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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Study: ChatGPT & AI Tools Gain Ground In Search Market | How To Save Time And Prove Results With Social Media Automated Reporting | 7 Content Writing Trends For 2025 + More!
It's time to take a step back and be grateful for all that we have and accomplished in 2024.
With a similar lens, we should also be looking forward on all of our dreams and goals for 2025 and constructing plans to make them happen.
Just like going to a gym at the beginning of a year with passion to get back in shape or shed a few pounds (trust me, I'll be back exercising soon as well!), we should be approaching our digital marketing with the same vigor.
This week's poll is focused on that, asking you where you will invest your most time and/or energy in 2025.
For me, the answer is AI, as I believe we are entering the age of Generative AI 2.0.
Generative AI 1.0 began with the emergence of ChatGPT back in November of 2022. We were all enthralled and began to slowly use it and find ways of using it to help with our content creation.
The last two years we have realized that AI-generated content isn't all that we might have thought it would be, and that we as readers can now detect what smells like AI. We also know that, from SEO to social media, AI-generated content won't make your content more engaging, and ultimately won't help you win any favors with algorithms.
That being said, amongst AI's greatest value is its ability to amplify your intelligence and IP, borrowing a phrase that fiction author Joanna Penn mentioned at Author Nation. In other words, AI can take the content that we already have and help us expand upon it and publish into different formats and styles to amplify our digital footprint. This is important for a number of reasons, one of which being it gives large language models greater exposure to us, increasing our chances that we rank higher in the emerging world of AI search engines.
Let me give you an example to help explain another attribute of Generative AI 2.0, the consolidation of AI tools.
For any of us that have ever created longform videos like the ones we publish on YouTube, there have been a number of tools such as OpusClip that use AI to automatically suggest the snippets that would be most engaging in social media. I, along with many others, have never found their recommendations to be spot on. I have also tried using tools like CastMagic to give me the same information, but once again I have found issues.
When you think about it, all of these tools do not have their own large language models and are merely tapping into the ChatGPTs and Claudes and adding their own layer. Can't we do the same? This is the reason why I have been using other AI tools less and less and using ChatGPT more and more.
An interesting side note here is that tools that existed before ChatGPT are also adding that functionality to their arsenal. Case in point is Otter, a tool that was known to have the best AI transcription before ChatGPT. Otter also has a ChatGPT like functionality, and when I ask it for advice on snippets or other information related to the transcript it created, it gives me similar if not better advice than ChatGPT does.
I hope you can see that it is now time to consolidate our AI tools and leverage AI more to amplify than merely create. You don't need an AI tool for every specific thing it promises to do, because for the most part, all of this can be done in ChatGPT. We do need to be selective about the tools we use, experiment, and find the ones that will be frictionless and promise to do what we need them to do: Help improve our efficiency and quality of content and product.
OK - that's my end-of-year speech on the state of AI as I see it - now on to this week's news!
This podcast episode is all about the power of meaningful relationships in marketing, featuring insights from fellow Fractional CMO Jeff Lerner. While many marketers focus on metrics, true success comes from turning connections into advocates and building trust. The episode unpacks strategies to elevate your personal brand and career through intentional networking and mentorship. If you’ve ever felt stuck in surface-level networking, this is your guide to transforming your approach and unlocking new opportunities. Don't miss it!
AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity are reshaping search behaviors, with rapid growth in referral traffic, especially for finance-focused blogs. While product pages rarely appear in AI search results, blog posts dominate, signaling a shift in content strategy needs. Though AI referrals currently make up a small fraction of overall traffic, growth rates suggest they could reach 20% within a year, urging businesses to adapt and leverage this emerging trend thoughtfully.
OpenAI’s plan to transition into a for-profit Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) marks a pivotal moment in its evolution. This move aims to secure the massive funding needed for advancing artificial general intelligence while allowing the nonprofit to focus on charitable initiatives in healthcare, education, and science. However, the shift faces resistance from figures like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, raising questions about the balance between innovation, societal benefit, and commercial interests.
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!
The future of content writing in 2025 emphasizes originality, authenticity, and leveraging technology. Trends like AI-assisted content creation, the dominance of short-form videos, and partnerships with niche creators ensure your content stands out. With podcasts, personal branding, and data-driven insights playing pivotal roles, the focus is on offering unique value—what experts call "information gain." By aligning with these trends, you can build trust, improve rankings, and drive lasting audience engagement.
SEO is evolving rapidly, and success in 2025 demands a mix of strategy and adaptability. Embrace AI as a tool to enhance creativity, prioritize audience research for targeted content, and produce high-quality, original material. Strengthen your strategy with robust backlinks, UX improvements, and schema markup. Staying ahead of algorithm updates and leveraging analytics ensures long-term growth. In an ever-changing digital landscape, adapting to emerging trends will keep your SEO efforts effective and competitive.
Streamlining your social media reporting process with automation is a game-changer for marketers juggling multiple campaigns. Tools like Sendible save time, reduce errors, and provide real-time insights, empowering you to focus on strategy and engagement. Features such as customizable reports, multi-platform analytics, and white-labeling enhance professionalism while boosting collaboration and client communication. Embrace automated reporting to elevate your efficiency, prove your impact, and stay ahead in social media marketing.
Creating a successful YouTube video is harder than it seems, especially for businesses. With fierce competition and an algorithm focused on user engagement, brands must prioritize captivating, authentic content over overt promotion. Success demands creativity, high effort, and a genuine connection to the audience. Videos that educate, entertain, or inspire will thrive, while those focused solely on selling will struggle. For businesses, balancing passion and strategy is the key to standing out on YouTube.
TikTok’s marketing potential is unmatched in 2025, with its algorithm giving every video a shot at virality and its massive Gen Z and millennial audience driving sales. Success lies in creating authentic, engaging content and leveraging trends, influencers, and user-generated content. Emerging tools like TikTok Shopping and live events are revolutionizing e-commerce. By staying adaptable and data-driven, brands can tap into TikTok’s dynamic ecosystem for impactful growth and meaningful audience connections.
Custom AI models offer businesses tailored solutions for data security, specialized tasks, and enhanced analytics, surpassing general tools like ChatGPT in specific use cases. By leveraging models like Mistral and Llama, businesses can protect proprietary knowledge, optimize unique workflows, and gain insights from user interactions. With secure frameworks and tools like RAG, custom models empower organizations to create efficient, privacy-focused AI systems that seamlessly integrate with existing processes, ensuring competitive and operational advantages.
Through my newsletter I explore the foundations of marketing, how to implement them in your business, and lessons from the great campaigns of the past.
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AI caption generators are revolutionizing social media marketing by automating content creation, saving time, and boosting productivity. Tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Jasper streamline posting, reduce errors, and enhance engagement with optimized captions and hashtags. Their versatility spans platforms and tasks, from creating Instagram captions to generating Quora answers. With features like multilingual support, analytics, and customization, these tools empower marketers to focus on strategy while cutting costs and improving efficiency. Check out my top 15 picks here.
Digital marketing is transforming small businesses, offering unparalleled cost-effectiveness, global reach, and precise targeting. With tools like email personalization, content marketing, and real-time analytics, businesses can achieve measurable results and build brand credibility. Flexibility and adaptability allow for quick campaign adjustments, ensuring relevance in a fast-changing market. Starting small and scaling strategically enables businesses to compete with larger competitors while maximizing ROI. Embrace digital marketing to fuel growth and connect meaningfully with your audience. Check out my take on the benefits of digital marketing for small businesses in my new blog post here.
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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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