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Welcome to HubSpot Marketing News! Tap in for campaign deep dives, the latest marketing industry news, and tried-and-true insights from HubSpot’s media team. 
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.

Artificial intelligence is getting a lot of traction in the marketing world. According to Statista, 80% of industry experts integrate some form of AI into their online marketing activities.
However, if you’re like me and are unfamiliar with AI beyond what you’ve seen in science fiction stories like I, Robot or Black Mirror — you’re probably wondering what AI is and how to use it in marketing.
Is AI really what it looks like in the movies? This article will explore the definition of AI, the different types of AI, and how AI can improve marketing processes.
What is artificial intelligence?
How does AI work?
What are the four types of artificial intelligence?
How Marketers Can Use AI
The Pros and Cons of AI
The Future of AI in Marketing

So now you know what AI is, let’s explore how it functions.

How does AI work?
AI combines large sets of data with intelligent, repetitive processing algorithms to learn from patterns and features within the data being analyzed. The AI continuously processes and learns from the data.
Within each round of data processing, the AI system tests and measures its own performance to gain additional expertise.
AI can run through thousands, even millions, of tasks repeatedly — improving its performance in a short amount of time. However, there are multiple kinds of AI, each with its capabilities and limitations.

What are the four types of artificial intelligence?
The four types of artificial intelligence are reactive, limited memory, theory of mind, and self-awareness.
Reactive
A reactive AI can only use its intelligence to react and reply to the world around it. It can’t store memory; therefore, it can’t rely on past experiences to inform real-time decision-making or problem-solving.
Reactive machines can only complete a finite amount of specialized tasks. Though this may sound like a drawback, it has its perks. A reactive AI will react the same way to the same stimuli every time — making it reliable and trustworthy.
One of the most famous examples of reactive AI is Deep Blue, a supercomputer created by IMB in the 1990s that won a chess match against chess champion Garry Kasparov. Deep Blue could identify the chess board pieces and how each piece could move based on the game’s rules.
However, the AI could not try to anticipate its opponent’s next move, nor could it think of ways to put its piece in a better position.
Limited Memory
Limited memory AI stores previous data and predictions and uses it for decision-making — looking into past data to predict the future. Limited memory AI is when a machine learning model is continuously trained to analyze and use new data.
Limited-memory AI consists of six steps to follow.

Create the training data.
Create the machine learning model.
Enable the model to make predictions.
Have the model receive human or environmental feedback.
Store the feedback as data.
Repeat all the above steps in a cycle.

Examples of limited memory AI are self-driving cars. Self-driving cars identify civilians crossing the street, traffic signals, and other data to make better driving decisions and avoid future accidents.
Another example of limited memory AI is HubSpot’s adaptive testing tool. The adaptive testing feature splits traffic evenly between page variations at first.
As HubSpot learns how these variations are performing, we adjust the traffic automatically, so optimal-performing variations are shown more than the poorly-performing ones.
Theory of Mind
Theory of mind AI is as it sounds — theoretical. AI has not yet advanced to this type, so theory of mind is still in its innovation stage. This type of AI interacts with the thoughts and emotions of humans. Theory of mind will better understand the entities they interact with so they can understand their needs, beliefs, feelings, and thought processes.
For example, we now know that self-driving cars are a form of limited mind AI. If these autonomous cars could analyze and understand their drivers’ mental and emotional states to improve safety, they would evolve into Theory of Mind AI.
Self-awareness
Once theory of mind is a reality, the next type of AI to emerge will be self-awareness. At this point, machines won’t just be aware of humans’ emotions and mental states — they’ll also be aware of their own. A self-aware AI will have a human-like consciousness and understand its existence in the world and with others.

How Marketers Can Use AI
AI can perform parts of the marketing process — such as task automation, campaign personalization, and data analysis — so you can spend less on repetitive tasks and more on strategy.
For example, our HubSpot mobile app has a business card scanner that uses AI to pick out the name, email address, and other contact information on a business card and map them to your HubSpot properties. Instead of spending time manually entering this data yourself, the AI automates the process for you.

 

The Pros and Cons of AI
So, now you know what AI is, how it works, and the four types of AI — let’s get into the pros and cons of AI technology.
The Pros of Artificial Intelligence
Fewer errors
Humans can make mistakes, miss deadlines, misspell words, and get the math wrong. Sometimes we’re distracted or going through burnout; it’s human nature. By implementing an AI-ran automated system, you’re lessening the risk of errors.
24/7 Uptime
AI also doesn’t need rest and can run 24/7. AI’s can run constantly and consistently for as long as it’s programmed to. This makes AI more ideal than humans for repetitive tasks, allowing marketers and business owners to focus their efforts elsewhere.
Can analyze large data sets quickly
As I mentioned earlier, humans sometimes make mistakes — especially when processing large data sets. A solution would be to work slower to prevent errors, but time is money in marketing.
Fortunately, AI machines can quickly process large amounts of information and data, making them more efficient than humans in a deadline crunch.
The Cons of Artificial Intelligence
Lack of creativity
AI is programmed to react to stimuli based solely on data from the past, meaning they’re not currently suitable for creating innovative solutions. Data from the past can help predict future outcomes, but data alone isn’t always enough to address a never-before-seen variable.
Therefore, AI would be better suited for “grunt” or mundane work. From a marketing perspective, humans can develop a creative marketing strategy, while AI can take care of the repetitive tasks that implement the plan.
Impersonal
Sometimes, human connection is the best way to forge a closer relationship with your audience. While a self-aware AI is possible in the future, current AI machines cannot perfectly mimic the human experience.
From a marketing perspective, implementing AI in every customer interaction can create a rift between you and your audience. I mean, there’s a reason many of us can recall shouting, “speak to a representative!” when we’re tired of speaking to a robot on the phone.

The Future of AI in Marketing
According to Grand View Research, the global AI market is expected to reach $1,811.8 billion by 2030, up from $136.6 billion in 2022.
Artificial intelligence, theory of mind, and self-aware machines all sound like things from a distant future. Still, the reality is AI is here now, and its impact across industries will likely grow in the years to come.
While AI has pros and cons, it’s important marketers stay tuned in to its advancements and be open to using AI to streamline certain processes to keep up with competitors.

 

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.