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“But what if it doesn’t work?”
The best way to win a short-term game is to bet it all on one strategy. Someone is going to get lucky and it might be you.
But we rarely thrive in the long run if we persist in playing a series of short-term games.
Instead, organizations, individuals and teams do better when they understand the value of resilience.
In the last year, we’ve seen well-funded and heavily hyped crypto companies hit the wall and fail. That’s because it was easy for them to get funded and grow fast by making a simple bet, and in a bull market, everyone looks like a genius.
But their less flashy competitors are still around. They understood that resilience is expensive and resilience is worth it.
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Neurodiversity & unbiased CX approaches: the opportunities you may be missing out on
Often one of the biggest challenges in CX can be breaking down silos within businesses. Ensuring inclusivity for those included in the working groups presents another layer of complexity. I want to discuss the value of inclusive teams, and the need to consider bias in CX and customer journey mapping. Securing the perspectives of many different…
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Cold Email Wizard – Client Ascension
Hi I have this new released course : Cold Email Wizard – Client Ascension https://www.clientascension.com/optin-584687901677689197615?sl=zaap DM me if you need it https://preview.redd.it/7y4bujbaj9va1.png?width=1492&format=png&auto=webp&s=034ebbd86e88888974f9c7d9cb6635b197b099b5 submitted by /u/alaemaroc123 [link] [comments]
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Customer champion programmes: building the customer-oriented working culture
Customer champion programmes have been around for over a decade, yet they’re still not all that common. They’re imperative to maintaining customer centricity. With customer success champions, you can ensure that your customers and their best interests remain at the heart of everything you do. This CXM guide aims to inform you about the customer…
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Put personalisation at the heart of digital transformation
We’re in an experience economy. Consumers have more choices than ever before, and they’re extremely pressed for time. That means organisations need to continually earn their customers’ loyalty. Every aspect of every interaction needs to be seamless and personalised. But the personalisation consumers expect is rarely the “Dear Name” marketing messages that flood their inboxes. The Genesys report “The State of Customer Experience” finds…
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Insightful growth hacks and startup tips – Founder of MapMyFitness, Robin Thurston. Launched 2 of the first 100 apps on App Store ever (!)
Thought I’d share this interview with one of the most interesting entrepreneurs in the health-tech space – Robin Thurston. Robin launched MapMyFitness back in 2007, and built two of the first one hundred apps ever on the App Store (!). You can check out the conversation on YouTube and Spotify. Some really insightful tips on how to growth exponentially and take advantage of new communities and technologies. submitted by /u/bluehenrams [link] [comments]
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5 ways to strike gold in the golden age of market research
The market research industry is in a bona fide golden age. Between 2020 and 2023, global turnover is forecasted to increase by 33% to over $100 billion, and innovation is at an all-time high. More businesses are relying on data than ever before for their day-to-day decision-making. This data is also more sophisticated than ever, with new technologies making research and insights data easier to gather and integrate as…
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MailerGPT | Pro(Email marketing software)
submitted by /u/Profitmasterx [link] [comments]
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Some Remote Workers Struggle With Leaving Home: Here’s How We Handle it at Buffer
Many companies have recently enacted remote work policies, but at Buffer, we’ve been fully remote since our 2010 inception. While we experimented with a San Francisco office briefly, we’re committed to being a 100 percent remote and distributed team because of the many benefits we’ve found, including a happier team, more flexibility, and increased productivity. And we’re not the only ones to feel this way – numerous organizations have experimented with remote work since the pandemic and the results have been mostly positive. But despite all of the good news, there have been ongoing discussions about the potential mental health consequences of remote work. A tweet went viral on Twitter arguing that this shift – along with the trend of fewer meetings – will lead to more lonely and isolated people. While many commenters disagreed with the sentiment, others admitted that working from home had taken a toll on them.100% remote work combined with a no meeting culture is going to create a large group of lonely, isolated workers— Alex Cohen (@anothercohen) January 4, 2023 Our 2023 State of Remote Work survey also found that 33 percent of participants felt that they stayed home too often and didn’t have a reason to leave because of remote work. This led me to examine my own relationship with remote work as well as ask some of my colleagues about their experience, which I’ll share in this blog post.What the research says about remote work and mental healthThe data on remote work and mental health can feel a bit murky. On the one hand, 71 percent of respondents from our 2023 State of Remote Work survey said they wanted to be fully remote. But on the other, certain people are experiencing negative side effects from this very work structure. Microsoft’s 2022 New Future Work Report found some remote workers felt, “socially isolated, guilty, and trying to overcompensate.” Another 2023 study by Integrated Benefits Institute also concluded remote and hybrid work is associated with an increased likelihood of anxiety and depression symptoms compared to in-person work. I can sort of relate. Before Buffer, I worked a hybrid schedule with two days at home and three in the office. Being in person definitely allowed me to develop deeper connections with my coworkers, and I am still close friends with them to this today. These types of interactions just can’t be replaced by Zoom calls. But while I do miss this in-person camaraderie, I’ve also been able to make great friends at Buffer, too. In fact, I recently went to my first Buffer meetup and spent five days working and hanging out with my marketing colleagues. Our marketing team just finished up their meetup in Vancouver! 🇨🇦Fun fact: 60% of the team just joined us in 2022. We grew from a team of 4 to 11 this year! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/eqxQ24pUpb— Buffer (@buffer) November 13, 2022 There are so many sides to this debate, but when I asked six coworkers whether they struggled with feeling isolated and stuck at home, the answer was a unanimous no. A few did agree that remote work could lead to an isolated lifestyle, but they didn’t feel like this was their experience. On the contrary, they said remote work had afforded them more opportunities to go out and socialize with others.I do want to emphasize that because we’ve been a remote-first company for over a decade, we already have many avenues in place to foster our company culture, including annual meet-ups and retreats. This is probably something that not every remote worker experiences, especially those whose workplace recently made the switch to this type of work. For some employees outside of Buffer, like freelance writer Nylah Burton, remote work has been a difficult transition.“I’ve worked in offices and also fully remote as a freelancer (before the pandemic) and fully remote work is lonely as hell. The office culture has numerous problems but being able to socialize easier was something I miss,” she said in a response to the tweet. Similarly, author and lecturer Mary Kenney said in a tweet that making friends through in-person jobs was crucial for her when she was younger. “From age 22-28, I moved for school + work once/year. I don’t regret it! But meeting people at work got me through what otherwise could’ve been an incredibly lonely time as I schlepped hundreds of miles back and forth cross-country.”Culture writer Shamira Ibrahim chimed in and said in order to circumvent this problem, individuals have to stop centering the workplace as their main source of connection. “I think a possible solution to this is to work to actively foster a community culture where adult lives and their experiences aren’t dominated by their workplace,” she said.My coworkers and I have been able to find community through work, but also via other aspects of our lives, as Shamira suggests. Here are our strategies for avoiding loneliness while working from home.How we stay connected, socialize, and make plans as remote workersI’ve been working remotely at Buffer for over a year now, and I feel like I’ve developed some great strategies that have allowed me to both feel connected to my coworkers and have a healthy social life outside of the house. Here’s how I – and my Buffer teammates – manage to do so.Intentionally scheduling non-work related meetingsWhen I first joined Buffer, I was impressed to see just how thoughtful the company was in creating channels for employees to stay connected as a remote team. We have optional biweekly pair calls where we’re randomly paired with a new colleague. I have opted into doing every one of these calls because I find it a great way to meet new people I don’t normally interact with. But while pair calls are great, the one downside is that a 30-minute meeting doesn’t always provide enough time to form a strong connection. That’s why we also have recurring meetings called masterminds where we connect with a teammate on a deeper level. I meet with my mastermind partner every other week and have really come to enjoy our talks, which rarely have to do with work but are more about getting to know each other. New hires are also assigned a culture buddy who can show them the ropes. You’re only required to meet with your culture buddy during the first three months, but I continued to meet with mine beyond that because I genuinely formed a friendship with her. I have also been intentional about scheduling recurring Zooms with a few of my colleagues just to catch up. I do this with two team members I work closely with and with two colleagues in different departments. This continuity has really helped me develop more in-depth connections as a remote employee. Although I prefer to carve out a little bit of extra face time with my teammates, my colleagues Jenna, an Executive Assistant, and Arek, a Senior Engineer, find that their regular work calls provide enough time for socializing. “I personally really enjoy having a few meetings to connect with my team. And you always have a few minutes… or more of chatter you might not otherwise have,” Jenna said. But for Arek in particular, smaller meetings make it easier to connect “What works for me for relationship building are one on one meetings, or in a group as small as possible, whether work-related or not. Meetings in bigger groups don’t work for me for relationship building,” he said. While bonding with our teammates through Zooms is a big way we operate at Buffer, we do try to be intentional about the number of meetings we have, especially because we observe a shorter four-day workweek. Sophie, a Growth Marketing Manager, has been experimenting with fewer meetings because of a recent timezone change and finds it helps her workflow.“I work in a completely different time zone from my team, so the fewer meetings I have, the more I realize I quite enjoy the extreme focus that comes along with no a no-meeting policy,” she said. Another plus is she doesn’t have to stay up until 9 pm every night just for a meeting.Buffer’s Social Media Manager Mitra shares a similar perspective. “Personally, I’m an introvert, so I really thrive with remote work and the idea of having no meetings doesn’t bother me!” she said.Every month we also connect as a full team in our all-hands meetings, which I always look forward to. While not everyone is able to attend these because of time zones, we find it a great opportunity to have most of us together in one virtual room.Choosing to explore as a nomad instead of WFHSome may think remote work leads to people being stuck at home, but that couldn’t be further from the truth for Sophie and Arek. Thanks to working remotely, they’ve been able to travel the world as digital nomads. Arriving at a new place motivates Arek to get out and meet the locals, as well as explore the culture and food. The same goes for Sophie who is constantly traveling (she’s currently in Sri Lanka) and always finds reasons to go out when she’s in a new environment, including going for a morning surf, finding a new coffee shop, taking a yoga class, or grabbing a beer with friends. She finds that this flexibility has allowed her life to be centered around non-work-related matters, which feels very healthy to her.The great thing about remote work is that it can be done from anywhere, and there are many Buffer employees who take advantage of this by exploring new places.Getting out with the kidsMany of my Buffer colleagues have kids who give them plenty of reasons to leave the house. In fact, Dinos, a Product Engineer, says his children allow him to break the isolation he may have otherwise faced as a remote worker. “Due to having young children, it’s easy to get out of the house. You have to bring them and pick them up from school to sports, birthday parties, and other family activities, which create the opportunity to socialize with other adults. I would even say that working 100% remotely has made it easier to do all these things as everything is closer to my office at home,” he said. Darcy, a Customer Advocacy Manager at Buffer, is also always on the go with her children thanks to the flexibility she has at Buffer.“I run my kids around town to various activities and I spend some time volunteering at their school,” she said.While I don’t have kids, I also appreciate that working remotely means I get to spend more time hanging out with my family and pets, rather than being away from them for most of the day.Making plans outside of the houseWorking remotely can make it easier to stay at home, but my Buffer colleagues and I make sure to schedule time outside of the house. One of the easiest ways I do this is by walking my dog every day at lunch. This is a non-negotiable for me and something I do even on busier days. I never had the time to do this when I was working from an office, and I’ve come to look forward to getting some fresh air every day sans screens. I also plan regular hangouts with my friends on weeknights. I find this is a good way to ensure I’m not just stuck at home Monday through Thursday. Similarly, Jenna says that working from home motivates her to be around others.“I actually find working fully remotely It’s an incentive to get out of the house because I don’t have as much human interaction, and some days I just need that,” she said. “I like spending an afternoon each week working from a coffee shop to be with other people, then I usually try to squeeze in one friend outing and one family outing.”Buffer offers both a coffee shop and co-working and coffee-shop stipend to support employees like Jenna who choose to work outside of their homes. Remote work also doesn’t stop Darcy from going out and pursuing non-work relates hobbies.“I have priorities and desires that pull me away from home,” she said. “While I did set up a home gym, I like to spend some time feeling the energy and competition of others, so I work out at a local gym a couple of times a week.”After speaking to my colleagues, the one thing we all seem to appreciate the most about remote work is that it allows us the flexibility to build our days exactly the way we choose. This doesn’t mean that remote work is always easy or doesn’t comes with its challenges, but I believe it shows it’s very possible for remote workers to have an active and healthy social life outside of the house.Curious to learn more about how we work at Buffer? Check out our Open blog.
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4 Types of Arificial Intelligence & What Marketers Are Using Most (Research)
You’ve likely heard how artificial intelligence can revolutionize the way marketers work. In fact, you may be using AI-powered tools right now.
But if you’re like me, you haven’t “pulled back the curtain” to see how this technology works — until now.
Here, we’ll cover the four main types of artificial intelligence — reaction machines, limited memory, theory of mind, and self awareness — and how each type can power your marketing.How many types of AI are there?
There are four main types of AI: reactive machines, limited memory, theory-of-mind, and self-aware.
However, since AI can be categorized by function (the types listed above) and capabilities, you add three more to the mix: narrow intelligence (ANI), general intelligence (AGI), and superintelligence (SGI).
Below we’ll explain each type.
4 Types of Artificial IntelligenceReactive Machines
As the name suggests, reactive machines react and respond to different prompts. It does this without the use of memory or a broader understanding of the context.
For example, this type of AI is commonly used in game design to create opponents. The opponent will respond to your actions, movements, or attacks in real time but is unaware of the game’s overall objective. On top of that, it stores no memories, so it doesn’t learn from past experiences and adjust its gameplay.
Reactive AI powers a lot of marketing tools. A notable example is chatbots. These programs use reactive AI to respond to messages (or inputs) with the right information.
(Image Source)
Chatbots are a popular tool in customer service, but they can also boost the productivity of marketers. For instance, HubSpot’s ChatSpot is a handy AI-powered assistant that can pull reports, create contacts, and send follow-up emails based on certain commands.
Beyond chatbots, reactive AI can analyze customer behavior, campaign performance, and market trends. With these insights, marketers can optimize their campaigns on the fly, improving their effectiveness and ROI.
Limited Memory
Limited memory AI is able to learn from a limited amount of data or feedback. However, it doesn’t “bank” any memories for extended periods of time.
A great example of the ‘limited’ aspect of this AI is ChatGPT. It has a limit of 4000 tokens (forms of text like words) and can’t recall anything from a current conversation after that limit. So, if a conversation is 4097 tokens, ChatGPT responds based on the latest 97 tokens.
This technology can be found in self-driving cars. It can detect lanes and map out the road ahead. It can also adjust the car’s speed and break in real time based on traffic patterns and road conditions.
In marketing, limited memory AI can be used to analyze large amounts of data, helping marketers make smarter decisions about their strategies and tactics. It can also make predictions and recommendations based on this data.
While limited memory algorithms are effective, they aren’t foolproof. They can make mistakes or provide inaccurate predictions, especially when working with outdated data. In other words, the output is only as good as your input. So, it’s important to train these algorithms with accurate, relevant, and up-to-date information.
Reactive machines and limited memory AI are the most common types today. They’re both a form of narrow intelligence (which we’ll discuss further below) because it can’t perform beyond programmed capabilities.
Theory of Mind
Theory of mind exists only as a concept. It represents an advanced class of technology that can understand the mental states of humans.
For instance, if you yell at Google Maps because you missed a turn, it doesn’t get offended or offer emotional support. Instead, it responds by finding another route.
The idea behind theory of mind is to create machines that can interact with humans more effectively because they understand their needs, goals, and motivations. If an AI system can understand the frustrations of a disgruntled customer, for example, it can respond more tactfully.
In the long term, theory of mind AI could have significant implications for marketing. However, it’s still in its early stages, making it difficult to predict when it will become a reality.
Self Aware
Self-aware AI is seen as the next phase in the evolution of theory of mind, where machines are able to understand human emotions and have their own emotions, needs, and beliefs. Currently, this type of AI only exists hypothetically.
M3gan, the robot from the movie of the same name, is an example of self-aware AI. She’s sentient and knows who she is and experiences emotions, and can understand the emotions of those around her. She’s awkward like we’d expect from a robot, but she has social interactions.
The Stages of AI
Artificial intelligence has three stages, largely defined by its ability to replicate human capabilities:Narrow Intelligence (ANI): Narrow AI represents most AI systems that exist today. At this stage, AI is designed to perform a specific task or set of tasks. It doesn’t have the ability to learn or adapt beyond their programming. Examples include chatbots and virtual assistants (like Siri), and recommendation algorithms.
General Intelligence (AGI): This is the next evolution of AI. These systems are designed to have human-like intelligence, allowing them to learn and adapt to new situations, think abstractly, reason, and solve problems. At this moment, AGI is still largely theoretical.
Superintelligence (ASI): ASI is an advanced form of AI that surpasses human intelligence, enabling it to solve complex problems, create new technology, and make decisions beyond the scope of human understanding. ASI is a hot topic of debate, and its potential benefits and risks are highly speculative.While these stages are widely accepted, there is ongoing debate about what defines each stage and when we might achieve them — or if we should evolve AI at all.
Top Types of AI in Marketing
As mentioned, reactive and limited memory AI (both are narrow AI) are all that exist today. This means the AI tools marketers use are strictly reactive, or reactive + limited memory.
We surveyed 1350+ marketers in the U.S. to learn more about their use of AI and automation and the tools they use in their roles. Here are some key takeaways.
First, when asked about the generative AI tools used in their marketing roles, most marketers use AI use chatbots (66%).
Chatbots can be both reactive and limited memory AI. For example, a rule-based chatbot following an if/then model and is programmed with canned responses could be called reactive AI because it follows a set structure and can’t deviate from the structure.
Machine learning chatbots, like conversational chatbots, are limited memory AI because they leverage data and past conversations to respond to customers. They become more effective over time, but their memory is limited.
Marketers also said they commonly use visual AI tools (57%) and text generation tools (56%). Regardless of the tool they use, all generative AI is limited memory AI because the tools can create new content based on the data it’s trained on.
All AI/automation users that responded to our survey say that AI and automation tools save an average of 2 hours and 24 minutes per day.
Back to You
From reactive machines to limited memory AI, theory of mind, and self-awareness, each type of AI has its strengths and limitations. Knowing these differences is key to choosing the right tools, leveraging them effectively, and staying ahead of the curve.