely.

AW: Yeah, it was, actually. We couldn’t have planned that better. We did not intend for a pandemic to hit that was launching, of course, but it was actually that one measure that pizza Pizza takes for food safety is always part of our mandate. And it was just something that we had added kind of as an incremental initiative, and it just ended up being super relevant.

HPA: One of your marketing initiatives which I found to be quite brilliant is your Fixed Rate Pizza. A play on the fixed interest rate concept. Right now with rising increase rates and inflation, bringing this idea of offering an option where a particular pizza is available at a fixed price is quite brilliant! 

AW: Thank you! You know, it was an initiative we started last year as part of our new brand position. Everyone deserves a pizza. And we really were trying to find a way to activate that message because you can kind of communicate that. But what does that really mean? And it could mean a lot of things with pizza for us. We have a lot of vegan options. We have gluten free. We have dairy free people with allergies where we always have them covered. However, we thought, you know, we need a little bit more meat to this, for lack of a better word. And we just thought, you know, at the time inflation was so top of mind and pizza is a very broad and very well-liked product. And even though the connection back to inflation isn’t super clear at all times. But I think that we just are. This is really topical. It’s really top of mind. We just want to give people a break. That and even have a little laugh that even pizza can be part of this stressful topic. We really make sure that we were connecting with our audience to say, ‘hey, we get it. it’s tougher now but everyone deserves pizza’. And and for that reason we’re going to give you a break and give you a pizza that you don’t have to worry about the price going up. So that really it took off last summer. We still have it on our menu and we’re committed to keeping the price locked in all year. And it’s it’s great. It’s doing it’s doing really well.

HPA: And I love the advertising. With the whole play on not having to worry about being approved for it and how it fits into the budget.  And I just thought it was so brilliant. So I just wanted to send kudos to you for that, that it was brilliant. Brilliant marketing.

So now let’s talk about you being a South Asian woman in such a iconic Canadian heritage company. Were there any instances or examples of where you brought in your perspective to this company?

AW: I go back to the earlier days because almost 20 years ago — it’s funny to think that this — but we did a lot of pepperoni pizza promotions. And I think because I’m a Muslim Pakistani and I was kind of like, ‘What’s up with all the pepperoni? We have a lot of customers who don’t eat that’. And I kept pushing for alternatives like cheese, a pepperoni or veggie and pepperoni. And finally, it was after the first time it was okayed. And then I kind of had to keep bringing it up time and time again. And finally it just became a symbol to make this more inclusive. So I feel like that’s just a silly example, but it was just one of those things that it just wasn’t really thought about. And back in those days. pepperoni pizza has always been a favourite and it was a very standard product, but just rounding out the edges on that really opened it up to even more of an opportunity.

So that’s just one example. I kind of laugh at that one because in this day and age it just seems so obvious. But there are moments like that where you think, you know, there’s this sort of idea of being South-Asian or being whether it’s Muslim or Hindu or Sikh or anything. You just you want to make sure that your audience can can relate. And and I think that’s kind of being a voice that can represent that is is really important.

HPA: Now let’s talk about the Pizza Pizza DEI Council. When was that formed?

AW: We formed it just over a year ago. And it’s interesting because Pizza Pizza has always been and I’ve been here for almost 20 years, it’s always been a place that believed in diversity and equity. It was part of our foundational values and that’s one of the reasons why I really loved working here was because of those values. It just needed to be formalised. So we kind of looked at it, looked around us and we were ready. We felt that we needed to step up in this space and we formalised our needs with the council. There’s about ten of us and we do have some great initiatives that we’re working on.

We just started the Speaker Series and we had a really great engagement, like there was over 100 people, which is over 75% of our staff that attended. They took their lunch and that’s not always easy to get people to take their personal time. But everyone was very excited that this opportunity came up and it was one of the reasons one of the asks of the council was to implement more educational opportunities. So we’re looking forward to supporting more and just making sure that we have really a broad spectrum of educational opportunities for our team members.

HPA: When it comes to inclusivity in the workspace tell me your perspective on how that can grow the confidence of those who are working with you?

AW: Well, inclusivity for us is so important because our customer base has such a range. We have anybody and everybody ordering pizza for Pizza Pizza. So we really want to make sure that we’re a good representation and reflection of our customers and our franchise network. So we need to really be in the know and know what’s important. We talked about the first pizza example, but it is something that people can relate to from any walk of life.

For us it’s always been important because it’s good business and it just means that we can better relate to our audience and better connect with them. So having that inclusion and that diverse representation on the inside of the office, it just means that we can reach a broader spectrum of our audience. And then having the confidence to instil that is so key as you can imagine.

Everyone at this company has a voice and our CEO is really keen on making sure that a good idea can come from anyone. So we’ve really implemented that with all of our team members, to make sure that there’s a platform for everyone to participate and to contribute and that they know that they’re being listened to. So that’s something that we’re really proud of. And our company wouldn’t be where it is if we didn’t have that real range of voices. And that’s something that shines through. Even if you check out our social media, you’ll see different menu innovations or different campaigns that we’re doing or ways that we’re connecting to different communities. And that’s something we’re really proud of.

HPA: As we are in the middle of Women’s History Month and of course, we just celebrated International Women’s Day, I have to ask you about being a female leader of South Asian descent, the value of having strong female leadership. What perspectives do you bring to the table that differs from your male counterpart when it comes to leadership qualities and leadership perspective?

AW: That’s a good question. I might have a more a more broader range when it comes to understanding other women. And so I think that’s important to make sure that you can connect well, whether it’s with your team members or with your customers. In one meeting, I could be the toughest person in the room and at another hour I could be the most empathetic. So I think that just really having that emotional intelligence and being able to identify with the needs in the moment.

It changes from from day to day and from person to person. Sometimes you need Mama Bear to come and stand up and be tough as nails for you. And sometimes I can just be the soundboard that they need. So I’m not saying that that’s unique to women, but sometimes there is just a little bit more range when it comes to having that bandwidth to tap into what’s going through your team members and having the kind of wherewithal to be able to sit with them. And listen and understand what might be going through their mind so that they can perform as best as possible.

HPA: Tell me about the value of mentoring.

AW: We’re so we’re so keen on bringing in new talent because it’s a reflection of our customers. We want to make sure that we have that connection to to the market. And so bringing in new talent, we feel it’s such a good investment into our business. Like I said, having a voice in this company is very important. And being one of those people that grew up in the company and had the support of the leadership team to build my confidence, I just want to pay that forward and make sure that the next generation of leaders has that ability and they know that they’re being listened to and that their input is valuable. It’s pretty exciting when you have a new team member start — they might just be at a school or they might be well into their career — but they’re new to the company. And when they start to realise how much they can actually provide input and have creative control, especially in this marketing department, it’s so exciting to watch that unfold, to let them build their confidence and then see things come to life in the market and be so proud of that. It’s such a win win for all of us. And again, it’s just good business at the end of the day to have these new team members who are so connected to a segment of our audience.

HPA: What advice would you give to women to help them navigate the workplace in today’s current economic climate? 

AW: First of all, know what you’re bringing to the table and really own it. And it’s something that I’ve always tried to measure against myself is ‘am I in the right place?’. And, you know, being here for so long, it can easily come back to ‘am I just being complacent?’. But every time I ask myself the question, I look at how the company’s evolved. And because I’ve evolved over that over time and the company is also evolved in a good way. I’m able to still align those values. So I think it’s really important that we know we’re in an organisation that lines up with our values and that you can be yourself, you can be authentic and it’s rewarded.

The other thing is to lean on the other women in the industry. And because when I was on maternity leave, I had a lot hesitation on what things would look like when I got back and what am I going to do, am I going to be welcomed back and everything. And I reached out to a couple of different women in the industry and they were so helpful in sharing their experiences and giving me the encouragement to see that I’m still going to be needed. It was really valuable to hear their experiences, how they navigated and learned from it. I took that through with me through my whole year off to say, ‘okay, I’ve got this. When I come back, I’ll still have it’.

If anything, you might have more to bring to the table because you just have a different perspective. And that is something that happened is that when I did come back from that leave, it was in the middle of the pandemic and our work life balance scores were previously poor and it was something that needed to be improved. So it was something that we really worked hard on. Making sure that we had a team set up for success in terms of work life balance.

HPA: Sometimes as career women we often question whether we are in the right place or need to move on? Your thoughts?

AW: When people are looking at where they are and [question] if they in the right place, I say to think of all the challenges that come in this day and age and make sure that you’re aligned with where you’re working. That was something that we really felt was important to work on, that we couldn’t get away with those [work life balance] scores. We just had to work on them. So it was really exciting because I know for anyone moving forward in terms of whether someone is coming back into the work space, I have the confidence to be able to be a sounding board for them and say, ‘Look, these are the changes that we’ve made and this is where I can give you my experience and share this with you to make sure that you’re set up for success when you return’.

Also remember as you change over time, the organisation also changes over time. So you actually have the capability to impact how your organisation changes. So don’t be shy to be that change agent. I think that’s really important because it’s easy to sit back and say, ‘Oh, you know, this, this isn’t working for me’, but it’s also another thing to really push for change.

So I think that’s something that with our company having the DEI Council now, it’s really important that we can impact and create impact and create change. Just like I said, as we accelerate how society evolves, we want to make sure that Pizza Pizza keeps up with that.

Main Image Photo Credit: Pizza Pizza

OMAHA, Neb., March 13, 2023 – As Scooter’s Coffee celebrates 25 years in business this March, it continues its rapid, nationwide growth. To help further Scooter’s scalability, Malorie Maddox joins the company as Chief Marketing Officer. She will amplify and build upon the Scooter’s Coffee respected brand that promises to deliver an amazing customer experience. 

Maddox will execute marketing initiatives that support franchisees’ customer engagement and growth while advancing the Scooter’s Coffee brand promise. She will lead teams in brand management, field marketing, digital, social media and other marketing initiatives. She is eager to contribute to Scooter’s culture and Core Values of Integrity, Love, Humility and Courage through building strong internal and external relationships. 

Maddox is a results-oriented leader with a track record of success across multiple industries—the foundation of her career being a passionate storyteller. For close to 20 years, she worked in media and was an award-winning journalist, investigative reporter, news producer and on-air anchor at WOWT-TV, the NBC affiliate in Omaha, Neb. 

She transitioned from news to the insurance industry, and most recently was Chief Marketing, Communications and Strategy Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield Nebraska. She is a proven executive and recognized for leading many of the strongest and highest performing teams at BCBSNE, driving enterprise strategy for more than 1,200 employees. Maddox created an award-winning marketing campaign featuring customers while achieving sales and negotiating tough deals for the organization. She also led brand reputation, internal and external communications, digital marketing, advertising, market insights and more. 

Maddox earned a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Kansas, and she has a Nebraska’s producer license in the insurance industry. She also was selected to attend Deloitte’s Chief Marketing Officer Academy at Deloitte University. Malorie currently serves on a variety of councils, boards, and committees, including American Marketing Association, Argyle, Urban League of Nebraska, and the First Responders Foundation.

About Scooter’s Coffee
Founded in 1998 by Don and Linda Eckles in Bellevue, Nebraska, Scooter’s Coffee roasts only the finest coffee beans in the world at its headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. In more than two decades of business, the key to Scooter’s Coffee’s success is simple: stay committed to the original business principles and company’s four core values, which are Integrity, Love, Humility, and Courage. The Scooter’s Coffee Brand Promise, often recited to franchisees, customers and employees, is: “Amazing People, Amazing Drinks… Amazingly Fast!®” It represents the company’s business origins and reflects a steady commitment to providing an unforgettable experience to loyal and new customers.

Scooter’s Coffee, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2023, is at the dawn of a strategic growth phase nationwide, approaching 600 stores in 28 states. The U.S. coffee market is an estimated $48 billion-a-year, recession-resistant industry, and Scooter’s Coffee is striving to become the #1 drive-thru specialty coffee franchise system in the nation.

For more information, visit scooterscoffee.com, facebook.com/scooterscoffee, or ownascooters.com, or call 877-494-7004.

It’s no secret that ChatGPT has taken over the world by storm, and its popularity continues to soar. The chatbot is in the news for its scarily accurate answers and hilarious results that will end you in fits.

Like everything else in the world, ChatGPT has also started to influence digital marketing. Wondering how? Let’s dig in to find out more.

ChatGPT – The incredible AI chatbot

Generative AI, specifically the Natural Language Process, is an incredible invention of technology that has created significant uproar in many industries.

When it comes to ChatGPT, it has been predicted by experts that its impact on digital marketing might give birth to a new revolution.

This latest addition to the list of chatbots attracted applause and criticism as soon as it ventured into the market. A lot of people believe that it will transform the industry by improving the efficiency of digital marketing, whereas others find ChatGPT overrated!

The truth is, ChatGPT, invented by OpenAI, is a large language model that is trained on a massive dataset of text-based data. It has been trained on text-based data comprising social media posts, articles, blogs, and even books in order to learn the structure and pattern of the human psyche to give a human-like answer.

ChatGPT’s claim to fame is providing dynamic and rich human-like responses, unlike other chatbots. This is possible because of Generative Pretrained Transformer 3 (GPT-3), a very potent model trained by OpenAI.

So how can it impact digital marketing in the near future? Read ahead to find out.

The impact of ChatGPT on digital marketing

ChatGPT can influence digital marketing in many different ways. For instance, it can generate automated, customized replies to customers’ queries and craft unique content for different marketing campaigns like email marketing or social media.

Let’s check out some of the most powerful ways ChatGPT can impact digital marketing.

1. Refined customer engagement

ChatGPT can enhance customer engagement by providing real-time responses to customers’ concerns and queries. This will eventually result in higher customer satisfaction and loyalty, leading to higher revenue generation and better conversion rates.

2. Enhanced personalization

ChatGPT can be immensely helpful for digital marketers in personalizing campaigns and content to meet the requirements of individual customers. ChatGPT can analyze customer data and offer tailored recommendations to address specific preferences and needs using its machine learning and natural language processing capabilities.

So, you can deliver an engaging and authentic result thanks to the chatbot to any client who queries you. This enables you to build a strong bond of loyalty with your customer.

3. Automated customer service

ChatGPT can improve automated customer service operations by answering frequently asked questions promptly and also by resolving the most commonly occurring issues. This allows the company’s human customer service representative to handle complex queries and provide a higher level of service.

Once the customer service quality is boosted, the company will also be able to recognize the pain points faced by its clients.

ChatGPT is equipped to address some of the most common customer care issues, such as:

4. Advanced content creation

ChatGPT can generate high-quality content tailored according to the target audience’s requirements. The content can be anything ranging from social media posts to email marketing campaigns. This can help digital marketers save time and resources. It also helps them improve the quality and relevance of the content produced.

With the creation of high-quality content, ChatGPT has tremendous potential to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of an organization’s content marketing department.

5. Nurture marketing leads successfully

Marketers can use ChatGPT to develop innovative marketing campaigns that can ideally resonate with the target audience. Engaging content will attract leads to progress sales efficiently.

With this ability to analyze large amounts of data and generate creative ideas, ChatGPT can help marketers create effective, efficient, and memorable campaigns.

A survey conducted by Business Wire revealed that 52% of people prefer text messages over phone calls by customer support representatives. This automatically increases the chances of nurturing marketing leads successfully with the help of ChatGPT. It can chaperon the new leads successfully towards their journey of making those sales, generating more revenue for the business.

Is ChatGPT the future of digital marketing?

Digital marketing is constantly evolving, and with the advancements in the AI field, it will transform. These AI advancements are not yet perfect; therefore, monitoring results to improve digital marketing strategies for the business is crucial.

With the advent of ChatGPT, it’s most likely that digital marketing will be revolutionized in more ways than one. ChatGPT might become an inevitable component of digital marketing in the future, especially for customer service.

ChatGPT has opened new avenues for business owners, especially those related to branding and customer service. It has some amazing capabilities that enhance business growth.

However, like everything else, certain limitations of ChatGPT should be addressed. As more people interact with this chatbot, we will uncover new issues that require improvement. ChatGPT can be extremely beneficial for digital marketers, especially for staying ahead of the competitors, scaling their operations without overburdening the employees and managing resources as efficiently as possible.

To begin with, YouTube is one of the best ways to communicate to a wide audience, whether you’re promoting programs or providing information to students. Not only is YouTube the most popular video platform on the planet, but videos themselves are also highly shareable. For example, its platform videos can be spread far and wide very easily.

Furthermore, you don’t need a huge budget to get started too! On one side, while there is some merit in having certain types of videos produced by professionals, not every video needs a 6 figure budget. On the other side, YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine next to Google. People upload more than 100 hours of video per minute to YouTube.

And now, with the introduction of YouTube Shorts what I can say is that the “future is even brighter” for YouTubers (video content creators). Eventually, what we know, with YouTube, you can do a lot as long as you’ve credible content (for free). Not forgetting, as a result, you can also find yourself generating quite a good revenue by monetizing your content.

Whereby, through YouTube Monetization, content creators can join the YouTube Partner program after accumulating 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time. This gives creators access to monetization features such as advertising, fan funding, and merchandise sales. As a matter of fact, some of the topmost YouTube stars make close to $20 million a year.

What YouTube Is All About For YouTubers And Users Alike

YouTube is a free video-sharing web-based application platform that makes it easy to watch online videos. You can even create and upload your own videos to share with others. Originally created in 2005, YouTube is now one of the most popular sites on the Web, with visitors watching around 6 billion hours of video every month. Below is how its algorithm works:

That said, let’s consider the video above as an example of a YouTube video — you can click to watch it. Perse, if you’ve ever watched a video online, there’s a good chance it was a YouTube video. For example, almost all of the video tutorials on this website are actually YouTube videos! Also, with many students using smartphones, video is a great platform to reach them.

Technically, with YouTube, you can create effective videos of lectures, demonstrations, and more quickly and easily with minimal video equipment. Then again, it’s already highly optimized for mobile devices and the majority of students are already using it. A study by Pearson Education (2010), Social Media in Higher Education, found some revealing details.

In that case, they revealed that YouTube is the most common social media service used to communicate with students. Not surprisingly, this communication tool provides an alternative to traditional methods of sharing information. Including lectures, blog articles, podcasts, and current news.

Why YouTube Is A Great Marketing Tool For Content Publishers

First of all, one of the key reasons why YouTube is so popular is the sheer number of videos you can find. On average, 100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, so there’s always something new to watch! And you’ll find all kinds of videos on YouTube — adorable cats, quirky cooking demos, funny science lessons, quick fashion tips, and a whole lot more.

It’s also important to realize, YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine next to Google. People upload more than 100 hours of video per minute to YouTube. It’s one of the best ways to communicate with a wide audience. Whether you’re promoting programs or providing information to students. The fact is that most YouTubers also earn good money:

In reality, besides using its unique advertising network, YouTube can be used as a repository for student digital work. Learners can set up their own channels, and then save projects there with the added value of attracting public feedback, which in turn raises the standard of their work. This saved work can also be used on class blogs if you have one.

In today’s digital age landscape, business-consumer dynamics have shifted. The existence of digital channels has influenced buyer behavior and consumers are now in control of how they receive information. Instead of giving you a call or waiting for your next commercial, consumers now rely on the internet to find information about your business.

Related Topic: 

Likewise, in recent times, studies show videos to be the preferred medium by consumers for receiving information about brands or products that have sparked their curiosity. According to Wyzowl, 96 percent of people say they rely on explainer videos to know more about a product or service they are interested in.

A Hubspot research study found that 72 percent of people prefer video over text to receive marketing information. And with over 2 billion users, YouTube is their preferred platform. Eighty-eight percent of marketers say they’ve found success in YouTube marketing. With that in mind, below are a few more reasons that make YouTube a great marketing platform.

1. It’s a powerful branding platform with little budget

Video is a fast and effective way to convey your brand’s messages. People respond well to visual cues, and video is a perfect method for capturing the emotion and physical attributes of what you’re promoting. Not only is YouTube the most popular video platform on the planet, but videos themselves are also highly shareable.

Consider how often you see videos pop up in your Timeline on Facebook, or in your Twitter feed. Video can be spread far and wide very easily. While there is some merit in having certain types of professional videos, not every video needs a 6 figure budget. You can create effective videos of lectures or demos more quickly and easily with minimal video equipment.

If a video can conjure up emotion for the viewer, that’s what will stick with them long after they are finished watching. That’s what people remember: a genuine response. Something simple, something thoughtful.

2. YouTube is the second-largest search engine

As you already know, YouTube is one of the largest video content-sharing platforms and social media networks on the internet today. According to Statista, YouTube has over 2 billion monthly users worldwide. These are people who log in to the site at least once a month. Take note that these numbers exclude those who watch videos with guest accounts.

Or rather, those without Google accounts. YouTube’s user base is massive but so is its media library. That’s because over 300 hours of content are uploaded to YouTube every minute. It contains vast information about anything under the sun – and beyond. With many students using smartphones, video is a great platform to reach them.

YouTube is highly optimized for mobile devices and the majority of students are already using it. In addition, it also increases your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) capacity. To navigate a site that big, YouTube’s users rely on its powerful search engine to find the content they are looking for. It processes over 3 billion searches a month, way more than other SERps.

Such as Bing, Yahoo, Ask.com, and AOL combined. Thus, making it the second-largest search engine on the internet behind Google. So, if you’re wondering if your content will get any screen time at all, judging by the numbers, it will. All you have to do is optimize your YouTube video production services to match user intent.

3. Its video platform is already mobile friendly

Aside from YouTube’s own search engine, YouTube video marketing can also boost your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts. And as a result, you’ll be able to perform so well on Google Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). Thanks to Google Universal Search, mixed media can show up on SERPs.

Images, videos, news, books, and even local searches are shown on results pages for a comprehensive set of answers to what people search for. But, videos are now showing up more often at the top of SERPs. That’s why Google prefers YouTube not just because it’s one of its subsidiaries but also because of the native transition between the two websites.

Google searches account for nearly 86.9 percent of all internet traffic. Those who show up at the top of SERPs get 33 percent more traffic. Take advantage of these metrics by writing high-quality content and complementing your web pages with YouTube videos. Pages with video are 53 times more likely to show up on the first page of SERPs.

With YouTube, you’re able to show more and not write to tell more! Video is a great way to demonstrate concepts that are not easily explained in text form. Show your students through screen capture videos, live demos, or even whiteboard drawings.

Video is one of the most popular content formats, and it’s regularly shared via social media. Google and other search engines tend to favor video, so sharing videos via YouTube with good titles, descriptions, and tags is a great way to improve ranking.

4. YouTube offers greater insight into campaigns

On one side, the best thing about YouTube advertising and marketing is that it offers free analytics on each video’s performance. On the other side, the YouTube Insights Feature provides all the data you need on the number of views you are getting. As well as your viewers’ demographics, and your subscribers’ status, similar to Google Analytics.

But, the best thing about YouTube Insights lies in its most powerful feature: Discovery. You gain more insight into how users are finding you on the website. It shows what channels are being used to find your videos. Data on the specific dates, external and internal searches, and the keywords used to find you are all available on the Discovery feature.

5. It allows you to capture the audience’s attention

Before we forget, the Discovery feature is a great tool to improve your YouTube marketing services and to help you optimize future videos. An Oxford study found that humans now have shorter attention spans, thanks to the internet. Apparently, it went down from 12 seconds to about eight and a half seconds, according to a Microsoft Canada study.

Although newer studies have sought to refute that claim, the fact remains that it’s harder to capture – and keep – user attention today. Marketers use video to attract the attention of their ideal audience. Of course, that is because the human brain is hardwired to respond more to visual cues. And that’s why we recommend you create more engaging videos.

Consider the following indicators:

In other words, by adding a video to your blog or web page, you can trick the human brain into watching the video and effectively capture user attention. Not forgetting, just a single video from one channel can be seen by thousands of people and can help narrow the sales funnel when redirected to a landing page or product page.

6. It strengthens your sales pitch

By all means, you need a strong sales pitch to persuade your customers to buy your product or subscribe to your service. A sale can only happen when you have a strong value proposition. Visitors only read up to 28 percent of the text on a web page.

At the same time, 20 percent has a more realistic expectation. No matter how strong your pitch is, it ultimately won’t matter if your audience doesn’t read it. But, conveying your message using a video can actually strengthen your pitch. Not only do customers prefer to watch videos, but they also retain 95 percent more information.

Videos convey way more information while packaged in a format that’s informative. As well as content that is equally entertaining. Whether it’s a best seller or something new, video is a great way to showcase what a business can provide to a client or another business. More so, without needing a salesperson for each interaction.

7. It helps boost your brand credibility

People don’t immediately trust businesses they find on the internet. It’s one of the main reasons why they perform plenty of research before making a purchasing decision and why managing your online reviews and online reputation is more important than ever. Trust is perhaps the most crucial element in driving sales and your most essential asset.

But, when you consider the fact that most businesses online don’t have a face, you can see why consumers have trust issues. This is why 84 percent of marketers say their primary focus in the future will be to build consumer trust. Leveraging videos can be one of the best ways for you to build trust with your customers.

Video content with personal appearances from you or your employees attaches a face to the brand, making your business feel more human. Meanwhile, video testimonials add an element of social proof, making consumers feel validated. Fifty-seven percent of consumers say they feel more confident about their purchase from watching company videos.

8. Video content is king with evergreen 

Of course, we’ve seen the massive growth potential of viral marketing. But it requires either a stroke of genius or incredible luck and sometimes both, for your content to go viral. For stable growth, many YouTube video marketing companies have had considerable success by leveraging evergreen content on YouTube.

Evergreen content is content that stands the test of time. It remains relevant for long periods, giving you more growth opportunities. When using YouTube for business, you can repurpose old content to reach out to old and new audiences without significant investments in time, money, and equipment.

For instance, you can repurpose an old but popular blog post into a podcast, video series, infographic, and explainer video. As a result, your YouTube video marketing company gains four additional pieces of content that you can leverage to gain more views and generate more engagement.

9. The statistical data numbers don’t lie

In nutshell, YouTube is the number one platform for video content, not just in Kenya but in the entire world. Not forgetting, it has also become everyone’s primary source of entertainment, information, and educational content.

In recent years, a growing number of marketers consider YouTube video production to be the most effective for video marketing. Why YouTube marketing services?

Let’s look at these numbers:

At first glance, the numbers shown above reveal the massive user base present on YouTube. And yet, ask an expert from any YouTube Advertising Agency, there are some business owners who think those numbers are empty statistics. Why? Simply, because their target audience “isn’t on YouTube.” Is that really the case?

Out of the 2 billion monthly users:

Behind the numbers, you can tell that your audience is definitely on YouTube. Your YouTube agency can find ways to present unique content that effectively targets your ideal audience. Our YouTube video marketing agency can show you how.

10. It offers a powerful ads platform

Last but not least, we can also say that YouTube Advertising is one of the best ways to make your product or service more visible on the website. It’s also a more effective advertising method than any other. Obviously, people are three times more likely to pay attention to your ad on YouTube than on TV.

Bear in mind, a YouTube Video Marketing Company can also benefit greatly from it too. Why? Because it helps you target specific audiences while also expanding your reach. But, finding the right settings can be tricky. And also, it may take some time to perfect, but a YouTube advertising agency like jmexclusives can help.

Uniquely, the best thing about it is its cost: you only pay for the ad when a user clicks on it or watches it in its entirety. With that in mind, there are six types of ads your YouTube marketing agency can use. That’s if they want to experience the full force.

They include:

In other words, with YouTube Ads, you can reach potential customers and have them take action when they watch or search for videos on YouTube – and only pay when they show interest. Be seen where everyone is watching! Start by learning more about YouTube Advertising in detail.

How To Become The Best In Video Content Marketing

With over 1 billion unique visitors each month, YouTube is a platform that every small business owner should consider as part of their marketing strategy. After all, most potential customers would much rather watch an informative video of your company’s products and services than read a lengthy sales letter.

There are many helpful ways to use it as an essential part of your marketing plan. For instance, depending on the nature of your business, you could host live streams, create Q&A videos, provide conference/event recaps, feature expert interviews, make company announcements, and much more!

Learn More: 

YouTube allows a business to gain more exposure through video marketing, but the platform also helps connect businesses with current and potential customers through video comments. There’s no better time to utilize YouTube as a marketing tool to build more authority, trust, and market reach than right now.

Also, not only is YouTube a great promotional tool, but you can also use the video host to create trust, authority, and recognition by creating a channel for your business. That said, below are a few ways to do so. Feel free to consider some of them in your next marketing strategy:

(1). Try to showcase your products/services

Many successful businesses use video marketing as their primary strategy to introduce customers to their products and services. From explainer videos to webinars to video presentations and more, there are many different ways to showcase what you offer to your target market.

A great example of a company that uses YouTube to market its products is GoPro, one of the most popular camera choices in the world today. The company has used the channel to upload content ranging from informational videos on new products to compilations of footage from their camera being in use.

(2). Make sure you demonstrate your expertise

YouTube is the second largest search engine on the internet today, behind its parent company, Google. Every day, users search for answers to their questions and problems. This presents a great opportunity to build authority for your business, and reach your target audience by offering expertise in the form of short videos with advice and tips.

For example, an internet marketing firm could create short videos filled with tips on, “How to Utilize SEO”, or “5 Great Social Media Marketing Strategies”.  By creating short videos, 3-5 minutes, with great tips, you are demonstrating expertise for your industry and are building more authority for your business.

(3). Offer some behind-the-scenes & user testimonials

Why not give your current and potential customers a behind-the-scenes look at how your business runs its operations? Not only is this an effective way to build trust with those interested in your business, but, it’s also a great way to show how hard your company works for its customers. You could feature an interview, introduce your staff, or even vlog a day at work.

Another way to build trust and authority for your business is by uploading videos of customer testimonials to YouTube. Showcasing positive recommendations and reviews from past customers is a proven factor for success. Testimonials make purchase decisions easier and help ensure people that they’re being served by a company with a positive track record.

(4). Create video tutorials to help your audience

Watching a video tutorial with instructions on how to set up or use a product is much more helpful than trying to understand a complicated user manual. Can your business make things easier with video tutorials? If so, YouTube is a great platform to provide customers with various instructions. Since they can always forward, pause, or reverse your video tutorials.

More so, to follow instructions at their own pace. Another fantastic benefit of uploading video tutorials is that you can offer support and assistance in the YouTube comments. If users have any questions or difficulties, then they can leave a comment under the video on YouTube. Make sure to have notifications enabled, so you can respond with assistance and support.

(5). Consider connecting with a multi-channel network 

A YouTube Network (also referred to as a “multi-channel network” or “MCN”) is an independent business entity that works with creators to grow, monetize, program, and/or manage their YouTube channel. MCNs were originally designed to offer these services to creators in exchange for payment (typically as a revenue-sharing model).

While cultivating a roster of high-performing channels, as well as creating offerings for tens of thousands of emerging channels. However, as MCNs became popular in the early-2010s, some YouTubers began speaking out against the networks for a variety of reasons. The more YouTubers MCNs amassed, the more valuable their companies became.

Larger networks, like Maker Studios, StyleHaul, AwesomenessTV, and Machinima, ended up selling to entertainment entities such as Disney and Warner Bros. Around this time, some networks also started to shift their focus and investment toward original content. Since then, several of these top YouTube networks have been plagued by layoffs and other issues.

Others have pared down their creator partnerships and looked to reposition themselves. Each of the YouTube Account Monetization features has its own set of eligibility requirements. On top of subscribers and views count requirements. With this in mind, we highly recommended that you Join a YouTube Monetization Network Program if you want to make more.

In a nutshell, the YouTube Monetization Multi-Channel Networks (“MCNs” or “networks”) are third-party service providers. They affiliate with multiple YouTube channels to offer various key services and solutions. Like audience development, content programming, creator collaborations, digital rights management, monetization, and/or content sales.

(6). Use the automatic YouTube GIF creator tools

According to The Verge, YouTube is adding an automatic GIF creator to videos. YouTube has quietly added an automatic GIF creator tool to a handful of its videos. The new tool, spotted by Andy Baio, allows the creation of GIFs so easily. By selecting a section of YouTube video footage from the video’s “Share” menu.

GIFs created using the tool can only be a maximum of five seconds in length and have to be cribbed from consecutive video footage. But, the text can be overlaid on the top and bottom of the image for easy meme creation. The resultant GIFs are hosted by YouTube itself.

They can either be embedded on another page directly as a YouTube video would be, or linked directly for download. It’s yet not clear whether YouTube plans to roll this feature out to all of its videos, and when that process may begin. Or if channel owners need to agree to make their videos GIFable.

The new tool is currently available on all videos uploaded by PBS Idea Channel too. But huge YouTube successes, such as Psy’s Gangnam Style and Keyboard Cat, and recent hits like Too Many Cooks sadly still lack the option. Should they get the feature though, Tumblr, Twitter, and other internal email chains will never be the same again?

(7). Focus on the ever-changing technological trends

As a business owner invested in digital marketing, your job is to adapt to the changing dynamics. Provide your audience with the answers they need in a form they want to consume. Your consumers will thank you for it – and your business will benefit greatly from it. Seventy-four percent of people say they were convinced to purchase by watching a video.

This means, that your digital marketing activities need to include a YouTube strategy and you may need to reach out to the experts for YouTube video marketing services. Your clients are always in control. So, make sure that the information you put up about your company answers their questions and positions you as the trusted resource they seek.

Resource Topic: How To Embed YouTube Videos & Playlists Into Website Pages

Also, make sure that you create the type of information your buyers actually want to consume. Using videos for marketing isn’t anything new. On the contrary, ask any YouTube marketing agency and they will confirm, it’s been on the rise for years.

Notably, eighty-seven percent of marketers used video as a marketing tool in 2019, up from just 61 percent in 2016. Video is a versatile media format that you can use to offer information to your audience. It’s available in many forms and can cater to a diverse set of audiences. It can easily attract the attention of your audience and invite them to engage with your brand.

Eighty percent of visitors to your website will watch a video while only 20 percent will choose to read the text. Give your value proposition more power to convert with the help and expertise of a YouTube video marketing agency.

Understanding Digital Marketing Vs Social Media Marketing

Technically, many people use Digital Marketing and Social Media Marketing (SMM) interchangeably. They believe that implementing various B2B social media marketing methods alone qualifies as digital marketing. However, social media marketing is only a fraction of the bigger picture.

Let’s look at the difference between digital marketing vs. social media marketing. In order to better understand how you can leverage these marketing tactics to your advantage. Digital Marketing is an all-encompassing term that uses online and offline digital marketing tactics. Just in order to promote products and services and increase profitability.

Perse, Digital Marketing involves various internet marketing tactics and channels. Including Website for SEO, social media marketing, pay-per-click advertising, eCommerce optimization, email marketing, Amazon advertising, and the like. On the other hand, Social Media Marketing is one of the many components of digital marketing.

Whereas, it leverages various social media platforms. Such as Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube, in order to introduce a brand, grab people’s attention and engage with prospects and customers. Mainly, Social Media Digital Marketing involves collaborating with industry influencers or posting fresh, and unique content.

As well as adopting various marketing trends to convince people to take action. Compared to other types of digital marketing, B2B social media marketing provides quicker campaign results. However, Social Media Marketing alone is not enough. As Digital Marketing Experts, we highly recommend you explore other Internet Marketing Tactics.

Be that as it may, you can learn more about Digital Marketing Services and Social Media Marketing Services to consider. But, if you’ll need more support, you can Contact Us and let us know how we can help you. Also, feel free to share your additional thoughts and questions in our comments section below. And now, until the next one, thanks for your time, and welcome!

Artificial intelligence (AI) has started transforming every aspect of our professional and personal lives. The marketing industry is not immune to this digital transformation, with leading brands starting to embrace the opportunities the technology brings. Gaining a better understanding of customer behavior is one of the core benefits of AI in marketing.

For years, marketers have gathered and analyzed data about customer behavior. Their goal has remained largely unchanged — extrapolate patterns and predict which products and services will be most popular with a certain audience. From that basis, marketers would then identify the channels to reach their target customers.

AI is giving marketing professionals an essential advantage in this quest. This fast-evolving digital technology can analyze more data more accurately than humans can. AI and its subfields, such as machine learning (ML), also identify existing behavioral patterns and predict future behavior based on that.

The growing role of AI in marketing

In 2020, the market for artificial intelligence technologies in marketing was valued at just over $12 billion. While that may seem impressive, it pales in comparison with the global AI market, which was valued at over $325 in 2021. However, the current market size does not reveal the true potential of marketing-related AI. That only becomes clear by considering growth predictions.

According to experts, the market for AI in marketing will exceed $35 billion next year, nearly tripling in size in only four years. Another four years later, in 2028, industry insiders believe that this area of the marketing industry will have tripled once again. Statisticians expect that marketers will utilize AI to a value of nearly $108 million before the end of this decade.

How marketers are using AI today

How realistic are those expectations? Consider this: as of last year, four of five marketing industry experts said they had already included some form of AI technology in their work. When asked to identify the areas in which AI and ML were already enhancing campaigns, marketing professionals named benefits in several areas:

Most of those areas benefit the current leading application of AI technology in marketing — programmatic advertising. A recent survey found that 50% of participating marketing professionals named more targeted advertising as one of the main advantages of integrating AI and ML in their approach.

How AI enhances programmatic advertising

Placing the right adverts in front of the right customers at a time when they were receptive to this content used to be a painstaking process. Machine learning algorithms have allowed marketers to automate buying and selling digital advertising space.

Once programmed, the ML algorithms are not static. They mimic human behaviors, including learning. In practice, the algorithm ‘understands’ whether an advert has missed or exceeded expectations and learns from this outcome. There is no need for additional human intervention. The algorithm, or the machine, learns without additional input simply by analyzing results and iterating its approach.

Marketers and the brands they represent benefit from improved targeting of specific audiences with customized messages. As a result, conversions grow, and advertising spends more efficiently. Programmatic advertising platforms work by analyzing quantities of data that would overwhelm humans.

These platforms cannot only compute data about user behavior, website analytics, and demographic information. They also see trends and patterns before humans can. Marketing professionals can then use those insights to make their content more relevant, increasing the likelihood of customer engagement. Plus, marketing algorithms can optimize ad placement and bid pricing.

Understanding AI-related concerns in marketing

Like most powerful technological developments, AI has raised some concerns in the industry. In addition, marketers starting to invest in AI technology are dealing with unanswered questions as the technology continues evolving at great speed. Two of the main concerns relate to customers and marketers themselves. These concerns are privacy, data protection and job security in the industry.

Protecting privacy — AI and ML rely on access to large quantities of customer data to recognize patterns and predict potential behavior. Despite their far-reaching capabilities, these technologies cannot self-police. They will analyze any data fed to them. Marketers need to ensure that their data collection and usage practices are not only ethical. They must also comply with current privacy and data protection legislation, such as the European Union’s GDPR or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

Job security for marketers — Job security for marketers is another concern about the growth of AI-based applications. Most recently, these concerns have been discussed in connection with OpenAI’s ChatGPT software. Granted, it is not possible to predict entirely where the marketing industry is headed, but most experts believe that AI and ML will change existing jobs rather than replace them. Marketers can work more efficiently and effectively to benefit the brands they represent. Their daily routine may change, but it is unlikely that robots will replace human marketers anytime soon.

While AI has the potential to transform the marketing industry as we know it almost beyond recognition, the technology is not here to replace human marketers. Instead, AI and ML can optimize and streamline current marketing approaches.

Both technologies can also take care of repetitive tasks, allowing their human team members to focus on what they are best at and develop creative campaigns that engage more customers than ever before.