Weekly Digital Marketing & Generative AI for Marketing News from Your Digital Marketing Coach
Every Friday I provide a curated newsletter for thousands of marketers, entrepreneurs, business owners and content creators that covers the latest news as well as actionable advice on all things digital, content, influencer, and social media marketing. I try my best to also provide advice on the latest developments of generative AI and how to leverage it for marketing as well as personal branding for your digital presence.
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Is It Still Worth Adding Hashtags To Your Posts? | How To Use AI To Find And Prioritize Untapped Market Segments | Instagram Teases AI Tools For Editing Appearances, Backgrounds In Videos Using Prompts + More!
We are near the end of the year - only one more edition of this newsletter left for 2024!
I want to share with you something that I have been thinking a lot about recently as we approach 2025.
One of the famous quotes that I live by is "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity."
Which leads me to ask you: What do you plan to do differently in your business in 2025?
This is something that I have been thinking a LOT about this month, and the emergence of artificial intelligence and all of its use case scenarios only complicates the situation.
I wanted to give you some ideas of where I am heading to inspire you and your business as well:
Product Creation: I have always had an audience, but very few products to sell to a majority of them. I want to change that, and it is one reason why I am developing a Shopify store to house future products that I want to sell. Of course, in my case, this also includes some new books that I am planning. What products will YOU develop in 2025 to bring in new revenue streams?
Short-form Videos: Yes, we all need to do more of them, but guess what? They aren't as hard as we think they are. As I write about in my chapter on outsourcing in Digital Threads, there are an army of people experienced at producing these that can help you. And AI can help you with the ideation and script creation. Similar to writing a book, all that's left is for you to show up and hit the record button. Will you be joining me?
Greater Consistency on LinkedIn: One of the reasons I am even more bullish about short-form video is I see them transforming LinkedIn in 2025. LinkedIn is also the social network where there is still plenty of untapped opportunities for those that consistently create content and engage there. I hope to do this more consistently in 2025. Let me know about your plans for LinkedIn in the poll below!
Deeper Use of Generative AI: The other day I was trying to figure out alt-text for an image. Then I thought, why not give ChatGPT a try? BOOM! For a functional task like this, AI both saved me time and I think created a better quality solution. I want to find more use-case scenarios like these for ChatGPT to help me both save time and scale. But 2025 should also be the year to go deeper with AI. Using multiple LLMs, providing more information about my target personas and target audience to get more personalized results, uploading more data to better train AI, finding ways to use AI for analytics, etc. are all things I hope to do to reap as much value out of AI as possible. Will you be doing the same?
Feel free to hit reply and let me know what YOU plan to do differently in 2025!
This interview with Brett Townsend, the SVP of Strategy at Quester. is a goldmine for businesses looking to elevate their marketing strategies. We dive deep into the intersection of data, insights, and empathy with the discussion highlighting how understanding consumer narratives—not just data points—can transform campaigns and drive meaningful results. Brett also demystifies using AI as a tool to enhance, not replace, human creativity and emotional intelligence in brand strategy. A must-watch for actionable marketing insights!
Global ad spending will exceed $1 trillion for the first time in 2024, driven by a 10.7% growth rate, according to WARC. Digital channels lead the charge, with social media alone capturing nearly a quarter of all ad dollars and continuing to dominate into 2025. While legacy media like TV and outdoor show modest gains, radio and publishing face declines. This milestone underscores the rapid evolution of ad trends and opportunities for businesses to adapt.
ChatGPT just got even more accessible! OpenAI now lets you call or text ChatGPT through a phone or WhatsApp, even on flip phones or landlines. U.S. users can call 1-800-242-8478 (15 minutes of voice access monthly), while WhatsApp texting works globally. This experimental feature is part of OpenAI’s mission to make AI available to everyone. Perfect for quick questions, on-the-go help, or when you’re offline!
Instagram is gearing up to revolutionize video creation with powerful AI tools. Head Adam Mosseri teased generative AI features, powered by Meta’s Movie Gen AI model, that will let creators alter outfits, backgrounds, appearances, and more using text prompts. This innovation, expected in 2025, will simplify video editing and inspire creativity. While similar to tools from OpenAI and Adobe, Instagram’s integration promises seamless access for its massive creator base. A game-changer for digital storytelling!
Meta’s new affiliate link updates are a big win for creators and brands! With improved visibility for affiliate links in Reels, posts, and comments, plus an auto-detection system to streamline the process, these changes make it easier to monetize content on Facebook. The clickable displays are perfect for boosting sales, especially during the holidays. Whether you’re a seasoned creator or just starting out, now’s the time to leverage these tools for greater revenue opportunities!
TikTok faces a critical juncture in its U.S. operations as the Supreme Court agrees to hear its challenge to the government’s forced sell-off bill. While this provides a sliver of hope, national security concerns will likely weigh heavily against TikTok’s First Amendment defense. With just weeks until the January 19 deadline, TikTok’s future in the U.S. hangs in the balance. A sale or policy shift could keep it alive, but the clock is ticking. Stay tuned!
This Week's Poll!
Please vote—after which you will be able to see the responses and compare yourself to the community!
Do you honestly believe TiKTok will be banned in the US in 2025?
Make stunning social posts, images, videos, flyers, and more with Adobe Express. Dream it. Make it. Easy. If you've only used Canva, you owe it to yourself to see what you might be missing!
Struggling to move your website from page two to the top spots on search results? Adam Riemer breaks it down with actionable strategies: analyze top-ranking pages for common features, improve your content’s usefulness and readability, and refine internal linking. Remove outdated or irrelevant sections, focus on unique insights, and ensure site-wide quality to avoid penalties. SEO isn’t instant, but consistent tweaks and a great user experience can push you to the top!
AI crawlers like GPTBot and Claude now account for 28% of Googlebot’s traffic, signaling a major shift in SEO. These bots prioritize HTML and images but don’t execute JavaScript, making server-side rendering, clean content structures, and updated sitemaps essential. With inefficiencies like high 404 rates and limited regional reach, optimizing for AI crawlers is key to staying visible as they reshape web crawling and indexing strategies. Adapt now to stay competitive!
Are hashtags worth it anymore? Social media platforms are signaling no. Advances in algorithms now infer context without them, and experts like Instagram's Adam Mosseri confirm hashtags offer little reach boost. While they may help build niche communities or clarify topics, their discovery power has diminished. Heading into 2025, focusing on creating context-rich, high-quality content may be more impactful than relying on hashtags to drive engagement. It’s time to rethink their role in your strategy!
Here is an interesting set of predictions for the new year. Social media in 2025 will be all about authenticity, connection, and creativity. Community engagement will be key to driving loyalty, with meaningful conversations replacing mass broadcasts. Social Media Optimization (SMO) will rival SEO as platforms like TikTok become search engines for younger audiences. Entertainment will take center stage, with brands leveraging storytelling and humor to captivate. Employee-Generated Content (EGC) will showcase authenticity, while UGC and affiliate marketing will dominate content-driven commerce. Success lies in fostering real connections!
Harnessing AI to uncover and prioritize untapped market segments can transform your marketing strategy. Using large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Amazon’s Nova, this tutorial teaches meta-prompting to generate effective AI prompts, uncover profitable segments, and create tailored go-to-market strategies. By combining AI insights with your expertise, you can identify overlooked opportunities, optimize positioning, and accelerate decision-making, saving weeks of effort while driving revenue growth. Perfect for businesses seeking a competitive edge!
AI search engines are reshaping how we find information, but they’re not ready to dethrone traditional search engines just yet. Ryan Law’s review highlights two standouts: ChatGPT Search for long-tail, text-heavy queries with follow-up capabilities, and Google AI Overviews for combining AI insights with robust search features. While ChatGPT excels in creativity and specificity, Google remains the best all-around tool. Traditional engines still dominate for commercial, local, and image searches, but AI’s potential is undeniable as integration continues.
Tired of marketing advice that’s either obvious or outright shady? Strategic AF flips the script. It's the only newsletter that treats solopreneurs, founders, and marketers like grown-ups, not toddlers looking for the next shiny toy. Subscribe to get sharp, no-nonsense strategy advice without the cringe. No bro-marketing, no fluff — just real, sustainable growth tactics. Subscribe if you want results. Scroll past if you prefer gimmicks.
AI image generators are revolutionizing creative workflows, making it easy for marketers and designers to create high-quality visuals. Tools like DALL-E 3 (best for intricate prompts), Adobe Firefly (great for integration with design tools), and Microsoft Designer (simple for beginners) stand out for their features and usability. Whether you need 3D models, custom illustrations, or photorealistic images, these 15 programs cater to various needs, ensuring a seamless experience for any creative project. Dive in and elevate your visual content!
Struggling to meet your marketing goals? Hiring a marketing consultant might be the game-changer you need. These experts bring fresh perspectives, proven strategies, and measurable results—like a 25% ROI increase and higher customer satisfaction. They optimize budgets, enhance branding, and guide digital transformations. Ready to scale effectively, break through growth plateaus, or target new markets? A marketing consultant could be the strategic partner your business needs to unlock sustainable growth.
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Weekly Digital Marketing & Generative AI for Marketing News from Your Digital Marketing Coach
Neal Schaffer
Every Friday I provide a curated newsletter for thousands of marketers, entrepreneurs, business owners and content creators that covers the latest news as well as actionable advice on all things digital, content, influencer, and social media marketing. I try my best to also provide advice on the latest developments of generative AI and how to leverage it for marketing as well as personal branding for your digital presence.
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