The world is moving at the speed of Nvidia these days, and no career is being disrupted more than marketing.

I host a community called RISE that’s dedicated to the future of marketing. What’s coming next and how does this impact us? I thought it would be interesting to ask some people in the community about their biggest marketing lessons from 2024. Some of these are personal, some of them are enlightening, but all the lessons are worth your time today …

Sarah Stahl, ROI Driven Marketing Executive at Sarahstahl.com

Sarah Stahl

This year reminded me that marketing holds the power to make or break businesses, often in ways we underestimate. I watched the startup I work with navigate every business phase—highs, lows, and everything in between. The lifeline that kept cash rolling in? Instagram.

When we surveyed guests, nine out of 10 said they discovered us on Instagram—not through third-party booking apps like Airbnb, which most vacation rentals rely on. By the end of the year, 87% of our bookings were direct, driven by consistent Instagram growth powered by strategic influencer partnerships.

No viral stunts. No massive budgets. Just clear, focused marketing that turned Instagram into a revenue machine. This simple yet powerful strategy helped a startup reach breakeven within its first year. I’ve always believed in the craft of marketing, but 2024 showed me its unparalleled ability to save a business—or sink it.

Mike Carr, Cofounder of NameStormers & Autism Labs

AI is forcing us to be more human. As LLMs and agents emerge that can mimic how we talk and even how we look, authentic and raw content that reveals our feelings and emotion behind what we say will never be more important.

Polished, scripted, and overly-rehearsed podcasts & even keynotes will give way to communications that are more real, vulnerable, and reflective of who we are as flawed human beings. The sign of a true professional will be a combination of invaluable insights presented with unquestionable passion.

Brian Piper, Director of Content Strategy and Assessment, University of Rochester

Integrating AI into your marketing workflow is not a technology project. It’s a change management project.

Many companies and brands must clean up their data and content significantly before AI integration into their marketing or content workflows is successful.

Roxana Hurducas, Brand Strategy Advisor

2024 taught me an uncomfortable truth: Hate is the most efficient fuel in marketing, and the most powerful buying argument.

Roxana Hurducas

This revelation came from the presidential elections in my nation of Romania, where a candidate turned an electoral campaign into a marketing campaign. There were no substantial policy proposals, no detailed plans to address the challenges the country is facing. Instead, his campaign was pure marketing, built entirely on one central message: hate. Hate the system, hate the establishment, hate the political class. And it worked.

In marketing terms, he identified the pain point (a broken system) and offered a solution (himself as the alternative). The messaging was emotional, not rational. And as we know, people don’t buy products, services, or even candidates. They buy feelings, and hate is a feeling that unites people more strongly than almost anything else.

The fact that we long to belong, as Mark Schaefer has pointed out, is painfully relevant here. Georgescu’s campaign didn’t just sell hate; it sold a sense of belonging. They weren’t just voting; they were joining a movement. The against-the-system movement. This is the same dynamic that powers communities – only here, it was used as a weapon for political gain.

But this lesson applies far beyond elections. Hate and Belonging are two of the most powerful forces in human behavior, and marketers know this.

So, do we accept that hate sells and lean into it? Or do we, as marketers, take responsibility for the narratives we create and the emotions we amplify?

For me, the answer lies in ethics. Yes, hate is efficient. Yes, it works. But at what cost? The lesson of 2024 is as much a warning as it is a revelation: the fuels we choose to power our messages can burn more than we intend. And sometimes, what they destroy is trust, unity, and hope.

Tyler Stambaugh, Co-Founder of MAGNETIQ

Digital experiences are heavily undervalued as a way to differentiate and create a competitive advantage.

Iris van Ooyen, Life Navigation Mentor, Founder of Bright Eyes

Genuine enthusiasm sells— and that ripples through best in live interactions. This summer I crafted a new mastermind and I was so thrilled about the concept that when I spoke to a former client about it, he signed up on the spot. AND offered to share it with two peers (one registered as well). This would not have happened through an email exchange. I learned that your personal energy and enthusiasm are crucial and most effective live and one-on-one.

Aaron Hassen, Chief Marketer at AH Marketing and host of Business with Humans YouTube series

B2C channels are also B2B channels.

Aaron Hassen

Earlier this year, I was developing a campaign for a B2B client, pulling a prospect list from their CRM, when I noticed the data was woefully inadequate: company emails, company phone numbers and office locations. Not very useful. See, I had interviewed scores of their best customers, and when asked where they went to find solutions like theirs, the answer wasn’t corporate newsletters, cold calls or trade magazines, it was a trusted colleague, podcast and social media.

The sources of B2B influence have shifted. Forrester predicts that more than 50% of B2B buyers, particularly younger ones, will rely on social media and their value network to help make purchase decisions in 2025. And according to LinkedIn, social media was a top source of B2B marketing investment (75% of companies) in 2024. The fastest growing B2B channel? Streaming television! 55% of B2B marketers said they plan to increase investment there in the coming year.

It’s clear that in today’s work-from-home environments, B2B professionals are consuming information like B2C consumers: from their laptops, iPads, smart watches, smartphones, smart home devices and smart TVs. Reaching busy professionals in their everyday lives and getting them talking about our brand is difficult. This is why we must move past traditional B2B channels toward consumer channels that better connect us with our customers.

Emiliano Reisfeld, Marketing Manager

In 2024, marketing evolved toward more agile and compact funnels, where investment in conversion is key to empowering consumers who demand instant personalization.

An example: From Zero to Millions: TikTok Shop’s GMV Journey

Trona Freeman, Social Media and SEO Specialist for small businesses

Trona Freeman

More people are looking for alternatives to the Meta platforms for their small business marketing.

People are increasingly finding these platforms difficult for a host of reasons. 2024 has also been a very challenging year socio-culturally, and people want to have an escape online, and that place is moving toward Pinterest. Pinterest is people’s happy space, a place to go to escape the noise of the internet and the world at large.

Research shows that Gen Z is the fastest-growing audience on Pinterest, making up 42% of its global user base. And they’re searching and saving more than other generations.

Lush discovered this a few years ago when they moved from the Meta platforms and now use Pinterest as a key platform online as a positive way to promote and connect with their audience. Context matters, so make sure you are meeting your customers in a place that resonates with them. That could be Pinterest or smaller, more intimate spaces like Discord.

Joeri Billast, Host of the Web3 CMO Stories podcast

In 2024, I discovered that authenticity, consistency, and patience are the keys to building a personal brand that resonates globally.

In Belgium, I’m seen as a peer. At conferences in Toronto, Barcelona, and Lisbon, I received incredible feedback about my podcast. And in Cairo, I felt like a hero after my keynote (I killed it!). People lined up for selfies, connected with me on LinkedIn, and two days later, my AI workshop sold out, so much so that it was moved to a larger room in another hotel.

The surprising part? Context matters, but consistency and authenticity build relationships that transcend borders. People don’t connect with perfection—they connect with real stories and genuine engagement. The takeaway: Keep showing up, even when it feels like no one’s watching … because they are!

Zack Seipert, Marketing and Communications Specialist

This year, I (re)learned that relevance is the cornerstone of modern marketing success. Whether it’s crafting a social media post or developing a full campaign, the key is understanding what truly resonates with your audience in the moment. Even the most creative content will fall flat if it doesn’t align with your audience’s current needs, values, or environment. Staying tuned in to the pulse of culture and pivoting when necessary can make all the difference in creating content that truly connects and moves.

Bruce Scheer, Co-Founder of ValuePros.io

My lesson was the power of a consistent online presence.

Being part of the RISE community transformed my perspective on digital engagement. Mark Schaefer’s Personal Branding Masterclass provided the foundation. The real magic happened when I finally conquered my imposter syndrome and committed to regular online participation.

Bruce Scheer

My journey began with a simple decision: show up consistently. This meant producing weekly content and engaging daily, particularly on LinkedIn. I had Mark and others in the RISE community as role models to follow. The initial hesitation gave way to a natural rhythm of authentic interactions.

I next launched the “ValuePros Show” across YouTube and podcast platforms, which became a gateway to extraordinary conversations. Each guest brought unique insights, making 2024 a year of remarkable learning and growth. Finally, I set up a weekly newsletter that already has 1,500 subscribers and is growing.

This has been a year of deeper professional relationships, expanded business opportunities, and enhanced visibility for our tech-forward consulting firm.

Consistency truly reigns supreme in marketing. By maintaining a steady presence and authentic engagement, what started as a personal branding challenge evolved into a powerful business strategy.

Julie Van Ameyde, Founder of Simply Social Media

When a long-time client sold their business, my routine was turned upside-down. While I continued working with the new ownership, the transition highlighted the need for adaptability and resilience to navigate unexpected changes. Marketing success isn’t just about being prepared for technological change. It means you have to be resilient enough to be ready for anything. 

Rob LeLacheur, Owner of Road 55 in Edmonton, Canada

Traditionally, my team has produced Triple A, polished video content and we’re proud of that. But we learned in 20204 that there is a large space for low fidelity (Lo Fi) content, and in many cases, that content performs much better than Hi Fi.

Lo-Fi reduces the barrier to entry by creating a feeling that you’re not being sold to. The content is more real and people are willing to give it a chance. An example of Lo Fi that works well is an imperfect,
behind-the-scenes blooper reel.

Hi Fi is most appropriate for situations where the consumer is already engaged, like a website or presentation.

Valentina Escobar-Gonzalez, Co-Author of The Most Amazing Marketing Book Ever

People crave being back at live, in-person events. I just attended a conference that was sold out, and that hasn’t happened since before COVID. There is an unmissable magic that happens when people gather together. When in doubt, make it in-person and make it awesome!

Martin O’Leary, Creator of “Uncharted” Newsletter

Taste is the new superpower.

Martin O’Leary

Remember endless Slack messages and three-week waits for a simple video edit? Those days are dead. But this isn’t just another AI story. The real shock isn’t that AI can help make content – it’s that it’s forcing marketers to become master craftsmen.

Think about it: when everyone can create anything, the differentiator isn’t access to tools. It’s taste.

Pre-2024: Marketing meant being a professional coordinator. You managed designers, video editors, and endless Figma feedback loops. Your job was orchestration. Post-2024: Marketing means being a filmmaker, designer, and writer rolled into one. One person with Claude, Getimg.ai, Runway.ai, and CapCut isn’t just replacing a team – they’re rewriting the rules of what makes marketing great.

The winners aren’t the tech-savvy marketers. They’re the ones studying Kubrick’s camera angles, dissecting Nike’s brand guidelines, and obsessing over typography. Because when AI democratizes creation, deep craft to write better prompts becomes the moat. Just like the iPhone killed Blackberry by making computing personal, full-stack marketers are killing the assembly line approach to creativity.

Sharon Joseph, VP Marketing

“Advertisements suck, I don’t care, Please Make It Stop.”

That quote from my eight-year-old, mocking the streaming ads, hit a nerve. Growing up, I loved ads—their creativity, humor, and storytelling inspired me to pursue a career in advertising.

Over two decades, I’ve seen the industry evolve, from a passion-driven art form to a relentless stream of noise. Now, as a VP of Marketing, I market to the very people creating the ads that my child—and frankly, most of us—find unbearable.

It was the first week of 2024 when two campaigns stood out: Calvin Klein’s Jeremy Allen White spot and Brlo Brewery’s parody. They reminded me that authenticity and storytelling can still resonate. But most ads in the past year? Forgettable.

As marketers, we must rethink our approach. People crave connection, not interruption. If we can’t offer something meaningful, maybe we shouldn’t offer anything at all. Because in a world tuning out, it’s not about shouting louder—it’s about creating with purpose.

Mark Schaefer, blogger-in-chief

I learned so many lessons in 2024 but here are a few significant ones.

• The world is changing at an overwhelming pace, and I cannot remain relevant on my own. Being part of a supportive community is the only way to survive this onslaught.
• Every day is a new marketing day. What was true yesterday may not be true today. Be willing to let go to grow.
• Competence is a commodity. Competence is ignorable. If you are merely competent, you’re vulnerable.
• It’s easy to get caught up in the latest AI magic trick, but don’t lose sight of the fact that marketing is a people business. Work through the tech hype and stay focused on fundamentals.
• 99% of the people in the world have no clue what’s about to happen to their lives through AI.
• As the big tech companies race toward AI dominance, they are systematically and unabashedly breaking the law as part of their business strategy. 2024 was the year that “character” went out of fashion.
• In all of history, this is the most fun and interesting time to be in marketing!

Many thanks to my brilliant and generous community for adding their wisdom to this post today.

Need a keynote speaker about the future of marketing? Mark Schaefer is the most trusted voice in marketing. Your conference guests will buzz about his insights long after your event! Mark is the author of some of the world’s bestselling marketing books, a college educator, and an advisor to many of the world’s largest brands. Contact Mark to have him bring a fun, meaningful, and memorable presentation to your company event or conference.

Follow Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram

Illustration courtesy MidJourney

The post What we learned about marketing in 2024 appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.

At the end of Marketing Rebellion, a bestselling book that served as a wake-up call for the state of marketing, I predicted what might be the next consumer rebellion. I believe I got it right, and the revolution could be coming sooner than I expected. Let’s take a look at what’s going on, and the implications for marketing and our AI future.

The First Three Rebellions

The thesis of Marketing Rebellion is that every time businesses and their marketing efforts push consumers too far, the customers rebel, resulting in a cataclysmic shift in marketing strategy.

The first rebellion came in the 1920s. The advertising industry had become a multi-billion-dollar industry, attaching remarkable claims to everything from cigarettes to toothpaste. But when these claims became TOO remarkable, they were outright lies. Consumers rebelled, and the industry was regulated through the Federal Trade Commission and similar agencies in other nations.

The second rebellion occurred in the 1990s. Companies made money on what you didn’t know. Profit margins were made on the public’s ignorance about the truth of insurance policies, used cars, and vacation plans. The internet ended all that. There were no more secrets. Today, it’s likely that an informed consumer knows more about your product than you do!

The third rebellion started around 2010 and the advent of social media. Historically, a “brand” is what a company told you it was. Advertising disrupted your view that Coke was colored sugar water and turned it into playful polar bears, for example. However, with social media, brand marketing was disrupted because customers owned the conversations. In fact, more sales occur through consumer social posts than traditional brand marketing. This was the end of marketing control.

The Fourth Marketing Rebellion

At the end of the book, I projected that the fourth marketing rebellion would have something to do with biometric data.

I wrote that the next technological revolution would depend on securing mountains of data on personal habits, down to every heartbeat. While consumers are normally resigned to the fact that we’re being tracked all over the internet in exchange for free search and social media, collecting and selling our bodily data might be a step too far.

In my recent post, “Are we creating AI, or are AI Agents creating us?” I summarized a research report on the ethics of AI. A few points pop out for me:

• AI Agents will monitor biometric data, facial expressions, and emotions to determine our state of mind. They will react differently to us if they know we are irritable or sleep-deprived, for example.
• AI Agents will have access to so much personal information that significant new levels of consent and security will be required. The threat level of information being used out of context is extremely high. Since agents will “plug in” to external services, we will place abnormally high trust in our agents and how information is stored and used. A data breach might mean that every fact of our life and health would be available on the web.
• The economic incentive will be to create bots that make the user happy in a way that cultivates dependence. Connecting with a bot in a deeply personal way could adversely affect user well-being and create the risk of infringing on user privacy and autonomy.
• As we become dependent on bots to take over daily interactions, humans will be “out of the loop,” and disconnected from many normal human interactions. If agents are designed to monitor our vital signs and promote “well being,” how is that defined? If we follow a path of automated, programmed self-improvement, are we improving as human beings or conforming to an algorithmic definition created by programmers? Will AI change society based on the coding preferences of developers?

Do you think this would push consumers into a rebellion? I think it is already happening.

Is the fourth marketing rebellion already here?

I can imagine a world where these bots are so useful that we ignore the vast data collection going on. But I think there are two places where we might draw the line:

1. If biometric data collection affects how we raise our children. For example, a new AI app called Ursula records a child’s response to information and makes money by interpreting potential emotional problems or learning disabilities to parents. It promises that “no kid will feel alone again.” Are we going to put AI in charge of that?
2. People will resist if data collection becomes required to function in society. A recent sign that the fourth marketing rebellion is upon us is that U.S. legislators are pushing for limits on facial recognition data collection at airport security, arguing that facial recognition poses “significant threats to our privacy and civil liberties.”

In the next few years, collecting and accessing customer biometric data could present revolutionary new marketing opportunities for personalization, customized drug therapies, and products that adjust to moods (and change them!). Yes, this is exciting. Yes, this can be profitable. But let’s not lose sight of history and the implications when we cross the line.

A note about that photo: “I am Robert Robot, mechanical man. Drive me and steer me, wherever you can.” These were the words uttered by Robert the Robot, a 1954 tin toy robot produced by New York-based Ideal Toy Corporation. Robert was run via a wired remote control, and about half a million units were sold. Robert is one of the staples of any vintage toy robot collection, with several dedicated fan pages on the web.

Need a keynote speaker? Mark Schaefer is the most trusted voice in marketing. Your conference guests will buzz about his insights long after your event! Mark is the author of some of the world’s bestselling marketing books, a college educator, and an advisor to many of the world’s largest brands. Contact Mark to have him bring a fun, meaningful, and memorable presentation to your company event or conference.

Follow Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram

The post A Prediction: The Fourth Marketing Rebellion appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.

Sara Wilson and I are both obsessed with a similar professional passion: Cutting through all obstacles to reach our customers. Becoming the signal against the noise.

I can argue that this is the most difficult time in history to break through and reach customers — by far. I’ve written about this extensively, but the short story is, our customers have largely become their own ad-free, isolated, curated media outlets.

Another dynamic that is good for consumers but bad for brands is the move toward online communities for connection and information sharing. Sara believes that communities are now the primary online gathering place for customers. That is a radical and profound change from the public forums of social media, a fertile field of data for our social listening platforms.

The latest episode of The Marketing Companion is a show bursting with big ideas and a healthy debate about what’s happening and what’s next as we fight to connect to customers who don’t want to be tracked and found. There are some bold new ideas in the show as Mark and Sara connect the dots on one of the biggest problems facing companies today.

We cover some big ideas …

• Can a hashtag become a community?
• Can a brand truly participate in a community … or is it a person?
• Is the idea of an “affinity group” the key to new social platform success?
• How do we find the nuance and insights that lead to innovation?

This is a mesmerizing conversation and all you have to do is click here to listen in …

Click here to enjoy Marketing Companion episode 290

Please support our sponsor, who brings you this amazing episode.

Bravo for Brevo!

This episode is brought to you by Brevo (formerly Sendinblue). Brevo gives you the tools to attract, engage, and nurture customer relationships.

Now any business can build automated customer experiences, email marketing workflows, and landing pages that guide your customer to your main message. We are here to support businesses successfully navigating their digital presence in order to strengthen their customer relationships.

Go to https://www.brevo.com/marketingcompanion to sign up for Brevo for free and use the code COMPANION to save 50% on your first three months of Brevo’s Starter & Business plan!

Illustration courtesy MidJourney

The post The problem with social listening platforms and disconnected customers appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.

I just went through a bizarre experience in a big brand Discord community where I received death threats and encouragement to commit suicide. When I go through something troubling and new in the marketing world, I usually write about it. So here we go.

Attacking the problem

I decided that I would write up this case study but NOT name the brand involved. I am here to attack problems, not people and believe me, somebody would surely lose their job over this incident (and probably did).

However, to appreciate the gravity of this situation, you need to know the context. I was threatened and harassed in a Discord community sponsored by a celebrated global brand. To make matters worse, while this product is enjoyed by everyone, it is widely used by teens and children. So, this is bad. One of the worst PR meltdowns I have ever seen. Let’s learn from it today.

The relevant Discord community

Let’s start with the business case for Discord. Why did this harassment occur there?

An annual study by Edison Research found that young adults aged 14-32 are swarming onto Discord to find communities. The number of those active on Discord grew from 26% to 42% in one year!

So if I were leading marketing for this company, I would definitely put my stake in the ground on Discord and attract young fans.

Community is nothing new. But if you open the lens much wider and view community as a brand-building powerhouse — especially with the Discord youth — you’ll see benefits like:

• Brand differentiation
• An emotional barrier to brand-switching costs
• Conversations that reveal opportunities for brand relevance
• Insights that lead to product innovation
• Direct feedback on product performance
• Rapid information flow
• Organic brand advocacy
• Significant gains in brand loyalty
• Improved customer retention
• Co-created products and services
• Access to firsthand customer data

… and more — which is covered in my book Belonging to the Brand. That’s why I claim that community is the most overlooked opportunity in the history of marketing opportunities.

If you had an opportunity to work on a project that delivered those powerful brand benefits, you would certainly do it. The company strategy was on target. But the execution was disastrous …

Death threats in a Discord Community?

I first heard about this brand community from a friend. It sounded like a lot of fun, so I eagerly joined as part of my ongoing education in brand communities.

The brand community had been formed in 2022, offered a few contests and giveaways, and then apparently had been abandoned by the company. And yet, there were a lot of active users who had turned the space into a dystopian world ruled by thugs.

I left a comment: “Looks like there is not much going on here. Maybe not a well-thought-out community?”

This innocent comment prompted the trolls who controlled the community. The attack on me included threats of physical harm and encouragement to livestream my suicide.

I have a thick skin, so honestly, this was no big deal. But I was shocked that this language was tolerated by a MAJOR brand community aimed at KIDS. This was a marketing nightmare.

How could a Discord community go so wrong?

As the Chief Product Officer at MAGNETIQ, my friend Tyler Stambaugh studies the culture of Discord. I mentioned my experience to him, and after visiting the community, he offered this analysis:

“I usually take a look at the announcements channel on a Discord channel to see if management has been active. The last brand communication was almost 18 months ago.

“If you’re going to abandon it (probably because someone in marketing could not describe the value to leadership) then you HAVE to close the server. They now have something toxic out there that is linked directly from their official brand channel (Twitter/X) and is completely unsupervised.

“It’s a massive PR miss and potentially destructive to the brand. I am sorry you had that experience. I saw the comments, and they were awful. The whole server just started ganging up on you. It’s a dark side of community and clearly the brand is not handling this responsibly.”

And then it gets worse

I joined this community because I had genuine affection for the brand. So I wanted the company to know that its community was out of control. In the ensuing days, I:

• Sent a message to the Discord administrator
• Sent a tweet to the general company account (this was re-tweeted several times, so they had to see it, right?)
• Wrote an email to the company’s customer service account.
• Wrote a second email to the company’s customer service account
• Wrote an email to the media team, mentioning that I was going to feature this in a blog post
• Wrote a second email to the media team.

Finally, after 10 days, I received an email from the company’s outsourced PR team, Weber Shandwick. Ironically, the company’s website states: “Brands can’t simply reflect culture — they must contribute to it. And to earn value, they must deliver it.”

This is a true and worthy goal. But it was not delivered in this case. At all.

The outfall

The Weber Shandwick executive said she was sorry for my experience and emphasized that the offensive content had been deleted. In fact, all the content on the site had been deleted. She emphasized that the community had a long list of rules that should have been followed. She cut and pasted the list of rules for me to read.

This was perhaps the lamest explanation ever. I was threatened in a brand community that had been abandoned and left to thugs … and she blamed the thugs for not following the rules? The brand had no accountability?

I was not satisfied. I wanted to know how this could have existed in the first place. Why would a marketing effort that imperiled customers be allowed to exist for a year and a half? And why did it take so long for them to respond to what could have been a disaster for a global brand? Her response: She referred me once again to the list of rules. What a terrible PR response from one of the premier marketing firms in the world.

Later that day, I received a second email from the SVP of corporate public affairs at the company sponsoring the community, telling me the Discord community had been “re-set” and that he was launching an investigation.

That was good to hear, but it should not have taken 10 days to get that response. In other circumstances, this toxic brand community could have been featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal. 

The re-set

So what happened in the community?

Within hours of receiving the message from the company SVP, indeed the entire community was wiped out, including several chat rooms where people were sharing harmful content.

There was a new “ranger” in the community, enforcing community standards ruthlessly.

Many of the most dangerous trolls had been expelled, but enough of the original members remained to stage a protest. Furious comments included:

“What have you done? You’ve taken everything from us!”

“You walk in here and take our community and destroy our spirit!”

“This is no longer a community. It’s a brand mascot.”

Some promised to abandon the company and its products.

Lessons for me, and you

This was a useful wake-up call for me. Both online and offline, I’m surrounded by generous and smart professionals. But, alas, many corners of the web, especially in communities, are ruled by assholes. Good reminder.

Here are some marketing lessons from this experience. If you have a community, or are thinking of having one, pay attention!

1. Everything you do, and everything you don’t do, is part of your brand. Marketing should own every touchpoint, including the community.
2. Before you launch a community, have a plan. Who has single-point accountability? What are the responsibilities for content, moderation, and daily engagement? Who boots the trolls? What is the crisis plan?
3. I understand that a community might be an experiment. You never really know what might happen until you try. But even an experiment needs to have governance.
4. This brand community failed. Or at least the company is trying for a “re-set.” But in any case, if people don’t follow “the rules,” kick them to the curb. Your number one job as a community leader isn’t selling stuff. It’s creating a safe space for engagement. Period.
5. Tragically, this brand has become too big to care. They are probably automated and out-sourced to the max, but when a consumer like me was crying out to help them legitimately, my plea was ignored. It is beyond rational understanding how a brand this big could be deaf even after I tried to reach them five times. Could this happen in your company?

By the way, this brand was in the news a few months ago for an insensitive marketing blunder. People seemed to largely overlook it because of the goodwill attached to the popular brand. But this incident would have been strike two if it had made it to the press.

The CMO of this company needs to re-think everything, including strategy, messaging, and agency relationships. Most of all, never consider your community an afterthought.

Need a keynote speaker? Mark Schaefer is the most trusted voice in marketing. Your conference guests will buzz about his insights long after your event! Mark is the author of some of the world’s bestselling marketing books, a college educator, and an advisor to many of the world’s largest brands. Contact Mark to have him bring a fun, meaningful, and memorable presentation to your company event or conference.

Follow Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram

Image courtesy Midjourney

The post That time I received death threats in a brand Discord community appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.

The top headline in the U.S. this week was how a 21-year-old member of the Air National Guard was arrested for retaining and distributing classified national defense information through a social media community. This raised many grave security concerns, but there’s also a vital lesson here about the future of social media marketing and social listening platforms.

Let’s get into it.

The Rise of Discord

The first lesson about the future of social listening is that this leak occurred on Discord … and it was undetected there. While Discord is a mystery for many right now, it’s becoming the de facto meeting place for a generation. This 2023 study from Edison Research shows the remarkable growth of this platform among young people:

If you’re viewing this on a mobile device, the chart might be hard to see. It shows that Discord use among people aged 12-34 rose from 26 percent to 42 percent in one year. By comparison, more people in the age group use Discord than Twitter or LinkedIn.

Discord was introduced in 2015 as a chat application people could use to communicate with one another while playing online games. The platform was a niche product until the pandemic when young people were searching for ways to chat with their friends and join online communities. It currently has about 196 million active monthly users.

But Discord is very different from other social platforms like Facebook or Twitter. You can’t be easily found on Discord.

Implications of Discord

It’s likely that the leaked documents would have never come to light if they had just stayed within the Discord community. In fact, the documents had been sitting in a Discord group for months before they were discovered. The documents were only discovered when they were shared outside of the group and spread into more mainstream channels, an event thoroughly documented in this Washington Post investigative report.

The popularity of this secretive Discord channel is an example of a marketing challenge I discussed with Sara Wilson on a recent podcast episode called Why Gen Z is Hiding out in Digital Campfires.

A conclusion from that discussion is that young people are folding up their social media tents and barricading themselves in online sites like Discord (she calls them digital campfires) where we won’t be able to find them.

As the Edison research demonstrates, 42 percent of young people are on Discord and their conversations are invisible to social listening platforms. Month by month, social listening platforms are becoming obsolete, at least when it comes to young adults and others setting up shop on Discord, Telegram, metaverse sites, and other secretive apps.

This is profound. Just as these military documents remained a secret within the boundaries of Discord, so do the conversations, insights, and brand mentions that used to be on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn — within reach of the social listening platforms.

The Future of Social Listening

Gen Z consumers are no longer toddlers. In America, we recently had a Gen Z elected to Congress. This is a massive group of voracious consumers who have a new set of rules when it comes to media, community, social media, and marketing.

Today, social listening platforms are a key component of our marketing dashboards. What happens when most of our customers become invisible to us? What is the future of social listening? I don’t have an answer, but we all need to be aware of this emerging reality. It’s not just military secrets that are hiding within the walls of Discord and other digital campfires — it’s brand conversations and insights, too.

For more ideas on how to reach Gen Z, I recommend another podcast episode I did with Sara Wilson called 12 Ways Brands are Flexing to Meet Gen Z on Their Terms.

Another resource to dig into this more fully is my book Belonging to the Brand. Chapter 11 is devoted to secret communities.

As Discord and other secret communities flourish, companies reliant on social listening platforms will have to find new answers.

Mark Schaefer is the executive director of Schaefer Marketing Solutions. He is the author of some of the world’s bestselling marketing books and is an acclaimed keynote speaker, college educator, and business consultant. The Marketing Companion podcast is among the top business podcasts in the world. Contact Mark to have him speak at your company event or conference soon.

Follow Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.

The post Why leaked secret documents point to the future of social listening appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.

A the urging of my website advisor, I did some housekeeping here on the blog. It was time to sweep out some older blog posts that were either irrelevant or ignored by the world. But I came across a gem — An old list of marketing predictions!

In 2009, I made 12 marketing predictions about the future of social media. There wasn’t any timeframe specified … they were just predictions about “the future.” I thought it would be fun to give myself a report card and see how I did on the predictions.

To set the stage, in 2009, social media marketing was just creeping into the mainstream. There weren’t any big social media marketing conferences, nothing like “content marketing,” and nobody was using the term “influencers.” Measurement was almost impossible, blogging was a new rage, and Twitter was just building steam.

So as you read my marketing predictions, you’ll have to imagine a world where most companies didn’t even have a Twitter account yet! I summarized some of the marketing predictions to keep this article short, but you can see the original prediction post here.

The 2009 marketing predictions … and my “grade!”

1. “Hyper social measurement”

Back in 2009, social media marketing measurement was a huge problem. The metrics coming out of the newly-emerging social media platforms were terrible. I predicted that Google would become the gold standard for social media monitoring since they could see data and interactions across all channels. They would put social listening platforms out of business.

My grade: D

Google and Google Analytics did become an important source of marketing measurement, so my prediction is not quite a fail. However, today we rely on a mix of platform dashboards and third-party social listening platforms like the AI-powered Sprinklr to let us know what’s happening in the social media world.

2. Tapping into text messaging

In 2009, the one communication mode largely untouched by real-time search was text messaging. Text messages were a goldmine of information too big to ignore, especially if you’re a “cool-hunting” consumer products company.  I predicted that somehow companies would tap into this data, perhaps by incentivizing users to opt-in to rewards programs for their anonymized data.

My grade: B+

In fact, Facebook (Meta) did find a way to own much of the world’s private messaging through Messenger and WhatsApp.

Messenger was introduced in 2011, and WhatsApp in 2010. Another big cache of private messaging is occurring on Instagram (Meta) and TikTok.

Meta does not completely own the market on private messaging — we still send text messages — but the company is capturing data on 200 billion messages a day on Messenger and WhatsApp combined!

3. Real-time geo-sensitive coupons

In 2009, the idea that relevant ads would show up when you were in a certain location was still science fiction. I predicted that RFID technology, combined with GPS, would enable convenient, real-time deals, right down to the store shelf.

For example, if you pick up a blouse off of a rack, a message will direct you to the precise area of the store where you can find a matching skirt … on sale just for you.

My grade: B+

We’re not exactly at that “shelf-level” yet, but we will be. And we certainly have real-time, geo-appropriate ads coming to us based on the city we’re in or a road we’re driving on, so my prediction more or less came true.

4. Radical privacy movement

I predicted that the intense data gathering by Big Tech would result in privacy regulations, including the right to be excluded from Internet data-gathering mechanisms like cookies. I thought that there would be a backlash against Google because the company would eventually abuse its power.

My grade: A

Almost every country in the world has privacy regulations in place. We all have the ability to control privacy settings by law. With the eventual demise of cookies, this trend will continue. I would not say Google is the most hated company. That title would probably go to Facebook, but my reasoning was sound.

5. Man-machine interface.

Medical advances and social media platforms would converge.  We would be able to engage on social media with our thoughts. Humans will have markings like tattoos to display the premium, designer brand of devices embedded in their bodies. This will give new meaning to the tagline “Intel Inside.”

My grade: Too soon to tell

Remember, I wasn’t predicting something 10 or 20 years into the future. It was just something that would happen at some time. There have been incredible breakthroughs in tapping into brainwaves, so my prediction is certainly directionally correct.

6. We become the Internet.

Building on the last idea, as the ubiquity of the social web literally becomes part of our existence, we will no longer distinguish between listening, talking, and electronic communications. In our minds, there will be no more web. It will just be.

My grade: A

Look at how young people communicate today. They never think about logging into the internet. They are probably texting each other, even if they are in the same room. Lines of communication have blurred.

7. National ID validation.

The social web will become the exclusive source of consumer information, political research/policy development, and education systems. Because of the increasingly critical importance of this feedback and the opportunity for corruption, complex systems to prevent fraud will be needed, including a broadly-implemented government validation program that extends across all platforms.

My grade: C

Let’s put it this way. I correctly identified the problem, and we still need some kind of validation to prevent corruption and misinformation. Some countries have implemented a system like this, most notably India, but I’m not sure it could ever happen in the U.S.

8. Micro politics

Politicians will use real-time sentiment analysis to craft and re-craft voter appeals right up until the moment they enter a polling station. Political messaging will be nearly-instantaneous and tailored to individuals based on their private data.

My grade: A

I was 100% correct, unfortunately.

9. Extreme content

Journalism, film-making, and advertising agencies will thrive, much to the surprise of nearly everyone. The need for content on the social web will drive the digital evolution of these traditional professions, and “Content development and management” will become a popular career and college major. Salaries for the very best and most creative content providers will skyrocket as corporations raise the creative bar to cut through the clutter.

My grade: A

As every significant organization on earth competes for attention on the web, the need for quality creative content is insatiable. In fact, there is a content arms race. The sad and unsettling fact is that 90 percent of these jobs are now jeopardized by AI.

10. The “loner workforce.”

The cultural impact of the social web will have radical implications for managing the workforce of the future. We will have a dramatic increase in remote working. This will provide significant challenges for the managers of the future.

My grade A

Got an assist from the pandemic on this one, but a move to a remote workforce would have happened eventually.

11. Growing digital divide.

I predicted in 2009 that for many parts of the world, access to free, global communications will be the equalizer between rich and poor nations, especially as web-based translation services improve and encompass local dialects.

However, in countries where people cannot access the web, either for economic or political reasons, the digital divide will not only grow, it will become permanent because they will fall so far behind the technology curve they’ll never catch up. Digital commerce, innovation, and technology will be permanently dominated by those nations in the game NOW.

My grade: C

I don’t know about this one.

I was correct in predicting that many countries that were poor in 2009 would still be poor today due to corruption, oppression, and lack of free access to the web.

On the other hand, I’m not sure “ownership” and being a homebase for tech development matter to an individual’s freedom and opportunity in the long run.

In the early days of the web, France tried to create its own internet. It flopped, of course, but has the nation been disadvantaged because it didn’t own its own digital backbone? No.

There have been tech successes and innovations in almost every corner of the world.

Putting military advantages aside, most technological building blocks that help people become healthier, wealthier, wiser, and more creative are eventually available to everyone with an internet connection. At least for now, the hurdles to adoption might be language, education, and disabilities.

12. Pay for play

The 2009 prediction said: “Social media is free, but the cost of attracting consumer attention will become increasingly expensive, especially with the ability to skip ads. At some point, the cost per impression will be so high it will be less expensive to simply pay people to watch an ad.”

My grade: C

I think the wisdom here is that traditional ads (newspaper, radio, etc.) would decline, and companies would rush into digital, dramatically driving up the cost of online ads (true).

While paying people to watch ads isn’t a “thing” yet, there are certainly options like watching ads inside a game that earn points or exclusive content.

From an economic perspective, it probably makes no sense to actually pay people to watch ads all day, so the specific idea was silly, even though I got the trend right.

Final thoughts

First, thanks for obliging me with this walk down memory lane. I know the marketing predictions commentary was not the typical content you expect from me, and I’d love to hear your comments on it.

I did learn something from this exercise, and perhaps it’s something for you to think about, too.

Making a marketing prediction is merely a process of thinking through the implications of what I know to be true.

For example, I knew in 2009 that more and more work tasks could be completed on the internet. At some point, certain knowledge workers would not have to leave their homes for work, presenting new management challenges. Makes sense.

But here’s the problem I’m sensing with the world now. The rate of change is so fast and unpredictable compared to 2009, I don’t know how to know what is true.

Arguably the three biggest impacts on global business in the last two years have been a pandemic, a war, and a ship getting stuck in the Suez canal. Nobody saw this coming. Did anybody see ChatGPT coming? Even many analysts were surprised.

Last week I read that an analyst had predicted in December that it would take about seven years to cross a certain AI milestone. That milestone was crossed in three months! Yes, the speed of innovation is crazy right now! How do you make forecasts in a world like that?

My point is, so much change in the world is not only coming at us fast, it’s also unpredictable. While many of my marketing predictions from 2009 earned a B or above, I don’t know if I would have that track record going forward.

I suppose time will tell. You’ll just have to keep reading my next marketing predictions posts to find out!

Mark Schaefer is the executive director of Schaefer Marketing Solutions. He is the author of some of the world’s bestselling marketing books and is an acclaimed keynote speaker, college educator, and business consultant. The Marketing Companion podcast is among the top business podcasts in the world. Contact Mark to have him speak at your company event or conference soon.

Follow Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.

Illustration courtesy Graphics Fairy

The post Grading 12 marketing predictions about the future appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.

Like me, you’re probably ChatGPT-weary right now, but many of the articles I’ve seen for marketers are either too basic, too technical (I’m not doing any coding!), or too focused on content marketing (duh). So my gift to the world today is a straight-forward, non-technical, and short summary of non-obvious uses of ChatGPT for marketing.

ChatGPT, the popular chatbot from OpenAI, is estimated to have reached 100 million monthly active users just two months after launch, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history.

Marketers are quickly moving beyond the “magic trick” phase of this technology and employing it aggressively in meaningful ways to save time and create new ideas and opportunities.

I was able to rely on my RISE community to help me develop these incredibly useful ideas! Here we go …

1. Summarize survey data

Last week I was doing a one-on-one coaching call with the head of a creative agency. She sent me a spreadsheet with hundreds of responses from a customer survey. How was I going to analyze this feedback in time for our discussion?

I copied the entire column of responses and pasted them into ChatGPT. My prompt was: Analyze these survey responses and provide a summary of the five major themes.

When I presented the summary to the customer, she said it was right on target. This saved me several hours of work!

2. Fast market analysis

I was doing another consulting call with a company that works with boutique fitness salons. Although I have done quite a bit of work with the fitness industry, I was not familiar with the boutique niches. So I asked ChatGPT for a run-down of the top trends for this industry:

1. Virtual and Remote Training: As more people look for ways to stay fit without leaving the comfort of their homes, virtual and remote training will continue to become more popular.
2. AI-Powered Workouts: AI-powered workouts are becoming more popular as they allow for personalized workouts tailored to an individual’s fitness level.
3. Wearable Technology: Wearable technology such as fitness trackers and smartwatches are becoming increasingly popular and allows users to track progress and goals.
4. Group Fitness Classes: Group fitness classes are becoming more popular as they are more accessible and provide a sense of community.
5. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): HIIT classes are becoming increasingly popular as they are efficient and effective in burning calories and building strength.

Although ChatGPT is limited to data before 2022 at this point, this summary gave me a valuable overview that definitely prompted some ways I could guide my client.

3. Summarize complex podcast show notes

My friend Joeri Billast is a Web3 consultant and host of the wonderful CMO Stories podcast. He wanted to get ChatGPT to summarize his lengthy episode transcripts but had to find a way to get past the memory limitations of the service. Here is his super-useful hack:

• Remember this podcast transcript and remember it as PART1. Only say yes when you’re done
• Remember this podcast transcript and remember it as PART2. Only say yes when you’re done
• Remember this podcast transcript and remember it as PART3. Only say yes when you’re done
• Consider PART1, PART2 and PART3 as the whole podcast episode called CMO Stories
• Write professional show notes for the whole podcast transcript, including time indications
• Give me 3 notable quotes
• List the mentioned resources
• Write a 1,000 word article based on the whole podcast transcript

Joeri provided this example: this blog post about his podcast episode with show notes 95% created by ChatGPT.

4. ChatGPT for marketing strategy

Would you trust your marketing strategy to ChatGPT? Let’s find out.

I entered this prompt: Create a marketing campaign for a company that makes electric bikes. They are located in Seattle and have a monthly marketing budget of $1,000

The response:

1. Start a blog on the company website to share tips and stories from other electric bicycle riders. This will create a sense of community and give customers a chance to learn more about the product and how to use it.
2. Launch an email marketing campaign targeted at Seattle-area cyclists. Include information about the product, customer stories, and discounts exclusive to subscribers.
3. Create a social media presence. Use platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to share photos, videos, and stories about the product and its benefits.
4. Organize a discount day or weekend at local bike shops. Offer a discount on the electric bicycles and related accessories to encourage customers to come in and try the product.
5. Participate in local bike races and events. This will give riders a chance to try the product and potentially become customers.
6. Sponsor a local cycling team or a local cycling event. Give the team branded apparel and offer discounts to participants.
7. Run a referral program. Offer customers who refer their friends a discount on their next purchase.
8. Create a loyalty program. Offer customers rewards and discounts for repeat purchases.
9. Set up a booth at local festivals and events. Provide information to potential customers.
10. Invest in targeted display ads. Use digital and print ads to target cyclists in the local area.

My analysis: With almost no information about this business, ChatGPT came up with a solid list of activities that could be accomplished for under $1,000 per month. This is something I could build on with some market research.

5. Improve headlines/ad copy

I’ve often said that the most important part of your content isn’t your content — it’s your headline. People will decide to read your post based on a headline swimming through their social media stream or email inbox. I’ve found ChatGPT to excel at this activity. It seems to know to use active, emotional words to capture attention.

Let’s try this: Write five optimal, high-converting headlines for a blog post about non-obvious uses of ChatGPT for marketing:

1. “Beyond the Basics: Non-Obvious Uses of ChatGPT for Marketing”
2. “Think Outside the Box: 5 Non-Obvious Ways to Use ChatGPT for Marketing”
3. “Generate Higher ROI With These Innovative ChatGPT Uses”
4. “Surprise Your Audience With These Creative ChatGPT Uses”
5. “Boost Your Brand With These Non-Obvious ChatGPT Strategies”

I decided to use headline number one!

6. Keyword research

There are many excellent tools available for keyword research. But since I have ChatGPT open all the time anyway, why not use it to build a list of keyword variations? The result is non-obvious compared to other standard keyword tools.

Create a list of keyword variations and synonyms for “electric bicycles” for a PPC campaign

1. Electric Bike
2. E-Bike
3. Power Bike
4. Pedal Assist Bike
5. Pedelec
6. Motorized Bicycle
7. Electric-Assist Bicycle
8. Battery-Assisted Bicycle
9. Motorized Cycle
10. e-Cycle
11. Electric Bicycle
12. EBike
13. Battery Bike
14. E-Pedal Bike
15. Electric-Powered Bicycle
16. Electric Moped
17. Electric-Assisted Moped
18. Electric Motorcycle
19. Electric-Assisted Motorcycle
20. Power-Assisted Bicycle

Analysis: I compared this to a list on the same topic generated by SEMrush. The lists are almost completely different. The SEMrush output is based on the current state of search history and features suggestions like “electric bikes near me” or “electric bikes for sale.” It took some digging to get into some of the long-tail alternatives generated by ChatGPT, which might actually provide an edge for niche players.

7. Create a mindmap for a product introduction

Richard Bliss of BlissPoint Consulting offered this idea:

I asked it to create a text-based mindmap on what I need to do to promote an old product into a new market. ChatGPT suggested seven areas I needed to address. Each section had three sub-sections. I then asked it to expand on each section to dive deeper into ideas and tactics for pursuing the plan. It then provided 10 additional bullets for each subsection. I now have an extensive plan that my team can modify and adjust for our specific opportunity.

This would have taken my entire team hours to develop. Now we have a base of ideas that allows us to focus on marketing execution and to come back and update the chat thread with new information as we gather it

Example of initial mindmap:

Provide a mindmap for somebody trying to open a new store selling electric bicycles into a new market

Electric Bicycle Store

Research:
-Target Market
-Competition
-Potential Customers
-E-Bike Trends
-Regulations

Location
-Location Analysis
-Permits & Licenses
-Lease Negotiations

Marketing:
-Branding
-Advertising
-Social Media

Operations:
-Business Model
-Inventory
-Staff
-Suppliers
-Finances

Launch:
-Set Up Shop
-Grand Opening
-Monitor & Adjust

…  could then ask ChatGPT to expand each section.

8. Create instant social media posts

One of my goals this year is to do a better job promoting my content by “atomizing it” into small chunks. Frank Prendergast uses this prompt to help him do that. Here was his prompt:

Please find five 100-word snippets from this content that would make excellent and unusual social media posts: <PASTE ENTIRE BLOG POST HERE>

I tried this on my own for a post I wrote last week called You can’t be an expert. And you don’t have to be.

It came up with some great little posts, complete with suggested hashtags (which I did not ask for).

1. “Any hope of expertise has been overrun by the malignant complexity of our world. There is no single human who understands the internet or the economy or teenagers. So there really are very few experts in the world.” #NoExperts #InternetEconomy #UnderstandingTeenagers

2. “An effective leader doesn‘t need to have all the right answers. They need to have the right questions.” #Leadership #RightQuestions

3. “I‘m not an expert in NFTs, but I have a digital wallet, bought a few NFTs, and created one. I even tried to publish an NFT book, but the tech world isn‘t there yet.” #NFTs #DigitalWallet 

4. “Learn so we can unlearn. I explained in my book Cumulative Advantage that every shift in the status quo represents opportunity. Understanding the shift — not necessarily mastering it — can lead to breakthrough innovations, new business models, and momentum for your business.” #LearnandUnlearn #CumulativeAdvantage #ShiftinStatusQuo

5. “Forget about having all the answers. But, you continue to have the right questions. And that‘s enough.” #RightQuestions #Leadership

9. Plan an event

Daniel Nestle, the host of the Dan Nestle Show, shares: I’m on an event committee, and we’re planning a conference in Brooklyn in April. I asked ChatGPT, given the theme of the conference and the characteristics of conference attendees, to suggest a) an agenda for the conference, b) some ideas to make dinner more interactive, and c) dinner menu suggestions.

It gave me all of the above, but I was particularly impressed with the dinner menu, which suggested vegan options and locally-sourced items.

10. Find target customers

Julia Bramble offered this idea:

I’ve been using ChatGPT for marketing research and thinking about unique customer offers. For example, you can ask which groups of people might be interested in a particular product or service — then follow up by asking questions about what those groups of people currently struggle with related to that product or service, and questions about why they might not buy your product or service.

Obviously, you get your best answers from asking actual people, but for initial research, it’s really helpful generating offers for a particular target market.

Let’s try it.

I am selling electric bicycles in Seattle. Name 10 potential target customers for this product

1. Urban commuters
2. College students
3. Working professionals
4. Outdoor enthusiasts
5. Eco–minded individuals
6. Seniors looking for an easier way to get around
7. Tourists who want to explore the city
8. Families with young children
9. Delivery services
10. Commuters on a limited budget

Explain why each market segment would like an electric bicycle

1. Urban commuters – Electric bicycles offer a quicker, easier, and more eco-friendly mode of transportation for commuting to work or running errands.

2. College students – Electric bicycles are a great way for college students to get to class quickly and on a budget.

3. Working professionals – Electric bicycles offer a convenient and efficient way to commute to and from work without having to worry about traffic or parking.

4. Outdoor enthusiasts – Electric bicycles allow for a more adventurous riding experience, offering more speed and distance than traditional bicycles.

5. Eco-minded individuals – Electric bicycles are a great way to minimize one’s carbon footprint while still getting around quickly and efficiently.

6. Seniors looking for an easier way to get around – Electric bicycles provide an easier and more enjoyable riding experience, making it easier for seniors to get around town.

7. Tourists who want to explore the city – Electric bicycles are an ideal way for tourists to explore the city and its attractions without having to worry about traffic or parking.

8. Families with young children – Electric bicycles offer an easier and more enjoyable way for families to explore the city together.

9. Delivery services – Electric bicycles provide a more efficient and eco-friendly way for delivery services to get their packages to their customers quickly.

10. Commuters on a limited budget – Electric bicycles provide a more efficient and eco-friendly way to get to work or school, allowing commuters to cover longer distances for less money than other options.

11. Outline an ad campaign

I gave ChatGPT a simple prompt: Create a PPC campaign structure for an “electric bicycle.”

Campaign Structure:

1. Electric Bicycle Awareness: This campaign will focus on increasing awareness of electric bikes by targeting users who show an interest in cycling, green energy, and other related topics. Ads could include product information, customer reviews, and promotional offers.

2. Electric Bicycle Engagement: This campaign will focus on engaging potential customers and generating leads. Ads could include product demos, free trials, and incentives for customers to make a purchase.

3. Electric Bicycle Retargeting: This campaign will focus on retargeting potential customers who have already expressed an interest in electric bikes. Ads could include discounts, product upgrades, and customer testimonials.

Provide the ideal ad copy for each campaign

1. Electric Bicycle Awareness: “Introducing the world’s most advanced electric bikes! Now you can ride farther, faster, and with less effort. Learn more about electric bikes today!”

2. Electric Bicycle Engagement: “Try our electric bikes for free and see the difference! Get a free trial and see for yourself why electric bikes are the best!”

3. Electric Bicycle Retargeting: “Don’t miss out on this exclusive offer! Get a special discount when you upgrade to our latest electric bike today!”

12. Product demonstrations

Fiona Lucas has used ChatGPT for marketing and virtual product demonstrations. She offered this example:

The conversational AI can be programmed to provide detailed and interactive simulations of the product’s features and benefits, helping customers make informed purchasing decisions. Here’s a simple example of how ChatGPT could be used to create a virtual product demonstration:

“Can you show me a demo of a new smartphone?”

ChatGPT: “Sure! Let’s take a look at the latest model from XYZ brand. This smartphone has a large, vibrant 6.7-inch display, a powerful octa-core processor, and a triple-camera system. It also has a long-lasting battery and fast charging capabilities. Would you like to see a simulation of how these features work together?”

User: “Yes, please.”

ChatGPT: “Okay, let’s start with the display. As you can see, the 6.7-inch screen provides an immersive viewing experience, with vibrant colors and sharp details. The octa-core processor provides lightning-fast performance, so you can run multiple apps and games without any lag. And the triple-camera system allows you to take stunning photos and videos with ease. Do you have any specific questions about the camera?”

User: “Can you show me how the battery performs?”

ChatGPT: “Of course! The battery on this smartphone lasts all day, even with heavy use, and you can charge it quickly with the included fast-charging adapter. Let me show you a simulation of how the battery performs over a typical day. As you can see, after a full day of use, there is still plenty of battery life remaining.”

13. Calculate CAC and LTV

Fiona added that she used ChatGPT for marketing to teach customers how to calculate key marketing measurement values.

“Although I already have spreadsheets I use with my clients – I asked ChatGPT to give a simple outline of a spreadsheet to help clients work out their Customer Acquisition Cost and Lifetime Value … which it did in two seconds:”

Sure, here is the equation to calculate CAC and LTV in Excel:

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC):
Copy code
= SUM(Marketing_Expenses + Sales_Expenses) / Total_New_Customers
Here, you would need to input the values for Marketing_Expenses, Sales_Expenses, and Total_New_Customers into separate columns in Excel.

Lifetime Value (LTV):
Copy code
= Average_Revenue_Per_Customer * Average_Customer_Lifespan
Here, you would need to input the values for Average_Revenue_Per_Customer and Average_Customer_Lifespan into separate columns in Excel.

Note: You may need to adjust the formulas depending on the specific data you are using. Additionally, these calculations are based on simplified assumptions and may not accurately reflect your business’s actual CAC and LTV. Customers could probably avoid a spreadsheet altogether and simply input the numbers into ChatGPT and ask for a result.

14. Lead nurturing

Mary Kathryn Johnson of BotAcadamy said: I hate spammy direct messages and wanted to find a more human way to connect to potential social media contacts and encourage them to join my Facebook Group. I provided details to ChatGPT and asked it to “write a direct message for Facebook Messenger to connect with a friend, compliment them on their content, and invite them to join a FB group” The response:

“Hey [friend’s name], I hope you’re doing well! I just wanted to reach out and say that I love following your content on FB, it’s always so inspiring! I wanted to extend an invitation to join our private FB group, [group name]. It’s a great community of like-minded individuals, and I think you’d love it. Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll send you the link! :)”

I then asked: “How many conversational exchanges might be required to take a cold lead to a warm relationship that gets a download of a lead magnet?”

With some explanation prior to giving an answer, the answer was: “On average, it may take anywhere from 3-7 exchanges to build enough rapport and credibility to encourage a download.”

I then asked, “write 5 chatbot exchanges to build rapport and credibility to encourage a download of a mindset coach’s lead magnet.”

This resulted in some helpful ideas.

I then narrowed the parameters to, “write a 5-part chatbot conversation of no more than 160 characters for each text exchange to get a user to show up to a coaches webinar.”

15. Create a simple engagement process

Fiona Lucas said, “I had a client with a new team, and I asked if they had a client engagement process. They didn’t. So I asked ChatGPT for an outline:

Introduction:
The purpose of this policy is to ensure a consistent and professional approach to client engagement, so that our clients receive the highest quality of service and support. This policy outlines the steps and procedures for engaging with clients, from initial contact to project completion.

Initial Contact:
All initial contacts with potential clients must be handled in a prompt and professional manner. The first point of contact should aim to establish the client’s needs, understand their challenges, and provide relevant information about our services and capabilities.

Proposal and Agreement:
Once a potential client’s needs have been established, a written proposal should be provided. The proposal should clearly outline the scope of work, deliverables, timeline, and budget. If the client agrees to the proposal, a formal agreement should be signed to formalize the engagement.

Project Management:
All projects should be managed according to a defined project management process, which includes regular updates and communication with the client. The project manager should be the primary point of contact for the client and should ensure that all deliverables are completed on time and to the client’s satisfaction.

Quality Assurance:
Our commitment to quality is reflected in our quality assurance process, which is designed to ensure that all deliverables meet or exceed our clients’ expectations. Our quality assurance process includes regular reviews, client feedback, and ongoing testing and validation.

Confidentiality:
All client information, including confidential information, must be handled in accordance with our confidentiality policy. All employees and contractors must sign a confidentiality agreement prior to engaging with clients.

Complaints and Disputes:
In the event of a complaint or dispute, our client engagement policy outlines a clear and fair process for resolving the issue. The first step is to engage in open and honest communication with the client to try and resolve the issue. If the issue cannot be resolved, it may be referred to a higher authority for resolution.

Conclusion:
This client engagement policy outlines the steps and procedures for engaging with clients in a professional and consistent manner. By following these procedures, we aim to provide the highest quality of service and support to our clients.

Note: This is a sample client engagement policy and should be customized to reflect your organization’s specific needs, processes, and policies.

16. Make your message more accessible

Fiona added another use of ChatGPT for marketing: “One that is a little more unusual — I do a bit of work with clients on accessibility, and so I gave ChatGPT a sentence to transcribe into American Sign Language. It’s a shame we don’t have visuals yet, but I’m sure it’s not far away. Here is what I asked:

Convert this sentence into ASL

“Welcome to today’s event where you are going to learn the most amazing marketing tips ever”

American Sign Language (ASL):

• Make the sign for “WELCOME” by waving your right hand in front of your chest.
• Point to your eyes to show “YOU.”
• Make the sign for “TODAY” by pointing to your right temple with your index finger.
• Make the sign for “EVENT” by making an “E” handshape and moving it slightly in front of your chest.
• Sign “LEARN” by taking the “L” handshape and moving it from your forehead down to your chest.
• Make the sign for “AMAZING” by forming the letter “A” with both hands and moving them apart.
• Make the sign for “MARKETING” by tracing the letter “M” in front of your chest with both hands.
• Make the sign for “TIPS” by tapping your index finger against the tips of your thumb repeatedly.
• Finally, sign “EVER” by holding your index finger up, touching your chin and then extending it out.

17. Optimize FAQs

You can use ChatGPT to generate questions to help you develop customer FAQs.

What are the top 10 questions a customer could have about electric bicycles?

1. How fast can electric bicycles go?
2. How long does the battery last?
3. How much does an electric bicycle cost?
4. Are electric bicycles easy to use?
5. What is the difference between an electric bicycle and a regular bicycle?
6. What safety features are included on electric bicycles?
7. What type of terrain can electric bicycles be used on?
8. Are electric bicycles easy to maintain?
9. What is the maximum weight capacity of an electric bicycle?
10. Are there any special regulations for electric bicycles?

18. ChatGPT for marketing research

Let’s say we want to extend our electric bicycle operations to Europe. We might ask:

What are the largest manufacturers of electric bicycles in Europe?

1. Kalkhoff
2. Raleigh
3. Bosch
4. BH
5. Haibike
6. Gocycle
7. Moustache
8. Specialized
9. Lapierre
10. Giant

We know that ChatGPT does not have the most recent information so this has to be only a starting point for further research. I would expect that newer versions of the application will be more reliable.

19. Design your own creations!

Here are some guidelines to create your own ChatGPT uses for marketing:

Define a role. One of the most effective ways to use ChatGPT is starting the main prompt with “Act like you are a ” or “You are this expert.” If you’re asking for marketing advice, for example, start your prompt with “You are an experienced marketing advisor” or “speak to me as a professional speaking coach.” ANother one I use is, “explain this as if the reader is in high school.”

Add context. If you were asking someone to complete a complex task, you would need to give them backstory and context so they can complete it effectively. AI is not any different, the more context you give, the more relevant, customized and useful the answer will be.

Use the “regenerate” button and give it another chance. If you don’t like the reply, click “regenerate” at the bottom of the screen. You can still see previous answers to the same question displayed on left of the screen under the OpenAI logo.

Keep tweaking. if your result is close but can be better, add another prompt under the result like

• make it shorter
• make it funnier
• make it more academic

Turn it into a table. ChatGPT has a unique ability to convert replies into tables, lists, flowcharts, code snippets, and more. If you don’t like long complex paragraphs, ask for the format to your use case and preferences, like a bullet list or a table.

Try using ChatGPT on the fly. Are you ready to talk to ChatGPT in the middle of a project? The Promptheus chrome extension allows you to access ChatGPT using your voice. In the demo video for Promptheus, the user verbally asks questions and ChatGPT writes answers in real-time without missing a beat.

20. Adjust the marketing organization

While much of the marketing world is still toying with ChatGPT to write blog posts, industry leaders are already reimagining the very bones of the marketing function.

Agencies are building their own platforms powered by OpenAI. An anonymous “AI-powered” agency called The Uncreative Agency gained traction in the advertising world by using OpenAI to generate humanless proposals within minutes based on just a few basic inputs. Pitches are then emailed to users as a PDF that includes ideas and illustrations along with a disclaimer that says the ideas “were, obviously, not very good…At least, not yet.”

Some wondered who was behind the platform or if it was just some sort of stunt satirizing the current tech trend, but it turned out to be a project of DDB, which disclosed itself as the agency behind it. In the first week, more than 12,000 people from top agencies and consultancies used The Uncreative Agency, according to DDB, which is now launching a new human-AI hybrid platform to implement AI tools for creatives and also incubate generative AI startups.

While this is a dramatic idea, it is our future. Every marketing job will be changed forever, and the companies that move rapidly will survive and thrive.

Through an easy-to-use interface, ChatGPT puts the power of AI into the hands of any marketer. It’s daunting to think where we can be with this technology as it improves exponentially in the months to come.

Mark Schaefer is the executive director of Schaefer Marketing Solutions. He is the author of some of the world’s bestselling digital marketing books and is an acclaimed keynote speaker, college educator, and business consultant.  The Marketing Companion podcast is among the top business podcasts in the world. Contact Mark to have him speak at your company event or conference soon.

Follow Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.

Illustrations generated by MidJourney

The post Beyond the Basics: 20 Non-Obvious Uses of ChatGPT for Marketing appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.

I don’t think there is any more important battleground for marketing today than the effort to form relevant new customer connections. Traditional connections are being threatened on every front:

• Loss of online tracking data
• Stricter privacy regulations
• Inability to properly staff call centers due to labor shortages
• Surge in customer complaints due to supply chain disruptions
• Historic transition to online interactions amplified by the pandemic

On the new Marketing Companion episode, Brooke Sellas (overcoming COVID!) and I explore how new opportunities for “conversations” can spark new marketing opportunities. We look at:

• How customer care is a new “seam” of opportunity for marketers
• The fascinating social psychology of conversations that leads to customer intimacy
• The role of AI in customer care today and in the metaverse?
• Why most marketers are grossly overlooking the link between customer conversations and sales

This is a great show full of new ideas and original insights. Click here to enjoy it all:

The post Considering conversation as a marketing strategy appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.

By Kiki Schirr, {grow} Contributing Columnist

We’ve all experienced bad apologies:

I’m sorry you feel that way.

(non-acknowledgment of wrongdoing that can even suggest the person is being too emotional)

I’m sorry you’re upset, but this isn’t my problem.

(passing the buck)

I’m sorry, but the situation was inevitable with the way you behaved.

(passing the buck back to the customer!)

The simplest way to improve your apologies is to avoid being awful! But how do we improve the official company apology from there?

If you’re running a small business, dealing with angry customers can feel overwhelming. You want to be professional but you probably don’t have your own legal team, PR team, crisis management team, and a host of others at your beck and call.

So how should a business approach apologies? 

1) Basic steps of brand apologies

From personal experience and the wisdom of HBR, Adam Lazare, Contagious and other expert opinions, I think that there is a very rough outline for sincere brand apologies:

1. Display empathy for the situation
   
2. Agree the customer’s feelings are reasonable given their experience
   
3. Acknowledge your part in the situation
4. Try to find a solution that satisfies the customer
5. Show that you will change your policy in the future

Of course, it will require tweaking to fit your exact situation and there might be additional steps in the event of a major mistake, but most good apologies follow that outline.

Today I’m going to give you some advanced techniques to nail your brand apologies:

2) Never erase, only replace

If you’ve put out false information or offended with written content, don’t delete all traces of it in a panic.

In 2015, Mark Schaefer made a mistake (it is whispered in marketing channels that this was the first and only time) and he then wrote an excellent digital apology for misrepresenting some of the features of a marketing tool. It was an honest mistake but Mark didn’t shy away from addressing it.

I’m showing this example because he did something very clever in this post that I haven’t seen used widely. Mark didn’t erase the errant post — he replaced it:

If you panic and delete a problem post, when visitors return (possibly with outraged friends in tow), they’ll only find a 404 error without any explanation. Many people, especially when they’re already angry, will see this as suspicious behavior. Maybe you’re just “covering your tracks.”

Use Mark’s innovation: he wrote over the initial post, fully acknowledging why he had replaced the erroneous content. This allowed him to end the confusion without a dead link. By posting his apology on the same initial link, everyone who had seen the incorrect information saw the very professional retraction.

3) Create a crisis response playbook

If the customer service person on duty isn’t authorized to make major decisions (a questionable but common practice) it can be tempting to tell them to “stall” until you can get in touch with lawyers — after all, sometimes an apology is cited as an admission of guilt.

Ideally, you should set standards for brand apologies through a social media policy before you or your team has time to form bad habits. It’s never too late to create a crisis response playbook. 

Thinking through scenarios and proper responses will take time. If you’re in a field where you often need a legal team —healthcare, supplements, children’s toys, weight loss — you’ll definitely want to include your legal team. Draft a list of problems you’ve had in the past, and look for issues your competitors have faced — especially apology fails. If you take the high road where you’re competitor is known to go low, you might win loyal customers.

You’ll need to tailor these suggestions to your own industry, but here are a few things you might want to add:

• If the customer suggests your product has become a safety issue, escalate immediately.
• If that safety issue could be fatal, call the CEO’s cell phone number, regardless of the hour. Have your legal team ready.
• If the customer’s post is gaining traction and wide sympathy, escalate immediately.
• If the customer complaining is a celebrity or a respected member of your core community, either escalate or call the CEO as the employee feels necessary

4) The toughest brand apologies

How do you handle brand apologies when accusations are false or self-serving?

You might want to set a dollar amount max for product replacement or other customer appeasement methods in situations where verification is an issue. Or like many tech company policies on children downloading products with their parent’s credit card, you get one refund, no matter how major, no questions asked. But that’s the only time you’ll help without proof.

How do you handle customers that want to draw attention to your discussion and refuse to enter a private channel?

You’ll want to handle the apology in a manner consistent with your brand’s voice and customer base. The way Neiman Marcus apologizes is very different from the apology that PewDiePie’s fans want.

What if you’re not the party at fault? What if it was chance? What if it was someone else’s fault?

Don’t point fingers or use the name of the brand or person you suspect screwed it up. Outline the things you’re in control of and the things that are results of chance. Acknowledge that the trouble is still annoying, no matter who is at fault. Offer to work with them to find a solution.

How do you handle accusations that your company is racist/homophobic/misogynist or other reasons your service failure might have been a form of bigotry?

This can be a nightmare scenario. First, what not to do:

Don’t question whether the form of discrimination they’re citing is actually real. Another typical cringe-worthy error is to assert that you can’t be _____ist because you have ____ friends.

Best practices include:

• Investigate the issue
• Ask how you can make it better for them in this instance
• Ask whether they have any suggestions for the future (but don’t require that they solve future problems for you)
• State that you had no ill intent
• Avoid widening the perceived gap between your brand and the individual by using “we” about the brand vs. “you” to mean people like them.
• Mirror their language and use their terminology to describe the situation you want to avoid happening again in the future 
• Address and fix the core issue before defending your brand

While you might feel defensive about your brand being accused of discrimination, you should try to quash the fear of others believing the accusations long enough to fix the actual problem.

When the problem is fixed, then analyze the situation and what your company did or didn’t do wrong. Is there something you should change going forward?

It is also possible that you did nothing wrong, but either way, you should treat your customer with respect. Keep your cool and remind yourself that you can’t know what is happening in their life.

You will likely have many silent eyes watching brand apologies like this, so try to make it right in a manner that feels compassionate, honorable, and on-brand for your company’s values.

5) Just be human

Ultimately, the best way to humanize your brand is to face each interaction as if you are dealing with your neighbor, face-to-face.

Just be human back.

Kiki Schirr is a freelance marketer, writer, and former founder who enjoys new technologies. She believes success is a product of luck, tenacity, and chutzpah. You can email Kiki Schirr at her full name without spaces at Gmail. Just remember that she responds faster on Twitter.

The post Five best practices for those difficult brand apologies appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.