Author: Franz Malten Buemann

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Having a verified account on social media was once seen as a point of notoriety or a status symbol.
Now, it’s a commodity that can be purchased.
Verifying social media accounts began on Twitter in 2009. Tony La Russa, then manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, filed a lawsuit against Twitter after a user created an impersonation account and shared insensitive tweets.
Though the suit was eventually dropped, it led Twitter to launch its Account Verification process giving verified accounts blue check marks as a symbol of authenticity for notable businesses or public figures. The goal was to make impersonation harder to achieve. Instagram followed suit and began verifying accounts in 2014.

Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bullshit. Power to the people! Blue for $8/month.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk)
November 1, 2022

In late 2022, Elon Musk announced a revamp of the Twitter Blue subscription program upping the price from $5 to $8 per month (or $11.99 per month through the app store) and offering subscribers a blue check mark among other features.
Earlier this month Meta announced a similar subscription called Meta Verified, offering users on Facebook and Instagram a blue check mark, increased visibility in the feed, and increased customer service support starting at $11.99 per month.

 

 

 

 

 

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When these subscriptions were announced, pushback from users was immediate.
On one hand, there are security concerns at play. After the initial rollout of Twitter Blue verification, some users were able to create fake accounts that mimicked real brands, defeating the initial intent of verification.
Additionally, Twitter now only offers two-factor authentication to Twitter Blue subscribers, making accounts that aren’t paying less secure and more susceptible to being hacked.
Meanwhile, Instagram users who are already frustrated with the platform’s difficult-to reach-customer service in the event of a hack or other issues will likely need to pay to receive basic customer support.
In addition to security concerns, the introduction of these subscriptions solidifies these platforms as being spaces where you have to pay-to-play.
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With Meta Verified promising increased visibility on Facebook and Instagram for subscribers, users who are already frustrated with their lack of reach may be tempted to opt in so more people see their content.
What’s unclear is whether end-users will know whether or not the content they see is being served through the algorithms or if it’s being shown because an account paid for increased reach.
While this option may be appealing for content creators or small businesses who want to get in front of more people, it could be discouraging for everyday users who visit social media to see updates from their family and friends.
With the advertising challenges social media platforms have experienced over the past few years intensifying, it’s not surprising these companies are evolving to include paid subscription models to generate revenue. Whether verification and increased reach are the right features to offer is to be determined.
Marketing Snippets
The latest marketing news and strategy insights.
Why social media marketing was the real winner of Super Bowl LVII.
Influencer marketing: why some DTC companies are reducing influencer spend in 2023.
Why AI Isn’t Replacing Our Jobs: the HubSpot Blog interviewed Jasper’s Head of Marketing to cover how we can work with AI.
LinkedIn: how tech layoffs are fueling a LinkedIn boom. 
Pinterest extends Idea Pin length to 5 minutes.
Instagram statistics you need to know in 2023.

Hey 👋 After failing with some business ideas/projects, I’m currently trying out something new: community-based businesses. What I mean with this is building business based on a proven demand that I identify in online-communities. Below, I’m sharing a process I developed in order to build community-based products. As a practice, I go through this process every week to get better at identifying demand, i.e. interesting problems to solve. I divide this post in two parts: Find Problems Worth Solving (this post) and Understanding Community Culture (upcoming post). To illustrate things, I use an example of one of the communities I practiced on last: Music Composers. I know this process isn’t the only one right way. I’m sharing it because I think it might be interesting/helpful for some of you. Also, I’d love to get some feedback on this process! Part 1: Find Problems Worth Solving A) Find relevant communities First, I’m looking for relevant communities in the space I’m interested in. I often use Reddit search, Google search, Facebook-Group search, and The Hive Index. Ideal communities have high levels of engagement (without too much of self-promotion), valuable content, >40k members (depending on platform though, e.g. some small Slack groups can be super valuable as well), and a search function. I encounter communities that form around different subjects — they come in all forms and sizes. The ones I’m personally most interested in are: · Goal-driven communities · Communities of Practice · Communities of Interest · Check out Arvid Kahl’s “The Embedded Entrepreneur” for more info on the different types of communities. This categorization can help you better understand norms, practices, and motivations within communities. However, every community is different and has its specificities, so I try not to get too hung up on categorization. I try to stay open and receptive in order to get to the core of a community and its members. It’s also super important to take into consideration the platform the community is built on. Platforms tend to shape the types of communities that are built upon them. During the research I conduct, Reddit communities have proven to be really authentic. I usually use GummySearch to identify relevant Reddit communities and track conversations. By the way guys, I’m an experienced WordPress developer who has been working with people from various industries. I’m looking for 5 more volunteers who are willing to let me design a free website for them to expand my portfolio. The website would be completely free; the only requirement is that you have a real, running business and cover the basic costs like domain and hosting which is inexpensive. Please PM me if you’re interested and I’ll share more details. B) Discover Problems According to our understanding, a problem can be defined as everything that gets in the way of someone achieving their goals. There is a simple trick to find posts and comments about problems in communities fast. I use the search bar (if existent) and type in phrases like “need help”, “struggling with”, “is there a tool”, “I am looking for”, etc. This will lead you to the places where people talk about their problems. Note: Not every problem is explicitly described as such. For example: in my research on composers, I noticed that almost none of the composers explicitly stated that they seek respect or admiration for their work. However, their often enthusiastic reactions to positive feedback (along with emphazising how motivating this feedback was for them to keep on composing and improving) suggests that a lack of affirmation and feedback can get in the way of achieving their goals. Track my findings: I try to be systematic and track important posts, as well as some meta data (e.g. level of engagement, time, place, etc.). Having a table makes things easier (if you want a concrete example, check out the tables attached to each edition of my newsletter). Worthy problems: I currently try to assess problems worth solving on these metrics: frequency (how often do people talk about this? How often does the problem occur?), severity (how painful is this problem to them?), willingness to pay (do people already pay for solutions to this problem? If not, how confident am I that they would pay?), feasibility (can I actually build a solution for this ? If not, how confident am I that I can find someone that complements me with the missing skills?), and my own interest (how interesting would it be for me to work on this problem? And with these people?). I also love Sahil’s tweet on how to make money: help people make money, save money, or save time. I always ask myself if a solution to this problem would help them with one or more of these. Tip: I try not to just track the problems I think are worthy to solve, but everything that members of this community share about their life. This helps to get a broader understanding of the community and its members (I will discuss this in part 2). C) Brainstorm Solutions I usually start brainstorming solutions after I finished researching the most relevant communities and noted the problems I discovered. In case I came up with solutions during the research phase, I simply note them down and bring them up in my brainstorming sessions. The problems I brainstorm solutions for are those that best fit my “worthiness” framework above. Once I chose a few problems (usually 3-5), I brainstorm solutions based on some frameworks such as: · Build X for Y (e.g. Grammarly for Landingpages). · Platforms (e.g. Decentralized platform for Airbnb hosts). · SaaS (e.g. Insurance-comparison tool for Yoga Teachers). · XaaS (“anything” as a Service, e.g. First User as a Service). · Content (e.g. Info product for Airbnb hosts). · … After the brainstorm, I usually have a set of interesting problems/solutions that I could start working on. Hope this post was useful! Let me know what you think in the comments. Also, if your looking for to design a website for your business, I’m willing be happy to help 5 people design a websites for people for free in return I ask for your permission to add your website to my portfolio as an example of my work. If this sounds good, feel free to send me a PM and we can take it from there. submitted by /u/LaptopAddicted [link] [comments]

Email marketing is a critical tool for marketers. It’s a way to reach out to customers, build relationships, and drive sales. But crafting great emails can be time-consuming, and if you’re not careful, it can quickly become a code-heavy nightmare. That’s where Benchmark Email comes in. Our easy-to-use platform makes email creation quick and simple,…
The post How To Write an Email In 10 Minutes appeared first on Benchmark Email.

Hi there, Hoping someone can help out with an Eloqua question. I have a CDO that is being populated via SFTP on an auto synch. Now the problem is that the source file is REMOVING records, so I am left with records in the CDO that should no longer be there. How to make the CDO match the file on the SFTP? The only thing I can think of is to create program that would delete all records in the CDO and then repopulate with the new file? Any other suggestions? TIA submitted by /u/lighter-thief [link] [comments]

 

 

The world has been captivated by the arrival of ChatGPT, the AI-powered language model developed by OpenAI. Everyday people are now evaluating the potential generative AI has to revolutionise various aspects of work, from its ability to produce creative ideas to its quick content generation.

A true ‘game changer’ in new technology is rare.. The internet, computers, the iPhone, and Google all fall into that category, and it’s likely that ChatGPT is cut from the same cloth. ChatGPT has given marketers a new tool to leverage for a competitive advantage. Organisations that successfully incorporate this into their solutions can experience more efficient and streamlined processes. But how?

 

The marketing benefits of ChatGPT

 

AI powered marketing tools have been shaking up the industry for some time. ChatGPT is just taking it to a whole new level. There are many capabilities and benefits that the tool can offer when it comes to optimising marketing. Curating engaging content is one of them. By simply asking the right prompt, the conversational AI tool can generate new content, both enhancing user engagement and driving more online traffic to a company’s website or social media platforms.

ChatGPT is also an excellent tool for personalisation. It can help professionals personalise their marketing efforts by analysing customer data and providing recommendations for unique content and promotions. According to Salesforce, 76% of customers want businesses to have a clear understanding of their personal expectations, so leveraging this aspect is a smart move in today’s competitive landscape. 

For marketing professionals working in global markets, ChatGPT can also help translate content into different languages, allowing them to reach a wider audience. Not to mention the benefits of using the AI tool to conduct market research, as it can analyse data and offer valuable insights on consumer behaviour, preferences, and trends. This can then enable the development of successful marketing campaigns that effectively connect with the intended audience.

 

Why embracing tech is crucial 

 

Despite the benefits, AI and the impact on the marketing industry is often a nuclear hot topic. There’s a lot of fear mongering and emerging technologies can often be a daunting territory for those who don’t understand new developments. Since the introduction of ChatGPT, many have been concerned that it will take over jobs and people. But this is far from the truth. 

With AI becoming more advanced, this provides an opportunity for marketing professionals to further enhance their skills, rather than to replace them. It is crucial for marketing professionals to take the time to understand the capabilities of AI and how it can support their role. With the benefits of ChatGPT varying from carrying out research and administrative tasks, and providing marketers with more time to foster creativity, marketing professionals who ignore the potential of it will risk lagging behind those who do. Embracing the technology, not fearing it, will now  be key.

 

The need for a human touch 

 

However, ChatGPT alone is not enough. A human element is still required to deliver accuracy and those all-important results that AI by itself simply won’t identify. Plus, when marketing is lacking, the core of the problem is usually due to a lack of human incentive.  Our recent research found that 64% of eCommerce marketers haven’t measured their customer engagement processes in the past month, and nearly one fifth (17%) have never measured them at all. 

The implication here is that marketers are not fully utilising insights, which is a significant issue. Neglecting to measure customer engagement processes on a continual basis means brands are approaching their marketing tactics in the dark. This is particularly concerning now when customer loyalty is more fragile than ever. To address this, marketing teams should make the most of available information and prioritise building strong relationships with their customers.

There’s no doubt that AI and ChatGPT can support marketing, levelling it up to new heights. But the basic principles and foundations need to be in place first. In order to improve the way you build relationships with customers and true ‘Customer Intimacy’, you need to understand them first. AI can support this, by analysing data, but if marketers are not measuring customer engagement metrics in the first place, then they are doomed to failure. 

 

The bottom line 

 

ChatGPT is an incredible tool for marketing, offering businesses the ability to connect with customers on a more personal and engaging level. However, it is important to remember that ChatGPT is not a replacement for marketing. Rather, it is a powerful addition to the marketing sphere, allowing marketers to streamline their efforts, gather valuable insights, and provide better customer experiences. While ChatGPT will transform the marketing landscape, it won’t overtake it entirely. Instead, it will work in tandem with existing marketing strategies, helping marketers to achieve their goals more efficiently and effectively. 

 

I wanted to share this because I am seeing a lot of startups struggling with exploiting their content. The thing is content management should be 20% content production and 80% distribution. Too many companies are sitting on content gold mines. Completely underexploited. Here are 10 tips on distributing content: Plan your distribution route before Know on which platforms and groups you’ll share your content before even producing it. How? Simple. List everywhere your audience is hanging out. That’s where you’ll distribute. ​ Long-form vs short-form Certain platforms are great for sharing long-form content, others really aren’t. Ex: Facebook great for short content, Reddit great for long content. ​ Conversion Some platforms are great for getting email subscribers, others aren’t. Ex: Reddit, I ask readers to join my newsletter after a long article – Works great. LinkedIn, much harder to drive traffic and you shouldn’t count on conversion there. ​ Long-form content = X (short-form pieces) Your long-form should be composed of short-form shareable sub-sections. That way you share the whole article on Reddit, for example, but each sub-section can make a LinkedIn or IG post. ​ Copy from the best Find who is building an audience organically in your industry and copy their tactics for each platform. If it works for them – it should work for you. ​ Don’t rush into multi-format Make the most of the format you already have. For example, if you have text, distribute the hell out of it as text first. Only then convert that text into other formats (video, audio…). Multiformat conversion is still not as smooth operationally as it should be. Make the most out of what you already have. ​ Keep trying Distribution is where the “content game” gets hard so you won’t figure out how to grow on every platform right away. ​ Vanity metrics Pay attention to the metrics but not too much. Don’t get discouraged but still read the data of what works and what doesn’t. ​ Paid Keep your hand off the ads trigger. Yes, you can (& should) grow your email list without pushing ads constantly. It’s an extra effort to push your content organically, but it pays off more. Organic can compound where paid doesn’t. ​ SEO Don’t just count on SEO for your organic efforts, every social platform, community is an opportunity to get eyeballs and connect with your audience. So don’t write a blog article just for SEO, write it to be pushed on every corner of the internet where your audience hangs out. submitted by /u/LaptopAddicted [link] [comments]